How can you “play what you feel,” if you can’t feel much of anything yet?
Admittedly, I let the comments section get to me today and I’m sorry for the lack of a “lesson” today…
That being said, if you take this to heart and start paying attention to counting and timing and subdividing in the future, it will change your guitar playing more than anything else you can possibly do…
23 replies to "How Can You Play What You Feel…"
Another great video Griff!. Watched it all the way through. I have seen this talk by you before, but it is great reminder to spend some more time on this. Complete view from me
Cheers,
Marc V
Great lesson. I continuously learn new things. If only I could retire and devote 8 hours a day.
After my schedule happy to get 30-60 minutes a day
Thanks for this lesson, counting is probably my greatest draw back. I have been working on the
1/4 notes and the 1/8 notes or triplets, but not on the 1/16 notes. I will start going through the scales
counting all three. I enjoy all your lessons and thank you for the time you put into making them. Bottom line is, is you just have to make yourself do it. You’ll find out how bad you really want to play.
Thanks again;
Thanks for the great explanation Griff.
I will practise the 5 boxes differently now.
As a rank beginner and a math person I am not understanding how dividing a 1/4 note by 3 is still called an 1/8 note. If you want to stick with fractions it’s a 1/12.
We call it a triplet eighth note, as opposed to a straight eighth note.
Interesting lesson and guess what you sound just like my drum instructor!
Same point if you can’t subdivide quarter notes into eighth, triplets and sixteenths you are going to have problems playing music.
One drumming exercise is to play 2 bars of eighth notes, 2 of triplets and two of sixteenth, start slow at say 40bpm, as you improve go up to 80 bpm and beyond, the use of a metronome really helps. For me counting out loud helps. As you increase the speed you may find you can just count just the beats rather than the subdivisions as you start to get a ‘feel’ or perhaps more correctly motor memory kicks in for the subdivisions.
Have done the same exercise on guitar and it really does make your playing better..
Took up drumming to improve my guitar playing, you can get away with a bad note but never bad timing or rhythm!
As you say
‘paying attention to counting and timing and subdividing in the future, it will change your guitar playing more than anything else you can possibly do…’ So so true!
Thanks Griff,
You sir are a great communicator. I’m 75 years young and I’ve been studying the guitar for 8 years. I Started when I retired due to time restraints. I am like a sponge or a vacuum when it comes to guitar knowledge. So much to learn and so little time left on planet earth. I hope I can use what I have learned in the next dimension if there is one. (lol) Funny how the mind works when it comes to our guitar education. I find sometimes when I don’t understand something eventually down the learning path it will finally come through to my brain and I am able to move on to the next bit of knowledge . The power of the mind is truly amazing. Anyway, thanks for all the lessons you have given to us for free. I have finally become a customer of yours and will remain so till the end. You and your band have a great sound.
Regards,
Raymond Everett
Thanks Griff. Good lesson. I actually watched it to the end (what an anorak I know) and it’s true what you say. I started playing about 8/9 years ago (started with my grades on classical guitar and then included playing Blues and pop and rock with a Thursday evening guitar group I helped form) and what really turbo charged my own “inner clock” has been playing with others on stage (mainly through playing fortnightly with a local church band as well as with others in open mic nights) – particularly playing with musicians far more experienced than me – I think I’ve always enjoyed the challenge – I’ve found that most musicians are really helpful and the experienced ones “key in” fast and understand what level your at – I’d really recommend playing and jamming as much as possible with more experienced musicians to accelerate your guitaring journey
Good stuff, Griff. I do work on this based upon your prior videos and being an AAP member. I struggle with it though. I have not, however, tried doing the knee tapping or clapping without the guitar. That sounds like time well spent. I can count out loud and tap my while listening to music, but I get thrown off when trying to play with any speed. And you’re right, I can play eighth notes to a metronome close to 120 but mess up 16th notes at 60. When doing these exercises, I have been counting the subdivisions. I noticed you counted only the downbeats while playing the subdivisions. Is there value to that as opposed to counting it all?
Count them all to start and as you improve you may not feel the need to count them all out loud anymore. If you’re not sure, always err on the side of counting out loud.
Thank you.
Your soap box is wayyyy bigger than you think it is Griff,
Best lesson yet.
You’re right. I’ve always played “like I feel”… frustrated.
Thank you! I’ve just learned Blackbird from Beatles, and discovered that counting out loud is really important to get through that song with it “feeling” right. Tempo! Rhythm gives the feel.
Noticed in a video that McCartney was tapping not only the beat with left foot but the 1/8 note with his right foot.
That sort of helped a lot. But when I got to each string 1/16th notes I really get lost coming out of the string to get back on tempo. I remembered in one of your earlier videos you said we need to count “out-loud.” Started using the metronome, but more importantly tapping my foot to the beat and, as in this video, I practiced saying out-loud One E and Ah Two E and Ah… and matching it to the foot tapping, and using the metronome to get the speed.
you said is not sexy, not fun, not easy. Mostly right. Practicing the tapping, and counting out loud is challenging, but actually kinda fun.
I watched. You are correct. Playing the blues is all about the timing. You need to do a course on creating Blues Bass Lines. I just bought a bass amp and playing the bass is really helping with getting my timing tighter. I would buy that course from you.
I’m 77 and started playing the acoustic guitar a couple of months ago to attenuate the arthritis in my left hand thru the exercise of practicing. So I’m now at the pentatonic-scales-learning-phase. This was a great video to help with how to learn timing. I’ve watched your videos in the past which, as a group, include counting out loud, but, frankly, just dropping in and doing it wasn’t working for me. The idea of tapping your leg is great because it brings in another sensory element into the learning besides the voice. Thank you! I hope to mature in this journey to include playing the licks you so willingly share!
Loved this. I have your rhythm for lead guitar course and believe this lesson fits right into the essence of the course. If anyone wants to go further down the rabbit hole on dividing the beat etc. get that course I previously mentioned, you wont be sorry.it really helped my timing. God bless.
Good to know. Thanks.
Griff
Great video, the hard things are worth pursuing in life.
It reminds me of the old saying — if you cant say it, you can’t play it!
Steve E
Thanks for the lesson this morning. I’m not an out loud counter, but I seem to hear it in my head when I’m listening to or playing music. Appreciate your taking the time to demonstrate this. Enjoy your day.
Thanks for the lesson. At 74 years old I don’t mentally connect things as fast as you youngsters. Don’t know why but the tapping on your leg really helped me to connect the sub division of notes. Something I can practice without my guitar as well.