Words from a student

Wavicles

By Greg Arney11. November 2009 18:04

My first guitar teacher at college, Lauren Passarelli, taught me a number of things that I am still learning years after the fact.

After carefully eyeing my picking hand, she faulted it for being inflexible. She prescribed several pieces which made use of the floating, string-skipping picking hand that is necessary for versatility and large leaps. A natural skeptic, I wondered if the effort of changing my technique was worth it, or if the "setback" would somehow slow me down. Many musicians, particularly those who have achieved some level of comfort with a playing style, are reluctant to try new techniques, fearing that it will render their current technique worthless. Months later, I discovered the problem on my own - and returned to her prescription. Now, years later, I am happy to say I have conquered this difficulty. However, I do face many more. I have a bad habit of practicing within my "comfort zone", even though I am fully aware that two hours of discomfort is probably more effective than 8 hours of comfort.

My current goal is to lay out all of the techniques and concepts that I really don't want to work on, things that make me feel uncomfortable or weak, and practice them relentlessly, going so far as to forbid any familiar activity for the duration of four weeks. If my playing is significantly changed in that time, I will know I have found another keystone on my path to mastery.

Lauren taught me another important lesson. My usual attitude as a student was that I must push as hard as I can against the wall. Occasionally, I would express my patient frustration to teachers and mentors. Having a need to organize the Universe, I told Lauren that I knew I would get X good if I practiced X amount of hours. For those of us who train ourselves to have high expectations and work hard to achieve them, we tend to want others to validate this view, even going so far as to expect that anyone we respect or admire will share this method. However, Lauren's response shocked me. She said that it wasn't the amount of time spent practicing or even how badly I wanted mastery. She told me that if I focus and have the right mindset, these things will find me, instead. The conversation took a turn into quantum physics, and we talked about ever-fascinating concept that light can be constrained as both a wave and a particle, and the view among many physicists that the expectations of the observer can affect the outcome of the observed. She called this a "wavicle", and when we parted for that lesson (which was one of our last), she left me with this: "Control the wavicles!"

7 Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Guitar

7 Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Guitar

Great Quote

To charm, to strengthen & to teach. These are the 3 great chords of might.

written on the outside of Harvard University's Music building.

Remember This

YOU CAN

The purpose of work

We have been taught that we need to work for a living. And that we keep the things we love to do as our hobbies.

Has it ever struck you that this is distorted and weird? Have you ever wondered whether you can do what you love and attract abundance while doing it?

The purpose of work is not to work at all – it is to express the Joy that you are through the activities of your mind and your body and your soul – to give you a means of expression of who you are and who you choose to be. It is not to create a dead-end life, a life of drudgery and sadness and disappointment – it is to create a direct experience of who you really are through the outflowing through you of the creativity and the talent that you are.

You will always attract abundance doing what you love – because doing what you love keeps you in a place of happiness, of gratitude, of waking up in the mornings looking forward to doing what you adore doing.

We have been taught that we earn money through work – let’s look at this – we do unhappy things, create unhappy lives, and then we expect that to bring us abundance – and not the salaries which we are paid, but real abundance. But – when you vibrate at a place of unhappiness, you attract unhappy things, events, occurrences, and you attract unhappy people who agree with your unhappiness and so it feels as if this is really what life is all about.

When you are happy you attract abundance.

When you are happy you make money.

When you are happy you bring to you what you need.

Always.

And so if you are working at a job that makes you unhappy, it defeats the whole purpose of what you call work.

You CAN do what you love and create your life. You CAN wake up in the mornings and expect what you need for that day to come to you magically, because you are magic, you are your dreams come true, you are what you want, what you have dreamed of.

You don’t have to spend your lives in drudgery. You can find out who you are, what you have to give, who you want to touch, and how to do it. You can find clarity on this.

The purpose of all this is for you to decide who you are – and your work expresses you.

Abraham- Hicks

10 STUPID THINGS ARTISTS DO TO MESS UP THEIR LIVES

Carla De Santis Article

You go forth from time to time, place to place, open & eager for all you can feast upon, dancing with words to have the resources to peal through for things to sing, songs to write, thoughts to share.

It's always a surprise & delight to see what happens, how it happens, what gets chosen, what gets said & then what it all means; and they mean more & more as the years go by, speaking in code to my warm gentle self. Feeding me at every age on every page with every bit of light & hope & reassurance to lead me forward to enjoy more & more. Explore. Drink in, listen hard, feel well, ease stress. Complain less.

It is mighty to have a life, be in these bodies. A blessing to be alive, a miracle to be breathing & writing & playing all that I do.

Changing Your Perspective

We're asking you to trust in the Well-being. In optimism there is magic. In pessimism there is nothing. In positive expectation there is thrill and success. In pessimism or awareness of what is not wanted, there is nothing. What you're wanting to do is redefine your relationship with the Stream. We do not ask you to look at something that is black and call it white. We do not ask you to see something that is not as you want it to be and pretend that it is. What we ask you to do is practice moving your gaze. Practice changing your perspective. Practice talking to different people. Practice going to new places. Practice sifting through the data for the things that feel like you want to feel and using those things to cause you to feel a familiar place. In other words, we want you to feel familiar in your joy. Familiar in your positive expectation, familiar in your knowing that all is well, because this Universe will knock itself out giving you evidence of that Well-being once you find that place.

--- Abraham-Hicks

Staying Well

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." - Thomas Edison

Spring Off Reality

Have you ever seen the acrobats on the big trampolines, or the people in the circus on the big bounding nets? And they hit that net and they spring forth into flight. Well, the moment that they hit the net, that's like the platform of your life. But it is the flying through the air that is the main event.

We want you to think of your "now reality" as nothing more than the net that is springing you -- but it is the flight through the air that is your life.

So many of you, you hit that net and then you lay on your stomach, and then you wrap your fingers and toes into it, and you put your face tight into it, and you say, "I've got to face reality." And we say, you didn't come forth to face reality. You came forth to spring off of reality. You came forth to let the reality be the basis from which you take flight.

Abraham-Hicks Philadelphia, PA -- 11/7/1999

Insatiable Love Affair

(Here's an essay I was asked to write about Gretsch Guitars)


Insatiable Love Affair

The plastic guitar at age two wasn't enough, and when i saw the Beatles on the tele at age 4, I fell deeply in love with guitar.

A couple of acoustic guitars came, one fake that had nails for two of
the tuning pegs, and one real that actually stayed in tune. And finally
lessons. But I needed an electric guitar. An american guitar. I wanted
to bend strings & play the solos I'd been learning on an electric. I
was playing chord solos too, learning how to play legato & hold notes
while others note moved & I wanted to hear more sustain.

Because of George Harrison I wanted a Gretsch guitar! And at 12, in
1972 my parents bought me a 1961 Gretsch Anniversary model. Whoa! The passion went deep. It was wildly known the best guitars were American made. George had wanted an American guitar since he was a kid. His Gretsch Duo Jet was his prized possession. It was his first American guitar & he kept it his whole life.

George & I were both influenced by super guitar players. Masters.
Players who had a feel & tone that personified the notes they chose.
Serious guitar players that were so clever & articulate the music
flowed & looked effortless to create. That's the mark of an expert. It
looks so easy when they play and it sounds brilliant. It's all about
the touch & feel; the magic happens with your hands, at your fingertips & you need an instrument that can respond to your whispers & moans.

A Gretsch neck has always felt perfect in my small hand. I love the
round shape & made-for-each-other fit. Gretsch guitars have a good
weight to them. The workmanship is smooth, every line & crease, every curve is finished. No rough spots, nothing feels dinky. I still have my '61 Anniversary model. I've written many songs with it. This guitar's every shape & form is in my muscle memory. Playing it is like visiting a dear friend. In 2000 I picked up a Country Classic Jr., similar to the Country Gentleman George bought in 1963. This body size couldn't be more comfortable. It was love at first touch. I feel like George when I'm playing this guitar. There's a magical essence, chemical reaction, blend of wood & soul when I play Beatle songs on this guitar.

I get verklempt when I think of Gretsch guitars. They've loomed so
large in my legendary Beatle life's frame work. George, Gretsch,
George, Gretsch, George, Gretsch. They're in the blueprint of my
childhood, the groundwork of my musicianship, the discovery of music & life itself.

George Harrison Talks Fender

Lauren Passarelli ~ Talks George Harrison & Fender

Lauren Passarelli ~ This Day Came

For what it's worth it's never too late or too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit; start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There's no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it & I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you find the strength to start all over again.

How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall?

Well the punch line of the old joke is PRACTICE!

Right?

Well this story isn't about Carnegie Hall. It's a true story about Symphony Hall in Boston, MA.

I was attending a private function inside Symphony Hall where a friend of mine was performing & I happened to be dressed all in black. After her performance we got to see the The Boston Pops perform as well. They were both wonderful concerts.

When the night was over I was standing outside Symphony Hall watching my friend's equipment as she went to fetch her car. The audience was pouring out into the street & as many passed me they said enthusiastically, "YOU WERE FABULOUS TONIGHT!" or "GREAT CONCERT!" & "OH YOU WERE ALL FANTASTIC!" & "THANK YOU SO MUCH, LOVELY SHOW!"

Inside my head, stunned with, "wait, what? me?, oh no, I'm just, well sure, but you see I'm..." because they thought they were thanking a symphony player or 'praps even my friend. Yet there was no time to explain & I didn't want to offend or appear rude. So standing tall (as tall as I could) dressed in black, waiting with equipment, instantly impersonating a Boston Pops member, I smiled graciously & thanked them warmly for attending. At least their thoughtful accolades for the Pops should be received & reciprocated, I thought nervously.

How do you get to Symphony Hall?

~ Stand on the sidewalk dressed in black with music equipment at your feet.

DACHSHUNDS ARE LOVE BUGS

• they have the least doggie odor
• they don't shed
• they love being with you
• they have a tremendous sense of humor & memory. when they do something that makes you laugh. they'll do it again & again.
• they're extremely loyal, protective & friendly.
• I love their adorable expressive faces & their extremely cute feet!

Guitar Players & Nail Care

I love playing with a pick. I love playing with pick & fingers & I love finger picking. They give me different sounds & feels & ability to create the guitar parts I want to play. Whether it's steel string or nylon eventually with much playing comes much wearing down of the nails. Here's what I've been experimenting with over the years & a great guitarist's nail article that gets into it all.

James Taylor told me about his use of nail wraps so that's what I used for years. It's a great warm sound that I love & it sounds like his guitar sound. In fact he's taping a DVD where he'll teach how he plays nine of his songs & he asked me for my opinion. I asked him to include a special feature section where he'll show us his nail care & how he applies & takes care of his nail wraps. He puts on a layer of glue & then a nail wrap & after it dries & he trims it he does it twice again so that he has 3 layers. There are 3 kinds of wraps: silk, fiber glass & nylon.

Classical players use ping balls & glue a piece of the ball under their remaining nail. I haven't tried this yet.

I love the sound I get with guitar player nails. They send you pieces of flat, plastic material & you cut & shape & trim & file & glue. And the thickness of the nail is set. With the wraps & the gel you create that thickness for each nail yourself.

There are Gel Nails, nothing harder, super tough & resilient. I bought this kit from Germany called, Power Nails. I love the sound of these as well & I liked not using nail or crazy glue. Turns out this nail product is Pat Metheny's favorite. I know JT was sent this Power Nail kit but I don't know if he ever tried the gel nails & if he liked them. You can buy some gel products on line & there are videos on you tube that better show how to extend the gel & be a nail when yours is to short. But I found that glue & gel seriously weaken your nail underneath. They get so soft & breakable.

There's also Rico Nails where you use non toxic adhesives & surgical tape for extra support and when you're done playing you can easily remove them without hurting your nails. You can just put them on to play & take them off when you're done. They are a thinner material consequently a thinner, brighter guitar sound for me.

I use thin strings & prefer thicker guitar picks about 1.5mm but not necessarily super thick finger nails. I may try adhesive with the guitar player nails next!

Many players don't bother with their nails at all. They just use their finger tips. I have been trying to prefer this for about a month now. Just for the ease of it & nothing toxic. But I don't like how the strings feel or respond to me & I don't prefer the sound.

What's a guitarist to do?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12/22/09 added new discovery

in a few months your nails do recover from the softening breaking effects of nail glue, crazy glue & nail gel...

Master guitarist, Lou Arnold bought me a bottle of

Onymyrrhe Natural Nail Growth Accelerator & that's an amazing healthy product for nails.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12/16/10

this just in: James Taylor's own nail lesson on taking care of his built in picks! Yea!

Making the Most of a Spark (excerpt)

"Essentially, I want good company in my creative life, and I want to provide that to my fellow creators. I want to help other people love their work so that they keep going and give it the very best attention and skill they have, and I want that fostering in return. I want to make the most of my spark and enjoy the warmth and light of my friends making the most of theirs, too." ~ Kate Chadbourne

What a fabulous way to say it! ~ L Pass

Life Story

"And now it is your Life Story and it is you who play the leading roll. The stage is set, the time is now, and the place wherever you are. Each passing second a new link in the endless chain of Time. The drama of Life is a continuous story - ever new, ever changing, and ever wondrous to behold."

~ Virginia Lee Burton

Power of A Beatle

“The verdict from Paul McCartney's show at his Coachella debut on Friday? Never underestimate the power of a Beatle... The night belonged to Paul.” -- LOS ANGELES TIMES

Why Music Matters

L Pass ~ my favorite bits from

Why Music Matters
Karl Paulnack, Director, Music Division
The Boston Conservatory

Given what we have since learned about life in the Nazi camps, why would anyone in his right mind waste time and energy writing or playing music? There was barely enough energy on a good day to find food and water, to avoid a beating, to stay warm, to escape torture — why would anyone bother with music? And yet even from the concentration camps we have poetry, we have music, we have visual art; it wasn’t just this one fanatic Messiaen; many, many people created art. Why? Well, in a place where people are only focused on survival, on the bare necessities, the obvious conclusion is that art must be, somehow, essential for life. The camps were without money, without hope, without commerce, without recreation, without basic respect, but they were not without art. Art is part of survival; art is part of the human spirit, an unquenchable expression of who we are. Art is one of the ways in which we say, “I am alive, and my life has meaning.”

Music is not part of “arts and entertainment” as the newspaper section would have us believe. It’s not a luxury, a lavish thing that we fund from leftovers of our budgets, not a plaything or an amusement or a pastime. Music is a basic need of human survival. Music is one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand things with our hearts when we can’t with our minds.

(Music) has the ability to crack your heart open like a walnut; it can make you cry over sadness you didn’t know you had. Music can slip beneath our conscious reality to get at what’s really going on inside us the way a good therapist does.

Music allows us to move around those big invisible pieces of ourselves and rearrange our insides so that we can express what we feel even when we can’t talk about it. Music is the understanding of the relationship between invisible internal objects.

Someday at 8 PM someone is going to walk into your concert hall and bring you a mind that is confused, a heart that is overwhelmed, a soul that is weary. Whether they go out whole again will depend partly on how well you do your craft.

You’re not here to become an entertainer, and you don’t have to sell yourself. The truth is you don’t have anything to sell; being a musician isn’t about dispensing a product, like selling used cars. I’m not an entertainer; I’m a lot closer to a paramedic, a firefighter, a rescue worker. You’re here to become a sort of therapist for the human soul, a spiritual version of a chiropractor, physical therapist, someone who works with our insides to see if they get things to line up, to see if we can come into harmony with ourselves and be healthy and happy and well.

I expect you not only to master music, I expect you to save the planet. If there is a future wave of wellness on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don’t expect it will come from a government, a military force or a corporation. I no longer even expect it to come from the religions of the world, which together seem to have brought us as much war as they have peace. If there is a future of peace for humankind, if there is to be an understanding of how these invisible, internal things should fit together, I expect it will come from the artists, because that’s what we do. The artists are the ones who might be able to help us with our internal, invisible lives. 

Your Life Depends On It

"Hopefulness only makes sense when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful. This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it." ~ Paul Hawken