Name: Craig Burgess

Student Support Forum Screen Name: "Lacks Focus"

Gender: Male

My city: Indianapolis, IN

My instruments/gear:

* '77 Martin M38 acoustic
* '08 Parker PM20 electric
* '09 Breedlove Atlas Studio C250/EO acoustic
* Stelling Staghorn banjo
* Roland Cube 20X
* Yamaha P120 Digital Piano

Favorite Artists/Bands: Jackson Browne, Bruce Cockburn, Guster, Santana, CSN (with and without Y)

Favorite style(s) to play: Traditional acoustic (Blake, Barenberg, etc.); fingerstyle folk; and alt and classic rock electric (someday)

What made me want to play music?: I've always loved it, and learned to read when I was little. Making music for myself has always brought me great pleasure.

Previous music experience: Played cornet in band for 5 years in grade school, and have a long-time love of music. That band experience taught me how to read, and that ability never left me. Started playing bluegrass banjo about 30 years ago, and branched into guitar, but never went at it seriously, on either instrument, really. Both have been untouched for about 25 years now.

I did start piano lessons about 7 years ago, and I'm keeping up with that pretty well. Now I want to get back into the guitar, and probably the banjo too, but guitar for now. I recently got an electric, too, and have been having a lot of fun with it.

If your house was on fire, which one piece of gear would you grab and why?: My Martin M-38. I've had it forever, and it's by far the nicest guitar I own, and I've been playing it a lot more than the banjo over the last couple of years. The banjo is probably more valuable (always a consideration in a fire), but it's also a lot heavier. ;)

My favorite place to be when I'm playing music: Probably on a porch with a cool breeze.

My highest, most delightful musical moment: Sharing a stage with my old friend and guitar mentor Bob Applegate, even though for me it was just for small singing part, completely sans guitar. Two other friends and I did our best shot at 3-part harmonies on CSN&Y's "Find the Cost of Freedom," while Bob accompanied us on guitar. Either that or getting through a new flat-picking tune in Steve's intermediate small group lesson at this year's Gathering.

Hobbies: Music, reading, golf, bicycling, woodworking

Current Job: Architect

Legacy Courses I am taking: L&M Guitar, L&M Piano

Many guitarists see practicing as drudgery - unproductive, boring, and definitely something to be avoided. Your practice time shouldn’t be a dreaded chore. It ought to be a time where you can put away the stresses of the day and take a few minutes for yourself - a few moments to nourish yourself and your dream of being a better guitar player. When you can see practicing in this way, real progress starts to come easy. Here are some quick tips for making the most of your practice time.

Here are some thoughts about getting out and playing:

1) Find a Time When Your Mind is Fresh and Relaxed. You can focus better and get more accomplished when you practice with a fresh and relaxed mind. For some, this is in the morning before you get hit with the stresses of the day. For others, it’s only after the kids go to bed and the house is quieter. Whatever that time is for you, look at your schedule and carve out a slice of time where you know your mind is going to be most ready to practice.

2) Dedicate a Place to Practice. Find a specific spot in your home that can be designated as your practice space. It doesn’t have to be big or elaborate. But it needs to be a place where you can have your materials ready and waiting for you.

3) Keep Your Guitar and Materials Out. This is a little secret I learned a long time ago. Keep your guitar out on a guitar stand, instead of in a case stuffed in a closet. If your guitar is easily accessible, then you’ve removed one more hassle from your practice routine. Also you’ll find that your guitar “calls” to you as you walk past it on your way to do other things. Any time you have even a few minutes, you can easily grab it and practice.

4) Keep a Practice Log. A little practice log of what you are working on and what your goals are can be very motivating. It doesn’t need to be a fancy complex system. Just write out the date, how long you practiced, what you worked on, and maybe a short-term goal you could reach by the end of the week. It’s amazing at how simply writing something down can make your path and plan clearer and more attainable.

5) Don’t Mess Around, Practice! When it’s time to practice, resist the temptation to just mess around on your guitar (playing your favorite riffs, playing songs you know, etc.). When it’s practice time, work on things that need to be worked on. This is the time when you should focus on some of the hard things - things that are tripping you up. Play them through slowly, working out each fingering challenge, then gradually speed them up.

Practicing is less an issue of time than an issue of focus. Five minutes of real practicing is worth thirty minutes of messing around on your guitar on your couch while you watch TV.

Remember, this is your dream! And today is a great day to work on it. While there are many “urgent” things that clutter our day, we should always remember to make time for what is truly important to us.

Keep Learning & Growing!
Steve Krenz