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GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
Photo by Robin Gentile, NYC
| BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT" It contains many of Doug's Previous Guitar Technique Tips of the Month |
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We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Practice With Your Eyes Closed
There's a reason people close their eyes when they kiss.
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
There is a common belief that when a person loses his sight, his other senses such as
hearing, become more acute. In general, scientific studies have not supported this belief. But,
we need to make an important distinction. There is a difference between having one's hearing
dramatically improve automatically because of loss of sight, and using auditory information
more effectively, which some blind people do to an extraordinary degree. So strictly speaking,
blind people's other senses don't compensate for their lack of sight. But, while blind people
may not have a more acute sense of smell, taste or touch, they can use these senses more
effectively. This concept brings me to this month's tech tip: Practice With Your Eyes Closed.
It is an odd phenomenon that when you play something technically difficult, you tend to stop
listening to the music and instead focus on the visual--watching the music on the page or
especially, watching your fingers. Sight takes over as the guiding sense when you should be
listening. I have observed this in myself and students.
In fact, a guitarist can actually experience an auditory illusion. They may believe they played a
passage okay because they saw the left-hand fingers land on the correct frets. What they
didn't hear was that the right-hand fingers actually missed some notes or played them at widely
varying volumes. Some notes were fine, but others were barely struck or not struck at all. And
they did not notice unless they recorded themselves and listened back, or another listener told
them so.
To increase one's auditory AND tactile (sense of touch) awareness, I highly recommend
practicing with your eyes closed or blindfolded. (Watch the blindfold thing though. If someone
walks in on you, you are going to have to answer a lot of questions.)
You will be amazed at what happens. Your awareness of sound and touch will skyrocket. Your
suddenly increased awareness will be like shining a bright light on your playing. Everything
becomes clear, the good and the bad. (Remember, one of the primary reasons "romantic"
restaurants are candlelit is so you can’t see your dinner partner clearly!)
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Here is a list of things that will suddenly pop into your awareness that you hadn't noticed
before or didn't realize were so prevalent:
You should also try practicing pieces and passages with your eyes closed at half speed for yet
another perspective on what is working and what isn't.
But practicing with your eyes closed will be very frustrating. Don't let things like missing most of
your shifts or feeling totally disoriented and confused discourage you. Hang in there. You will
get used to it over a period of anywhere from one day to two months. Many guitarists get used
to it and actually enjoy practicing this way after a week. They enjoy it because their practicing
becomes far more effective. They notice very clearly the elements that need to be fixed.
Obviously, I highly recommend this method of practice. It is one of those simple concepts that
really work to improve your playing, in this case by teaching you to use your senses of hearing
and touch on a much higher and intense level than usual by taking away the visual sense.
After all, there is an instinctual reason people kiss with their eyes closed, you know.
END NOTE:
Although many scientific studies show that the blind's other senses are not more acute, they
can learn some amazing skills to compensate for loss of sight, such as "echolocation." If you
have an curiosity in the difficulties and victories of the blind, watch this 8-minute video from
youtube.com of how Dan Kish, director of World Access for the Blind, uses echolocation to
safely ride a bicycle on the public roads and otherwise find his way in the world. It is amazing.
Watch the video.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
There's a reason people close their eyes when they kiss.
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
There is a common belief that when a person loses his sight, his other senses such as
hearing, become more acute. In general, scientific studies have not supported this belief. But,
we need to make an important distinction. There is a difference between having one's hearing
dramatically improve automatically because of loss of sight, and using auditory information
more effectively, which some blind people do to an extraordinary degree. So strictly speaking,
blind people's other senses don't compensate for their lack of sight. But, while blind people
may not have a more acute sense of smell, taste or touch, they can use these senses more
effectively. This concept brings me to this month's tech tip: Practice With Your Eyes Closed.
It is an odd phenomenon that when you play something technically difficult, you tend to stop
listening to the music and instead focus on the visual--watching the music on the page or
especially, watching your fingers. Sight takes over as the guiding sense when you should be
listening. I have observed this in myself and students.
In fact, a guitarist can actually experience an auditory illusion. They may believe they played a
passage okay because they saw the left-hand fingers land on the correct frets. What they
didn't hear was that the right-hand fingers actually missed some notes or played them at widely
varying volumes. Some notes were fine, but others were barely struck or not struck at all. And
they did not notice unless they recorded themselves and listened back, or another listener told
them so.
To increase one's auditory AND tactile (sense of touch) awareness, I highly recommend
practicing with your eyes closed or blindfolded. (Watch the blindfold thing though. If someone
walks in on you, you are going to have to answer a lot of questions.)
You will be amazed at what happens. Your awareness of sound and touch will skyrocket. Your
suddenly increased awareness will be like shining a bright light on your playing. Everything
becomes clear, the good and the bad. (Remember, one of the primary reasons "romantic"
restaurants are candlelit is so you can’t see your dinner partner clearly!)
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Here is a list of things that will suddenly pop into your awareness that you hadn't noticed
before or didn't realize were so prevalent:
- Buzzes.
- Unclear notes.
- Out-of-rhythm slurs. Usually, the hammer-on or pull-off movement will be executed too
quickly. - Incorrect balance between melody, accompaniment, and bass. Usually, the melody
won't be loud enough. The accompaniment or thumb will be pounding out too strongly. - Left hand and right hand will be slightly out of synch with one another on some chord
changes or between certain finger combinations, especially left-hand 2nd to 3rd finger
and 3rd to 4th finger. Usually the hand and finger movements of the left hand will be
ahead of the plucking movements of the right-hand fingers. - Incorrect left-hand positioning. A passage will feel precarious or the hand will feel like
it's in an awkward or unbalanced, teetering position. - Your changes of volume (dynamics) and tone color are not as clear or obvious as you
thought. - Your memory is a bit shaky without the visual cues of watching the fingers and seeing
the fretboard. - You are unable to make shifts, especially long ones, without looking. But this one you
probably already knew. - You realize that some of your right-hand fingerings feel awkward or somehow wrong.
You should also try practicing pieces and passages with your eyes closed at half speed for yet
another perspective on what is working and what isn't.
But practicing with your eyes closed will be very frustrating. Don't let things like missing most of
your shifts or feeling totally disoriented and confused discourage you. Hang in there. You will
get used to it over a period of anywhere from one day to two months. Many guitarists get used
to it and actually enjoy practicing this way after a week. They enjoy it because their practicing
becomes far more effective. They notice very clearly the elements that need to be fixed.
Obviously, I highly recommend this method of practice. It is one of those simple concepts that
really work to improve your playing, in this case by teaching you to use your senses of hearing
and touch on a much higher and intense level than usual by taking away the visual sense.
After all, there is an instinctual reason people kiss with their eyes closed, you know.
END NOTE:
Although many scientific studies show that the blind's other senses are not more acute, they
can learn some amazing skills to compensate for loss of sight, such as "echolocation." If you
have an curiosity in the difficulties and victories of the blind, watch this 8-minute video from
youtube.com of how Dan Kish, director of World Access for the Blind, uses echolocation to
safely ride a bicycle on the public roads and otherwise find his way in the world. It is amazing.
Watch the video.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
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| These are my very detailed, in-depth articles and high-def videos on how to play the classical guitar. It's like getting your own private guitar lesson every month. Need info on classical guitar right hand technique? Guitar scales? How to play bar chords? Harmonics? Looking for a classical guitar practicing routine? Tips on performing onstage? How to tune a guitar? Looking for easy Christmas guitar arrangements? Chances are, I have covered it, or will soon. The tips are by subscription only. |
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Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best
on the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the
written tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are
thorough and the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a
sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best
on the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the
written tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are
thorough and the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a
sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.