Adam Rafferty’s Blog – Guitar and Spirit

Want Better Guitar Technique? Embrace Your Authenticity

Adam Rafferty - How to Embrace Your Authenticity

The way that many of us have been taught to think about learning music is like this:

we function like computers
if we get musical data input, and practice it enough, we should be able to play it back
if we can’t play it back, it means we need to practice it more

This model has never really worked for me 100%. There’s much more to it than that.
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3 Tips for Breaking Out of Your Guitar Comfort Zone

By Adam Rafferty 12 Comments

Adam Rafferty - 3 tips for breaking out of your guitar comfort zone
Lately I have been working on some new guitar techniques that are taking me “outside my comfort zone.”

Working on new things can be very unsettling – for all of us. Sometimes feeling like a beginner is fun, but at other times a lot of mental resistance comes up.

Tour News – Australia “Acoustic Guitar Spectacular” Aug 14 – 22, 2015

By Adam Rafferty 1 Comment

Hey Gang, I hope that if you are an Australian fan and guitar picker, you can come to one of these very special concerts!

Michael Fix, Andrew Veivers and I will be doing the “Acoustic Guitar Spectacular” from August 14-22, 2015 in Australia.

14 August – Mt Tambourine
15 August – Ipswitch
16 August – Kangaroo Point
19 August – Caulondria
20 August – Chinchilla
21 August – Pomona
22 August – Cleveland

Adam Rafferty - Acoustic Guitar Spectacular - Australia Tour 2015

For ticket info please visit www.REDCHAIR.com – see you there!

How to Practice Guitar Like Bruce Lee

By Adam Rafferty 37 Comments

bruce-lee-2 When I am asked about practicing guitar, I usually preach the gospel of repetitive mindful practice.

However – I have been wondering lately…”do I really know what the heck I am doing?”

You can usually find me on tour in a hotel room practicing the pieces I play on stage like “Billie Jean”, “Superstition” , “In My Life” for the 10,000th time.

Have I lost my mind – is this focus or obsession?
Have I become a simple person and “one trick pony”?
Have I lost my ability and flair to do a broad spectrum of music?
Have I lost my creativity?

What do People See in YOUR Guitar Videos?

By Adam Rafferty 16 Comments

I recently had a guitar student upload a video to Study With Adam for coaching, the title read

“In My Life, The Beatles, Arranged by Adam and Butchered by Craig”

I had to laugh out loud. LOL!!!!

It’s important to know that what we HEAR in our playing is different from what people SEE in our guitar videos.
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