#1 improvement method: motivation through self-criticism

[JoeCharter]

When I was a kid, I was a sports nerd. In my teenage years, I gradually transitioned to being a guitar nerd. I practiced like crazy and quickly became good enough to be a reference among my friends.

Years went by and I started to have a life (and a job). I never quit playing but I wasn't practicing any new material anymore. I kept playing the same pentatonic scales ad nauseam and thought I was soooo good -- when in reality I had fallen way behind my contemporaries. Now I understand my ex-girlfriends for being so annoyed when I cranked up the Marshall. I sounded terrible.

When I hit my thirties, I met a friend of a friend who was playing for Cirque du soleil. I was in shock. I wanted to play like that! I bought a new electric and practiced away for a couple of years, mostly studying the various shapes around the pentatonic scales I was already familiar with.

And then came the acoustic guitar.

The drummer of my band died about 10 years ago and I've been playing on my own since then. Tired of playing solos on my own, I bought a Martin and started playing fingerstyle 4 years ago. I would practice for hours each day.

Every time I felt excited with my progress, I'd record myself -- and inevitably found each time that I sounded awful at best.

So I went back and kept working... For the past 4 years, I've devoted myself to studying the music that I love. I feel like I won't live long enough to be as good as I'd want to be -- but that challenge keeps me alive.

I often see posts by people who really really love the guitar but feel like quitting after a few lessons. I just described about 25 years of my life. Nothing good comes easy.

If you really love the guitar, keep practicing.

[rockinrebel]

Yep, I'm not very good myself but I still love playing.

[pitner]

When you get your Olson the play time will increase to 3 to 4 hours a day until you get used to it. Then it will go back to normal but an excited normal.

[Larry Pattis]

#1 improvement method: motivation through self-criticism

No.

Better to have motivation through self-awareness.

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by pitner

When you get your Olson the play time will increase to 3 to 4 hours a day until you get used to it. Then it will go back to normal but an excited normal.

Some days I'm just too busy to practice -- but otherwise 3-4 hours a day is pretty much routine for me...

When I get the Olson I'll play it for 10 minutes, clean it for 5 and then just look at it until I get tired... LOL

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Larry Pattis

No.

Better to have motivation through self-awareness.

Hmmm... Do you mean the same, but under a more neutral angle?

[Paikon]

Originally Posted by Larry Pattis

No.

Better to have motivation through self-awareness.

very very true

[Paikon]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Hmmm... Do you mean the same, but under a more neutral angle?

criticism means that you judge yourself for your mistakes
self awareness means that you understand your mistakes without judging

[Larry Pattis]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Hmmm... Do you mean the same, but under a more neutral angle?

Yes.

No need to be harsh on the part of your being (any part of your being) which is growing through work and exposure to challenge.

That's what I get from the word "criticism"...being "hard" on yourself.

Unnecessary.

Bring an open mind to your work.

Learn enough to understand where *you* can improve.

Be kind to yourself.

This is one reason that Pierre Bensusan is *such* a great teacher, above and beyond his tremendous musicianship.

Pierre has the ability to help the aspiring musician see his/her own strengths and areas that may benefit from improvement.

Pierre is almost like a perfect mirror, and one that shows us in a light that we have perhaps not seen on our own.

...and once we have seen ourselves in this fashion, there is no going back. We can understand with great clarity where we need to be drawn to serve and bring forth the music.

Originally Posted by Paikon

criticism means that you judge yourself for your mistakes
self awareness means that you understand your mistakes without judging

Exactly.

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Paikon

criticism means that you judge yourself for your mistakes
self awareness means that you understand your mistakes without judging

Thank you -- I get it now. And I just read a fine article here as well: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...self-awareness

I personally feel like being aware of anything negative or positive involves some element of criticism, whether good or bad -- but I realize some folks may be using the term "criticism" in a harsher way.

Some folks beat themselves up to the point that they become dysfunctional.

On other hand, no criticism at all leads to complaisance.

I vote for somewhere in between -- and one would use their self-awareness to properly dose this.

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Larry Pattis

Yes.

No need to be harsh on the part of your being (any part of your being) which is growing through work and exposure to challenge.

That's what I get from the word "criticism"...being "hard" on yourself.

Unnecessary.

Bring an open mind to your work.

Learn enough to understand where *you* can improve.

Be kind to yourself.

This is one reason that Pierre Bensusan is *such* a great teacher, above and beyond his tremendous musicianship.

Pierre has the ability to help the aspiring musician see his/her own strengths and areas that may benefit from improvement.

Pierre is almost like a perfect mirror, and one that shows us in a light that we have perhaps not seen on our own.

...and once we have seen ourselves in this fashion, there is no going back. We can understand with great clarity where we need to be drawn to serve and bring forth the music.

Thank you for explaining.

Today I learned that "to criticize" means something harsher than what I had previously used these words for.

I also come from the most conservative of the classical schools -- and in that environment there wasn't much room for personal feelings. The old ladies never yelled -- but they were very strict indeed.

[Paikon]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

I personally feel like being aware of anything negative or positive involves some element of criticism, whether good or bad -- but I realize some folks may be using the term "criticism" in a harsher way.

When you talk about good and bad you automatically criticize..self-awareness doesn't have good and bad, its only IT (What it is)

--Criticism can be used in a positive way too like justifying ones mistakes but still doest help progress
Anyway enough with philosophy, lets play some music

[harmonics101]

Who says criticism has to be negative.

What's so negative about saying to yourself, my barre chords need to ring truer, or I need to be able to change keys with less thought doing my pentatonic scales, or how many different ways can I play the major C chord.

The list goes on, its your own outlook if you want to look at self criticism in a positive or negative light.

Whether you call it self awareness or self criticism, its the same thing.

Its all in your mind if you perceive that as being negative or positive.

Darn, my barre chords sound like crap, darn, i'm slow on my pentatonics, crud, i can only play the major C in open position.

You get the picture

Harmonics101

[rmyAddison]

I'm 62 and play more than I ever did, even when I was touring in the 70's (what I can remember).

Recording is a wonderful tool to me for self critique, the playback doesn't lie. Another method for me is finding something I cannot technically play, and play it until I can play it cleanly, over and over. Then play it cleanly with emotion, then improvise off of it, or play somewhere else on the neck with different fingering on different strings to get differernt tones.

There's a lot of notes on a guitar..................

[Cue Zephyr]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

If you really love the guitar, keep practicing.

Thank you for that post, like a lot of thanks.

I love the instrument and I've recently decided that I was going to get back to my old style that I loved - fingerstyle and keep practicing flatpicking as well so I can do both.

I know I'm only 20 but I've decided that I really have to take action - either practice a lot, always learning new things and see where it takes me, or just keep playing 'just to keep it up'. I choose the former, otherwise I'd only be annoyed with myself forever.

I found myself to be very sloppy on the technique side of things and I never can play anything so well I can play it with the right feeling. So I'm taking some songs that I still remember and playing them everyday, and trying to play it exactly as I intend it to.

Before I was playing a lot of electric, but came back to the acoustic as of this holiday and I've decided to save up for a really nice acoustic and go from there.

I will always love the guitar, and I hope to share that love for this instrument with others too (hope to start giving lessons at some point).