When I began typing out this material during the lockdown in March, I was inspired to spread the joy of playing an instrument to as many people as possible. Expressing ourselves through creative outlets like music has never been so important or potent. No matter where you are in your musical journey, I hope that these exercises will be of benefit to your guitar playing and creativity.
You’ll need a guitar, though you can try these exercises on almost any musical instrument, even your voice. It’s important to enter a creative space with an clear and open mind. I like to meditate for 5-10 minutes before I play, focusing my attention on the breath. Use whatever works for you. The idea is to pick up the instrument with no mental or physical tension. You’ll want to use either a guitar pick or your fingers to pluck the strings. Both are acceptable! Finally, you’ll need a tuner and a metronome. You can find both as free apps on your phone. I use Tuner Lite and Soundbrenner.
As we move along, feel free to send videos of yourself playing each
exercise, as well as the assignments, and I'll send you my feedback and critique.
Never hesitate to reach out! It is also helpful for me to have some
feedback from you on the pacing and difficulty of material. As a sidenote,
please do not share this link or material with anybody outside of the course.
Let's dive in!
© 2020 Stu Pender, All rights reserved.