Is timidity ruining your performance?!? This is a bit long. But there's good stuff here. And info about how you can get a new lesson I prepared for my new guitar course. (No, I'm not gonna sell it to you! LOL I'll send it to you for free.) The info below is what the lesson is about. With some good TIPS! In fact, there's an exercise below that will dramaticlly improve your performances, and your sound, your tone will shoot through the roof! I just now decided to include something special! At the end of the exercise, I'll include an audio track of just one of the 13 MP3 tracks, and the chord sheet for one exercise alone that will totally knock your socks off! If you're a timid, shy person, that's cool. No probem. But if you're also a performer, your shyness and timidity can come through in your performance. The problem here is, your act is probably sorely missing dynamics. And that's what gets the audience "into" you, and your act. If you aren't into it, how will someone else be? Please don't take offense with this post. I do not mean to hurt anyone's feelings! I just want to give you my view on why your performances might get more of a reaction from the crowd if there was some excitement in your playing! Doesn't make any difference if it's on guitar, piano, sax, any instrument, or singing. You need to remove some of the BLAH and replace it with some motivated dynamics. The lesson I mentioned above is designed to get you playing more aggressively! Dynamically! And strumming like you never did before! This lesson will help you BOND with your guitar. And that will improve your playing! Ever get tired of playing the same ol' same ol'! How dynamic is your strumming? Is timidity, shyness, and lack of confidence holding you back? This lesson, just 33 minutes long, will help you end all of that! Have you ever been at an open mic and watched others perform? Have you noticed about 2/3rds of the players are strumming a guitar and singing. And they all sound the same. No punch, no pizzazz! They all play the same way. Lightly strumming, the same chords, holding back on their vocals. And quite frankly, it's pretty boring to sit through watching a couple dozen players who all sound the same. A part of that is because they might be a beginning player. And I get that! And man, more power to you if you're just learning how to play, and you got yourself out there in front of people! That's AWESOME! But have you also seen a few performers who really got into their act? I don't mean they were jumping around, jumping up and down, and going all goofy! I mean, when they played their guitar there was some dynamics! And they didn't use a PAPER THIN PICK! Get rid of yours if you're using a tin pick! Get one that's SOLID! You can't get any dynamics out of your guitar if you're using a .3mm pick! You'll never get any volume. You'll never develope any speed! Your guitar will come to life if you beef up your pick! Seriously, my 1st advise to everyone is to stop using those flimsy, thin picks! The pros use thick, hard picks for a reason. The integral dynamics of your guitar can't come out unless you play with at least some aggression! Please, at least go buy a medium pick. Get used to it. And remember this: You should have a BUNCH of picks! Different thicknesses, and made of different materials. They will each sound different whether you're playing acoustic or electric. The tone will be HUGELY different if you use a thicker pick. And I personally suggest buying a medium or thick acrylic pick. You will hear a HUGE difference. Plus, you will never develope any speed using a thin pick! And forget those soft, nylon picks! They're like rubber! And KILL your tone! Anyway, I got off track! LOL I just about finished one of the lessons going into my new guitar course. The course is called "I Just Wanna Play The Darned Thing!" This lesson focuses on dynamics. And it will literally dissolve any timidity in your playing! Here's something to work on! Remember the old TV show Bonanza? Look up an episode on YouTube and LISTEN to the theme music! That opening tune! Listen to it. FEEL THE RHYTHM! Hum it over and over until it STICKS! Dum Dada Dum DaDa Dum DaDa Dum Da Daaa Daaaaaa Dum Dada Dum DaDa Dum DaDa Dummmm Dum DaDa Dum Dum Dum OK, now strap on your guitar, and play an open D chord. Strum it to that rhythm. Strum a heavy downward single stroke on Dum! Stick with just the open D chord! No chord changes! Then on DaDa strum a quick, slightly lighter Down Up! So you strum it . . . DOWN down up DOWN down up DOWN down up DOWN down up DOWN down up DOWN! DOWN down up DOWN down up DOWN down up DOWNNNN DOWN down up DOWN UP DOWN! Feel the rhythm of it! Do it over and over until it FLOWS! OK, next. I know what you just did. You "timidly" strummed! Well, you gotta stop doing that! There is a time for soft dynamics. But that's not now! So . . . STAND UP! SHAKE YOURSELF OFF! Shake your body! Rock up and down on your toes, on and off your heels! STRETCH for about 10 seconds! And get ready to ROCK! STAY STANDING! SHAKE YOUR HANDS! Get them LOOSE! OK, ready? Now play it again, the whole thing, about 12 times. AGGRESSIVELY! Have FUN with it! Strum that guitar with some abandoned fury! For now, don't worry about hitting the Low E and A strings. Just let'r rip! YOU NEED TO BE STRUMMING WITH YOUR WRIST! Don't keep your wrist tight! KEEP IT LOOSE! Next step! Do it again a dozen times, but this time, don't just strum like you just did. ALSO . . . MOVE! Rock back and forth! Raise and lower the headstock in rhythm! Turn at the waist! Left and right in time! Left dada Right DaDa! OK, one more time. This time, while your strumming, rock up and down, up off your heels! Up and down in time with your strumming! Do it a dozen more times! Ummm, OK, just ONE MORE TIME! Only this time, while your strummin' away, rocking your guitar up and down, rockin' on and off your heels, strummin' side to side . . . SING IT! Dum Dada Dum DaDa Dum DaDa Dum Da Daaa Daaaaaa Dum Dada Dum DaDa Dum DaDa Dummmm Dum DaDa Dum Dum Dum If you think this is crazy, you're right, and wrong! If you're gonna be a performking musician, you gotta get crazy sometimes! And you aren't going to be doing this while you perform. Right? Umm . . . yeah you are! But not nearly this aggressively! But you're gonna at least MOVE SOME! Here's the thing. This exercise IS supposed to get you moving! It's supposed to get you to realize how much more dynamic you can sound if you loosen up, stop being so stiff! HIT THOSE STRINGS, MAN! Get comfortable letting go! The nest step, after you've spent a lot of time, several days doing this to WARM UP before you start your practice sessions . . . Start targetting the D string, and missing the low E and A strings! If you can, wrap your thumb just slightly over the neck, and touch the low E string to mute it, at least some. If you can just lightly touch the string, it won't be loud enough to matter! And the low A string isn't a deal breaker when you play an open D. But shoot for hitting just the 4 top strings, and DO THE WHOLE THING! Each step above! A dozen times! If you do this for maybe 3 to 5 times, go through it all before each of your next 3 to 5 practice sessions, get really loose . . . You're gonna find a substantial difference in how you play! Of course, you can, and should do this with ALL of the chords you know! Target the right strings for each chord. You can strum them ALL for E and G. All barre chords! Target 5 strings and do this with a C, A, Am! OK, that's a sneak preview! And I promise you, if you do this often. you will BOND WITH YOUR GUITAR! You'll start strumming more aggressively in general. And you'll be hitting the right strings. You're going to sound a TON better! And . . . Your confidence will shoot through the roof! OK, drum roll please! The whole lesson has 13 backing tracks, chord sheets, and MORE! Part of the lesson will improve your accuracy to the upper limits! Part of it does a lot more than improve your chord playing! There is an entire section dedicated to single string picking! Doing the above, but on each string, rather than strumming a chord! This will sky rocket your muscle memory! And help you with articulation! And will absolutely improve not just your "picking", but your chord playing skills as well! Here's what I decided to do. I'm gonna give you a link, right here, to one of the MP3 tracks, and the chords for that track! So you hear the rhythm I've been talking about! The track has drums and bass, to keep you in time. You can download the audio and chord sheet on the following page, and/or listen and do the exercise online if you prefer. Here's the link! (Keep this to yourself! It's part of a "pay for" workshop!) Actually, if you enjoy the whole thing, spread the word! But don't just give them this link! Send them to Wayne's Corner! I might put it on the website. But it's really written for my course. So I'm not sure if I will. I doubt I will! But you can email me directly, or PM me on Facebook, and I'll send you the text and the 13 MIDI files that go with the lesson. As always, stay safe! Wayne PS: Hope you found this interesting. If you did, please feel welcome to drop me a line. Email me, or drop me a PM on Facebook! Email me any time! ~/~ Wayne on Facebook Back to the Guitar Tutorials Index Page Back to the Tutorials Index Page My Band Website Check out my Backing Track Support Group
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