I really wish LHMP spelled something cool… that would be really great and make this even more memorable.

And believe me, I tried… I tried to get something that would make a word, but sometimes you just can’t force it.

Anyway, here’s the story behind this (there is always a story…)

Do you find that you have trouble remembering your lessons? You might go over the lesson 20 times one day, but for some reason you can’t remember it all when you come back the next day…

Well you’re not alone, it’s pretty common, actually. And at a private lesson we had an interesting conversation about that… (cue the weird music here as the screen goes wavy)

If you remember “the before-times” (before the internet) when you used to get a new recording (be it on vinyl, 8-track, or whatever) you listened to it – and you listened to it A LOT. 

So much so that, if you didn’t have your music with you, you could usually just close your eyes and imagine the whole album front to back. For my student his favorite was Abbey Road by the Beatles, but for you it could be anything – it doesn’t matter what it is.

The point is, in the modern world music is so easy to come by that we have it on all the time, but we aren’t listening to it.

So my “L” is for listening. Before you play a lesson, listen to what it’s supposed to sound like a few times.

In fact, listen to it often enough that you can hum it – the “H” is for humming. Simply put, if you can’t hum it, you can’t play it. That’s one of the main reasons Jimi Hendrix’s guitar playing is so darn hard to emulate. He’s just got his own thing going on and it takes most people thousands of listens to get it down.

Now, if you’ve listened to the music, and you’ve hummed it a few times to yourself, it’s time to start memorizing it – the “M” is for memorize.

Your mind and your hands simply cannot do 2 things at once, and do them well. You can read the music, or you can play the piece well – you won’t likely get to do both until you are pretty advanced and it’s an easy piece for you to play.

And finally, you can probably guess that the “P” is for practicing. You can’t practice something you haven’t heard (listening,) that you don’t have in your ears (humming,) and that you haven’t memorized yet.

Of course, memorize in pieces and you can practice the parts that are memorized. But if you’re reading the music, you’re not practicing. So you might as well focus on getting it memorized since that is what you are doing anyway.

If you focus on memorizing, you’ll actually memorize it much faster and then you can get on to the practicing part.

Do all 4 of these things every day on anything you’re still practicing on. Once you have it memorize you probably won’t have to revisit that part, but continue to listen and continue to hum it to yourself when your guitar is not around.

If you do these 4 things, in that order, you WILL see improvement at a much faster pace.


    62 replies to "The L.H.M.P. Method"

    • EddieLee

      L.I.M.P.? Hmmm, no. How ’bout L’HuMP? Gives it that debonair continental touch &, perhaps, a nod to the greatest, bestest guitarist ever, Django!

    • Butch

      Hum it…sounds simple enough but can anyone hum Thrill is Gone? Griff are you suggesting we hum each note played? I’m not sure how well that works with 16th notes or faster. Or should we just focus on humming the melody? Even that seems to be a challenge for me with Blues songs because many have a “spoken word” approach to the lyric. If I try to hum the phrase “The Thrill is Gone….the thrill is gone away from me” it just doesn’t seem translate to anything useful to my playing, but maybe that’s just me. That said, I love the idea/approach to LHMP , I just to get over the HUMp😎

      • EddieLee

        There it is… L’HuMP !

    • Clifton Jones

      You could always go for ‘articulate’ (hum or sing) and get LAMP.

      • PAUL

        Listen Hum Memorize Play . LHMP !

    • JohnnyB

      Change humm to umm and you’ve got LUMP, problem solved.

    • orcmid

      So the first thing to Learn is LHMP :). I think I need some ear training. I don’t know what some things sound like and it makes it all mysterious. So, more careful listening, determined listening is something I need to develop. Thanks for a great tip, Griff.

    • Darryl Manire

      Hi..Dang,I didn’t ,I forgot already

    • Bill

      From a physical therapist’s perspective. It takes about 400 repetitions to build a motor engram (pattern of movement) in the brain. So after the L.H.M.R we might need to place an R for repetition. Particularly applicable for any new chord or lick which one is learning. Makes playing something new over and over and over (X 400) a bit less onerous when I know it’s just the way the brain works.

    • Rick

      I’ve been a Playing for many years, but mostly chords, and finger picking 60/70s folk songs. I ‘ve always found it interesting that I cannot not play a song really well, unless I’m singing it. If I try to just play the guitar without singing, I get lost – even in songs that I can play very well. Singing (humming), keeps me in time, and in the feel of the music. Humming in my head does the same.

    • Claus

      L.A.M.P.

      A could be “Air” it, “Action” it – anything meaning you express it yourself, humming, singing, …

      • Claus

        And after all, H is just an A with the legs lightly tilted 🙂

      • Mike

        Articulate?

        • Mike

          Maybe LAMP with the A being Act it out. To me that would mean humm or sing it while tapping my foot to the proper rhythm. Griff has said if you don’t count then your brain will just create some value for each note, Tapping my foot allows me to act out the correct note value to what your humming.

    • tony

      some have it naturally and some do not music wise . pick a song you love and remember it and play it back in your mind . I can do that over and over of course listen to it soon if your capable be able to hear the cords and notes. love 2 hum + p boldly go to seek out and play more Jimi Hendrix.

    • Chuck

      Sorry, I meant you won’t need to count out loud anymore, that count should by that time be built in to your playing.

    • Chuck

      Griff, great lesson, however, if I may be so bold, and I think you will agree with me. I believe, from what you have taught me, that actually the acronym should be LHCMP. That stands for Listen, Hum, Count, Memorize, Practice. I find that when you count, that gives a kind of coat peg to hang your note on and that is what gives a memory peg to your melody(makes the mind remember.) Then you memorize all that and practice until you don’t need the count anymore, it all comes natural. Am I correct?

    • Kimball Borg

      Best I could come up with is LisHumMemPra…lishamempra. That rolls off the tongue like butter, don’t you think?

      I have real trouble remembering anything, due to an injury several years ago. It’s kinda like Groundhog Day.This LHMP method is really helpful to me. If I use it, I can pound the licks and songs deep enough into my memory that some of them actually stay there! So licks become phrases and phrases become solos…and just like that, I’m playin’ the blues.

      Thanks, Griff, for all you do for us.

      • ShaghaiDoc

        Listen How Mary Plays

    • Mike

      So that’s why “If I Only Had A Brain” just flies off my fingers.

    • Duke

      Great advice! How can you play anything if can’t hear it in your head and hum it? Plus it’s another great way to drive my wife crazy! And I can blame it on Griff!

    • DaveyJoe

      Good advice Griff. Also sometimes whistling works in place of humming, especially with a Blues tune.
      7/27/19

    • Mick

      So true it really.music is so special and unique in so many ways.

    • Keith Kuepfer

      I love the comments a lesson like this generates! Thanks, Griff, for tossing this idea out there once again. (Some of us need to hear everything several times before it “sticks”) The comments are a sort of shared lesson in and of themselves. I’m learning from all of you

    • JJ Murphy

      Love the article Griff! I think the humming part is super important because that means the phrase is internalized. Derek Trucks says it’s like an athelete with diet- you have to make sure your taking in the right stuff. So in our case a musicians, it’s important to really, really listen to the music that moves us because it will find it’s way back out in our own playing. I have a lesson on a Derek Trucks lick where I talk about something very simlilar- http://www.jjmurphymusic.com/blog/2017/11/20/derek-trucks-can-tell-a-story

    • Michael Chappell

      Hey Griff, this is bang on..going through all the BGU courses that I am doing, I listen to the lesson a few times before I attempt to Hum it thenwith my guitar I follow the lesson and memorize it when I am taking notes then trying to play it.. I now find that I can practice most of what I am learning by memory. I just find it hard to memorise all the Licks / solos..

      This lesson is True to the Word.

    • Jean

      Point well taken. I would add this maybe a way to learn to improvise…,creating your own licks…I need to do L more often.

    • GT Sipe

      I forget, what does the H stand for? Good lesson Griff.

    • ChrisGSP

      Spot on Griff !! I have said many times to young players “can you sing the part”? They almost invariably say “I can’t sing”, to which I reply “you can speak, you can sing”. We may not be very good singers, but we need to KNOW the part in order to be able to sing it. It’s the same thing that you have implied about improvising to a jam track – imagine your part with the guitar still in its case. When you can “hear” it in your head WITHOUT the jam track is when you should start trying to play it.
      Cheers from the great Southern Land.
      Chris G.

    • G. Clark Ballard

      What I love about Griff’s lessons is that you can LHMP them all together. All the lessons fit nicely together as well as stand on their own. Some day I hope to share a beer with Griff on my veranda

    • Steven Siegel

      The people of this Blues lessons have some of the best one liners for any one to start a stand comic act. They are all ways a true delight to breeze over.
      Thanks Griff for the comic hour.
      It is true if you can do as he suggests in this turn your guitar into a coat hanger. They do work very well in that use.

      • Roger

        Was fun to find out that you play Guitar and sing and that you have a BB King Collection is really awesome. Would love to see you perform.

        Roger C.

    • Bill

      I remember LSMFT…Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco.

      • Gary Hylton

        Age wise you must be in your 60s – 70s.

        Old School & Still Rockin’

    • jeff

      when you say memorize it, what exactly do you mean? memorize the tab for example?

      • zonkerlopez

        good question . I am a hack . I think I memorize tab . but I think at some point you start to play sounds . I got my ham lic. and had to learn morse code. not by dot dot dash but by the sound of the three sounds together it goes to fast to convert . this way you save a lot of time

      • Lyle Fish

        No, don’t memorize tab. Tab is a crutch, an aid to get you there. Memorize the music! Build muscle memory in your hands, in your head.

    • John Coughlan

      You’re not only right Griff, but this, like everything else you teach, is so simple and reeks of common sense.

    • JohnnyB

      Simple, it’s L-HUMP.

    • John mann

      I can say this defiantly works, I’ve just been on holiday for a week, without my guitar & I downloaded your latest solo lesson so I got to really study & listen to it over & over again, So when I got home, I found it much easier to play as I was concentrating on the playing rather than trying to remember what I need to play 🎸😎

    • Alex Mowatt

      Thank you Griff for drawing this to our attention. Sometimes the obvious is not obvious unless pointed out. On the subject of memory, I recently had cause to discuss memory with a neighbour. his eldest daughter is possibly showing signs of Asperger’s Syndrome, as is one of our granddaughters. I brought to his attention, something I found to improve memory, which was included in the American Secret Service training regime. Basically it meant taking a piece of paper, cut out a piece to leave an equivalent ‘window’ to enable a paragraph to be seen. The theory is that the paper is then put over a piece of, whatever, is required to be memorized. the ‘piece’ is read; the light put off and after a few minutes put on again. this action is repeated several times and the material is memorized! Kind of a no brainer for those of us wishing to memorize things right. I wonder if it would work for music as it does for text, I am going to give it a go real soon, memory being what it is – use it or loose it.

    • Bernie Heerey

      You always seem to focus on the very thing I am looking at, when I am looking at it! I have just started to create a new solo for my new song and quickly realized the important connection of – if i can hear it in my head and hum it, i can play it…
      You really are one of the great teaches out there keep it up, and thank you.

    • Jeff

      Wanna hear something SCARY? The present-day education community is actually moving away from memorization. It won’t be long before people won’t even know this skill. All of the commentors today must be “old school” because they all know the benefits of memorization.

      • jim

        The reason for that is that it is better to know how to figure something out for yourself than to memorize it.
        I worked for 2 years trying to memorize a new language. To little avail. I then found a program that allowed me to work out how to communicate in my new language using the power of thinking instead of memorization.

        If you want to play a straight up cover of a song memorize it. If you want to play your own, learn it.
        Listen to it over an over of course. Hum it of course, practise,of course. Memorize it? Why? Why not learn to play your own version using the tools you know? Unless of course you want a straight up cover.
        Not something I want. I have a friend who is a very good musician. Far better than I will ever be. He will not even change the key of a song. So and so played it in f, so so do I is his thinking.

        • Craig

          Right on JIM. I agree 100%. Play in a country duo and we play the song and do it our way…
          Sacrilege …I don’t think so.. People enjoy it the way we present it…even the solos are not perfect copies.ever try and copy a 10 string steel guitar on an acoustic note for note with all the nuances…not possible!
          ……..but no one seems to notice or care…as long as the main gist of the solo…ie the hooks are present …what you play around them is your own…ads individuality and freshness! My opinion. Craig

          • TA Ratko

            I agree, Craig. I find once i know a song, I make it my own. I don’t care if it’s not exactly as it was recorded.

    • Earle George Chisholm

      Griff it never ceases to amaze me how you manage to come up with these emails that speaks to the very relevant issues that affect all of us in the learning process. The value of these methods, when employed, saves so much time and effort and can be the difference between continuing to practice and getting better or total frustration.
      Any pointers on right hand picking techniques my right hand is slightly out of control I would appreciate your help on this, keep up the emails there are great
      Earle

    • Bill Swartwout

      As Brian suggested, I also like the L-A-M-P acronym – because it’s an old programmer, server-related term. I have been involved in Web Development and Internet Marketing for the last 18 years and have only been a guitar picker for two. But, letter choices aside, your recommendations are spot on.

      It absolutely helps me understand a lesson better if I’m not even holding a guitar the first time (or two or three) going through. I pay attention AND hum along without any distractions.

      Thank you, again, for some sage advice.

    • Rohn

      I bet a looper would work wonders for this

    • JimJ

      Do you remember playing a “45” record @ 33-1/3 speed?
      LHMP is a great idea~!

      Thanks Griff~!

      You give good Blues…

    • Gary Hylton

      Griff,

      I wore out many a 7 inch 45 rpm record in the late 50s and early 60s, before I began to listen to my dad who taught me exactly what you are telling us today! He too insisted that I learn the lyrics as a way to help learn the guitar parts.

      Thanks Griff for everything you do to help those of us who play guitar – play better!

      Old School & Still Rockin’

    • Johnny B

      Thanks Griff. You are totally spot on concerning memorization skills. Our biggest issue today, distractions! Too easy to hit the digital pause button promising to revisit at some other point. As with any great actors, rehearsing lines, in small bites until you own the whole is how it’s done. Thanks for reminding us, half hearted or poorly invested produces poor results. I know because I have had some pretty scary, embarrassing moments at live jams believing improv would carry me through. It doesn’t work if you don’t know the tune! Your BGU event shines the light on this idea for sure. Love your commitment to making all players better.
      JB

    • John Y

      Forty yr player… It took me twenty years to realize
      what you just shared……..
      Listen until you can’t get the tune out of your head !!
      I f you sing , learn the words front to back
      because forgetting the lines will
      break your tempo and the whole thing
      will crumble!
      Practice until your wife threatens to take the kids and move in with mom
      if she has to listen to you “try” to play that tune one more time!

      • Terry Scheurer

        LAM then PAM

        LIsten And Hum then Practice And Memorize

        You have to LAM it Before you PAM it

        • Terry Scheurer

          How about changing Hum to Mumble/Moan resulting in “LAM then PAM ”

          Listen And Mumble/Moan it before you Pactice And Memorize it

    • Terry

      Right on. I listen to 3 BGU lessons last night figured out which one I wanted to work on and Then listen to the play along a few times for feel and it went really well working, it out and playing it. Sure I may not get it all but Alot came easyer. Thks G.

      • Terry Scheurer

        Oops

        LAH then PAM

    • Warwick Smiley

      I find this interesting,Things that need to be learnt overnight(not music)I usually can do.When it comes to the music something in my inner conscious must say “Their is no better.I do learn the piece in my own time.!

    • Robyn

      I have trouble to remember and rely heavily on the sheet of music. I will give this a real good shot and see if I can break away from the fear of not having the music to read. Thanks Griff and you too Terry.

      • Tom

        I was sitting in a circle of music instructors and the question came up “what’s the biggest problem your students deal with?” Everybody agreed it was too much reliance on TAB or notation. Our visual systems are powerful and all those hours of solo practice with pages conditions us to rely on it. The result is, it’s hard to improvise or, for many, hard to play even play chord changes without a music stand and sheet in front of us. Really emphasizing memorization (thanks, Griff) is a great way to avoid the pitfall of paper reliance.

    • Brian

      There is an alternative to the acronym LHMP which is a lot easier to remember and as my partner will testify, very descriptive LAMP

      L Listening
      A Annoy – as in other people hearing you humming to yourself!
      M Memorize
      P Practice

      Maybe its me – but I remember that one….

      and once you really get it you can move on and it sill applies

      L Loving
      A Audiences give
      M Money and
      P Praise

      Well we can dream can’t we!

    • Terry Gillen

      Bang on the button, Griff. I remember one lesson in which I was trying to learn Clapton’s version of Hideaway. I tried playing the first few bars for my teacher and it was worse than awful. He told me to put down the guitar and hum it. I couldn’t even do that. His response was, ‘If you can’t play it here,’ pointing to his head, ‘you can’t play it here’ waggling his fingers. So, I listened to it several times a day for a week until I could hear it in my head perfectly. I then added my imagination (and perhaps this is a step I would add to LHMP, making it LHMIP) moving my fingers (accurately but, to begin with, slowly) in my imagination. After that, playing it for real simply meant practising until my fingers caught up with what was playing in my head.

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