Guitar Lesson Focus: 7 Points To Playing: Part 4

Guitar Lesson Focus: 7 Points To Playing: Part 4

It’s Great To Look Cool

In my private teaching practice offering guitar lessons and bass lessons at Arcadia Music Studio in Concord, I often will help developing players in their approach to live performance. One of the most important tips I can give is that it’s great to look cool.  I have lost track of the number of times I’ve gone to a club to see some young bands, and they look like a bunch of schlubs.  It’s important to remember that the audience will judge you immediately on what you look like, before you even get a chance to play a single note.  So dress up with something that makes you feel special, or something that’s eye-catching, and the crowd will love you more for it.

Strings, Fuses, and Batteries

If you drive around town, you have a spare tire in the car just in case of an unfortunate flat.  When you go to a gig, Murphy’s Law is always lurking around the corner, so it’s always a good idea to be ready for the unexpected.  I have never broken a string in practice or rehearsal, however I have busted a few strings in the middle of a performance. The funny thing is, if you prepare for disaster, it usually never happens.  So get a little bag and fill it with some strings, picks, fuses for your amp and PA, and batteries for your effects, and you’ll probably never need them.

As a professional music instructor, I feel very responsible to translate my stage experience in Li’l Ricky Blues into  understandable bites in order to help my students be prepared for their performances. My students and I are always talking of the ways and means for them to bring it to the stage and send it to the crowd in the private guitar lessons I offer at  Arcadia Music Studio in Concord, CA. Tune in next week for the next article in this series.