Beginner to "finger picking"
guitar lessons
Student Motivation
The advice on this page is applicable to guitar students of all ages!
Take the time to work through the points below. You will not be disappointed!
Here is a magic potion bottle of "learning nylon guitar wisdom" filled with a number of secret ingredients.
This bottled wisdom is very concentrated and powerful! Hold it in your hand and take a sip every once in a while! The magic ingredients will keep you positive, motivated, productive and successful as a person in all aspects of your day to day life, and also on track, assisting you towards new heights while you learn and play the nylon guitar. If you look at the picture below you will see that the tortoise - "our hero" has it firmly in his grasp, and is ready to make full use of the wisdom it contains, no matter the odds, to win the race!
Please do not underestimate the wisdom here. I have slowly discovered these "truths" over many years and they are your keys to success.
Take your first sip now!
What is Happiness?
The answer is simply this: "Happiness is the attainment of not unknown goals"
By stating the words "not unknown" we mean that the objective is clear and known to us.
This is a very important truth and something that can really assist you towards achieving your guitar goals and in fact is applicable to the achievement of all goals in your life!
Please do not fret if you don't get the full impact of this immediately! The reality and vital importance of this simple but powerful truth will begin dawn on you and become self evident as you progress UpGuitarHill and read more within this web site. For now just read through this first point and let it wash over you
Let me try to explain this definition of happiness in a little more detail: To really KNOW something may indicate one knows it completely or knows all about it. That something is "not unknown" or "not unknowable" to me indicates a couple of things - first, the person overcoming the obstacles is aware of them, not ignorant of them, and second, the person can come to know enough about an obstacle that they are ABLE to overcome it. The first condition would create a sense of satisfaction, since there's no victory in overcoming something you didn't even know was there. The second condition (able to learn more) creates even more potential for happiness, as it makes obstacles more "overcomable," if you will. If you jump in a car and get a ride to the top of a hill or a mountain, no big deal. The steepness of the climb and the height of hill leave no particular impression on one. You could, to a degree, remain oblivious to them. The obstacle is not really known to you, and you did not personally best it, so no particular satisfaction or sense of achievement can really exist, and certainly no "happiness." If you climb it on your own, the obstacles are clear, you know them, you feel them, and you may arrive at the top exultant. Further, if you hit a ledge you can't initially get over, but eventually figure it out ("the obstacle is not-unknowable"), there's some REAL satisfaction and happiness in doing this.
I want you to see the achievement of each small step you take UpGuitarHill as a win! Your first goal for example may be to sound out your first chord, or get your first two chord changes to happen easily and have the second chord land correctly and sound out without any problem I.e. no muted strings etc. Put each small step and achievement on top of the previous achievement and soon you will start to make real progress and this will bring you happiness. I.e. which is the achievement of not unknown goals!
Below you will read about the tortoise and the hare. If you can move forward systematically and with sure "knowable" purpose towards the steady achievement of your next goal you will find immense happiness in learning how to play the nylon string guitar. But if you are like the hare and are vain and easily distracted, zipping here and there, then you will not, in the long run, get where you are not sure you are trying to get to. As they say "if you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there!"
Remember that this definition of happiness is a truth and can be applied to anything you do in life. Further down this page you will see a scale called the tone scale and if you achieve a known goal you will find yourself, in the instant you achieve each goal you set, "bang" at the top of the scale. It may be fleeting at first, like being teleported to the top of a high mountain - seeing a fantastic view in a flash, and then you are teleported away again. But the more you win the more you will be able to stay at the top of the tone scale and the more happy you will be. Phew - quite esoteric - I hear you say... I agree. But I figured it would be a good thing to get this across early. Again do not worry if you do not fully grasp what I have said above. It will become self evident and more clear as we move steadily together UpGuitarHill!
The Doggedly Tortoise:
I want you to read, and then re-read often, the story of the tortoise and the hare by Aesop.
Or if you don't have your own copy, you can find a fun video of the fable
and the text of the fable by clicking here.
Or possibly you know it already.
Please do not underestimate the value (for you) of this amazing fable by Aesop!
This fable, and its moral, forms the very foundation of the study of a musical instrument.
It also forms the basis of your way forward (your mindset) into learning the nylon guitar and moving yourself UpGuitarHill!
The moral of this story is that while the hare is much faster than the tortoise, and brags that he will easily win a race against the tortoise, in fact it is the tortoise who slowly, but steadily, beats the hare in the race. The hare's words to the tortoise: "You seem so slow and boring I do not see how you manage to get anything done!" But what the hare is not able to see is that it is this very quality of the tortoise that ensures success in the long run.
The tortoise beats the hare by being focused and following a sure path and keeping doggedly at it. This is what you must aim for! Step by step by step UpGuitarHill!
This way (the UpGuitarHill method), with regular practice, your guitar proficiency will improve and continue to grow over time. And as you move onto more and diverse musical pieces, each with different challenges, your guitar ability overall will mature. And later, when you revisit earlier pieces, and play them again and again, these will become easier to play and will, with your improved technique, also sound even better than they did previously.
You cannot achieve success if, like the hare, you zip here and then zip there and chop and change and try this for a while and then try that, and do everything on a whim.
Step by Step:
It is important to realize that learning guitar (or any musical instrument) is a journey and not a destination. It takes time and is a slow and gradient process.
This is why I compare learning guitar, for you as a beginner and as you follow my 15 steps, to that of an easy walk up a hill.
UpGuitarHill, is never a mountain you have to climb!
To be successful as a guitarist, you need to take it a step at a time and focus on doing the current step you are working on at this moment, correctly and well. Soon, with time and practice, A STEP AT A TIME, you will put lots of small focused steps together which will mean progress UpGuitarHill!
STEP BY STEP
But, if you try to rush to the top, take more than one step at a time (jump over steps), or move past a step before you have fully completed it, you will soon feel off balance and get overwhelmed, exhausted, disillusioned and will probably give up, thus missing out on the incredible journey.
I call this feeling being "out gradient" I.e. you are not following the gradient that will get you there systematically, but rather some other steeper, unsystematic and unrealistic gradient which is doomed to failure. This is especially true if you have never walked UpGuitarHill before and don't actually know the best way up.
I.e. rather trust your guide who has walked this way many times before and knows the best path!
These two pictures say it all:
The second picture shows someone who has gone out of his or her gradient. Small, systematic steps, step by step and a step at a time, moving forward ever onwards towards your goal! That is the sure way to success. Also being aware of your current step. What does it entail? Understand what you are biting off and then work on the current step and know when you have completed it. If possible have a plan and tick off the step as soon as you feel you are fully on top of it and have achieved the goal for that step before moving forward to the next. And see that possbily between steps there may be smaller steps that need to be sorted out and perfected before you move on. In fact, it is an awareness of yourself and a knowledge of seeing (and feeling) the minute you go "out gradient" is the skill that is required here. When this happens. Back up, stop, assess yourself and if necessary back track to ensure that you remain "in gradient" and on top of yourself and your forward progress.
It actually does not matter how long you take as long as you keep making progress (keep ticking off your steps) and ensure that you are having fun! In fact a set (shorter) period of focused guitar practice time, regularly used, will be far more beneficial than a mad flurry of activity for a few days (that will probably take you out gradient) and then (feeling overwhelmed and tired - which is what being out gradient does to you) you will probably do nothing again after that.
This, my friends, is the secret!
And it applies not only to the study of the nylon string guitar but to every goal you create for yourself in your life.
While it is good to have a few goals to work towards, here is some wisdom to consider:
1. Try not to have too much hay on your fork.
2. If you can't see the wood for the trees refer to 1. above.
3. A Jack of all trades is often a master of none.
Rather keep your goals realistic and achievable then...
THINK CENTERED, SYSTEMATIC AND DOGGEDLY TORTOISE!
NOT FRENETIC UNFOCUSED HARE!
and get on with it and DO!
Remember also to make time for relaxation. As they say:
4. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
BE DO HAVE:
To become a nylon string guitarist is first to BE a nylon string guitarist in your heart. This is an image that you create in your mind, keep it there and then nurture it constantly. I.e. Like a pot plant or a garden, caring for it constantly and watering it etc. so that soon beautiful flowers will come into bloom. Each day affirm to yourself that you are an amazing nylon string guitarist. Imagine yourself playing the nylon string guitar beautifully. Imagine where you will be in a month, a year, 10 years if you just keep at it regularly, a little each day! It does not matter that you are only a beginner and have just started. See yourself as an amazing and happy nylon string guitar player with an big repertoire of really cool songs and music pieces, all under your belt just waiting to be played by you! And keep that picture in your mind, always!
Your mind is very powerful. If you create the image and sustain it, the positive energy produced, drawing from within yourself and from the power of the universe, will start to move you and align your soul, mind and body to ensure that you become what it is that you wish for. It will take time. Rome, as they say, was not built in a day. But who cares! Reject the modern world and its constant unrealistic pressure! You have the time! Make the time! Take the time! A step at a time, step by step, playing and enjoying your guitar each and every day of your life! For the rest of your life!
While you BE, then you also need to DO what you have to in order to achieve your goal.
Obviously you have to do the work required to achieve your goal.
The trick is to pace yourself and be very careful not to go out of your own gradient.
Then you will HAVE the rewards that come with being a nylon string guitarist.
BE, DO, HAVE applies, not only to the nylon string guitar, but to everything you want to aspire to and achieve in life.
Most people approach this from a wrong and dishonest point of view.
They want to HAVE first, not really understanding what they are committing to or what is required and thus (deep down) they are not really being honest and true to themselves. From this unstable base they then think they can run around madly in an flurry of unfocused energy and DO and then they will BE. It does not work like this. Read again about the tortoise. Playing a musical instrument is about plodding along and being in it for the long term!
Rather BE a guitarist and see yourself as an amazing guitarist first.
This is not a whim, like buying a Big Mac, or a new compact music disc.
This is a big decision that needs to be made by a big person! Think big mature soul [being] and then think adult decision not a childish whim and you will start to understand the type of commitment that is expected of you. Then make that commitment with yourself! Draw up and sign a contract with yourself, if you need to and then keep it safe and secure. If you start to lose focus then take out your contract and read it again so you can re-connect with your conviction that caused you to draw up the contract, and make the commitment, in the first place.
Be focused, Extrovert and do not allow anything to side track the clarity of your conviction or the image of you (and what you want) that you have created!
As you would imagine and envisage a beautiful butterfly, in the same way think of yourself as an amazing nylon string guitarist and then put this goal (in all its color and beauty and splendor) in front of you and all around you!
Then start to move forward in your life and start to make your vivid and clear image (your goal) a reality. The more you think it (BE) the more you will DO to become it and the more you will HAVE the rewards that go with achievement!
BE, DO (ticking off the steps you take) and HAVE is the way forward that will bring success in the long term.
Focus On Your Goal:
This picture say it all.
BE CAUSE over your life and focus on (and towards) the achievement of your goal!
Stay focused by seeing your target (your goal) and taking it a step at a time and step by step to get there!
Do not allow yourself to be pushed off course and distracted and lose focus.
Remember that Rome was not built in a day and you will have times when things do not go according to your plan. This is quite normal and if you ask anyone who has worked hard and then achieved a goal they will tell you that the trick is to keep at it, overcome distractions and to keep on going. It is in the constant focus of your goal and the keeping at it that you make progress.
This picture sums up someone who is allowing distractions to side track them.
Your goal was to move directly from A to B.
But if you have a lack of focus you will become easily distracted and allow other things (in your mind or outside yourself) to pull your focus off your goal.
If you are not focused or centered (not envisioning yourself BE'ing a guitarist) and introverted (worrying about this and that and restimulating your reactive mind with many side tracking concerns) then, over time and in relation to the rewards that you can HAVE if you had kept FOCUS on your guitar passion, then, ultimately, you will not be one.
That is why to BE a nylon string guitarist first is very important. BE DO HAVE, CENTER, FOCUS and keep at it step by step, a step at a time!
Find And Keep Your Center:
These pictures say it all:
This is a stable equilibrium.
Think of yourself as the bowl and the ball (possibly a marble) at the bottom of the bowl (at your center) as your goal, or your intention to achieve your goal: To BE a nylon string guitarist.
Any knock from life that tries to push or blow your off your cause will simply result in the ball (marble) moving off center for a short time, while you deal with the impact of the distraction or knock, and then it will roll back into the center again as you re-focus your intention and become cause over your life again, doing what is required. As you re-focus and center yourself and your goal, it will be like the coals in the grate of a fireplace, that settle down snugly again (after the coals have been stirred up with a poker for example) and soon they will stablize and start to burn brightly again (with re-ignited passion) as you continue to expend your positive and constructive energy towards the achievement your goal. Or you can find your own image to keep yourself centered.
You have to understand that you will be constantly knocked and pushed around as life comes up with alternatives and attempts to push you off course. This (distractions, competing for your attention [a movie on the couch as opposed to homework etc.]) is part of life!
The trick is to recover and re-focus quickly and get back into the routine you have set up to achieve your goal and then DO!
Many people who are not centered simply cannot do this. They are only able to stay focused for a short while and then they are distracted into another direction.
This is an unstable equilibrium!
Like the picture above, these people are inherently un-focused and essentially have what is called an unstable equilibrium within themselves. If you are one of these people, one knock and your guitar goal will roll off the top of the unstable point, will spin away, and will probably never able to return back again! It will be like a marble rolling off a table and then, before you know it, the marble has vanished. I.e. under the furniture or somewhere else, to become lost to you, forever.
But, if you are like this, do not worry because following the sure path UpGuitarHill will teach you, if you stick at it, how to create your own stability (develop a stable equilibrium) for guitar. The lessons you learn here (UpGuitarHill is full of holistic wisdom to help you become cause over life) will also help you in other areas in your life where you need to develop focus.
In order to weather life's knocks, therefore, reinforce, re-affirm and bolster your intention to BE a nylon string guitarist, each and every day and then DO in order to create a strong, centered and stable base that will allow you to remain centered in on your goal, and moving forward. Even if life tries to distract you or compete for your attention.
We all listen to a radio station called WII FM. This is called What's in it for me?
You may ask, what is in it for me with the nylon string guitar? The most wonderful journey you can imagine, is what! And each and every day that you play your nylon string guitar (and invest in yourself, developing positive nylon guitar and life skills) will be a day filled with joy! Put a whole bunch of constructive days together and you will have developed an amazing gift that will grow with you, bringing you joy for the rest of your life.
Bite Size Pieces:
I once read about advice given in a master class by Narciso Yepes (one of the greatest classical guitarists of our time), where he answered a question put to him about the best method to use to learn guitar. Note that the advice is about learning classical guitar, but his wisdom applies equally well for the beginner learning nylon guitar working through the 15 UpGuitarHill lessons.
Narciso Yepes emphasized the need to approach each piece of music (and the learning of the guitar overall) a step at a time. Even when working out a piece of sheet music, he recommended that the student start at the beginning and work systematically through the music (or lesson or song). And as you work through it, break the music up into smaller steps and try to look for similar musical phrases (sections or parts of the music) that work well together.
Then focus on each phrase as a section on its own and fully understand it and perfect it as much as you can before moving onto the next phrase. i.e. very much like eating a delicious gourmet meal, take a bite size piece, then chew, taste, chew some more, taste some more, thus swallowing and digesting the section fully before moving along to another tasty morsel and taking the next bite.
If you try to take on too much then you will quickly become overwhelmed and (being now out gradient) will ultimately be forced by this to give up your efforts.
Take on just enough that you can handle and digest that bite before moving on to the next.
This is a slow but steady and systematic way to get to know, enjoy and perfect each phrase that makes up the music piece (or song) you are busy working on.
It is the only and best way to learn guitar!
The Going ain't always easy:
But know that there are times when you make excellent progress (the going is easy) and then suddenly, for no reason you can fully understand, it will feel like the going is slower and easy progress is more difficult to achieve.
It is important to understand, accept and embrace this very key concept!
When you feel like this you should ease up on yourself (like a long distance runner, pace yourself) and possibly play a little less on that day i.e. 10 minutes a day. BUT DO NOT GIVE UP AND STOP PLAYING! Know that in order to make progress you will hit doldrums and you will, at times, have to struggle a bit! This is natural!
Think of yourself as a body builder would. It is at the times when you are tired and are struggling, that your body and mind are adjusting to the new knowledge, and muscles are rebuilding and re-defining themselves to the demands of the new stresses you are placing on yourself! This is the same with guitar. You will hit a problem (pressing or jumping to a new chord formation for example) and you are struggling to get around it and on top of it, but soon, if you persevere, your body and mind will adjust towards a new solution to your learning problem and you will begin to make progress again.
Like walking a hill, the secret is to keep taking those little steps up the path, even when it is steeper than normal, and soon you will reach easier ground and you can ease up a little and look around and appreciate how far you have come.
I.e. enjoy your accomplishment and soak up the wonderful view.
And through continual practice, like anything in life, walking will become easier as you get fitter and fitter!
Musicians often feel that they have reached a progress plateau. It is at this time that you feel sluggish, listless and don't feel that you are moving forward. Possibly you wonder if your muse has deserted you! But in fact your new guitar abilities are pulling themselves together and getting ready for the next upward surge as you walk into increased ability. Just keep on moving forward and ensure that you play a little each and every day even if it is only for 10 minutes! Soon you will have forward movement and momentum again and with renewed vigour and excitement you will be ready to experience new heights!
Focus in on & work the tricky bits:
In every piece of music there will be those tricky bits that will be difficult to perfect.
I.e. a real challenge for you at your current level and with your current skill set until your ability is more developed!
Remember that I have told you. In the section above, to work systematically through your music sheet from beginning to end. This is exactly the same advice except that, with tricky bits, you need to be aware that you are dealing with one and then focus hard to really sort it out before continuing.
You can even take a pencil and draw a circle around the tricky bit to alert yourself of its status if you want.
This could be a very difficult chord change that has you flummoxed or a new chord that is particularly demanding to form with your hand, or a change or jump from one chord to another etc. If you are playing classical guitar and reading music this could be a confusing collection of notes that you need to decipher before you can find out what chord you are expected to play or in fact anything at all pertaining to guitar that you find very demanding for your current level of ability.
The way to handle tricky bits is to focus on them directly and then systematically work on them to see exactly what it is that you are finding difficult. Then give the problem area all your extra attention to get to grips with it and sort it out. To the best of your current ability!
This does not mean that you work on it a bit, think you have it and then start the music from the beginning each time until you get to this part and then see if you can get it right. I.e. try and play through it from the beginning of the song.
Don't do this!
This is really not effective!
You will waste a lot of time doing this! Time wasted that you should be spending on perfecting the tricky bit. I.e. by starting from the beginning you will be going over stuff you already have under your belt. Rather jump directly to the tricky bit, focus directly on the tricky bit, and then work to perfect it until you are happy with your performance of the tricky bit. And if you start another day of practicing then again go directly to the trick bit and work on it until you feel that it is sorted out and you are fully on top of it.
Remember this truth: With enough focus and practice you will be able to sort any guitar problem out!
Only when you are really happy with your performance, should you try the whole piece again, starting the piece over again from the beginning and treating it (and the newly sorted tricky bit) as a whole.
And you can now also start to move forward again and continue to systematically work out the rest of the song or music piece.
I know this may sound simple to you, and a really basic concept, but you will be amazed how many students start their song (or music piece) from the beginning each and every time they practice and see if they can manage to get through the tricky bit. i.e. try and bluff their way past the problem area, wasting time playing what they know instead of focusing and working hard on solving just the problem area that really needs their full attention.
Now remember to combine this TRICKY BITS strategy with a STEP BY STEP approach and also focusing on working through a BITE SIZED PIECE at a time before moving to the next BITE SIZED PIECE when you are working through a guitar song or music piece and you will really start to make systematic and forward progress with your guitar playing! If you do this you will have developed a winning music assimilating process (i.e. getting to grips with more and more new songs and music pieces for nylon guitar) that will hold you in good stead for the rest of your life as a guitarist!
Stretch yourself a little, but don't go snap:
Keep in mind that initially you will be only able to perfect up to your current level of proficiency and within your current ability
It is a fact that as students of guitar we cannot be expected initially to play as well as someone like Narciso Yepes.
Therefore we need to play the sections of the piece as well as we are able at that time. For students, who are learning guitar, there is merit in taking the piece as far as you can at the moment i.e. 60% or 70% of perfect and then moving on to new pieces. This way you can expand your ability by trying many different pieces and learning lessons and skills from all of them. Over time you will then revisit the earlier pieces and take them to 80% then 90% etc. perfecting them and finally learning to play them 100% perfect without the music.
With the lessons and songs I offer UpGuitarHill this will not be the case because you will find it easy to perfect each section well before you decide to move onto the next. This is due to the fact that the lessons are carefully built and structured and paced for the beginner and the songs and exercises are also carefully chosen by me to assist a beginner, and are easy and focused for your current level of ability!
Remember that there is also nothing wrong to always try to stretch yourself towards a little more perfection - if you feel up to it!
But, do not become disillusioned by trying to play something better than you can at your present level of ability, especially if you are not ready to get there yet!
Remember that everyone is different, with different strengths and weaknesses and sometimes it may take time and more practice to make progress in certain areas.
Talent can be grown!
In a study conducted recently on the source of inner talent it was found that talent actually comes primarily from continual practice! Even if you feel you may not have talent, I assure you, that by practicing (and keeping at it) you will surprise yourself and find that you actually have loads of talent just waiting to be unleashed!
Woo your Guitar with song!
The 15 UpGuitarHill lessons each have a song that you will practice. A part of the lesson will involve singing the song as you play. I know that many will feel that they cannot sing. I disagree. If you keep at it and listen carefully to the sound of the chords you are playing and also to the original song then you will start to sing in tune and you will sound correct and, with time and practice, better and better.
Over many years I have found that teaching beginners to play songs on nylon guitar is the best way to learn the instrument. The reason for this is simple. We all, if we know it or not, or feel we can do it or not, love to sing. With singing comes a joy that calms us and energizes us at the same time. If you don't believe me then go to your nearest church and sing along to the hymns with the rest of the congregation. WOW!
I promise you that there is nothing quite as nice as singing along on a guitar to a song you know and like. Perhaps it also has to do with the extra air you breath as you sing - who knows exactly. But I promise you, the best way for a beginner to learn the guitar, is to wrap a lesson around a song that you will learn, and ultimately own the song, by being able to play it on guitar and sing it.
I am not asking you to be the next Idol! I don't particularly think I have a great voice which is quite deep, while my wife has a wonderful voice able to reach and touch those really high notes.
It is really not about that. If you have Idol recognised talent then fantastic! But if not then who cares if we are not all Idol material and 100% perfect as long as it sounds reasonably ok and you are enjoying yourself and playing and making progress on the guitar!
Remember that primarily you are doing this for you! It is about how you feel inside and the enjoyment, and benefit you receive from being able to play guitar while you sing along to a song you are working on.
My wife's sister is an opera singer so here are some tips that she has given us:
When you sing try to remember to keep your back straight and throat and mouth open as you sing the words (don't block the sound or mumble the words) and let the sound resonate in your throat from air pushed out deep at the bottom of your stomach.
If you are interested then you can read the next section for a quick introductory exercise to empower your breath for singing.
Yes, after a firm footing playing guitar to songs, then there is nothing wrong with moving onto more demanding skills for guitar, like learning to read music and playing classical pieces on guitar etc.
But initially, especially for beginners, the best way to get into and bond with your guitar, and ensure that you remain with and grown into your guitar skills, is via songs.
Enjoy it! Singing along as you play nylon guitar is great fun!
Don't forget that your own special guitar muse's love it when you sign to them! And if your heart is pure and full of joy who knows what benefits they may be bestowed upon you!
Start learning to sing a little better almost immediately, with this simple introductory singing exercise:
In order to be able to sing you must develop strong lungs. With strong lungs you can breath in, hold your breath of air and breath the lung full of air out in a controlled manner, while singing or simply maintaining specific musical tones (For each tone think the sound made by a key of a Piano keyboard. Most people sing around the middle of a keyboard i.e. above or below middle C.).
The exercise below has 3 steps and these are repeated over and over, as many times as you feel you are up to it: Enjoy this exercise because it is also a great way to immediately release stress, find your calm place, center and focus. (Additional tips are given in italics)
Remember to be gentle with your voice. Try never to strain your vocal chords. Warm up your vocal chords when you start the exercise below (or any singing or singing exercises) by singing gently at first. If your voice (vocal chords) feel like they are straining or hurt when you sing; STOP IMMEDIATELY!
1. Start getting your lungs ready to sing by taking a deep breath over the count of three:
Think "breath in over the count of 1 (time between each number is about a second in duration), 2, 3. (as you breath in feel the bottom tips of your rips expanding outwards by a small amount. fill your lungs and allow your belly button to be pushed outwards as if you are pregnant with a child.
2. Now hold your breath for the count of 10.
Think "pinch my airway closed at the top of my throat - behind my tongue and hold my breath for 1 (time between each number is about a second in duration) , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. (Relax while you do this. Don't allow your shoulders to rise. Keep your upper body erect but relaxed. If you feel dizzy sit down or stop for a while. As you get fitter by doing this exercise a few times a day you will find that the dizzy feeling will stop.)
3. Now open your throat and slowly breath out in a very controlled manner until your lungs are empty of breath.
Think "breath out slowly." (Don't let the breath pour out totally in the first few seconds. Rather control it and try to breath out for at least 10 seconds. At first you can simply breath out. This is a great way to warm up your vocal chords initially. Then pick a tone [think of a key on the piano keyboard] and breath out while you sing this tone. You can pick up one of the tones from the musical "The Sound of Music." Aaaaaaah (like you say to a Doctor who is looking down your throat) is also a good tone for example.
i.e.
do....
But don't try to sing too high up the keyboard if you cannot get there naturally.
Here is the
sound clip of the song above from The Sound of Music.At the end of your breath push your lower stomach up to get the last of the air out so that the tone is pure and maintained without wavering in tone or loosing tonal strengh for the full outbreath and especially when you get the the end of your breath)
Repeat as many times as you want to.
Do this exercise for a few weeks, each and every day for about 5 minutes (or more) and you will be amazed at the immediate improvement in your singing ability. This exercise will quickly strengthen your lungs and soon you will find you are able to sing any song found on the UpGuitarHill nylon guitar course easily and well!
The exercise is also excellent if you feel tired or mentally fatigued. Normally when we work or study we are cramped up and thinking or concentrating too much. As such we do not breath correctly. This will cause fatigue. Try it a few times and within 5 minutes you will feel rejuvenated!
As a student of mine, as you proceed through the course, you will get access to more tips and examples of similar singing exercises.
Take your time to get into your groove:
Also know that, as a beginner, it will at first be a little more difficult, than is normally the case for guitar players who have been playing for a while.
This is because the guitar is very new to you and holding the guitar, using your hands correctly to press chords, learning how to understand chord diagrams etc. is something you are not yet used to. In the lessons I offer some carefully selected additional exercises and simple scales that will quickly strengthen your hands and your dexterity, allowing you to play guitar well in no time at all!
By keeping at it you will experience forward movement and progress!
Try to avoid the side tracks:
"While I am busy with your course and walking UpGuitarHill, what about trying other stuff on guitar?" you may ask.
Other current cool music or guitar riffs you get from friends or find on the Internet etc. and that is not being dealt with in the current lesson for example.
I suggest that you see this as something you can ONLY try after you have completed your UpGuitarHIll lesson for the day. See this as over and above the path you are currently walking UpGuitarHill.
Remember that you don't want to get distracted by other paths until you have completed your journey UpGuitarHill. Many students of guitar get side tracked and end up moving on a contour to another hill or mountain i.e. staying at the same level (or even going downwards) as they venture along side, and often blind alleys, or get pulled into other trails that are not graded correctly at the level they are at.
By doing this your focus will become lost as you are distracted; the end result is that you will become overwhelmed and you will ultimately lose your way, giving up on your journey UpGuitarHill.
This sounds a simple concept but know that this happens to many people! The end result is that your simple journey along a well defined path (like the one UpGuitarHill) is complicated and ultimately frustrated by other paths and routes that compete for your attention, but will ultimately confound you and lead you astray.
Remember the moral of the tortoise and the hare!
Stay Up Tone.
or, put simply...
I have included the Tone Scale for you to look at below.
This is a philosophical (emotional tone) scale that explains a very simple concept: "To be productive and to move forward constructively in your life, and especially in your music studies, you simply need to "BE HAPPY"
Don't try and read too much into this scale! Simply see for yourself that it is better to be higher up the scale than lower down the scale. i.e. DON'T WORRY! BE HAPPY!
And don't forget to also read about the 21 Goals you can aspire toward to achieve "The Way to Happiness" here.
Playing solo:
Do not try to learn to play songs (or musical pieces) without the song sheets or music initially. Only commit song and music to memory when you are really on top of a song (or guitar piece) and feel you are playing it very well!
If you have favorite guitar songs (or guitar pieces) then it may be a goal to try and play these solo (without music) and commit those special songs (or guitar pieces) to your memory. To really know a song (or guitar piece) I would estimate that you would have to play it hundreds of times off the sheet music or song sheet and really have taken lots of time to fully understand each phrase in the song and then perfected these phrases very well before you can totally memorize (own) the song.
If you don't feel up to committing to memory then simply put your songs in a folder and play from there.
Don't Give Up:
Many people I speak to, who no longer play guitar, wish that they had never given up. Rather, they say; “if only I had kept on going, just think where I could be now!”
Remember that you only need to do between 10 minutes to a half an hour a day to make progress! But try never to miss out on a day's practice!
Remember the doggedly tortoise!
The Long Term Goal! Me and my guitar, until the wheels come off:
I have been playing guitar now for over 40 years. I never view my guitar as a bind or a chore (synonym of chore is: burden, duty, errand, fag (informal) job, no picnic) and a steep mountain I have to walk. Rather my guitar is my joy (synonym of joy is: bliss, delight, ecstasy, elation, exaltation, exultation, felicity, festivity, gaiety, gladness, pleasure, rapture) and solace (synonym of solace is: alleviation, assuagement, comfort, consolation, relief, allay, alleviate, comfort, console, mitigate, soften, ease) and also as time spent with my best friend at the beginning or end of each day.
To give time to my guitar and to practice a little each day, is for me, an absolute pleasure!
No matter what I am playing (easy or complex) within minutes of starting to play I always feel better and soon am feeling on top of the world. And when I start to play songs (or guitar pieces) well it is an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience.
We all know that music is the food of the soul. As I say at the bottom of this web site
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"
I intend, my God willing, to continue to play my guitar, each day, for at least another 40 years. And what a wonderful friend and companion I will have to be with me and keep me company into my older years, don't you think?
If you see your guitar in a similar light then playing it becomes a joy and never a bind!
Keep the big picture in front of you, while walking UpGuitarHill:
Please read this Student Motivation often. It will keep you focused and aware of the key challenges you face on your journey UpGuitarHill.
Contact me if you are stuck!
Please also feel free to email me if you have any problems and I will try to help you. Just take the time to carefully explain what problem you are experiencing.
The nylon guitar is a wonderful instrument and can become, as my guitar is to me, your very best friend, for life!
Click the folder above for your own copy of the Guitar Student Motivation. (
Zipped 
pdf )
Always remember; your guitar is your very best friend for life!
