Ken Bonfield’s Artistry of the Guitar New Year’s Resolutions
Welcome back to Ken Bonfield’s Artistry of the Guitar. In the last issue I discussed “Maintaining a Beginner’s Mindset”; a tactic that experienced guitarists can use to break through technical plateaus and/or learn new techniques. This could have easily been subtitled “Becoming Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable” as that is ultimately the core of the Beginner’s Mindset. Much like those who adhere to a Zen lifestyle I try to live in this mindset- it keeps my relationship with the guitar fresh, and it’s an attitude that helps me stay positive and relaxed in all the different roles I find myself in as a solo performer, composer, playing in ensembles, as well as improvising in jams with guests at Artistry of the Guitar concerts. In this issue, the first of 2013, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss New Year’s resolutions for guitarists and how to select and meet those goals. First, let’s turn to Webster’s to get a definition of resolution: “resolution, n, a firm decision to do or not do something.” I believe a resolution is best stated in a positive form as opposed to a negative form. For example; “In 2012 I will play with commitment” is different than saying “In 2012 I won’t play tentatively”. Saying what you will do reinforces the positive while saying what you won’t do introduces both the old problem and the negative. Resolutions should be saved for big things like tempo, tone, phrasing; areas of playing that affect ALL the material you play. The first step is isolating what needs to be worked on. What’s the one area that if improved would have the biggest impact on your ability to make music with your guitar? I spend considerable time on this part of the process. I journal about it, listen to any recordings I made during the year, and reflect on what people said to me about my playing GUITARBENCH MAGAZINE ISSUE 5 PAGE 1
over the course of the year. I filter the criticism down to find some over-arching themes. I ask myself was my playing sloppy, rushed, were dynamics forced or under-utilized? Is there a consistent area that affects how I’m playing everything? That’s what resolutions are, that’s what we’re working on here. Big stuff. As I said before, last year my resolution was “Playing with Commitment”. I felt that in 2011 I had played tentatively, especially on Harp Guitar, but it carried over to the rest of the repertoire and I spent all of last year focused on this one area of my playing. It was a big deal. Playing with commitment changes EVERYTHING about how a song works, sounds, and is heard by an audience, or in the studio. It’s huge! As I reflected on 2012’s performances I was very happy with the results of my playing. CD sales were brisk, when I made mistakes they were big (I reached my 2012 goal of Playing with Commitment which yields big mistakes), and the response from audiences was fantastic; lots of enthusiastic standing room only audiences who asked for encores. These are all signs that the
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Issue 5 2013
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performances were well received. (I find it’s just as important to reflect on the good as it is the ‘bad’. I don’t want to go into this reflective phase with the feeling that I suck or that I am unworthy-that’s self-defeating. When reflecting, be honest with yourself, but be kind too. Start with what you did well). So by outward standards 2012 was a great year. But I felt substantially different on the inside. Honestly? I wasn’t comfortable on stage for the entire second half of 2012; while I did play well, I too often felt out of control. I felt like Bode Miller on a downhill ski run-never quite sure what was going to happen around the next turn. That’s disquieting for a performer, at least this performer, and that feeling grew over the course of the year until I nearly had a panic attack before a holiday concert in December. While nerves have always been a part of being a performer for me they’d never been debilitating. I got through the concert. In fact I played better than I had all year, but that shock put me in the place to find out what was wrong. And acting on it. I started out asking family and friends what they thought of my playing this past year. Be careful, it can be both instructive and destructive to ask those close to you for criticism. Choose wisely. Find someone who is supportive of your work on the guitar, and someone with a critical ear who is familiar with your playing and your material. They can often be better judges of your current playing than you are. At the very least, they are way more objective than you are. My wife, who has listened to me play for almost 20 years said “You’re playing great, better than you ever have, but everything is too damned fast!” Another friend said something to the same affect. “Man you’re ripping it up, I’ve never heard you play so fast!.” Hmmm. The light bulb went on. I was feeling out of control because I was! The tempos I was playing pieces was always on the edge of too fast, and it wasn’t on just the uptempo pieces, I was playing everything too fast. Upon further reflection I became convinced
that the rushed tempos led to dis-ease on stage, and the dis-ease on stage led to rushed tempos thus starting a vicious cycle. Near panic attack explained. So, in 2013 my resolution is to play relaxed and under control at all times. This does not mean I won’t play fast, I will, but I will be relaxed and in control. The most obvious tactic to take is to play everything slower, and I am; that’s a great place to start, but my main focus while playing other than slowing down is staying relaxed regardless of tempo. I’m using bio-feedback to stay aware of when I tense up. For example, I’ve found there are certain places where I feel tension that precedes playing tense and out of control. My right hand feels like a block of wood instead of loose noodles, my left hand feels ‘tired’ because I’m fretting with more pressure, the right side of my neck and right shoulder get tight, and my right foot clenches. Any or all of those are signs I’m not relaxed and soon I won’t be in control of my playing. When I find myself getting tense now I try to immediately relax those feedback points,
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but if I can’t, I stop playing, shake out my hands, loosen my neck muscles, and stand up and stretch my right leg, hip and foot. Then I sit down, take a deep relaxed breath, feel all the tension leave my body and start playing again as slowly and as easily as I possibly can. I make sure that I’m fretting the strings with the least amount of pressure possible, and that my right hand feels loose and free. Then I continue to pay attention to my body. In rehearsal the sounds coming from the guitar are less important, the goal is to feel that I’m playing with no tension, total relaxation. My mantra is “breathe easy”, and on my set lists I’ll write “Let it breathe” or “Go Easy” next to the titles of tunes I’m prone to rush. My goal is to play 100% tension free, ALL the time, so this is something I’m thinking about and focused on for every playing session, every rehearsal, every recording session, every videotaping, every performance. In short, every time I pick up the guitar in 2013 I WILL play relaxed and under control AT ALL TIMES! That’s my resolution. What’s yours? Remember a habit is anything we do without thinking-it can be a good thing or a bad thing. In 2012 I got in a habit of rushing pieces, playing too fast, and playing with tension.
Hour after hour, day after day, week after week, I now have to develop different habits that will allow my music to breathe and me to relax while playing without tension and under control. It all starts with informed repetition, it takes time. While I have seen immediate results from working on this resolution, I know that as in all resolutions it’s going to be a lifetime of learning and re-learning. While deeply ingrained and part of my core playing, the muting work I did in 2011 and the playing with commitment work I did in 2012 are still works in progress. And they always will be. My favourite aspect of being a musician is knowing that I can always get better; it’s just up to me to do the work. So, what’s one big thing blocking you from being your best? I guarantee you this; if you can find your biggest flaw and work on it for an entire year, you won’t believe the strides your playing can make. And if you have trouble finding that flaw, or feel like you have too many, get in touch with a great teacher; they’ll help you find and prioritise areas that can help you reach your own resolution’s goal, and find your own artistry with the guitar. Cheers, kb
Ken Bonfield lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts and can be reached at: kenbonfield.com or by clicking on the image of his 1998 CD, Homecoming to the left!
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WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE! Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Just $8 for all 4 full Issues in 2013 EDITORSNOTE Thank you for viewing our free article from Issue 5 of Guitarbench! Our magazine focuses on acoustic & classical guitars with the odd ukulele and lap slide. We have an emphasis on gear features, and in depth interviews with luthiers and players. Our lessons section is maturing with many professionals contributing tab and articles. We’d love to keep producing content like this, and would like to appeal for your help. By subscribing, we can keep these articles coming! Just click on this link. Warmest Regards and happy reading, Terence Tan, Editor.
PREVIEW Stay tuned for Issue 6 of Guitarbench Magazine. With our usual mix of great guitars, vintage and contemporary...
and with different perspectives...
interviews with luthiers..
and lessons from professionals....
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