Best alternative rock wedding songs first dancengs: Segovia and Bream

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Over the many years I've been teaching, I've seen all different kinds of approaches to practicing and learning new pieces. There's the practicing style that I call "the steamroller". That's where you get someone who just steamrolls through the song, making a mess of the notes, with total disregard to any technique or accuracy. What we as the audience end up hearing tends to sound something like a steamroller driving over a pile of hammers. Ugh!

Then there's the "deer in headlights". That's when someone is so timid and afraid of playing the wrong note, that they end up playing at a snails pace. Their technique has an overly cautious approach and they play so softly that the sound of my cat walking across the floor tends to drown out their playing.

After reading countless stories about my favorite musicians, I've come across two great approaches from two of the best guitar players that we've known. Andre Segovia was once regarded as the best classical guitar player in the world. When he passed, many people believe that elite recognition was handed to Julian Bream. So what better practicing styles to examine!

Andre Segovia was asked about his practice methods and how he was able to play complex pieces mistake free. His response let us in on his practicing method and a great training principle. He said that when starting a new piece, he would play through it slowly. If he made a small mistake, he would let it go and make a mental note of it. The next time through the piece, he would be sure to correct the mistake.

Julian Bream was asked a similar question. His response sounded arrogant, yet simple. "I never make a mistake". In fact, it was not an arrogant statement; he was just letting us know his approach to practicing. He elaborated on his answer by saying "I never play at a tempo that would cause a mistake." Meaning he never plays faster than he can handle. I find that somewhere in between the two guitar giants' practice habits is a good place to be. If you make a little mistake, let it go and get it the next time. Just as well, if you find yourself making too many mistakes, tell yourself to play through the piece without any mistakes. This will sharpen your focus to a higher degree and you will accelerate your progress.

I have created these principles so that you can get the most out of your guitar playing. Give it a try and implement the strategy today. Have fun with it!

John Maurice Doyle is a top Elite Performance and Guitar Coach in Los Angeles, California. His clients have included "A list" Hollywood celebrities, international rock stars, and hundreds of pro artists. He is the owner of Green Monster Music and creator of the internationally acclaimed Monster Guitar Method interactive guitar instructional DVD series. Visit http://www.greenmonstermusic.com/ and download your free guitar lesson and listen to his Guitar Monster Podcasts (also available on iTunes).

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