A Matter of Trust............

A common question I get asked is: "How can I play like you?" Of course, answering this question can be a long one, but sometimes telling someone what NOT to do is as good as telling what TO do.
For everyone reading, including all of my students, past, present and future, I can define my biggest strength as a student that helped me on the guitar when I was taking my first real lessons two decades ago: I trusted my teacher.

The concept was simple: I was hungry to succeed on the instrument, and although sometimes the methods my teacher gave me were not always the most fun and exciting, I trusted the fact that because he was definitely an outstanding player, he must have known something I did not. I put my trust in him and did what he told me to, and am I thankful I did, for I would not now have a thriving teaching business, and play professionally (meaning, being paid to perform.) And most of all, I would not have become a much better player.

I believe almost all students start lessons with the best of intentions, and many succeed, but some falter. By faltering, some do improve, but do not come anywhere close to their potential, simply because they do not follow the important methods I have laid out for them over the course of their lessons.

Sometimes I will bump into a former student like this, and ask them how their playing is, and generally by their own admission, they tell me that they have not improved to their potential by not following the methods I have outlined for them. They have chosen to become their own worst enemy. This will always be puzzling to me.

If for some reason you find yourself in the situation of denying your instructor's methods, do the following:

a) Give your instructor some credit in your mind for the level of proficiency they have achieved. More than likely they can play at a much higher level than most musicians in your community (especially if you live in a small town)
b) Ask yourself why is it that you are taking lessons in the first place. They cost money, and you probably do want to become a better player right?

Until next time, play hard, practise hard, and for the love of God, follow your instructor's methods!


Bryan Briggs

Facebook: Bryan Briggs Music Academy
Twitter: BryanBriggs2day
Youtube: BryanBriggsshred
www.bryanbriggs.com

Happy New Year, Goals for 2010!

Well a new year is among us, warm wishes for 2010!

So with the new year comes new resolutions. A common one is learning the guitar, either the guitar as a new endeavour, or perhaps the new resolution is to pick up the guitar again after some dormancy.
If you are rekindling your desire on the guitar, first thing is to forget the past and look at the new year as a brand new start. Maybe quickly think about your previous efforts and why they may not have succeeded (trying to teach yourself, not staying to a daily practise regimen, not getting the proper instruction, etc...) and retry again but not following the same path you had taken before which led to undesirable results. A common pitfall may be not being able to find the time. Well, the answer is simple, make finding time a priority. Everyone truly is busy in this crazy world, but if we analyze how we spend our time each day, you would be surprised with the results. Some people can seem to find time to routinely watch their favourite TV show (s) playing video games, or sometimes be on the internet for more time than we realize (myself included, damn that Facebook!!!!)
If your goals are recreational, you can find 20 minutes a day to practise. If your goals are more serious, then you must treat is as such, compare it to if you played competitive sports, how much of your time would be devoted to it.
To keep the desire burning, go out and treat yourself to a live DVD of your favourite band, watch your favourite player and pick up that guitar! 2010 is YOUR year go for it!

Bryan Briggs

Facebook: Bryan Briggs Music Academy
Twitter: BryanBriggs2day
Youtube: BryanBriggsshred
www.bryanbriggs.com