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I didn't come up with these
but they are good rules to follow....Murf
"Ten Golden Rules I just made up" by
Kirk Lorange
1. Get tuned up and stay that way. There's no excuse these days for being out of tune.
You can pick up an electronic tuner for just a few bucks. If your guitar doesn't stay in
tune, or is out when you play up the neck, chances are you need new strings. If it's out
of tune with new strings, have the intonation adjusted.
2. Listen.
3. Pay as much attention to what you don't play as to what you do. In other words, let
the music breathe, let it be an exercise in contrast. The holes you leave make what you
do play sound better. Even if you don't hear it at the time, your audience will. The great
players we know and love wouldn't be household names if they over-played. They'd be
sitting at home wondering why the big break hadn't arrived for them.
4. Listen
5. Avoid alcohol when playing. It makes you look stupid. Avoid any other drugs that
incapacitate you.
6. Know what you're playing. Never play anything without knowing its context, how it fits
into the tune. By that I mean: know what key you're in; know what chord is being played
(the chord of the moment) and its role within that key; know which notes you're playing
in the context of that chord (is it a I, II, III, flat V, VII? etc. This becomes automatic after a
while. It's hard work at first, but stick at it until it does become automatic. Playing away
without knowing what it is you're doing will get you nowhere fast.
7. Listen.
8. Play within your own limitations.
We're all made differently. Some of us have long
quick fingers, some of us are getting old and stiff. There is nothing worse than listening
to someone trying to play beyond their capability. Much better to make beautiful music
with one or two notes than to go for twenty and muff them all. Lucky for all of us, playing
guitar was never a contest.
8. Let the song rule. Guitarists often think they are indispensable. So do drummers and
bass players and keyboardists, not to mention the singer. The fact is, the piece of
music is boss. Let it be so.
9. Listen.
10. Listen.
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