A tool that I have been using to provide more feedback to a student is Soundcloud. Soundcloud is an online music distribution platform. Musicians can record and upload recordings that can then be listened to by others that follow the artist. Online sharing of music is nothing new. However, Soundcloud allows others to comment on the recording right in the timeline. Commenting looks and works much like Facebook. 

Using this tool I can hear a student playing an assigned piece and make comments about his playing at the precise moment I hear something. Students are able to listen through their performance and see my directions and comments about their playing. When a student looks at the recording my comments are placed throughout the timeline. My goal in implementing this tool is to provide another feedback point in between lessons. 

How it Works

In order to obtain a good recording I use the Tascam iM2 microphone. Most of my students are not walking around with high quality field recorders. They are, however, walking around with smartphones. This device connects to the iPhone or iPad and provides a high quality audio recording. Tascam has developed a microphone for a phone/tablet that rivals the fidelity of a good field recorder. Along with the microphone Tascam has also developed an app, Tascam PCM Recorder, that looks and functions like a field recorder. From this app you can upload the file directly to your Soundcloud account.  

This combination of the iM2 and the iPhone is also a great way to capture composition ideas, lectures, and to record demos. A great tool for all of us.

Higher end mobile recording options are available. For the money, the iM2 and Soundcloud are the least expensive option. Accessibility and affordability are important when looking for technology tools to implement into your teaching.

There are other ways to provide more consistent feedback to students. This is one easy way I implement in my teaching.

What are some ways you are using technology in your teaching?

More often than not I feel like I am running around with my hair on fire. My day is packed with a thousand different things that demand my focused attention. I am also aware that I waste time on mindless things throughout the day- think Facebook, Twitter, coffee consumption. If I am not careful I can go a week or more without ever practicing my guitar. I will most likely play my guitar but not practice. Practicing is the “going to the woodshed moment” where you are dedicating a period of time to get better at something. When practice is neglected my playing suffers. Segovia said (paraphrase), “If I don’t practice for one day, I notice. If I don’t practice for two days, my wife notices. If I don’t practice for three days, the world notices.” How true that is.

Maintaing a consistent practice routine is difficult, to say the least. I have a full-time job, am married, and have three children with extracurricular activities that are time hogs. When I do get to practice I have to maximize every moment of precious time.

Often, I am called upon to play for a variety of functions. It would not look favorably upon me if I played the same pieces over and over. I need to continually add new music to my repertoire. I also get bored playing the same pieces time and again. Practicing efficiently gives me the opportunity to learn new pieces.

My teaching would also suffer if I did not maintain my “chops”. You cannot simply tell students what to do 100% of the time. Sometimes you have to demonstrate so the student can hear and see what you are speaking about. This is also an appropriate way of modeling for your students what a professional musician looks like. Lastly, I went into this careered because I love to play the guitar. I want to play the instrument and learn new ways of expressing myself and music on the guitar. 

Here are a few tips on how to be efficient and effective with your practice time:

1) Prepare Materials
Make a binder with all of the music you need to learn and keep this with you in your bag. Whenever you have a moment to practice you have the scores with you. Preparation is the key to being efficient with your time. I have begun utilizing my iPad device for music storage. Scan all of your materials, upload to the cloud (I use dropbox) so you can have access the files on your computer, tablet, or mobile device.

2) Use Any Available Moment
Finding an available hour in your day to practice is probably a major challenge. But, what about 15 or 20min? I can usually find 15min here or there throughout my day. If I have my materials with me I can slip off somewhere and put in a few minutes in practice. Another tip is to always have your instrument – this suggestion works well for college students. If you cannot carry your instrument everywhere rehearse visually. Work on your memory, do some score study – marking phrasing, key centers, chord progressions, etc.

3) Practice Intelligently
When you do sit down to practice work in chunks. Choose one phrase or a few measures in the piece to work on. Work slowly at first to gain control and fluency of movement. Speed up the tempo little by little so you can maintain control and accuracy. The reps you get working on a small chunk of the music will help you “perfect” that portion of the piece.

Also, think about what is going on musically: phrases, modulations, texture (what other instruments are playing in this passage).  

4) Rehearse Difficult to Easy
Related to #3 is work on challenging material first and frequently. It seems like we spend too much time playing the easy passage, because we can play them better sooner. Fight this tendency and go right for the difficult portions of the music. You will help insure successful execution of this passage by getting more repetitions. Review the portion you rehearsed two to three times that day. This will help you imbed the information in long term memory.

5) Rehearse Material Consistently
Have a consistent rotation for the pieces you are working on. Make sure these pieces come back up at frequent intervals, every other day max. If you have five new pieces to learn do not binge on one piece until you have it mastered. Forge ahead, consistently, on all your pieces. Binging on one piece is a sure fire way to sound horrible on the other four you need to have learned.  

6) Maintenance 
Technique should never be neglected. It is the vehicle for musical expression. You would not expect your car to run well if you neglected routine maintenance. Do not expect your technique to “work” well without maintenance. I also consider musicality and creativity in this maintenance category. You must work on making music, not note realization. Learn about the music you are playing. Also, creativity is why we are musicians. Make sure you are being creative with your guitar playing. Have moments of improvisation and composition with your instrument. That is a great way to practice technique and enhance your musicality.

How do you find time to practice? What are some tips you have about maximizing your practice time? 

1) Listening
One of the best things you can do is to listen to music. Not just music you like or are familiar with but with music you are not. Music genres have specific formulas that are utilized in the creative process. For example, if you are really familiar with a band or genre of music you might be able to “guess” what the next chord will be in a progression or which way the melody will turn. You develop this awareness through consistent listening to that particular genre.

Start developing an awareness of these formulas in other genres through repeated listening. I would suggest you choose three genres of music that you do not typically listen to and find two are three performers that are considered “greats” in that style. If you choose jazz as one of these genres you should listen repeatedly to someone like Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. For classical music choose an instrument(s) and time period. Something like piano music from the Romantic era.

2) Practice
Developing good practice habits prior to studying music in college is a must. Learn to devote an appropriate amount of time to practicing your instrument. An appropriate amount of time would depend on your goals. If you want to be a professional then the amount of time you spend practicing should reflect this.

You should also focus your attention on developing technique, learning new music, polishing music you know, and improvisation. I would suggest you spend 25% of your practice time on each of these areas. You can do a Google search for technique, music, and improvisation tips and find a wealth of resources for your instrument (comment below and we can provide some additional assistance).

3) Jam With Other Musicians
Playing with other musicians is one of the best ways to improve your skills. If you can, find musicians who are more advanced than you are. Don’t worry if they play a different instrument. You can still learn a great deal by playing along with other instrumentalists. If you are a guitarist play in a group with a trumpet player. Listening to how a trumpet player articulates notes, improvises, and shapes melodies can greatly influence your playing.

Playing with others also helps develop communication skills. Communication is an element of ensemble playing that is developed through the process of doing. You can learn how to communicate with others musically by reading but that will never fully develop this concept in you. It is learned through the doing.

What are some ideas or questions you have about preparing for music studies?

While talking to a student about this issue I was trying to come up with a “take home” or tool he could use. What struck me was the idea of a listening book.

A listening book is a journal that contains information about each genre you might be asked to play in. Information would consist of tone, feel, chord inversions, solos, scale use, the role of the guitar in the ensemble, and on and on. For example, if I am asked to play something in a Buddy Holly style I can reference my listening journal for Buddy Holly characteristics. I would have recorded guitar tone, chord realization (open chords, barre chords, triads or seventh chords, etc.). This information set me up to replicate Buddy Holly’s guitar style as close as possible.

Here are steps to creating a listening journal:

1) Buy a journal small enough to fit in your guitar case
You want the journal to be portable. If you cannot recall from memory what guitar effects you need for a particular style you would have your journal with you.

2) Keep your information compartmentalized
Have different sections for different styles. Have a section for R & B, Country, Rock, Jazz (listening ideas below). Number each page and create a table of contents inside the front cover. You need to be able to access the information quickly.

3) Changing feel and sound is better than playing verbatim
It takes years to become a chameleon guitar player. Until you gain years of expertise play what you can incorporating as much genre specific information as you can. For example, if you only feel comfortable playing pentatonic scales then do that until you gain the knowledge. Playing a pentatonic scale in a jazz style can work, just don’t fill the solo full of Stevie Ray Vaughn type bends, it is not in the style. Slide in and out of those notes, as that is keeping with the style.

4) Start with the big names
Spend time upfront listening to the big names in each genre. These big name artists do not have to be guitarists, and most likely shouldn’t. How was guitar used on Carol King’s Tapestry record? What was the guitar player doing behind Elvis? The Edge wouldn’t be The Edge without what guitar pedal? Some of the best guitar players are on records you wouldn’t expect. Think here of Steve Lukather’s guitar work on Michael Jackson’s Thriller album. You can learn a great deal by zoning in on the guitar parts on major albums by major artists.

5) Listen intently
We listen to music many different ways depending on our level of interest and distraction. Listen closely for 20-30min to a singular artist and song. It takes many hours of listening before you can pick up the formulas that each style contains. So you also need to listen passively, while driving for example. The point here is listen a great deal to one genre and artist.

6) Where to start
Here are some suggestions to start with:
-R&B (Aretha Franklin, Smoky Robinson, Stevie Wonder – though we could place him in a few other genres as well)
-Classic Rock (Eagles, Aerosmith, Zepplin, Leonard Skynard, Mountain)
-Rock (Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, U2, Guns & Roses)
-New Wave/Contemporary Rock (New Order, Morrissey, Arcade Fire, Radiohead – I could also place them in other genres)
-Country (Vince Gil, Brad Paisley, Ricky Skaggs, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson)
-Jazz (Joe Pass, Count Basie, Jim Hall, Pat Metheny)
-Smooth Jazz (George Benson, Fourplay)
-Adult Contemporary (Carol King, James Taylor, The Carpenters)

Musical styles are always in flux. The trick to being a successful guitarist is knowing how to sound as closed to the style as possible.

What artists would you add to the list?

In this video I explain a bit about how to strum the guitar and demonstrate the three strumming patterns. Once you have the basics down all you need to do to sound impressive is play the patterns twice as fast, eighth notes and sixteenth notes instead of quarter notes and eighth notes. Use the diagrams below as you watch the video. Having your guitar in hand helps as well. I am using only one chord for this example, G major.

The three basic patterns are:
Strumming Pattern I

Strumming Pattern II

Strumming Pattern III

What are some ways you create interesting strumming patterns?

A triad is a three-note chord that consists of a root, third, and fifth. Chord inversions are playing the chord so that the lowest note sounding will not always be the root of the chord (the chords name, by the way) but the third or the fifth.
If the root is the lowest note of the chord sounding the chord is in root position.
If the third of the chord is the lowest note sounding the chord is a first inversion chord.
If the fifth of the chord is sounding the chord is a second inversion chord.

Here is a video demonstrating chord inversions from the key of A (chords A, D, E). I am using a pedal tone, a consistent bass note over changing chords, to demonstrate how this can be useful in acoustic guitar playing. Here is a chord diagram of the inversions I used in the video.

What are some techniques you use to “spice” up a chord progression?

G Chord with Pentatonic Scale Lines

G Chord with Major Scale Lines

G Chord with Pentatonic Scale

G Chord with Major Scale

What are some other ways you create interest in your chord playing?

In life it is easy to fall into the responsible trap. I have a family so I have a responsibility to provide food and shelter, love and care. If I viewed my family as just my responsibility I would not provide the kind of love and care that I desire. In the end I would have failed because I did not view my family as an incredible opportunity to impact my wife and children’s life for the better.

Often learning a musical instrument is viewed as meeting a series of obligations, responsibilities. I have to practice because I have a lesson. I have a responsibility to make good grades so I will sit through another 45 minutes of right-hand technique. Viewing practicing as a responsibility, a set of minimum qualifications you must hit, limits your potential and zaps your passion for music and performance.

Instead of viewing events and people in my life as responsibilities I want to view them as opportunities. It is not my responsibility to provide food and shelter, love and care for my family. It is my opportunity. An opportunity to prepare and impact them for a great life. An opportunity to provide them a platform for success. It is not drudgery, it is opportunity.

If I take this to my practicing then technique is not my responsibility, it is my opportunity to prepare myself to play difficult passages in musical ways. It is my opportunity to learn how to share difficult music with anyone who will listen. It is my opportunity to prepare myself for future success.

So, how do we turn our thinking from responsibility to opportunity?

1) Know why you want something:
When you tie a greater good to what you are doing you infuse your to-dos with passion and purpose.

2) Be passionate about life:
I’ve read more times than I can count, “be the most passionate person you know.” This is a key to thinking of your to-dos as opportunities. When you are living and viewing life negatively everything is a responsibility. It is more difficult to view the mundane things in life as opportunities if you are passionless. When you are a passionate person your to-dos take on purpose, they take on opportunity.

3) Remind yourself daily the impact of your actions:
What you do today greatly influences your impact tomorrow. So, remind yourself that each thing you do, or do not do, greatly influences who you will become.

What about you? What do you think about responsibility and opportunities?

Can we really develop the musical traits and expertise on our instrument in a short amount of time?  We gravitate toward myths like Robert Johnson, who sold his soul to the devil in order to play guitar better than anyone else in the Delta (I’m not saying go make a pack with the devil – the same was said of Paganini, by the way), and want that quick fix to guitar greatness.  We want great success immediately upon picking up the instrument and shy away from hours of diligent practice.  What few people see in great musicians is the hours, days, and years they put into mastering their craft and art.  I would even posit that great artists spend even greater amounts of energy on a specific repertoire and genre in order to further distinguish themselves from the rest.

Here are a few of my thoughts on becoming an overnight sensation:

1) What people see as an overnight sensation will be born of years of sacrifice and dedication:
-To be a great guitarist you must make daily deposits into your musical bank account.  There will come times in your life where you will need to make a withdraw (I tell my students this typically happens around mid-term when papers are due and exams are in full swing).  By putting in these small, sometimes seemingly insignificant, deposits you are accumulating skill, knowledge, technique, and musicianship that will never be bankrupt.  There is no substitute for self-leadership.  None. The compounding effect of these deposits will reward you greatly

2) Learn a little about everything and a lot about a little:
-In the world of academe we want our students to know everything about everything.  In music we ask our students to have a great recall of music style and nuance over thousands of years of recorded music history.  It is not possible to become an expert in everything.  You can, however, glean ideas, receive inspiration, and maybe discover your life’s music through a study of history.  Instead of becoming a generalist in music become an expert in a little.  Bill Frisell is one of my favorite guitarists.  He spent years in relative obscurity before his overnight sensation.  He wanted to do his own music, play guitar his own way, and as a result he was not successful early on.  The story goes that he was supported by his spouse for years before his breakthrough.  He kept moving forward, never losing sight of his “a lot about little”, and forging his own style.  Through years of dedication, practice, and persistence, his music/style caught on and he is viewed as one of the most influential contemporary guitarists alive. Become an expert at your niche, not someone else’s.  If the music of Argentina is your bag, then do it with great excellence.  Focus on the little, be influenced by the everything.

3) If it doesn’t lead to your goal, don’t do it
-Caveat: if you are studying guitar with a teacher or in an institution, subject yourself to the process.  This process helps you become who you are, and makes you a better guitarist/musician.

-Many of us take gigs that are not in line with our goals simply to make a buck.  It is easy to get involved with music or developing bands that are not part of your goals.  This often leaves us questioning ourselves and our goals.  Know that time spent away from the path that leads to your goals delays your attainment of the prize. Get good at saying “NO” to good things so that you can say “YES” to great things.  Know your priorities and stick to them.  Do not be swayed, keep your focus on your goals.