Listening is the most important activity that we engage in as\u00a0musicians. Our motivation to play music is fueled by listening. When we play an\u00a0instrument, we must carefully and constantly listen to the sounds we are\u00a0creating in order to choose fingerings, dynamics, tempo and more. If we are\u00a0playing in a group, the success of the collaboration is dependent upon each\u00a0musician listening deeply to every aspect of the musical whole.\u00a0 When we compose or improvise, we must first listen\u00a0to the notes and rhythms in our heads before we bring them to our instruments.<\/p>\n
In studying music we must listen carefully to all\u00a0instruction, whether that instruction is formal, as in a lesson or a class, or\u00a0is one of many subtle hints that we encounter in our daily lives. As we\u00a0practice tuning into those enlightening hints, we also practice listening to\u00a0our own intuition, thereby reinforcing the very foundation of creativity.<\/p>\n
One of the most exciting things that I do as a teacher is to\u00a0help my students <\/u>expand their listening skills<\/a>. Through study, anyone can hone their\u00a0ability to discern pitches and sort out rhythms<\/a>. In order to achieve true\u00a0artistry, however, it is necessary to go beyond the classroom and to reach\u00a0deeply into personal experience. Consciously engaging in certain practices will\u00a0facilitate the process of listening as a means to enhance personal expression\u00a0and creativity.<\/p>\n Turn off the Noise<\/b><\/p>\n Today\u2019s world is filled with both incessant noise and large\u00a0amounts of information that is transmitted at a rapid rate. As an adaptive\u00a0species, we tend to unconsciously protect our nervous systems from this barrage\u00a0by tuning out the noise and by receiving only the information that comes Spend Time in Nature<\/b><\/p>\n Although nature is far from silent, her sounds are more\u00a0conducive to clarity and creativity than those of the mechanical world. Make\u00a0time during the work week for lunch in a park or a walk after work and carve\u00a0out periods during the weekends to visit the ocean, a river, stream or lake. (Leave\u00a0your ear buds and cell phone at home!)<\/p>\n Meditate<\/b><\/p>\n Go into the silence at least once a day. Just try it. You\u2019ll\u00a0be amazed at what spontaneously emerges.<\/p>\n Listen With Full\u00a0Attention<\/b><\/p>\n Give your attention to the sounds in your everyday\u00a0environment. By consciously tuning in, you will begin to notice sounds that\u00a0spark your imagination and to have new thoughts, ideas or encounters that\u00a0specifically relate to your goals.\u00a0 You\u00a0will also hone your ability to choose a supportive environment and to create a\u00a0space in which you thrive.<\/p>\n Listening, like all other skills, begins with intention.\u00a0Merely by intending to increase your listening skills you will find yourself\u00a0increasingly drawn to opportunities to do so.<\/p>\n If you are interested\u00a0in expanding your music listening skills, you can find help in the following\u00a0publications: <\/i>Learning to Play Lead Guitar<\/a>, Chapter Listening is the most important activity that we engage in as\u00a0musicians. Our motivation to play music is fueled by listening. When we play an\u00a0instrument, we must carefully and constantly listen to the sounds we are\u00a0creating in order to choose fingerings, dynamics, tempo and more. If we are\u00a0playing in a group, the success of the collaboration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-default","7":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1162"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1266,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162\/revisions\/1266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-instruction-video.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nthrough quickly. In receiving only the sounds that are most demanding, we lose\u00a0much of the beauty, wisdom and knowledge that reside in a subtle realm beneath the\u00a0noise. The solution is to scale back the noise and consciously invite our\u00a0senses to wake up! Simply choosing to stay home for a quiet dinner instead of\u00a0going out or to turn off the television in favor of spending an evening on the\u00a0back porch can open new mental and emotional pathways.<\/p>\n
\n3<\/i> (Aural Comprehension); <\/i>Comprehensive Guitar Instruction<\/a> (DVD), Chapter\u00a04 ; <\/i>A Guitar Player\u2019s Guide to Ear Training<\/a> <\/i>(Book and 2-disc set)<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"