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Effortless Mastery


gitnoob

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Yes, and I agree that it's great. It's very flavored by Buddhism--which is fine for me because I lean in that direction anyway-- but it will provide any musician with a healthy and productive foundation for solid playing. If you scoff at mindfulness/meditation, it's probably not for you.

But then I might just scoff at you...:p

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No but I read Zen Guitar:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Guitar-Philip-Toshio-Sudo/dp/068483877X/ref=pd_sim_b_5/183-7413311-8793965

 

Sounds like it may be very similar.

 

I enjoyed it - I can honestly say that it had a positive impact on the way I think about playing guitar. I feel like I approach playing with a more positive attitude than I did in the past. Helps out on those days when I'm not feeling my best.

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It seems some of the reviews of both books on Amazon are a bit scathing. Methinks some can't hear the sound of one hand clapping? ;)

 

I've put both on my Amazon wishlist. Birthday coming up. Most of my issues with my playing are in my head, not my hands.

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To me, it's all about desire and discipline.

 

The Holy Grail for me is chops without discipline. :)

 

There's a difference between being "rehearsed" and being musical. Part of the appeal of the old blues guys was that they were "good" without being "tight." That's what I'm looking for!

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In that case I'm doomed. When I get up there I would love to simply yell out "STFU! A little respect here!!" That would accomplish the same thing as an applause for me. Probably get a bigger nut. But, that would be reversing the role play and we can't have that. Still...

 

 

Why can't we reverse it? "SIT DOWN AND LISTEN ASSHOLE, AND DON'T MOVE! YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS AND YOU BETTER ADORE ME FOREVER AFTERWARDS!" Be the dictator musician.

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There are books like this on sale everywhere. Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain is one very popular one for folks who manage only stick figure drawing. Of course it's all in the head. The hands are just the tools. I'm basically a cynic about such books. To me, it's all about desire and discipline. Without them you might as well burn all the books. With them, you will become who you want to be and not necessarily with a book to set the rules of engagement. Not disdaining reading for reading's sake. Just making a statement that if you have a casual interest in learning to play guitar you might learn how to do it one day, maybe, maybe not, and probably not to your own satisfaction. That book? A good read only.

 

 

It goes beyond desire and discipline. You can want it bad and work hard as you can and get nowhere.

 

You also need a positive attitude and self confidence.

 

I believe the human mind is the biggest tool and biggest obstacle in every thing we do.

 

I see it first had coaching baseball. You want to get the player to a point where they don't think. Too much thinking makes them mechanical and slow to react. There is no room for self doubt and no value in beating yourself up over a mistake. They need to get to the point where they have unwavering confidence and view mistakes as opportunities to improve. That requires a positive attitude. It sounds corny, but if you believe you will achieve. Of course, you still need to work hard and have a structured plan for improving - which requires discipline - but a positive attitude makes the work easier.

 

When a hitter goes into a hitting slump it is usually a very minor mechanical issue that gets blown up because it messes with their self confidence. In other words, it's usually more mental than physical. I find the key to getting them back on track is doing drills that build confidence. Once the confidence returns, hitting becomes easy again.

 

In my opinion, most things in life work the same way.

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Their are books like this by the score written by people who make money writing books , maybe after this one they will write a book on " how to get a cat to dance "

are they a waste of money -i say no , if they give you a belief and that belief helps you believe in yourself or what ever else you goal is- then it did its part .

I look at them as entertainment till the next great life changing book comes out -i mean you no disrespect , but save your money and practice more !

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Ah, but how to practice, Master? And what motivates us to practice? These things he talks about.

 

I'm reading it now. Not a ton of actionable advise so far -- mostly "have fun, slow down, go deep."

 

You try to cover too much ground every time you practice, barely skimming the surface of each item, and then moving on. You ignore the fact that you can barely execute the material, because you have no time to notice that. After all, there’s so much to practice and so little time!

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I agree that one could waste a lot of valuable time reading books about how to do something rather than spending time doing it. But I think that Kenny's book is a little different. The single most valuable thing a performer can have is looseness--which is really the same thing as confidence. You simply cannot get that from practicing--of course, practicing is crucial, but practicing alone will not get you there. Experience performing live gets you a little bit further, but that can take a while and it can be painful.

Effortless Mastery is a solid attempt to address the issue directly. It is really about the psychology of being a musician, and it's most valuable aspect is the direct attention that Kenny devotes to the head games we all play. It won't get you out of practicing or earning your way through time on stage, but it will, I think, help you develop the mental attitude you'll need to get through this stuff as soon as possible.

Music is spiritual, and this book addresses that fact directly.

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I was skeptical of Yoga. Didn't like the quasi-spiritual spin to it. But it is good exercise, and I found the self-awareness aspect of it kind of cool. I was able to relax, but more importantly, I became more aware of tension that I normally wouldn't be consciously aware of.

 

This book appears to be about Yoga for music. :)

 

It's already helped just in terms of awareness of tension and a deeper listening to what I'm playing. I'm not sure you get that just from practice -- you need somebody to point it out to you. You need the mental framework.

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I'm in the desire and discipline camp. I've read a ton of books on learning guitar, including the Zen and Jamie Andreas stuff. Pursued relentlessly the perfect feeling, easiest playing guitars. Spent enough cash on lessons with multiple instructors to have bought a Lexus. Any progress (and there has been only a little) over the years has occured in the rare periods of focussed, sustained effort: practicising, observing and correcting.

 

For me there could be found no shortcuts or "secrets". Your results may vary.

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