Music & The Mind
&
Neuroplasticity
Learning to play the guitar or any musical instrument can have a profound effect on our brain.
I strongly believe in the science behind neuroplasticity, the brain's remarkable ability to change and grow new neural networks through learning.
There is no such thing as
“You cant teach an old dog new tricks”
Learning the guitar requires
Motivation,
Attention & Effort
what is the progress of learning the guitar?
The first step is
Exposure
to the instrument and music that has guitar in it.
The next step requires
Motivation,
Attention
Effort.
&
Enjoying
what we are learning
Enjoying what we are learning is crucial for maintaining
Motivation & Attention
throughout the learning process.
Omg I could bang on about this for ever, it is an obsession of mine. If you want to look into this further , my favourite book is "The Musician's Mind: Teaching, Learning, and Performance in the Age of Brain Science" by Lynn Helding.
Effortless Mastery
&
Playing Without Fear
I love the book Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner.
Werner's philosophical and measured approach to learning an instrument resonates deeply with my teaching philosophy.
In the book, he emphasizes the significance of taking your time to truly understand and internalize a song or exercise.
By immersing yourself in the piece, musicians can authentically express themselves, devoid of fear, and inspire those who listen to their genuine and honest music.
Your True Musical
Voice
Inspired by an article by the great “Steve Via”
you need two elements to be a good musician and achieve your true musical voice:
Technique - this is the “mechanics” of playing the guitar. i.e. moving fingers, picking etc. and secondly Deeper Dimension - this is your ‘unique musical voice’ and ‘passion (enjoyment)’.
The goal is for the student to be able to play so that the music effortlessly and seamlessly flows. This is achieved by experimenting with the developed ‘mechanics’ and ‘unique musical voice’.
A student will need to develop their Technique to achieve this to make the magic happen: that is where the experimentation and learning comes in to play.
Dr. Barney :)
Holds a PHD in Cuddles