Warmup drills are critical to developing serious skills in any activity. Think about athletes. Anyone who has ever watched professionals in any sport during their preseason training is struck by the incessant attention paid to fundamentals. They all start with warmup drills, then they practice the most basic of plays in their respective sports, then they string those together to form sequences of plays. They do this over and over until it’s instinctive, reactive to situations they may encounter. (Gee, this sounds familiar, almost Hamlinesque, no?)
Now take music. Attend an open rehearsal of a philharmonic orchestra in your area. Get there early while the musicians are warming up. There it is. Scales, scales, more scales. Then sequences of notes, runs, classical “riffs” that you’ll hear later during the concert.
I try to catch live music at a blues club known as Chan’s, a 150-seat venue in Woonsockett, RI, that received one of those Handy awards this past year. I always get there a couple of hours early and hang out at the bar right next to the sound stage. It’s a great opportunity to watch the pros set up and warm up. I’ve heard Coco Montoya, Walter Trout, Joe Kubek, Joe Bonomassa, and others do their sound checks and warmups. They do all the stuff Griff is showing us. You can recognize the boxes, the sequences, everything. It’s all right there. I never realized it until this past week.
Just for fun, I imported those three, four, and five note step sequences from the CD that accompanies the DVD set into my Amazing Slow Downer. Then I sped them up real fast.
Guess what? Instant Joe Bonomassa speed runs. There it is.
Griff’s commentary on the “secret” of improvisation is right there in that Pentatonic Technique & Mastery package. From here on in, that’s how I begin my guitar work.
Like I said elsewhere in the forum, for me it’s noodling with a purpose...finally.
So far, I can work my way up through example 26 before I get totally confused and incompetent. Then and only then do I head for the garage refrigerator.
As an aside, I've been listening to Griff's band's stuff. He and his guys could take that stage at Chan's anytime and never miss a note with Coco, Walter, or Joe B. I really envy you guys who made it out to Corona to hang with a real pro. That trip's on my short list.
