Guitar Lessons: Muscle Memory

Which is better: learning to play a song off by heart, or learning the chords that make up a song off by heart?

Say you learnt Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heavens Door” note for note (a song that also been covered by Guns’n'Roses in case you haven’t heard the original). Now, all you’ve done is grab the tab and learn which finger goes where- which is fine for playing that one song…

…but, for the next song you learn, you’ll have to go through the same process again. Learning each note in sequence off by heart- a very long and slow process! Worse than that: when someone asks you a question such as “What can you play?” or even more direct “Play something!”, what can you do?

You’d better be sure you’ve remembered every note in that sequence, and play them back at the right time and in the right order!

Learning the Guitar Chords

A much better plan would be to learn the chords that are played in the song (yes, learning the chords to a song counts as theory!). Then, when you learn the next song, all you have to do is find the chords and you don’t have to re-learn every note. Much better, right?

Well, the same thing applies to your technique. Is it better to learn a set of licks, patterns, or finger movements off by heart, or is it more efficient to learn simply “the best way to fret a note” and then apply that to every note you play? Just like with learning a song, you can learn a set of patterns “off by heart”- but every time you go to play, guess what comes out? That’s right, the same old patterns again and again!

Finger Independence

This links back in with the concept of finger independence. In order to break out of that plateau and get out of the rut of playing the same thing over and over again, you need to focus on the “how” and “why” of what you play (i.e. your guitar technique), and not the “what” (i.e. not just memorising the exact notes).

This is where muscle memory comes in- but the memory is not of certain patterns that you play every day, it’s a memory of doing just the right movement (with good economy of motion and effort etc,).

…oh and in case you’re wondering, the chords for “Knocking on Heavens Door” are: G – D – C…

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Rob.

June 9, 2010 at 11:00 pm | Guitar Technique and Exercises, How to, Practicing and Practice Routine | No comments