Category : rhythm

Update 2020 : I asked the same questions to different students few years later. Enjoy their video.

Original article from Oct 2016 :

For the last few months, I’ve been asking all my students this very question in view of later compiling it into this blog, an exercise meant both to drive them to want to play more (by understanding each others’ perspective why they love playing guitar/bass/uke), and also for the better good of motivating anyone reading this to pick up an instrument – whatever the instrument – and play. To that effect, I include some videos for further inspiration.

Answers varied from “my way of communicating to Jesus through praise” (Alex, acoustic student) to “a way to develop my creative side” (Graham, online electric student) to “a treat for my retirement” (Martin, acoustic student) to “something completely different so enjoyable that time flies away” (Byron, uke student) to “infinitely deep and rewarding- something you enjoy alone or share with others” (William, online electric student),  to the even more out-there “a way to be inspired and tap into the rhythm of the universe!” as Rob, an electric guitar student put it.

However you look at it, playing a musical instrument means different things to different people, and the aim of this article is to highlight that. To me, as a tutor and performer alike, it means a lot, but mostly

a) a way to translate my never-ending quest for being creative.
In my daily life and even outside of musical fields, I constantly seek and am thrilled by novel ideas, hence the guitar is my tool to give my share for more alternative ways to create new music. An artist first, then a musician, then a guitarist. In other words, I always try to feed any audience that element of surprise.
Being creative is a constant challenge to keep the mind fresh, as through finding ways to make dreams an aural reality (i.e. writing songs), one stays young. Read this article for more details about the benefits that learning music has on the mind.

b) a therapy.
If there are long periods of teaching without creating new music, I feel an urge to express myself the soonest possible. So in a way, without a musical instrument, I do not feel alive. Music is a fire in the belly, and the instrument is only a medium to convey that passion.

c) a means to happiness.
As a young professional, I was an office department manager. But I quit as most of the time I thought of the guitar anyway. I took the step of moving from small Malta to mega London to live from what I love – MUSIC! I have persisted long hours of study to be where I am, and I still sacrifice time from other things, but ultimately I am doing what I love, and I would not have it any other way as nothing is as rewarding as seeing others excel in their instrument thanks to my help.

In a nutshell, my life is surrounded by music and the rest fills the blanks, never the other way round.

So one can imagine how it feels to read the same line of thought re-echoed by my budding 14 year old rocker Henry Brewer who thinks that “the guitar means everything to me. It’s one of the main things that keeps me motivated in day to day life, and I would like to become a musician/teacher when I grow up. Whenever I play the guitar I always derive great satisfaction!!!”

Or as adult student George Stein, also a pianist, puts it : “I can’t live without music and sound. I would rather be blind than deaf. As a little kid, I could pick out simple melodies on the piano on my own… it always made sense. I started piano age 7, trumpet age 8, drums at 10 & baritone horn at 12. Later as a young man I started to play around with guitar, but never pursued it. A few years ago I bought a decent Tanglewood 6-string acoustic and started to play more, initially on my own before I realised that I’d get further faster if I took lessons. Fast forward 3 years into lessons, the guitar is starting to make sense… still not like the piano (that will still take a while) but I feel like I can play. I now own 6 guitars, play at least a little pretty much daily, …. I like being able to play, and making music is just such a thrill, every time… I guess for me, learning guitar has enabled me to continue to not only make music, but to also grow and develop as a musician. It’s fun, and it fills an important space to me. Life without music – all kinds – isn’t really life.”

Words of weight there for you! But yes, playing any instrument is a therapy, a challenge, and a reward.

“I have never been particularly musical, but have always appreciated musicianship in all its forms.  For me now, I find the ukulele an escape from everything.  Because it requires the same concentration as say, reading, but also incorporates participation, it is such a soothing and welcome relief from the day to day grind.  It has already brought me immense satisfaction and I have already found a groove with it that I didn’t realise was even available.” opines Paul Gill, an adult who studies ukulele with me, just because “it is different than all my peers learning guitar”. That is uniqueness for you! And I applaud him for that – sometimes it is sound to watch the rest, then take a different path!

Like everything one works for in life, learning does not come without its sacrifice. As acoustic guitar student John Ford puts it :  “Playing guitar can be demanding, sometimes frustrating, but it also allows me to switch off from day to day things and focus on trying to create something approaching music. The possibilities of the instrument are endless and every time I pick the guitar up something different will happen – sometimes bad things, but sometimes a chord change, a riff or a solo will fall into place and the world seems a better place”.

Irrespective of how daunting challenges might be, especially for younger students, they still see the rewards, as one Marko Mosquera forths : “To me the guitar is an instrument which can be good but at the same time challenging. It can be really enjoyable and fun to solo as well as play songs but at times it’s a hard amount of work. It’s an instrument which can be used for so much, but I do find it at the same time hard and frustrating. Not necessarily a bad thing as after all we all need to overcome some challenges or do something a bit different, which is why I started playing guitar in the first place.”

But then again – “the guitar is like a lover which your partner tolerates. It is not even forbidden or weird to play with your lover in front of your partner. For me, bass guitar time is when I don’t think about work and duties, and after spending a long time playing I feel relaxed. And I don’t need to have bad feelings about that lover :-)” is how lovely my bass student David Badin verses it. How could you think of the challenges when the rewards outweigh them?

Positivity and persistence! The only mindframes to overcome challenges and become good!

“Learning the guitar is fun yet challenging and I don’t even mind doing my homework. I like the feeling of learning a new song or solo, my guitar is so versatile, you can play almost anything with it.” is how 11-year old Nancy Booker faces it. She already has a Grade 5 exam under her belt, and is currently prepping for Grade 6.

“Something precious, a means to play songs. All my family are musicians so I look forward to play with my cousins on stage” is young teenager Leon’s aim and reason to play acoustic guitar.

Or as adult Paul Killick views his acoustic guitar : “… mainly trying something I’ve always wanted to do, something completely different from anything else I do in life; being creative gets me out of my comfort zone! Also, it helps me appreciate the guitarists I like more!”

As a musician, the moment I decided to pick the guitar, I wanted to do it the serious way. I remember my parents insisted to not buy me a guitar as a gift on a plate but wanted me to work for it (maybe that boosted my persistence after all), so for a whole summer I worked for one, and once I got it, I sought a guitar teacher. I had this will to become as good as possible the soonest possible to form a band, so the expertise of those who had been down the road before me was not an option but a must.

26 years later, as a tutor, I know that learning alone (off friends, the internet, going to gigs, etc) does not even start to compare to finding someone to guide you. Like the tortoise and the hare story, learning alone is like jumping from here to there without plan, whereas with a tutor you are presented with steps one at a time, facing up to challenges gradually rather than eating more than you can chew.

So I also asked my students how they feel about lessons and how they view their playing as compared to when they started…..

Kicking off with the previous Paul Killick : “I have got a little better than I was, and when I do exactly what is suggested, I have got a bit better again! It’s teaching me the discipline to follow instructions. I have always tended to shy away from/give up on things that I can’t immediately do, so it’s good for me to keep at this, even when sometimes I feel I don’t have the natural aptitude for it. It’s teaching me to persevere I guess. Lessons definitely teach you the good habits, the framework you need to be able to grow as a musician. And it gives you little goals each week, which leads to a sense of achievement weekly.”

Or as online student William Ayerst put it : “After a few months of struggling, I was able to play without wanting to clamp my fingers over my ears, and after a few years I’m finally starting to feel like I’m passable. The biggest realisation for me was that there was no shortcut – no trick or hack to get better – just hours and hours of hard work. Having lessons has given focus to that work and ensured I’m always pushing my boundaries further, instead of spinning my wheels.”

For bassist David Badin it’s a matter of confidence : “I feel more comfortable playing and holding the bass than before. I could play tabs before but I didn’t have the basics. Learning about rhythm, notes, scales, etc. clarified what and why I’m actually doing and I feel more confident while playing.

Young 11-year Nancy, a complete beginner when starting few years ago opines that “Lessons have enabled me to progress at a much faster pace than just watching the internet. A teacher can help you not only learn new things but also master them”.

Slightly older Marko reckons that “I think it’s fair to say that I’ve advanced a fairly good amount from when I started playing. I learnt a lot more different topics on the guitar I thought did not exist. I have gone from starting to play with an acoustic guitar to moving on and playing with an electric guitar where you need to conquer different and more fast paced genres of music as well as being able to use it for different things because they are very different.”

Fellow young chap Henry believes that “my playing has vastly improved in the last 3 years that I have been studying the guitar. I have managed to get to a Grade 5 Level in 3 years thanks to lessons. Lessons are beneficial as they give purpose to the study of guitar, as you have something to work towards rather than sitting on your bed learning riffs off the internet. It also means that you can improve your playing much more quickly, because if something is wrong with your playing, a teacher can tell you, but the internet cannot.”

To the words of adults, bassist Lyn Hanrahan finds that “taking lessons has been essential for me. I need the structure to keep me practicing and help me learn correctly.  Malcolm, gives me that structure.” and Rob Cruise feels “much better – before I was floundering around just trying to rigidly learn the songs I liked with no understanding of how they are put together or basic technique. The most satisfying thing about lessons so far is that I have been able to start to improvise and solo quite quickly, which I never thought I’d be able to do”.

Speaking of rewards – persistence pays back sooner than you think!

As reflected in the words of some ukulele students…..

Letting young 8-year old Charlie Walton go first : “There is a big difference from when I first started as Malcolm has taught me a lot. Also I can play a song and lots of rhythms now.”

In addition, adult Byron Heard is “amazed how your fingers learn their way without you thinking about it, if you practice enough.”

And maverick-minded Paul Gill (the adult who plays the uke to vary from all his guitar mates remember?) reckons that “considering that I couldn’t strum a melodic note before I started my lessons, the difference between my musical knowledge when I started and now is astounding.  The benefit of having a teacher who can acknowledge your ability and push you when you need to is invaluable.”

Some students are more specific to what they want to learn and how they look at their instrument. For example, Graham Seabrook, an online student from Malaysia finds “My playing has developed considerably since taking lessons. I think one of the main differences is the progression from being able to play a vertical C major scale to understanding how I can play it horizontally to connect along the fingerboard. Personally I feel this is the foundation of being a good player, as developing this further would eventually allow me to jam with other musicians in any key”.

John Ford, sitting comfortably in his London lounge, writes : “I have been taking guitar lessons for approximately 9 months, after spending a long time bashing around on the instrument with no real purpose. In that time I have seen my playing, instrument understanding, scale & chord knowledge, techniques and musical theory have all improved considerably. The lessons have been really useful as they not only focus on individual areas but also help me appreciate how they all fit together.”

And acoustic student Alex Achikeh views it that “I am much more confident in playing and my rhythm has improved drastically. My technique has improved in what chords I knew previously especially when it comes to using the 1st and 2nd position to change between chords. There is a lot more structure to my learning and it allows me to develop in many areas that I would not have explored otherwise. It has given me the foundational knowledge of the fretboard which in terms makes it much easier to play scales and to play music rather than let music play me.”

“To play music rather than let music play me!” is a motto anyone learning any musical instrument should pick up as a creed!

Last few words from multi-instrumentalist (now predominantly a guitarist) George Stein  – “I understand the skill set, and know better what’s required to play what I want. Other people have told me that I sound good, that I can play now… I am still pretty self-critical, but when I record myself and play it back, I do have moments where I think… “gosh, that’s me?” So I’m learning, I’m improving, and I’m getting more confident. I recognise this feeling, because I’ve had it before with other instruments… the point where you think, ‘yeah, I got this!’. Without a level of technical skill, even the most talented person will not be able to really express themself & make music, on any instrument.
I think I now know how to practice, and how to get better. Finding the time to properly practice is often a challenge, but lessons have given me a body of knowledge that allows me to develop much faster than if I were to try learning alone.
I’m probably not always the easiest student, because at one level I’m a beginner, on another level I am perhaps a bit more advanced (and impatient). But the structure and the education I’ve got from lessons have really benefited me. I’m familiar with a few instruments, but I always loved guitar, and the different styles of music you can make with guitar. And I always dreamed of playing guitar. So in some ways I’m realising a dream. Maybe it’s not too late to be a Guitar God??”

It’s never too late!
Feeling inspired? Book a lesson today

Or you already play but having a bad day, you feel rusty, or you need some words to motivate you how to find time for the guitar among other things in life? Just watch Steve Vai talk about the guitar.

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