Photo by Olena Sergienko on Unsplash
Hello everyone,
In general, I’m a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other kind of guy.
I’m not one to do a bunch of personal reflection, make big plans, set lofty goals, or be super concerned about what goes on deep into the future. But the end of the year does tend to feel like all the little dramas of life coming to a resolution. And the anticipation of the new year does involve a certain amount of daydreaming about what could be.
Lately, I’ve been daydreaming about jazz guitar (which is kind of lame, seeing it typed out like this).
I’ve told myself this a million times, but this year I’m actually going to get better at playing jazz. I want to improve my ears, transcribe a lot, feel more free as an improviser, and try to dig further into the language of the music. I feel like I have the time, energy, and newfound industriousness to put in the effort and do it the right way.
In fact, in the spirit of getting jazzy, I subscribed to Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom only to find Paul at Guitar Noise did a comparison between Tomo and Paul Davids. Plus, taking a project-based approach will be a slick way of organizing the whole thing.
I will probably document it in some way for posterity, a record of what I’m learning, and to share with others the tips and methods of how I’m learning/practicing.
What do you want to do with music this year?
Perhaps you’ve done some daydreaming yourself. Are you happy with where you’re at? Do you want to make some changes?
I bet you’re looking to get more out of your guitar playing experience. Perhaps you think to yourself, “If I could just get there, I’d be good.” The older I get, the more I see if someone is happy and satisfied, it’s only for a fleeting moment until they yearn for something else. I don’t find this upsetting or anything. It just seems to be the way she goes.
Happily, music is a wholesome area in your life for constant striving and yearning. As opposed to something like, you know, world domination.
In the context of guitar playing, I feel like it’s healthy to constantly try looking beyond the horizon to see what’s over there. The key is balance: if you can find the fulcrum between being happy and satisfied with your current musical abilities, yet also happy and satisfied in the search for something else, you’ve found a positive guitar playing experience.
I’m there sometimes. Other times I’m not. But since this time of year does lend itself to inward reflection, think about it for a minute: beyond all the lessons and courses and how-tos, what you want to do with your guitar. Why do you want to play music?
There are still a few spots left in the upcoming Project-Based Guitar Practice live course
I’ve actually found this practice approach to support both my satisfaction with where I’m currently at and avoiding misery in the search for something else.
The people who have committed are looking forward to it and I’d like to get maybe 3 or 4 people to join in. I know I’ve been blabbing about it for a while, but now I’m excited because it’s coming together nicely.
It’s just going to be fun, relaxed, and casual. It’s free. It’s all low pressure.
Let me know (respond through this email or reach out to justplaythething@gmail.com) and I’ll put you on the list.
Happy holidays
Anyway, hopefully everyone is feeling good on this day of Christmas Eve.
I won’t bother you on New Year’s Eve, so see you two weeks from now!