Jazz Education

As Above, So Below…on the Guitar

One of the joys of my musical journey is to discover something musically and see that it also applies to all of life.

(Really guitar and “life” are no different – since it’s our brains looking outward and seeing the contents of our own thought!)

I have been doing a lot of slow, deliberate practice on fingerstyle guitar pieces like “Thriller” and “Aqualeros do Brasil” and “Fly Me To The Moon” simply because I want the groove to be deeper and want the perfect sparkling and coordinated “mix” of melody, bass and accompaniment.

It never fails; once I put my mind on the role and job of my right hand thumb, I see that it has been pulled by the influence of the other right hand fingers, and is not as solid as I thought it was! [Read more…] about As Above, So Below…on the Guitar

How to Train Your Brain!

By Adam Rafferty 24 Comments

A lot of people seem to think that since I am a touring “pro” guitarist with recordings and DVDs that I am “the expert” and that’s the end. Not the case! The truth is that I love studying, learning and practicing.

For example – over the last 2 weeks I’ve read 5 books on marketing, ad copyrighting and web technology – and I plan to re-read them because the info was so good.

Oh Goodness, Heavens Gracious! Did Adam the guitar player just admit this?

Yes! All this stuff other than playing guitar is also important for me to keep up on. They all serve my music, touring and career!

Discovering and realizing new things – musical and otherwise – is the fun part of the journey. See what I am saying?

Here’s some great advice that I’d like to pass on from Brian Tracy – and this helps me keep my mind fresh in the way I have described…

Read 30 minutes in your field each morning. This is called “The Golden Hour” when the mind is clear, receptive and the day’s “tone” is set. After a year – that’s a lot of reading. Just think how much you’d learn.

The more you read and learn, the more you want to read and learn. Like a muscle, the mind gets stronger when it’s used and weaker when it’s not.

Adam’s Advice:

Don’t check your email first thing in the morning. That’s right! – wait. That’s a “reactive” activity as opposed to an active one.

If you are spending senseless time on video games, news sites, entertainment, and sites like Facebook, fiddling with your “smart” phone – just say NO and set that time aside and read 30 minutes every morning.

Watch what happens to your life in a month.

Rock on!

Hitting “Plateaus” in Guitar Practice

By Adam Rafferty 36 Comments

Often we hit “plateaus” when we play guitar. We feel that we haven’t been improving.

That’s good! 🙂

To my delight I just started book called “Mastery – The Keys to Success and Long Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard. Mr. Leonard points out the American “war on mastery” – an epidemic of wanting things “quickly and easily”. He then accurately describes the delicious, sweet, long term path to mastery through his story of Aikido.

The path to mastery is not a steady incline; there are growth spurts, and then long plateaus where on the surface “nothing” seems to be happening. At first, the student feels that these plateaus are disheartening and frustrating and wants only the peaks. [Read more…] about Hitting “Plateaus” in Guitar Practice

“I Remember Michael” Voted by Jazziz Magazine as a Top 10 CD of 2011 (Critics Choice Award)

By Adam Rafferty 3 Comments

Great news!

(Revisiting this….I know this is a few years old now but heck, it’s cool anyway…enjoy!)

JAZZIZ magazine has voted “I REMEMBER MICHAEL – A Michael Jackson Solo Guitar Tribute” as a Critic’s Choice Top 10 CD of 2011. Wow!!!

I am truly honored. I worked very hard on this project by practicing guitar for hours and hours, funneling 15 MJ songs onto a little wooden box with strings, and using 10 just fingers and lots of imagination.

Thank you to JAZZIZ magazine – and extra special thank you to all of YOU who have watched my videos & commented (and egged me on for more).

Without your “audience participation” – this CD project would never have happened.

Here you go…take a listen to “Human Nature” from the CD….enjoy!

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/22077163″]

You Can’t Learn This From YouTube

By Adam Rafferty 16 Comments

I just got back to NYC a few days ago from a short trip to Germany. I was a guest artist at the Remschied Guitar Festival in Germany – and it was a lovely scene and experience. The students were mainly classical and rock guitar players – and they were excellent.

With each student I see and teach, I see a little part of my past and history, and to be honest – I almost get “tear jerked” as I remember how much my beloved teachers helped, taught and mentored me.
[Read more…] about You Can’t Learn This From YouTube