Categories
- Advanced Guitar (7)
- Beginner Guitar (22)
- Contest (7)
- Course Walk Through (8)
- Fingerstyle (3)
- Gear (5)
- Gibson (9)
- Gibson's Learn & Master Guitar (74)
- Guest (5)
- Guitar Gathering (8)
- Guitar Tips (34)
- Guitar Video (22)
- Guitarists (9)
- In-Studio (1)
- Intermediate Guitar (17)
- Maintenance (3)
- Mobile App (4)
- Monthly Video Tip (21)
- Playing Technique (5)
- Sale (4)
- Student Profile (22)
- Student Support Forum (17)
Archives
- October 2024(1)
- September 2024(1)
- August 2024(1)
- July 2024(1)
- June 2024(1)
- May 2024(1)
- April 2024(1)
- March 2024(1)
- February 2024(1)
- January 2024(1)
- December 2023(1)
- November 2023(1)
- October 2023(1)
- September 2023(1)
- August 2023(1)
- July 2023(1)
- June 2023(1)
- May 2023(1)
- April 2023(1)
- March 2023(1)
- February 2023(1)
- January 2023(1)
- December 2022(1)
- November 2022(1)
- October 2022(1)
- September 2022(1)
- August 2022(1)
- July 2022(1)
- June 2022(1)
- May 2022(1)
- April 2022(1)
- March 2022(1)
- February 2022(1)
- January 2022(1)
- December 2021(1)
- November 2021(1)
- October 2021(1)
- September 2021(1)
- August 2021(1)
- July 2021(1)
- June 2021(1)
- May 2021(1)
- April 2021(1)
- March 2021(1)
- February 2021(1)
- January 2021(1)
- December 2020(1)
- November 2020(1)
- October 2020(1)
- September 2020(1)
- August 2020(1)
- July 2020(1)
- June 2020(1)
- May 2020(1)
- April 2020(1)
- March 2020(1)
- February 2020(1)
- January 2020(1)
- December 2019(1)
- November 2019(1)
- October 2019(1)
- September 2019(1)
- August 2019(1)
- July 2019(1)
- June 2019(1)
- May 2019(1)
- April 2019(1)
- March 2019(1)
- February 2019(1)
- January 2019(1)
- December 2018(1)
- November 2018(1)
- October 2018(1)
- September 2018(1)
- August 2018(1)
- July 2018(1)
- June 2018(1)
- May 2018(1)
- April 2018(1)
- March 2018(1)
- February 2018(1)
- January 2018(1)
- December 2017(1)
- November 2017(1)
- October 2017(1)
- September 2017(1)
- August 2017(1)
- July 2017(1)
- June 2017(1)
- May 2017(1)
- April 2017(1)
- March 2017(1)
- February 2017(1)
- January 2017(1)
- December 2016(1)
- November 2016(1)
- October 2016(1)
- September 2016(1)
- August 2016(1)
- July 2016(1)
- June 2016(1)
- May 2016(1)
- April 2016(1)
- March 2016(1)
- February 2016(1)
- January 2016(1)
- December 2015(1)
- November 2015(1)
- October 2015(1)
- September 2015(1)
- August 2015(1)
- July 2015(1)
- June 2015(1)
- May 2015(1)
- April 2015(1)
- March 2015(1)
- February 2015(1)
- January 2015(1)
- December 2014(1)
- November 2014(1)
- October 2014(1)
- September 2014(1)
- August 2014(1)
- July 2014(1)
- June 2014(1)
- May 2014(1)
- April 2014(1)
- March 2014(1)
- February 2014(1)
- January 2014(1)
- December 2013(1)
- November 2013(1)
- October 2013(1)
- September 2013(1)
- August 2013(1)
- July 2013(1)
- June 2013(1)
- May 2013(1)
- April 2013(1)
- March 2013(1)
- February 2013(1)
- January 2013(1)
- December 2012(1)
- November 2012(1)
- October 2012(1)
- September 2012(1)
- August 2012(1)
- July 2012(1)
- June 2012(1)
- May 2012(1)
- April 2012(1)
- March 2012(1)
- February 2012(1)
- January 2012(1)
- December 2011(1)
- November 2011(1)
- October 2011(1)
- September 2011(1)
- August 2011(1)
- July 2011(1)
- June 2011(1)
- May 2011(1)
- April 2011(1)
- March 2011(1)
- February 2011(1)
- January 2011(1)
- December 2010(1)
- November 2010(1)
- October 2010(1)
- September 2010(1)
- August 2010(1)
- July 2010(1)
- June 2010(1)
- May 2010(1)
- April 2010(1)
- March 2010(1)
- February 2010(1)
- January 2010(1)
September 2013 Article - The Lab & the Factory
Monday, September 23, 2013Practicing guitar has two sides - the lab and the factory. Both are equally important and needed for effective learning. In his recent live lesson, the great Fingerstyle guitarist Adam Rafferty shared this wonderful insight from Seth Godin and applied it to guitar learning. (And I’ve thrown in my thoughts as well!)
When you practice, certain guitar learning tasks fall into either of these two categories and each has a different approach.
1) Your Practice Room as a Laboratory.
When you’re in the practice room “laboratory”, you’re curious - constantly experimenting and trying new things. The goal is finding something new musically - a new way to play a chord, or approach a solo. That knowledge could open up a whole new aspect of your musical understanding. In the guitar-learning laboratory you challenge yourself mentally to see the guitar fretboard in ever-new ways.
Failure in the guitar-learning laboratory is an understood and expected part of the process. But you’re less concerned with specific mistakes and more focused on finding the one idea or approach that works.
Imagination, creativity and just allowing time to musically explore on your instrument are all part of the laboratory which makes for an effective practice time.
2) Your Practice Room as a Factory.
Another equally important part of practicing is approaching your practice room as a factory - a place where you get the work that needs to get done accomplished, preferably in a way that is more efficient, faster, and effective than you did previously. Here, in the factory, skills are honed, polished and perfected.
In the factory, it’s not about creativity, it’s about reliability and productivity. You want your technical skills to be sharper and faster. Like an athlete going to the gym each day, a musician does certain tasks each day to keep their skills up, mentally and physically. It’s the grinding out of what needs to be done today so that tomorrow we can play more accurately and efficiently than we did today.
Playing scales, working with a metronome, strumming chords and all skill-based learning falls in the “factory” category. Working in the guitar-learning factory is generally more focused on physical aspects of playing, on your technique, than on the musical aspects. Without careful, diligent attention to technique, you’ll never be able to get your musical ideas out from your fingers.
Your practice life needs both sides - the laboratory and the factory. Allow time for both as you enter your practice room. Keep up the great work! - Steve
If you would like to read Seth Godin’s original blog post on this subject you can see it here… http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/06/the-lab-or-the-factory.html