Adam Rafferty’s Blog – Guitar and Spirit

Longo’s List – 10 Study Areas of Music

Music is a tricky thing to criticize. Criticism can be good – in terms of listening “critically”. We all like different things in music, and hear things according to our tastes.

Of course, I need music to ultimately make me “feel good” when i hear it, but here’s a very objective list to help you “picture” the elements of music.

When I started “apprenticing” with my most important teacher, Mike Longo – former pianist and musical director for Dizzy Gillespie, he told me to take out a piece of paper and make the following list. We did this at lesson #1.

I’d like you to do this with me. get a piece of paper out yourself and make this list. If you only read it, it will be a “nice idea”. I want you to have the list in front of you on your music stand!

Make a heading at the top of the page that says “Guitar“.

This can actually be any instrument, or any style. If you play “Fingerstyle Guitar” put that at the top of the list. This list, when finished will be your main areas of study.

Next, write a line down the middle of the page and make 2 subheadings under the top heading.

“How To Play” and “What To Play“.

Next, under “How To Play” write:

Touch
Time
Tone
Technique
Taste

Under “What to Play” write

Harmony
Melody
Rhythm
Counterpoint
Form

“What to Play” can generally be written on paper in a book form – it’s “information” much like a cookbook.

“How To Play” is a bit more elusive….some chalk it up to “feeling” but it’s much more than emotion. It’s intuition and experience. More on that in another post.

These 10 areas of study pretty much cover all of it! So, if you are working on one area, be content with that and just work on the one area.

As you listen to yourself and others, or any music at all, try to think critically – have all of these 10 areas been covered?

I often hear fingerstyle guitar music lacking in the “melody” area. Or if there’s a full evening of rubato improvisation, maybe “form and rhythm” are weak or missing.

Personally I had to deal with “touch” and “taste” when doing the I REMEMBER MICHAEL cd…those were the weak spots during my creation process.

Or, when I practice the Bach E Major Prelude, it’s still in need of better “technique” and fingerings.

I’m telling you this so that you can see I try to stand back from what I do, listen, think, and improve my own music.

So there’s always room to improve and grow for all of us!

Remember – when you listen critically you are not attacking a “person” , whether it’s yourself or another guitarist.

You are just simply verbalizing which area of the “music” (not the person) could stand improvement.

Now….git to work!

Thoughts on the Road: Just Go For It!

By Adam Rafferty 3 Comments

Greets Gang! I am on a morning train from Dresden to Osnabruck, Germany today…it’s a sunny morning, and my eyes are barely open…

I just finished 4 days in the Czech Republic playing for the “Guitar Across Styles” festival, and had a wonderful visit there.

Adam Rafferty - Fingerstyle Guitar in Prague October 9, 2011

As I sit on the train, I am feeling tired but very happy. As I reflect on that….

Quite often I get messages from younger fans who struggle with whether to go into music professionally or something more “stable”.

I am in no position to comment on what anyone should or shouldn’t do – so, this is not about choosing music or not.

However, it is important that you, I and everyone just “go for it” in our lives through a position of strength and courage – as opposed to a fearful, careful sense of living.

There was a time in my life that I knew I wanted to play guitar full time, but always had a “backup safety plan” which invariably became the “plan”. (A little study of the “Law of Attraction” would explain why this happens! )

I had to have a lot of courage (cahones) to “go for it”. This came after years of feeling a “dissonance” between my day to day life and my dreams – and living a frustrating life for some years.

Each time I would shed a “steady” job (that I felt I needed for survival) it took an enormous amount of courage.

I would feel like the wheels were coming off, it was so stressful with each courageous step! And like diving from a high diving board, I had to leap – and it was scary as hell.

This morning I am quite tired, sitting on a train, carrying heavy crapola on the road all over Europe…this is a job I’d do for no one if were it just for the money. But it’s not – it’s for the love of what I do.

The warm feeling in my belly is exactly the opposite (and absence) of the gut wrenching aggravation I felt many years ago of having a dream, yet not having the courage to go for it.

Eventually I took the leap…with no safety net. To my surprise, I am flying better than ever. So can you!!!

When you have the courage to go for it, and actually do in fact go for it – it’s the greatest feeling in the world.

So – Swami Raffanada’s advice for the day is….whatever your dreams are, just go for it! It’s worth it.

Your Chops are Your Concept

By Adam Rafferty 4 Comments

As of late when I practice the guitar, I feel like a total retard. Maybe that’s a good sign.

Yesterday I worked on a simple song for an hour (Copa Cabana), trying to put the finger picking rhythm in the pocket and still stay loose. The day before I had been working on playing just the melody to “Autumn Leaves.”

(20 years ago I started every gig with the song “Autumn Leaves.” You’d think I already know the song.)

Spending hours on such simple stuff? Why?

I had a brain full of “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” from my guitar and music teachers.

I was taught

proper hand position
staying loose with my technique
playing cleanly
playing fast and fluidly

However…I can recall my teachers then bearing down on me musically, stressing depth of groove, tone, counterpoint and overall listening.

It was a mystery…as a student I had been doing it all technically right, yet a “veil” was shutting me out from higher realities.

Now it’s backwards…am I struggling with technical basics…I have thrown away most of what they taught me. Playing music is now fueled with a different intention than it once was.

My “basics” – my right hand technique, left hand technique, concept of sound, repertoire choices and the feeling of “groundedness in the groove” are now being fueled by musical instinct and experience vs “imagination” or imitation.

The “why” I’m playing music has changed. And it’s morphing my technique.

“Technically” correct is not “spiritually” correct. And, “spiritually” correct can appear “technically” incorrect. Very Bizarro.

“Autumn Leaves” is suddenly challenging, much less “easy” than before and is requiring more of me digging into my guts to find the music. On the flip side, it sounds like the song should sound really, more than ever before.

Reflecting on all this, I am hearing my teacher Mike Longo say “chops is your concept, not velocity. Fast is just fast. Listen to Monk – that’s concept – that’s real chops.”

Garbage Bags and Inner Peace

By Adam Rafferty 8 Comments

Recently I found myself on tour in the Toronto airport, itching for a book to read. I’m kind of a self-help motivational junkie, and the newsstand had a small book that jumped out at me called “How to Save an Hour a Day, Guaranteed” by Michael Heppell.

On first blush, it looked like a quick reference for this type of thing, and I felt “well I have read all this before, but I’ll use this as a quickie reminder.” I figured for the $20 I’d spend, I’d make it back in saved time.

I needed a little “kick in the pants” and thought perhaps there would be at least one good idea in the book.

Actually, I am really knocked out by this simple little book. Some organizational books are a real “geometry project.” With those books, I find myself getting drawn in and then have a hard time following through with the full setup – even if they are more comprehensive.

This book had some quick, but real game changing ideas…here are a few:

1) Define why you want more time. This is a very clever way to get you on track with what you want. This is the positive pre-cursor to eliminating negatives. The stronger the motivation with the end in mind, the better you will do. Hint – don’t skip this step!

2) For a week track what you do every 15 minutes on a spreadsheet or some type of graph. I’m 4 days into this, using Excel. Like a diet, you see where you produce good things, and where you waste time. The time sheet won’t lie!

This alone for me immediately translated into less time spent online. The constant “blood letting” of checking email and Facebook got limited to 3 times per day, and I have got a TON more accomplished as an result.

3) Do a deep “clutter clean.” I remember when I moved in to my place how organized and clean it was – I felt great, free and limitless. Also, when I go to a hotel room on the road…I can THINK because I don’t have every loose end in my life staring at me.

I highly recommend a deep clutter clean…

Anything not used in 6 months…throw out. Business cards you’ll never enter in the PC or Mac – throw out!!! Old magazines, clothes you never wear (donate), crap in desk droors, coupons, all of it. Be merciless and throw it all out.
Big things standing in corners? Get em into a closet so you don’t look at them.
Things you use all the time? Find a home for them, and take em out when you use them.
Instruction Manuals? They can all be found online as PDFs…throw out!

And so on….

4) List your “Time Bandits”. As I became aware of mine, I “woke up” immediately and found I had more time. I set the phone to vibrate, put the computer in airplane mode, just to start.

To Sum it Up…

My whole being has simply melted and relaxed into a profoundly peaceful place since doing this. (Mainly due to the deep clutter clean & purge) I feel it especially as a physical sensation in my solar plexus. It’s not just “nice” – it’s profound.

This may sound odd, but musically I have grown since doing a deep clean…getting rid of crapola helps one (me) be clear and creative. Suddenly new music ideas have the space to “pop” into my awareness.

It’s as if I am letting old things go to make room for the new, now that my environment is reflecting that. Yummalicious!

There’s more in the book, but for now I highly recommend it….and hey – he offers a money back guarantee if you feel the book didn’t help you!

Lastly, the book is written in a way that is easy on the eyes, good subheads…he suggests skimming and scanning, so it need not be read cover to cover (even though I did).

Thumbs up for ” “How to Save an Hour a Day, Guaranteed” by Michael Heppell.

Preparing for Stage Performance

By Adam Rafferty 50 Comments

Quite often people ask me about how long I have played guitar, how many hours a day I practice, and things of that nature.

I think the more important issue is “how” and “why” I practice. I’d like to convey to you a painful, but ultimately great – story from my past regarding practice and stage preparation.

Maybe this will resonate within you, and give you some ideas about what you need to be doing, practice wise.

I was 15 years old, and was a classical guitar student at the Bloomingdale House of Music in NYC. Each year, they had an end of year recital. I was an older advanced student, so other’s (and my) expectations of my playing were high.

I had been learning the Courante of Bach’s 3rd cello suite, and could play it pretty well – but only from reading the score.

So…I went out on stage thinking I knew it, and fell on my face. Had to stop playing after 3 bars.

My mind went blank.

My stomach sank.

Lather, rinse, repeat. I tried 2 more times, and fell on my face.

The piece just pooped out after 3 bars. Oh God!!!!

Parents were holding their hands over their faces in horror. It was the ultimate “knot in the stomach from humiliation” moment for everyone in the room. Horrible, thunderous silence. Zero humor.

The director of the school came onstage and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Now everyone,” he said “what do we do when this happens?” Oh great, now he was making an example of me. Was this supposed to make me feel better?

I wanted to die.

I then played a piece I knew “Adelita” by Tarrega…and…shuffled off.

Afterwards, everyone was telling me “No, really you were good. Don’t feel bad, that has happened to us all, and can happen to anyone.” Yeah right. They tried to make me feel better. It sucked – they knew it, and I did too.

This was the worst moment in my life up until that time….but little did I know the fantastic lesson contained therein.

Now, when I practice my arrangements, I repeat, repeat, over over over. I vowed that this would never happen again. And it hasn’t.

Sometimes at home I STILL practice pieces I have played 10,000 times, and I wonder if I am crazy by doing them once more…and then I realize….being “bulletproof” for stage is more important to me than being “creative” on stage. Creativity has a different place, for me.

I still practice “Superstition”, “Billie Jean” and all the songs I could play onstage years ago. Just to keep em in check.

And 2 nights ago I played a 1000 seat theater after a plane ride, car rental, hotel check in and a frozen TV dinner as my meal.

I was exhausted, but the performance was solid, bulletproof and the people loved it.

What do you think served me and the audience on stage?

What served me was the ability to slam dunk 2 bulletproof arrangements. This only comes from repetition, repetition, repetition.

By doing this repetition, the fingers and music are auto pilot – in a sense.

This way you have mental resources to deal with everything else: communication with the audience, nerves, exhaustion, a weird crackle in a patch cable, lights shining in your face and so on.

Now….get to work! 🙂