GUITAR
12 STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING A COMPLETE SONG | David Harsh
Lots of music stores are haunted by guitar players who can play part of a song … like the intro or the signature riff . But a lot of them can ’ t play the whole song .
Let ’ s talk about 12 strategies that can change the game in your favor so you can expand your repertoire . I encourage you to catch the video version of this article while it ’ s available . You can find it right here : www . GuitarSuccess4U . com / CompleteSong
All it takes is a bit of discipline and focus on the right things to get you the momentum you need for a solid worship or concert repertoire . Here ’ s what I recommend .
I love the idea of asking the Lord to guide me in the selection of my next song , and then to empower me with self-discipline and dedication to see it through .
2 . START WITH A SONG THAT ’ S WITHIN YOUR ABILITY . In my experience , it ’ s much more motivating to tackle an easier song and move on to a more challenging song , than to go in reverse .
It ’ s about a balance – we want to play music that thrills us and sounds good , but we have to be realistic about what we ’ re expecting of ourselves in this season of playing .
3 . CHOOSE JUST ONE SONG , AND FOCUS ON IT . In my experience , it can be easy to add half a dozen songs to the mix and not really make much progress on any of them . The effort is more “ wide ” than “ deep .” The songs end up competing with each other for quality time on your instrument .
4 . SET A DEADLINE FOR WHEN YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO PLAY IT . Being “ able to play it ” is a flexible phrase . Do you mean play it “ all the way through ?” Hopefully that ’ s implied by today ’ s discussion .
I recommend being able to play it all the way through , maybe at tempo . At that point , I ’ d say you ’ ve become familiar with the song enough to say that you ’ ve learned it . But setting a deadline acts as a catalyst .
5 . ASK FOR GENTLE ACCOUNTABILITY . Having someone in your world who can check in with you in a friendly way , similar to a workout buddy , can act as another catalyst to spur you on towards completing the learning process on the song .
If you set a desired completion date , you can ask them to check in with you at specific intervals with a quick text message or verbal conversation to see how it ’ s going .
1 . INVITE THE LORD INTO YOUR PROCESS . Let ’ s remember that the Lord is the Giver of our gifts , He has endowed us with the ability to see , hear , and play music , and He is the One in Whose strength we can walk best .
If you have a hard time deciding , list the songs in order of preference or interest , and start with just one , knowing that once you ’ ve tackled it , you can move on to the next one .
Each time they check in , they provide a gentle reminder of what you ’ re hoping to get done .
6 . SET DIGITAL REMINDERS . Perhaps you ’ re not quite ready to open a
64 October 2023 Subscribe for Free ...