GUITAR
FOUR BAD HABITS THAT KEEP YOU FROM BEING A BETTER GUITAR PLAYER | Chris Rocha
I ’ ve been playing guitar for over 30 years now . You ’ d think that every year that goes by , I would dramatically get better but that ’ s not necessarily the case . There were years that went by that I didn ’ t advance one bit and that ’ s because I developed these bad habits that I want to point out . Keep away from these four bad habits so that you ’ ll continue to get better .
BAD HABIT # 1 : YOU FIND YOURSELF PLAYING THE SAME SONGS OVER AND OVER There were about five years that I toured nonstop with the same band and I found myself playing their songs non-stop . That ’ s not a bad thing , but I also never played other stuff . I got myself in a rut and stopped listening to other types of music . When I finally got back into the swing of things at my local church I noticed that I was out of touch with what was modern and trendy at the time . I had to intentionally get myself back in the swing of things to not sound dated . Part of advancing as a guitarist is to always keep an open mind and continually be creative , that doesn ’ t just happen . Sometimes we need to branch out of our norm and feed ourselves some quality content to learn from . If you find yourself in a rut , be intentional about getting yourself out of it .
BAD HABIT # 2 : NEVER LISTEN TO OTHER GUITARIST I think it ’ s important that we stay connected to those musicians around us . There ’ s so much talent circling us and so much that can edify us , all we need to do is keep an open mind , soak it up and apply it to what we do . Don ’ t ever feel like you ’ re too good to learn from other guitar players . I remember this one time I was listening to this worship song and heard some super fat baritone guitars in the back adding so much grit to the song . I immediately got a hold of a baritone and now I utilize it so much in my productions .
BAD HABIT # 3 : YOU NEVER EVOLVE IN YOUR SOUND AND WAY OF PLAYING I ’ ve been at this a long time and I ’ ve had to be open to evolving myself as a guitar player . The guitar itself has taken on different types of responsibilities even within our worship music . I remember back several years ago it was the biggest part of the music we would play in churches . Recently it started being more of a supportive role to synths and keys ( and who knows what ’ s next ) but either way , our job is to be aware of the change and adapt to it .
Some of us are going to be a part of paving the way for the new sound that ’ s coming . I want to say back around 2014 I was committed to only using tube amps on my tours but found myself touring Latin America non-stop and never getting what I needed . At the time I was also producing a lot and needed to find a way to produce artist while traveling at the same time . I invested in a mobile traveling studio rig and in amp simulation , that way I can record in hotels . It was a drastic change and took me a while to get used to , but once I did , I was able to expand what I was doing . And it revolutionized my way of doing things . Always be open to evolving yourself … who knows what the payoff will be .
BAD HABIT # 4 : YOU NEVER LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE ’ S OPINION OF YOUR PLAYING There have a been a few moments where I had to tuck that pride away and be open to constructive criticism . It doesn ’ t matter how cool you think you are , you should always be open to accept another person ’ s input . There are so many things that I ’ ve added to my playing that I didn ’ t personally come up with . Keeping that moldable attitude has been extremely beneficial for me .
I hope that making you aware of these four bad habits will benefit you and your playing . Remember , sometimes making minor adjustments can revolutionize your playing .
Chris Rocha Lives in Houston , TX , and is the guitarist and producer for Miel San Marcos