Adult Jam 10-16-2010

We had a great Adult Jam Saturday, October 16th at Jim and Mary Trussell's house. There were about 15 of us and we had a lot of fun. We normally end at 9 but since everyone was having such a good time we kept going and got done after 10.

Our Adult Jams are intended for the beginner adult to get a chance to play with other adults. Not everyone has a friend that plays guitar. These Jams serve as group practice, social networking and a chance to learn to perform in front of others. 

You don't have to perform, you can just strum along. Or sit back and enjoy the performance.

Each Adult Jam is hosted at different locations, hosted by one of my adult students. We have a lot of fun and learn a few songs along the way. It's a lot like a loose adult guitar club.

If you have questions about our Adult Jams or adult lessons in Naperville/Aurora/Bolingbrook/Plainfield please visit www.napervilleguitarlessons.com or call me at 630-983-6674

Thanks, Terry

Can I learn to play guitar?

Hi everyone.
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend.

I hear the question "Can I learn to play the guitar , even at my age?"  I hear this from people in their 30's and in their 40's. And the answer is yes! With a qualification: if you'll allocate the time to learn/practice/play the guitar. Just taking lessons isn't enough. And I know everyone knows this, but when it comes to doing it we don't always allocate the time. You need to set aside some regular time almost every day. I say almost everyday because we as busy adults can't always play EVERY day. But we should have the time scheduled and when we have to travel etc, we should get back on the practice schedule as soon as possible.

I can hear you saying "I know, I know". And I know you know. But you have to do it. After playing guitar for 40 years, I wanted to learn a new instrument (for me) to remember what it is like to be beginner adult. So I started to learn the banjo! I spent years standing next to a banjo playing rhythm guitar in small clubs. But I never bothered learning. A few months ago, I bought a banjo and started learning.

It was going well. I was learning rolls and started a couple of songs. I was playing/practicing everyday, even if it was just for 10 or 15 minutes. Then disaster struck; I slipped on the stairs and jammed my left shoulder. Nothing was torn, just bruised enough that I couldn't hold my arm up enough to play banjo. Not at all. So I stopped learning for about 5 months. After some physical therapy my shoulder is great. A few weeks ago I picked up the banjo.

I had forgotten just about everything I had learned; the muscle memory had faded. Not surprised. I started all over, learning some rolls and learning some songs. I now have 2 songs about up to speed and I can fake a few more. I'm doing it the old fashioned way, a little bit at a time.

Even though I'm a guitar teacher and I run my own business as a guitar teacher, I'm just as busy as anyone else. I have lots of things to do when I'm not giving lessons. I have to always tend to my marketing and sales needs. Then there's the books and maintenance of the guitars , etc. Things to do around the house. And I got kids! And three cats! Ok, only Zuko is a high maintenance cat.

So, what I do is I look at my schedule each day and figure out when I can plug in at least 15 minutes of banjo practice. With the way my schedule changes throughout the week, I can't say I can practice banjo the same time every day. But I target about 15 minutes each day. I don't always hit my target. I was never good with shooting at things.

But, and here's my secret, I watch for unplanned practice opportunities. If a student cancels, I pick up my banjo. If I'm home for a lunch break I grab it for 5, 10 or 15 minutes. If Zuko wakes me up at 5 in the morning , after I feed all three of them, I grab my banjo. I have it on my mind that if I get a few minutes, I will play the banjo for a few minutes. As long as other higher priorities have been fulfilled. If you can't do that, then maybe learning an instrument ins't high enough on your list of priorities.

I have a lot of adult students all the way from 21 to 67 years old. And I've noticed that the most successful of them are the ones that consistently find time to play/practice. Yeah, the more you practice the better you get more quickly, but anything consistently will work.

Try it out for a month and see how it works.
Keep playing guitar!

Terry
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Practice for busy adults

I'm always asking people how they practice. I like to see what works and what doesn't. It can be a very personal thing so I used to not tell my adult students how to practice. Especially the ones that used to play clarinet or oboe! But I've had a few instances where the student wasn't progressing and not having fun learning to play the guitar. We say we are going to practice for 1/2 hour each and every day. When we miss a practice because our lives are busy, we say "Oh, I'll practice twice as much tomorrow". Before long we don't practice at all out of guilt. Then you're sitting in front of me making me listen to the violins as you sing me a sad song how you didn't have time to practice!

After finding out that they set aside 1/2 an hour at a specific time each day to practice, I suggested a change in that routine. I've always believed that a little practice once, twice or three times a day or so on a consistent basis can be much better than the rigid routine.You will think to yourself that , hey, 5 or 10 minutes isn't too bad. If you keep the guitar accessible in a place in the home where you tend to spend a lot of time, you will find yourself grabbing it and "trying" something. And, heaven forbid , you might miss a day or two of practice, you get right back to it as soon as you can. It's OK to miss once in awhile. It's like that horse I fell off once a long time ago and ran like the west wind to get away from; I still don't know how to ride a horse.

Have one or two techniques like a strum pattern or bass run that you want to work on for 5 or 10 minutes. Then, if it goes well have a song ready to play just for the fun of it.

So, the key factors for success, as I have seen in actual use are as follows:

1. Keep your guitar accessable and ready to play
2. Play a little bit but often. Try for 20 minutes or so a day spread out in 5-10 minute chuncks.
3. Focus on one thing at a time, but also set aside some time to play and have fun.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other ideas or practice techiniques that work for you.