KW Guitar Society Tip #14 Are you always playing in a box pattern?

So… you have been a student of the guitar for a couple of years, maybe even 20 years and you are feeling pretty good about your playing.  But there is always one thing that is lacking or missing or just something not quite right.

You are practicing every day, having fun while at the same time doing one or two things to technically improve.

The question I hear quite often is even after all that, something seems to be missing.  What is it?

After 30 years of teaching I can answer it….

You are playing the first beat of every bar with your first finger,

or

you are playing the first beat of every bar with your third finger.

Done.  It really is as simple as that!!!

I see it, I hear it all the time.

And why is it happening?

Because you are stuck in playing box patterns.

Exercise #1

Try noodling, or improvising the blues and don’t play on the first beat.  Notice how you are always gravitating to start your phrase on the first beat.

Exercise #2

Now that you are off the first beat, begin each phrase with another finger besides one or three.

Is this difficult?

Yes.  But so worth it to try and practice because if you change the beat you begin the phrase on from from two, three or four, even once in your solo, you have jumped a level of guitar playing from cliches to musical phrasing.

Next week, ideas and exercises to help you move out of box patterns.

Stephen Zurakowsky

Artistic Director