Only When You're Ready... Options

[Ben Higgins]

It's been a while since I did a Zen inspired post and I know you've all been losing sleep at nights, waiting for the next one..

A student asked his master, " Please show me Zen"

The master replied, " I have to go relieve myself."

When he came back the master said " Zen is like going to the toilet. I cannot go for you. You have to go for yourself."


To me, this means that somebody can try to teach you something by telling, or showing you. Ultimately, we have to learn ourselves and sometimes it's not until a long time after the information, or the lesson, that we discover the value of the information.

I'll give you a personal example. For years I have 'known' that you should hold a guitar pick closer to the tip in order to pick efficiently. However, it wasn't until a random set of events led to me actually applying this knowledge and reaping the benefits of it. I thought I held my pick close to the tip but it wasn't enough. However, I had to be in the right place mentally to be perceptive enough to receive this lesson.. sometimes it might take years for the right circumstances to occur for a lesson to finally be understood. The right place and the right time etc..

Is there any lesson or piece of information that you've always 'known about' but haven't truly learned until a long time later ?

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[SirJamsalot]

I've always known the importance of practicing improvisation and learning cover songs. It wasn't until last year that i actually started putting that knowledge to use. Now I just hit myself over the head every day for not putting that knowledge to use 5 years ago.

I also know that hitting myself over the head can cause brain damage. Hopefully I'll heed that knowledge before $aks ie jt kt l;kaenk3l kwlk

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[Ben Higgins]

I also know that hitting myself over the head can cause brain damage. Hopefully I'll heed that knowledge before $aks ie jt kt l;kaenk3l kwlk

Yeah I've heard that too but gsmfo ls ellW3-0 PPOT 1M;'[-v d you know what I mean ?

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[PosterBoy]

This week I've learnt more about picking technique and speed.

My assignment from Gabriel is the Skate Punk lesson and I found when learning it that for me it felt more natural to do parts of it as downstrokes rather than strict Alt picking as he does.

Until I tried getting up to speed, at around 180-190 bpm the downstroke picking I was doing was unmanageable.

Now earlier in my life, I would have put the guitar down and just say 'I can't play fast enough to do that' now I know it is down to the technique I chose to try and play it with.

So I haven't put the guitar down and given up, I'm relearning the sections and replacing the downstrokes with Alt Picking.

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[Ben Higgins]

This week I've learnt more about picking technique and speed.

My assignment from Gabriel is the Skate Punk lesson and I found when learning it that for me it felt more natural to do parts of it as downstrokes rather than strict Alt picking as he does.

Until I tried getting up to speed, at around 180-190 bpm the downstroke picking I was doing was unmanageable.

Now earlier in my life, I would have put the guitar down and just say 'I can't play fast enough to do that' now I know it is down to the technique I chose to try and play it with.

So I haven't put the guitar down and given up, I'm relearning the sections and replacing the downstrokes with Alt Picking.

Awesome, that's great to hear !

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

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[Todd Simpson]

Very cool post! More Zen from Ben!

I have one of these moments it seems when I'm struggling at a plateau in my playing. Like everyone, I get a bit better, then it flattens out, then I try to break through by identifying what the heck is in my way. It often becomes a process of elimination.

It has taught me the value of "Deconstruction". Breaking down any lick/chop/song, in to the smallest bits possible, learning those then putting them together again. I now do this same approach during my video chat lessons. Trying to deconstruct a given lick to it's "Phoneme" so to speak. The smallest individual unit part.

As the Zen Master once said, " A mountain is made from yet many smaller stones."

It's been a while since I did a Zen inspired post and I know you've all been losing sleep at nights, waiting for the next one..

A student asked his master, " Please show me Zen"

The master replied, " I have to go relieve myself."

When he came back the master said " Zen is like going to the toilet. I cannot go for you. You have to go for yourself."


To me, this means that somebody can try to teach you something by telling, or showing you. Ultimately, we have to learn ourselves and sometimes it's not until a long time after the information, or the lesson, that we discover the value of the information.

I'll give you a personal example. For years I have 'known' that you should hold a guitar pick closer to the tip in order to pick efficiently. However, it wasn't until a random set of events led to me actually applying this knowledge and reaping the benefits of it. I thought I held my pick close to the tip but it wasn't enough. However, I had to be in the right place mentally to be perceptive enough to receive this lesson.. sometimes it might take years for the right circumstances to occur for a lesson to finally be understood. The right place and the right time etc..

Is there any lesson or piece of information that you've always 'known about' but haven't truly learned until a long time later ?

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

[Gitarrero]

For me, it was the (often told ) story of my pick holding technique.
I held the pick really flat since I first learned to play guitar, as I was only strumming chords. Nothing wrong here. But as soon as I first clicked on this tempting "video chat" button on a saturday night and entered into the torture chamber of the Toddmeister I realized: this guy is picking fast...and he wants me to pick fast...and this just doesn't work with this pick holding position."
I let another two months pass until I finally tried to hold it "the shredder way", as Todd calls it, or "the right way" as Ben (might we call him Zensei?) calls it.
The first two weeks of playing this way were extremely frustrating and I wanted to give up so many times, since even chord strumming felt so weird with this new position. But I pushed through it and now I'm glad I did.

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

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This post has been edited by Gitarrero: Mar 4 2012, 09:58 AM

[Ben Higgins]

Very cool post! More Zen from Ben!

I have one of these moments it seems when I'm struggling at a plateau in my playing. Like everyone, I get a bit better, then it flattens out, then I try to break through by identifying what the heck is in my way. It often becomes a process of elimination.

It has taught me the value of "Deconstruction". Breaking down any lick/chop/song, in to the smallest bits possible, learning those then putting them together again. I now do this same approach during my video chat lessons. Trying to deconstruct a given lick to it's "Phoneme" so to speak. The smallest individual unit part.

As the Zen Master once said, " A mountain is made from yet many smaller stones."

Yeah, I also believe in this method of breaking things down to a stupidly simple element, so stupidly simple that you would have to try hard to get it wrong !

I'm always saying 'You can take any lick and make it easy' !

For me, it was the (often told ) story of my pick holding technique.
I held the pick really flat since I first learned to play guitar, as I was only strumming chords. Nothing wrong here. But as soon as I first clicked on this tempting "video chat" button on a saturday night and entered into the torture chamber of the Toddmeister I realized: this guy is picking fast...and he wants me to pick fast...and this just doesn't work with this pick holding position."
I let another two months pass until I finally tried to hold it "the shredder way", as Todd calls it, or "the right way" as Ben (might we call him Zensei?) calls it.
The first two weeks of playing this way were extremely frustrating and I wanted to give up so many times, since even chord strumming felt so weird with this new position. But I pushed through it and now I'm glad I did.

Hehe... Todd's Torture Chamber.. where only the brave and the curious dare to enter !

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Thanks for the inspiration Ben Already posted it on FB with the kudos to you

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