I thoroughly enjoy my lessons with my teacher Jason, who is very encouraging, however, he recently made 2 comments in our lesson which made me start thinking about my playing.
” Leigh, you have got the correct notes, rhythm and fingering but it needs more expression and attack” and ” Leigh, your playing is careless today”.
Relaxed practice over the holiday break
“Hi Everyone,
These comments by my teacher made me think about my own playing goals and aspirations for the coming year, and I hope that I can encourage you to take a few minutes over the Festive break to think about your goals for 2016.
Talking to students since I started teaching in 1979, the following questions seem to help this evaluation process, so I encourage you to answer the 6 questions that many Guitarists, including me, have answered.
I hope they help you think about how to keep your playing thriving and enjoyable in 2016.
Feel free to email your goals through or discuss next time we catch up, (or just keep your answers to yourself.)
- On a scale of 1-10 how much did you enjoy learning the Guitar in 2015?. The answer to this question will determine how much (if any) change you need to make this year.
- What comments did you notice your teacher (probably me) regularly make about your playing? This can be a good place to start looking at what needs to be improved.
- What 1 area of your playing do you want to improve in 2016? .
Using a metronome, bar-chords, finger picking, reading music, performing, playing duets, getting your playing on Youtube etc.
- How many pieces or songs would you like to learn in 2016?
- Performing is very satisfying for performer and audience, so a good question is “How can I commence performing to my family and friends with (some) confidence or increase the number of performances I give”?
Taking this a step further would you be willing to perform a solo or duet with me for this website? It needn’t be anything complex. Just strum a few chords with me or play a melody while I strum. It is not a concert so don’t worry about it having to be perfect.
- Would undertaking a Guitar exam help me develop as a musician?. The decision to do a music exam certainly puts a new focus on your practice session and the pieces you need for your level are most likely the ones you are working on now. It’s really not that hard and will give you a feeling of real achievement. While you can’t escape being nervous, exams are not stressful. Look out for an upcoming post where you will be able to see for yourselves the sensational results from the 2015 exam series by students of ALL AGES and ALL LEVELS!
A mantra that works for me when deciding to perform or undertake exams is ” RISKS AREN’T SCARY ONCE YOU TAKE THEM” or this gem by Mark Twain “WHAT I FEAR DOING THE MOST IS USUALLY WHAT I MOST NEED TO DO”
Here is a link from a previous post that will answer a few questions on exams;
https://glenelgguitarstudio.wordpress.com/2015/06/08/just-10-minutes-of-focus/
Please let me know if you have any questions;
Happy Playing and HAPPY NEW YEAR…..Leigh
Glenelg Guitar Studio 
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