Comments on: Zen Guitar Practice Workout

By: Mick

Mick — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 16:50:37 +0000

Lovely post, Thank you!
I’ve been reading Zen and the Art of Guitar by Jeff Peretzand am finding it very useful.
Thanks again,
Mick

By: Aston

Aston — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 11:01:59 +0000

Klaus, for your Zen guitar session I have two suggestions that have helped me. 1 affirmations – say out loud sentences about your guitar goals in the present tense as if you have already achieved the goal. Don’t ask me why but this works incredibly well but needs to be done daily. 2 – get a diffuser (a little electrical device that is used for essential oils) and some rosemary essential oil. Turn it on in the room when you start the practice. No matter what you think about aromatherapy (I don’t really use it for anything else) you will notice a massive increase in focus. It is subtle sometimes, but suddenly you will look up from practice and realize that 20 minutes have passed and you have been deep focused learning all that time.
All the best, Aston

By: Aston

Aston — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 10:44:06 +0000

Vinny
Make a list of your goals with guitar. How far do you want to go with it, party player, songwriter, band member? Break down what you need to learn to achieve one of those goals. Let’s say you want to be able to play a few songs round the fire with friends. You will need to learn 4 or 5 chords. Technique for this element would be to pick two of the chords and move between them extremely, painfully slowly, visualise the shape of the chord you are moving to so that when your fingers land on the fretboard they are already in the right position. Practice in five minute blocks, set a timer. Another technical thing might be to practice relaxing your grip on the chords so you can begin to find the minimum pressure required to sound good. Go through the chord string by string, check if each note sounds good. One of your sub-goals should be to be able to play with out tension in your body, relaxed and comfortable. Check the internet to find out the best body position for Spanish/acoustic/electric guitar. Use a guitar strap so you don’t have to change anything if you want to stand up/sit down. You will need some songs, pick three that you know well and find inspiring but that you know are not technically difficult. Sing the lyrics. Everyone can sing and you can entertain people with 3 chords and voice much easier than with solo guitar. Hope this helps. Remember always break things down into the smallest possible chunks and play everything very slowly and cleanly then build up speed. Oh and get a metronome when you get further down the road :) Aston

By: Vinny

Vinny — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:17:57 +0000

I have desire to learn how to play guitar, but my mind is blocked, there are too many info from different sources and so many decisions I must make. How to focus on most important thing and how to stay on the right track?

By: Can A Waitress Play Jazz Guitar (good if not great?)…and a cool dog photo | POSITVE Place Jazz Guitar

Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:43:17 +0000

[…] sharp memory, lightening quick reflexes and tons of musical talent. Then, thanks to a book called Zen Guitar (not exact title, will add later) I thought more productively, and less judgmentally, about the odds […]

By: Dirk

Dirk — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 01:13:54 +0000

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By: WesMoTron

WesMoTron — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 07:28:12 +0000

Awesome, Thank you for sharing! I will be trying to apply this to my practice routine from now on.

By: Ian

Ian — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 01:04:05 +0000

This is a great post. Thank you. I think it’s a very important topic and it’s great to see this discussed.

It is a fact that many of the most revolutionary musicians used drugs to enter a flow state of peak creativity. It is a form of cheating, in my opinion. Look at the greatest innovators of rock, jazz and blues music and you’ll find that very few of them achieved this peak state of creativity sober. It is undeniable that using drugs as flow enhancers works, if you are willing to accept the consequences. Many have lost their lives and many others leave a trail of wrecked relationships, self-loathing, and unfulfilled potential.

I’ll admit that I used to smoke marijuana and sometimes have a few drinks to help me reach a flow state when playing. For me, it was something I could do that would instantly change me from being uninspired and tired to being totally inspired, with just a couple of hits. While it worked to some degree, it also came with detrimental side effects to my spiritual progress and health, and worse, led to a belief that I could not play to my fullest without them. It hindered my spiritual progress, and so I stopped using them.

I’m now devoted to finding the most effective practice of achieving a super blissful flow state, while totally sober. And it’s not something that comes without a focused practice. It takes devotion. For I’m not interested in being sober at the expense of living life without equal levels of flow and ability to instantaneously achieve inspiration, as was available before. For this, focused meditative approach is the way. And the guitar is a beautiful tool for connecting with Oneness.

One thing I would add to the article is for people to explore the practice of singing what you play. This is a beautiful way to silence the incessant chatter of the mind, and direct the attention back to sound. It connects us with the instrument. And it is the best form of ear training possible.

It is also very nice to begin each session with simply play a few beautiful notes, and fully feeling the vibration of the instrument in your hands, arms, chest (resting against the guitar body) and leg (if sitting). Then, as you play, continue to make the tone as beautiful as possible regardless of what you are playing.

Thanks again for this post.

By: » STG News Desk – 05-29-2012

» STG News Desk – 05-29-2012 — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:13:55 +0000

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By: Mastering the Art of Zen Guitar | TakeLessons Blog

Mastering the Art of Zen Guitar | TakeLessons Blog — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:10:42 +0000

[…] playing? Here are some great tips for a zen guitar practice session, as originally published on Guitar First Chord, one of our favorite guitar […]