Advanced Music I
You have good understanding of the basic concepts shared with you so far. Now you are ready to expand your horizons. The advanced concepts build from the basic concepts. There will be times when you need to review the basics. This is normal and should not be part of the process that is overlooked.
A lot of gutar players tend to think that learning any sort of music theory is a waste of time and they would rather just play what they "feel". These types of people have a good point, because playing what you feel will make you a great guitar player.
I think that this approach demonstrates a lack of musical vision. There are plenty of things to waste your time on. Subconsicously, what is really going is that an individual is telling themselves. I do not understand the process of taking music theory out from my mind and applying it to my heart's direction. In other words, they feel overwhelmed with choices to make and which direction is NOT going to be a waste of time.
No need to worry! You have found a safe home! Gary Gray is not here to maximize profits. Putting slick marketing adverts in your face with slick and sexy packaged products. That is the exact reason for developing this website. I plan to give the individual the leg up in their musical journey. Helping them avoid many of the pitfalls the average person faces and I personally faced in this endeavor.
Let me take a moment and share my musical vision with you. You can make up your own mind whether it makes sense.
I grew up in small communities throughout eastern North Carolina. The only exposure I had to any musicians was the local church choir in which I participated. At the age of 12 I started playing trumpet in the school band. It was not long after listening to the radio that I realized. I wanted to play guitar. That was the only musical vision I had at the time. Fortunately for me, that was exactly the type of vision I needed at the time and still is to a large degree.
A person needs to understand that if their reasons are anything other than the sheer desire to play guitar, you are wasting your time. Now you may fall in love with the guitar after you begin, but chances are against you and you will eventually get frustrated and stop playing. Of course, I am speaking in general terms here.
My very first advice to anyone who has that burning desire. NEVER GIVE UP! NO MATTER WHAT!
I played many years by ear. Not because I wanted to play what I feel, but it was the only way I had to access the guitar and it's magic. Overtime, I found myself reaching plateaus and then falling into long ruts of playing the same old stuff. I finally concluded that playing by ear was not going to get me to where I truly wanted be which was FREE! Free to play my heart's desires. My heart's desires includes many more than 3 or 4 flavors. My heart's desires makes Baskins' & Robbin's 33 flavors look like child's play. My taste keeps growing everyday. I have the recipe to create the new flavor my heart desires!
Music theory provides us with a system that we can use to create a process. A process just like any business would create to maximize and simpify the efforts of the business unit. Music theory allows us to organize the information in a way that makes sense and makes it simple to understand and utilize.
Once a person gains the understanding of the information, exercises are then given to the student this allows them the opportunity to execute the knowledge they learned on the guitar. Once they become proficent at that level we proceed to the next level. Unlike an academic situation where the student is forced feed information and expected to digest the information in an unnatural and non-organic method.
Gary Gray provides an environment and atmosphere where the student can process and execute the information in their own cycles of life. Gary makes certain that there is integrity in the process. Every process, if it is going to be successful at achieving the intended goals, must have integrity. Meaning there are checks and balances along the way to insure that the end product is of the highest quality as possible. In the end that equates to the level of fulfillment you will acquire along your journey. The fulfillment you will receive is probably beyond your imagination.
The student begins with simple concepts and builds from that knowledge into more increasingly complicated assignments. The student will surely be challenged and feel overwhelmed at times. That is part of the growing process and building confidence in our skill set.
The one thing the student will never feel is yhat they are wasting their time. I hope you begin your musical journey today!
