Here is another Friday 10-second tip for you to enjoy.
…And it’s an unusual one which is:
…Inspired by the silent movie star, Charlie Chaplin.
What’s one thing Charlie Chaplin was most renowned for?
Well, apart from the bowler hat and moustache, it was the fact that he was a silent movie star.
…And us guitarists can certainly learn a thing or two from him here.
“Why?”, you might be wondering.
Well, one thing I like to get students to do sometimes is to play through some chord changes, a scale, a riff, a melody (or anything else)…
…And do so in silence.
The idea is you run through all the fretting hand movements, but you do NOT pluck or strum.
This is useful because sometimes you don’t want the distraction of hearing the music when you’re trying to master a fretting hand movement.
If notes are buzzing, or you’re concerned about plucking the wrong strings, or you find you fret the wrong string…
…That can be DISTRACTING.
Having silence and not having to worry about these things means you can fully focus on the fretting hand movements.
…And you can do so while thinking clearly about good technique, accuracy, and making smooth transitions.
Give it a go.
Take any piece you are struggling with and simply play through the fretting hand movements without picking or strumming.
Feel and watch the fretting hand to see where the awkward movements are.
Go slowly and pay attention.
Do that and chances are you will spot things that you might not have done if you were playing the piece properly.
I hope you enjoyed that and you have a great weekend!
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. Like this tip and want more like it?
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P.P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
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