Review is Required!

That is because we are fighting the battles the same way! We never learned how to practice correctly.

As I began to learn how to practice, how to take something and make it better, reviewing took on a very enjoyable, even exciting, aspect. Since I was getting better all the time, I couldn't wait to see how much improvement I could create on a piece that I really loved.

You must examine yourself, and see where you stand with all of this. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I regularly review songs, pieces, solos, and exercises?

2. Do I see the results of regular review bearing fruit for me in the form of an ever growing repertoire (group of pieces we have mastered and can play)?

3. Is this repertoire getting "better" all the time, or is it plagued with weak spots?

We are, of course, looking for YES answers here. If you come up with "No's" , "Maybe's", or "Um, could you re-phrase the question", then you need to take serious heed of what I am saying.

Now of course, we must, on a regular basis, take on new material. However, we must also review old material, on a regular basis. Let's look at some of the reasons why this is so.

Reasons We Should Review: Long Range/Short Range Building of Skills

Often when I give a student something new, I will say, "it is not possible for you to learn this piece well enough to be able to play it the way it is supposed to be played at the present level of your development. Consider this piece like a tree you are planting. It will take a while, maybe a year or two, to grow fully. Each time you come back to work on this again, each time you review it, it will grow taller and stronger. Right now, we are just going to "plant the seed".

We then work on the piece or song or even exercise, until a "first goal" is reached. A "first goal" is the level of proficiency that I feel the student is capable of achieving at their present level of development. Of course, this means the level they can bring the music to IF they do their absolute best in terms of practicing it. This may take two weeks, it may take two months, it may even take 4 to 6 months before I feel the student has taken it as far as they can.

At this point, they can stop "working on" the music, and just "play it". It can become part of their repertoire even if it hasn't been brought up to performance level. Playing it will keep it in their fingers, and in a general way, it may even improve just by playing it, but usually whatever technical problems still remain WILL remain.

Whether the music is still played, or put aside, the point is that at some time, that music must be re-visited. Those technical problems that were beyond reach, must be addressed. It may take six months or a year, before the technical problems seem approachable.

If the student has been developing properly, they will be able to take that music further, beyond their first attempt.

It is this process, repeated over and over, that builds a solid repertoire, and a solid player.

A good example is a student of mine who was new to fingerpicking. We worked on "Dust in the Wind" for about 6 months, and I mean the whole song as a guitar solo, chords, melody, arrangement, including transcribing the violin solo for guitar. He learned it pretty well, but it broke down in a few places due to left hand problems and the fact that he wasn't properly trained in classical right hand technique ( we had been doing mostly electric and jazz up until then).

At that point, we spent about a year doing classical studies. Recently, I told him to review "Dust in the Wind". What a difference! He now can play it very fluently, and it is extremely satisfying for both of us to see the progress that was made. This is the way it should be for all of us.

Review with a "New You"

Robert Louis Stevenson said, "A man who holds the same views at forty that he did at twenty, is a man who has been stupefied for twenty years!" I say, a person who plays a piece of music at the same level now as he did a year ago, does not know how to practice and does not know how to create vertical growth in their playing ability.

At any given point, there should be a "new you", when it comes to life, or playing the guitar. When this "new, improved you" reviews an old piece of music, it should become a new, improved, piece of music, once again.

Jamey Andreas, creator of "The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar," will be having a guitar workshop in Washington, D.C., in the near future. If you want to remove your obstacles to progress on the guitar, this workshop is for you. For all levels, beginner to advanced, as well as for all styles of playing. To view highlights from Jamey's New York workshop, and to find out how to join Jamey in a workshop in your area, check out:

Guitar Principles Workshops