Erik van Goch -> RE: how hard is too hard? (Aug. 17 2013 19:23:41)
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ORIGINAL: davidheis_24 do you have any videos uploads erik? Only 1 but it doesn't show me at a moment like that. I happen to know 3 different levels of playing and the video shows me on a good moment in the LOWEST level. LEVEL 1: I play the guitar only when i feel like it (sometimes i skip days or even weeks) and i don't really study technique at all. As a result i completely depend on the mood of the day... on a good day my playing is good enough for stage, on a bad day i can't find a single string. Practice and daily routine only raise my bottom level but not my top level. I have moments that i haven't played for weeks, pick up the guitar and (after a couple of minutes) play the guitar better then ever. But the next day i can't find a single string again. In periods i play the guitar on a daily base for a couple of weeks my bottom level rapidly raises, i hardly have real off days anymore and averagely play at 70-90% of my (level 1) capacities. Some moments i play way over a 100% (as mentioned this could also happen after weeks of not playing) which made me wonder how good can i become if i really made an effort? To find out a couple of times i was tempted to study technique on a daily base but it didn't help me a bit. As i know now results didn't come because i only practiced to please the clock, my teacher or as an excuse to move my fingers... what failed was focus and a intense desire to produce the goods. LEVEL 2: Once i put in focus (and sold my soul to the devil) things started to change in incredible speeds. You kneed to know there is focus and focus. It took me quite a wile before i was able to focus with focus. Day's even weeks could pass without me being able to find the right state of mind. Quite often after 5 minutes of intended focus i totally collapsed and didn't want to see the guitar for the rest of the day. But gradually 5 minutes became 10 minutes, 10 minutes became 15 minutes until i reached a mental state that allowed me to focus for 1 hour. Only then i am ready to face level 2. The first week i only studied 1 hour a day.... but in that 1 hour i put in more (mental) energy than i (and most of you) will add to 1 year of mindless playing. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find out i lost way over a kilo of weight during each hour of training dude to sweating. That 1 hour felt like i running (and winning) a marathon and at first i needed 10-12 hours of additional sleep to be able to survive/evaluate/store that hour of information (later 6/7). What did i do in that hour? The first time i did start with doing the exercises i learned from my father but i soon found out operating/monitoring/correcting 10 fingers simultaneously was asked a little bit to much. It's a given fact the brain can only monitor/control 1 thing at the time and wile you focus on 1 thing most other things go wrong (which is rather contra productive). I believe the best way to program myself with perfect technique (and to end up with a perfect brain and wiring) is not only to focus at 1 thing at the time but preferably to do only 1 thing at the time as well (which means leaving out everything that is not the point of my focus). So i started studying left and right hand separately, only to find out 4 fingers were still way to much to control. So i started to study individual fingers /phalanges focusing on movement/biomechanics/relaxation etc. That is when things started to happen. For a start i placed a single finger on string (without pressing/plugging it) and i lifted it again. After doing this for a wile (focusing on movement, biomechanics and relaxation) i put away the guitar and repeated that move in my mind only, trying to relive what i observed (as real as possible). Next i developed a hole series of left hand exercises using what i call the twilight zone (the 2 mm that separates the untouched string from the fret). Most of us cover that distance without thinking but you'll be amazed what you can learn from just holding a string halfway starting position and the fretboard for a while, studying (and appreciating) the energy exchange between finger and string. Again, as soon as i found some truth i put away the guitar and tried to relive that exact feeling in my mind only as reel as reel can be (still feeling the energy floating from finger to string and from string to finger). Next step is to vary the amount of pressure added. Since your brain can only handle 1 impression at the time i practiced all things various times in a row, 1 moment i would focus completely on the biomechanics involved, the next moment on optimal relaxation and the next moment on the various levels of energy exchange between the finger and the string. Regularly i would put away the guitar in order to repeat my observations in my mind only, trying to relive the move, the biomechanics, the relaxation, the finger/string interaction and the energy exchange between them as real as real can be...... aspect by aspect, finger by finger, phalange by phalange, muscle by muscle, nerve by nerve. Also i used mental visualization to picture myself what i was hoping to achieve (so it was a 2 way interaction often based on intuitive conceptualization). I developed a whole series of the twilight exercises. Remember that 2 mm that separates the untouched string from the fret? A nice exercise is to place a finger on string and travel that distance as slowly as possible, touch the fret and then travel back to starting position as slowly as possible as well. It takes a lot of control and concentration to cover that distance with almost invisibly speed without tempting to speed up or stand still. As a matter of fact i never was able to complete all 4 fingers on a row without collapsing at one point or the other. An other nice one is to hold the string halfway the twilight zone with 4 fingers on the same string (pushing/holding it 1 mm from 12th fret). Next 1 finger is favored to be lifted (and replanted) at various speeds while the remaining 3 fingers hold the sting right were it is. So your brain must tell 1 finger to lift (and replant) while telling the other 3 fingers to hold position AND remain constant pressure (the challenge is that string should remain were it is and since it is located "in the air" 1 mm above the 12th fret even the slightest change of pressure will alter it's position). Once you can do it with 1 finger at the time, try to lift 2 or 3 selected fingers at the time. It takes a while before you can lift 2 fingers (while the other 2 control the string) then bring them back and change guard with the other 2 in 1 fluent movement. The variations you can create are endless. In above situation (4 left hand fingers holding the same string aired 1-1,5 mm from the 12th fret) you can also favor 1 or more fingers to push that string a bit closer to the fret while the other fingers stay behind (they consequently loose contact with the string that is pushed away from them until the string makes contact again on it's way back). You can select any amount or combination of fingers, operating the same string or various strings at the time, holding one finger/string, pushing/lifting the other. Fingers can hop from 1 string to the other etc.etc.etc. I had numerous exercises like that going from "easy" (finger tipping a string or holding it halfway the twilight zone for a wile) to very difficult ones (various fingers holding 1 or more strings aired while selected fingers ad/diminish pressure ore are lifted/replaced). When done in the twilight zone you can detect even the smallest change of pressure. This is extremely demanding to both your brain and your wiring (nerves and muscles). If you move a string halfway the twilight zone for a minute (adding more and less pressure to your likings) your brain and wiring are challenged for a full minute as well so it is time very well spend. On top growing/new demands will generate new brain cells/wiring that are specialized in that new task. If you make sure EVERYTHING you do is done perfect (by studying very small things at the time with total control and especially by consolidating the very best outcomes by mental visualization) that new brain and wiring hopefully doesn't know any better then to function perfect. On top of my twilight exercises i did the usual left hand exercises (scales, crossovers, bindings... everything focussing on very small aspects at the time which demands extremely sublimated exercises like a simple 1234). I also did similar right hand exercises (starting with investigating individual phalanges, fingers, finger/string interactions, energy generating/exchange, understanding/applying optimal biomechanics, relaxation etc later fallowed by well chosen (and again very sublimated) flamenco technique exercises. Even when i added left hand scales they were practiced at various levels. Since my brain can only monitor/correct 1 thing at the time i calculated everything back to 1 position to be able to concentrate on the economical use of the fingers and hand without being distracted by the (additional) change of positions (which is done by the arm which was practiced separately and in combination as well). Just for fun i also recalculated multi string melody scales to 1 string (separating finger combinations from string-walking as well). After studying a couple of weeks like that my brain embraced the idea and soon playing the guitar felt like there was only 1 position (and often only 1 string) ....funny enough soon my little finger became the point of reference in stead of my index, in the same way violin players do. To enter level 2 i did lots of fully concentrated exercises like that. I studied individual phalanges/fingers, biomechanics, relaxation, energy transposal/generating, did tons of tonal experiences (studying single note sound-developments at all possible techniques and ways/levels of energy input etc. This totally changed my way of playing (both technically and musically). Obviously i also re-studied my repertoire from scratch and soon i knew from every single note how i wanted it to sound and how to achieve that... starting with single notes, group of notes and working my way up to falsetas and pieces. Within 40 hours of studying like this (including many hours of mental visualization) my understanding of my body and the guitar was of such level i could play my repertoire 100% to my likings (time after time) and i was able to change things instantly and without additional practice. Within 40 hours i had grown from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. No longer i had to suffer bad moods/days because my best level from level 1 became my new bottom level. It didn't came easy, every single day i went to hell and back and after each hour of practice (investing tons and tons of mental energy) i was a total wreck and needed 6-8 hours of sleep to recover (after which it was time for another hour of practice). The first week i studied 1 hour a day, the second week 2 hours a day, the 3th week 3 hours a day and the 4th week 4 hours a days but around that time there was nothing left to improve yet, except finding a window to level 3 and /or a way of playing i sometimes experienced which involved playing on a more spiritual level using thoughts rather then muscles. My days were filed with practicing (3 hours) and sleeping (the other 21 hours). Every single day i emptied my mind (no room for new ideas if you are filed with old ones) and every single day i started at scratch.... tipping the strings with individual fingers, apply a little pressure without fully fretting/plugging to become 1 with the string etc.etc. working my way up bit by bit again and again but with growing understanding. After 4 weeks i stopped, not from exhaustion but because i realized i probably had to play this every single day over a 2 year period in order to get it in my system permanently. Especially i get bored with playing the same flamenco pieces over and over again just to get them in my system permanently, especially since there was nothing to improve/discover anymore (i know this sounds ridiculous but it's the honest truth). Another aspect was i didn't want to play other peoples music but in stead wanted my compositions to become equally good. Not a very easy thing to do and far more demanding then learning how to play the guitar at decent levels. So i stopped putting in energy and lost level 2 almost as fast as i gained it (it was all still very much brain controlled and not part of my system yet so without support of my brain, heart and soul it just vanished) but it gave me invaluable insights in how to study. 1 year later i tried again with similar results. In total i walked that path 4 times with similar results. Finding the right state of mind always was the hardest bit, even harder than walking to hell and back. Level 2 involves total control of your body and mind (and on that level of your playing). Still rhythm remained my weak spot (most pieces i played fortunately offered room for a more or less flexible rhythm) and so was playing picado on 5th and 6th string. LEVEL 3: During those intense study weeks i frequently experienced what i call level 3. Imagine you can run very fast, so fast you don't have to worry about your technique anymore (level 2) ... but suddenly during 1 of your training sessions you somehow become lifted from the ground and remain in the air for a few seconds. It happens again, and again and sometimes you can even fly for a couple of minutes. That's how my alien hand felt. From one second to the other something took over control of my hands and made them play in ways i've never played before, applying partly different techniques, different music, different energy flow etc. Not only were my hands operated by somebody else but they refused to respond to my brain as well (which probably was a good thing as well considering the ridiculous level of playing)...when my brain told my left hand to go to the left in order to graph the certain chord it would go to the right in stead playing a chord i didn't even know existed but sounded way better then the one i hand in mind. They often played unknown but very beautiful lines with funny notes/techniques. I often had no idea what the next phrase would be, but my hands sure did and presented a way of playing/composing i can only dream of. I did experience some of the alternative ways of energy exchange in my own playing as well but never was able to grasp/cultivate it. My hands seemed to know it better then i do. At the time i thought it was somebody else entering my body. Now i believe it was my subconsciousness taking over control of my mind. I always had to wait patiently until it honored me with a visit again and have no clue how to open that window myself (maybe it was indeed the fact i emptied my mind on a daily base in that period of time or the incredible focus and passion i put into my study (it almost only happened during those study sessions with the exception of the last (public) visit which happened 1 year later). If you add all my level 3 moments it makes a total of probably less then 30 minutes. Since 1992 i haven't entered level 2 or 3 anymore (they only occurred in the 16 weeks i gave my soul to it and went to hell and back to demand results). But various foro members play on similar levels or beyond (like that alma tremolo of Luciano...no way i can play that but i might have have had a very small change during 1 of my rare level 3 moments...hard to tell but i don't think my alien hand could have coped with that tune).
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