How To Study, Memorize And Retain Music On The Guitar

What you are about to learn are the same secrets and techniques that Aaron Shearer exposed to me when I was one of his students at Peabody Conservatory of Music.They are the most effective studying techniques that exist and if you use them regularly they will change your guitar performing forever! What you are going to learn, very basically said is "How To Learn"! Consider this, when someone has given you guitar tabs or guitar tablatures to learn, did they at any time tell you "how" to learn it? Almost certainly not. Most people learn by rote repetition which is repeating something over and over again till it eventually gets beaten into their heads! Doing so is quite time consuming and typically falls apart if the performer becomes nervous. The "mental imagery / visualization" techniques you are about to learn are very time efficient because you will be using your mind to its' fullest extent. Keep in mind, the fingers only do what the brain tells them to do. Clear things up in the mind and you can halt making errors when you play guitar! The "mental imagery / visualization" process you should use consists of 5 steps. All 5 of these steps need to be used for every measure of the piece of music before proceeding on to the next measure.The first 4 steps have to be carried out with the guitar in its' case. This is crucial! Keep the guitar in its' case for the first 4 steps!

Step #1 - Count and clap the rhythmic structure of the measure. For instance in 4/4 time you would count quarter notes as 1-2-3-4. eighth notes as 1& 2& 3& 4& , sixteenth notes as 1a&ah, 2a&ah, 3a&ah, 4a&ah. and so on. You would clap the side of your leg with the right hand every time you would strike a string or group of strings. This should let you determine and hear the rhythmic structure of the measure - which is the most basic aspect of music.

Step #2 - Figure out the left hand fingering for the measure. Employing the palm of your left hand as the fretboard, actually press down the finger or fingers you will use to play the notes and chords in the measure while at the same time picturing or viewing the strings and the guitar frets in your mind's eye as if you were physically performing it.

Step #3 - Determine the right hand fingering for the measure. If playing with a pick, you would have to decide whether you are picking up or down for each note. If playing fingerstyle you would have to determine which fingering sequences you would use. At this point the right hand fingers or your pick would in fact be picking the air while in your mind's eye you are imagining or viewing the string or strings which you are playing.

Step #4 - Do steps 2 and 3 at the same time, seriously striving to see the strings and frets in the mind's eye as you are playing them in the air, while at the same time counting out loud.

Step #5 - Take your guitar from the case and actually perform the measure you were working on. If you can perform it 3 times in a row with no mistakes, then you comprehend and know that measure. Now it is possible to proceed to the next measure and use the same 5 step course of action for it. Once you have completed the new measure, make sure to actually play the new measure with the old measure. This way you are building the piece of music by attaching every single measure to the one before it - considerably like you would construct a chain by attaching each new link to the one before it.This "mental imagery visualization" procedure woks so well due to the fact that it enables you to focus clearly on each and every hand individually. If you fully grasp the fingerings for each hand separately, mixing them with each other isn't that hard. The problem for us guitarists has always been trying to do too many things at once!

By: Auburn Walker

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Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps people become better guitarists. His company ChordMelody.com features a huge selection of guitar tabs for all styles as well as instructional DVD courses. Find out more and claim Steven's popular free monthly guitar lesson e-course available at: => guitar tablatures