[Newsletter] Learn guitar the way toddlers learn language (the science behind learning-by-immersion).
A well-done introduction to music theory; Musical haikus
Something to think about
Imagine being one of those guitarists who can just speak through their instrument.
Not thinking about technique. Not thinking about chords or scales or notes. Not thinking about theory. Just thinking about music and playing it. Some people have internalized the mechanics of music to the point where the instrument is not the focus, just the means (like Julian Lage, who I wrote about earlier this week).
One of the best ways to get to this level is by learning through immersion.
The story of Victor Wooten
Victor Wooten, the bassist and educator, treats learning music like learning a language. He likes to tell the story of being the youngest of his brothers and jamming with them early on. What’s interesting is how they jammed with him:
They didn’t treat him like a baby
They didn’t simplify repertoire for him
They didn’t come up with a curriculum to learn skills cumulatively
In other words, Wooten learned music by being immersed the same way children learn their first language. He was having real conversations in real time without getting hung up on every mistake. He was thrown into the deep end in a nurturing environment.
Wooten seems like an exceptional case, though. He has reached a level of creativity and expressiveness that must have something to do with natural talent. But his brain works the same way our brains work and, funnily enough, his anecdotal experience shows up in the neuroscience literature.
Spaced repetition and interleaving
In Uncommon Sense Teaching, Barbara Oakley talks about spaced repetition and interleaving. These are two of the best methods of learning your brain uses to take in new information and seal it deeply in long-term memory for quick and easy access. Guitarists can use these methods of learning to create efficient practice routines that let you learn more with less work, but Oakley notes they also show up naturally in immersion-style learning, which plays in favour for guitarists as well.
Children use spaced repetition and interleaving on a daily basis while learning language. They use the same phrases a lot, create new phrases, talk about similar and different topics, use old and new vocabulary all day, everyday. On top of this, they get feedback in the form of a response on almost everything they say so they can modify over time. Even though learning a language is extremely complex, children do it easily in part because they practice so efficiently by default.
Similarly, Victor Wooten used these methods of learning by default. He had to play in time, rely on his ear rather than what he was already shown, make musical decisions, and play something in the jam using only the techniques he had available. Being immersed in the act of music making day in and day out required him to use spaced repetition and interleaving.
It is easier for children
Wooten learned to play music around the same time he learned to speak.
As a result, he took advantage of his learning capabilities that just simply aren’t there for adults. It’s crazy to think of children learning something as complex as a language (or even multiple languages at the same time!), but their brains just soak in all that information easily. Different tactics and strategies are needed to help the process along as adults - the brain still works the same way, just not so automatically and effectively.
As long as adults know the strategies, immersion-style learning is super effective.
Learn songs and play with other people
A big part of being a musician is making music with others.
The ideal situation for immersion-style learning is jamming with peers that are just above your current skill level. Not so far ahead that you can’t keep up, but enough that you’re working on the edge of your skills. You’re playing complete songs that you like and that resonate with others.
Of course, this situation isn’t available to many players.
But following the principles of immersion-style learning can still help you teach yourself guitar even if you play alone. Try this for an exercise:
Pick a song you think you can learn with some work
Learn the parts of it, or even just sections as best you can
Play along with the recording and don’t stop even if you make mistakes. Try to find where to come in again and keep going
Record yourself doing this to get instant feedback on each run-through. Be a little hard on yourself, but fair, too.
Do it again tomorrow
If you simulate immersion-style learning everyday, you’ll improve on the most important skills of musicianship.
Something to watch
Immersion-style learning means playing music becomes second nature.
Understanding music can become second nature as well. It’s just as important.
Many guitarists get caught up in the debate around whether music theory is useful or downright harmful. The fact of the matter is that knowing how to label, categorize, and remember different musical ideas using common terminology that others can understand is useful. Andrew Huang agrees and likes to see his students reach at least a base level of music theory to be conversational in his courses. He says, “With enough experience, it becomes a natural state.”
I think his presentation of music theory is strong because it cuts to the chase.
Instead of getting bogged down in details that are somewhat important, he introduces things straight from the beginning in a logical way, adding clarity where it’s needed and skipping over aspects that are superfluous.
If this is your first time encountering the language of music theory or you’re already well familiar, you’ll get something from this video.
Beginners might not fully understand everything on the first go, but that’s okay. It’s still helpful because explicit understanding isn’t the only thing that matters - it’s a benefit to know the breadth and depth of the most important parts of theory. And people familiar with theory might get something, too, because of Huang’s first principles approach. Perhaps there is some fact you have known for a long time, but never connected it within the broader web of theory.
I’m always happy to see someone take the fundamentals this seriously.
Something to practice
Creativity works best not when you have every option available all the time, but when you have boundaries to work in.
It seems counterintuitive, but having too many options can be overwhelming. Take writing a piece of music, for example. Even if you narrow down the options of chords, tempo, melody, vibe, and rhythmic theme, you're stuck not knowing how these ideas compare to other possibilities.
With endless possibilities, there are also endless analyses.
If you have strong tastes, opinions, and a deep familiarity with your own style, it's not a problem. The only filter is whether you like what you're creating or not. But before you get to this step, practicing creativity by giving yourself strict boundaries to work in can help you develop these skills.
Try this:
Write a melodic theme with the rhythm of a haiku: syllables (or in our case, notes) in the pattern of 5-7-5.
Keep a steady tempo
Come up with a first phrase that uses 5 notes (the rhythms don't have to be identical)
Let the phrase breath within the steady beat and wait for the start of the next bar
In the same way as before, create a phrase with 7 notes
Let the phrase breath again
Either repeat the first 5 note phrase or come up with a similar phrase that "answers" to the first one
Following a haiku rhythm is kind of silly, but it's an easy way to come up with a boundary around what you can and can't do. Beyond that, the steps above are just one example of what's possible.
After doing this multiple times, you’ll be analyzing and evaluating your pieces within the same context. You get practice deciding what you like and don't like without the weight of every possible option hanging over you.