The Internet

I'd like to talk about the effect that the Internet is having on the way that some people are learning to play the guitar.

First of all, let me say straight away that I'm one of the Internet's biggest fans. I was an early adopter, way back in the '80s. This was before the world wide web, browsers and search engines. It was also long before broadband. I used to use a modem plugged into my telephone line to look at bulletin boards, newsgroups, and to send and receive email. Today I'm an enthusiastic user of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, SoundCloud and of course Blogger. I also develop and maintain my own website.

Above all, I love the way that the Internet is a source of information. A year ago, I developed a problem with my left thumb, disastrous for a guitarist. My local GP was clueless, so I did some online research and successfully diagnosed myself. I went back to my GP, told them what treatment to give me, and within a few days my thumb was back to normal again.

Anyway, about learning the guitar. It's pretty easy to find free guitar tuition online, as well as music theory, and chord charts or tabs for songs. This can be immensely helpful to someone learning how to play. I wish these riches had been available to me back in 1972 when I took up the guitar.

However, some people are using the Internet as their main, or only source of teaching material, and this is causing them problems. In recent years, I've had quite a few new students come to me for lessons, who have been playing perhaps one or two years, learning from the Internet, and who can't credibly play a single piece of music.

If you pick and choose what online information to use, you can miss out on the essentials. Like how to sit and hold your guitar properly. Like how to position your fretting fingers correctly, so that you can play notes and chords clearly, without fret buzz, muffled strings, and with the minimum of effort.

It's very easy to learn chord shapes from online sources, but simply knowing which strings and frets to play doesn't teach you the best way to change from one chord to another. Many guitarists are learning inappropriate chord fingerings, and are missing vital information about which strings to miss out when they strum particular chords.

And then there are the overreachers. it's all too tempting to study intermediate and advanced material before you've learned even the basics. Let's face it, if you can't strum a first-position D chord with four down strokes to the bar yet, you should not even be looking at sweep picking and barre chords!

So many guitar students rely on chord and tab websites. They don't realise that an awful lot of the charts and tabs online are just plain wrong, sometimes laughably so.

The Internet won't watch you playing, or monitor your progress, or give you advice tailored specifically to you and what you want to achieve. It doesn't have ears or eyes, so it can't tell you to move your fingers closer to the fret-wire to stop fret buzz, or to press a string down with your fingertip to avoid muting the adjacent string, and it can't remind you not to play the sixth string as part of a first-position B7 chord.

A website can certainly teach you how to play an A Pentatonic Minor scale. But it's not that good at advising when it's appropriate to use that scale. Information on music theory is certainly out there, and some of it is very good, but all too often new guitarists see it as "that boring stuff", and skip it. Avoid theory at your peril, or your solos will sound terrible!

A whole generation of guitarists is developing bad habits that hold their playing back, sometimes for years. Bad habits are extremely difficult to break. What's the point of buying a beautiful guitar, gig bag, strings, capo, amp, leads, effects pedals, picks, and a clip-on tuner and then spending hours and hours trying to figure out what to do, only to realise two years later that you're really not that much closer to being able to play?

The answer is obvious. Guitar lessons with a professional tutor! Either face-to-face, or online via Skype. Preferably one-to-one, so that you get individual attention.

So use the Internet wisely. There is a wealth of information online, but you need a teacher's advice to sift through the mountains of irrelevance and find the material that suits you, and that you're ready for.

Don't forget my own range of free video lessons, and backing tracks for improvisation on my YouTube channel.

Movie Magic

In my (increasingly rare) downtime away from the guitar, I enjoy watching films, all kinds of films. Among the films I enjoy the most are (naturally) those with an element of music built into the plot.

Sometimes a film doesn't actually centre around music or musicians, but the soundtrack plays an essential part in creating the film's atmosphere, and recalling a period of history. Honourable mention must go to American Graffiti, Dazed And Confused, The Wanderers and Empire Records.

There are wonderful documentaries like Muscle Shoals, 20 Feet From Stardom, B.B. King: The Life of Riley, Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock'n'Roll, Beware Of Mr. Baker and Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, that encapsulate an entire historical music scene, including long-lost clips of original performance or recording footage, interviewing the surviving original musicians, and also allowing today's stars to have their say on the subject. The only negative is that in recent films, Bono from U2 seems to crop up almost every single time - surely the filmmakers can find someone else?

Then there are the mockumentaries, comedies based around an imaginary band or music scene. Many of these come from the imagination of Christopher Guest and the loose company of actors and writers around him. I'm thinking mainly of This Is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind, both of them hilarious, beautifully acted and containing great music.

Sometimes, a film will contain some of the best surviving footage of a seminal band. for example the otherwise awful Gonks Go Beat includes an enthusiastic mimed performance by the Graham Bond Organisation, with Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Here's a video clip...

Who can forget The Yardbirds' guitar-smashing performance in Blow-Up? Especially as it was the short-lived line-up featuring both Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck on guitars.

A good musical performance is sometimes really the only reason to watch an otherwise poor film. For example, Blues Brothers 2000 suffered from studio interference and a hokey, poorly-realised plot. It made an unworthy sequel to The Blues Brothers, the seminal cult comedy. However, the sequel does include this fabulous performance from the ultimate all-star band...

Speaking as a musician, one thing that never fails to annoy me is when filmmakers and/or actors can't be bothered to give a realistic musical performance. They don't have to learn exactly how to play the instruments, but if they could at least put their fingers roughly where the notes would be, that would help!

The worst offender here may be Elvis Presley himself. Now he had no excuse, as he really could play the guitar. When making films, he clearly thinks the audience are too stupid to realise that he's not actually playing correctly. Sometimes, the guitars he holds and strums enthusiastically don't even have strings!

As skilled an actor as Sean Penn is, his turn as a Django-style guitarist in Sweet And Lowdown was spoiled by very ropey guitar miming, as seen in this clip...

In fact, actors ruining films by failing to research how to play instruments is the rule rather than the exception, so it's always refreshing to find films with good musical acting performances. In addition to This Is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind mentioned above, two of my favourites are Crossroads and That Thing You Do. Here are clips that hopefully prove my point...

Crossroads - nice job Ralph Macchio, formerly known as the Karate Kid! The superb guitar playing was actually by Steve Vai, Ry Cooder and Arlen Roth, but Ralph looks like he knows what he's doing.

That Thing You Do - great film, great acting, great '60s pastiche music!

The films I've mentioned are just a few from a huge list. Let me know what I've missed out - your favourites, as well as any with either good or bad acting performances.

How To Be A Good Dep

While I do play in two bands as a permanent member, quite a few of the dates on my gig list are “deps”, where I deputise, or stand in for, an absent band member. This is usually the guitarist, although I also dep on bass.

Dep gigs can be very rewarding, not just financially, but they can also be musically satisfying. They can take you out of your comfort zone, into genres that you've never played before, but more often than not, you get asked to do a show because you have built up a reputation in a specific field.

First, you need to establish yourself, and build a relationship with a network of musicians. To do this, you need to get out there and meet them. How often do we musicians bemoan the decline of live music, while sitting at home watching the TV on a Saturday night? Go out and see other musicians play. You may make useful contacts, and you may learn something.

Don't forget pub jam sessions. They’re not just for beginners, sometimes you meet the more experienced players there, and there’s nothing better than sitting in with great musicians. Don't turn up your nose at playing with the beginners either. Today’s beginner may be tomorrow’s band leader.

Social networking is an important source of dep gigs. For example, there are several Facebook groups you can join. The musicians’ online grapevine is a vibrant communication channel. Some of my best dep gigs, and even band memberships have come from idly watching my Facebook timeline.

Don’t forget to switch on your notifications so that you get the news about a possible gig straight away. If you decide to reply, don't delay sending it as there are plenty of other musicians out there who may get the gig while you're still thinking about it.

Once you've accepted a booking, do your preparation, especially if it’s your first time playing with this band. Ask for a set list, with keys. If there are any originals, ask for a copy of the recordings. An online download service like Dropbox.com is very useful, as too many mp3s can clog up your email inbox, and prevent people from sending you emails.  If you're a lead guitarist, learn any intro licks, and find out if you're expected to reproduce solos from the record, or improvise your own.

Don’t forget to ask the bandleader about the dress code for the gig. Don’t leave this until the day of the gig – you may have to buy a specific item of clothing, and shops don't seem to carry a lot of stock these days.

When loading up for the journey to the gig, pick instruments and amplification that are appropriate to the band and the genre. For example, an authentic Chicago Blues band wouldn't appreciate you turning up with a Marshall stack and a huge pedalboard. In fact, keep the equipment to the minimum, so that you won’t take ages setting up.

Make sure that you know what time you're expected to arrive at the venue. If you're the first to arrive, wait until the band leader arrives, so that you can ask which side of the stage to set up on. Don't hog the stage or monopolise the electrical sockets. Do help carry in the band’s PA, lighting rig, backline etc. The sooner the band can get set up, the more time will be left over to soundcheck and perhaps run through some of the trickier numbers.

While playing the gig, watch the rest of the band for rhythmic pushes, stops and endings. Often it’s the bandleader giving a signal, but sometimes it’s all about watching the drummer.

If the promoter speaks to you, remember that you represent the band that you’re depping for. Don't use it as an opportunity to get gigs for your own band, at least not straight away.

Play to the best of your ability, but resist the temptation to turn the show into a personal ego trip. No-one likes a show-off! Be a team player, and keep your performance appropriate to the band, the genre, the audience and the occasion.

Finally, help the band break down the gear and pack up. Thank them for the gig, leave on friendly terms, and they'll use you again and they may even recommend you to friends.

Happy depping!

Left Or Right?

The guitar and it's relatives the bass guitar, banjo, ukulele etc., are unusual instruments in that they come in right-handed and left-handed versions. Like most guitarists, I play right-handed. Many left-handed players play the other way around, strumming with their left hand and fretting with their right hand. They usually also reverse the strings. A famous example of someone who played that way was Jimi Hendrix.

However, there are a number of guitarists who play left-handed, but without reversing the strings, for example Otis Rush the Chicago bluesman. Albert King was another bluesman who played that way.

Is it necessary to play the guitar left-handed if you are yourself left-handed? I don't think so, and there are plenty of well-known virtuosos that bear this out. B.B. King, Robert Fripp, Mark Knopfler and jazzman Jim Mullen are all left-handed, but play right-handed, and I'm pretty sure that their playing doesn't suffer from it!

In fact, being left-handed may well be an advantage if you're learning to play a "normal" right-handed guitar. In the early stages, the hand that has the most demanding job to do is definitely the left hand, which holds down the chords and fingers the scales. If your left hand is the dominant one, surely fretting is easier than for a right-handed person, who is using their weaker hand?

Let's consider other musical instruments. The piano is always bass on the left, treble on the right. What about other stringed instruments like the violin. Look at a symphony orchestra, with rows of violinists sitting next to each other, all holding their violins the same way around. Some of them must be left-handed, and yet they all play right-handed. If one of them played left-handed, the movement of their bow might cause a nasty accident with the next violinist's eye!

Guitar shops usually encourage lefties to buy left-handed guitars. Could this possibly be because they're more expensive? Perhaps the whole left-handed guitar industry can be attributed to the influence of Jimi Hendrix, who has been seen on TV by millions, playing the right-handed guitars of the day, but left-handed. Interestingly, Jimi used to write with his right-hand. Maybe he wasn't actually left-handed after all. His whole playing style was self-taught and unconventional.

So, if you're left-handed and thinking of taking up the guitar, don't assume that you must buy a left-handed model. Learn a few simple chord shapes, and try them out on a right-handed guitar first. Holding down the chords will feel strange and awkward to begin with, but no more so than for anyone. After all, these are intricate movements that all of us ask our fingers to carry out when we learn to play, so it really doesn't matter which way around you hold your guitar. Regular daily practice will overcome any initial difficulties. As well as the advice of a good teacher of course!