Since nearly everyone who comes to my studio for a guitar lesson carries a smartphone, we find ourselves using them more and more.
Photos: We’ve finally got your left hand positioned on the A chord so that your thumb mutes the 6th string while your index doesn’t mute the 1st. Want to remember that? Take a photo for reference.
Videos: A student pulls her right hand ring finger above the strings and out of position whenever she plucks with the middle finger, but she’s not aware because she can’t see it. I’ll shoot video of her right hand playing, and when she goes home she can play facing a mirror, comparing her view in the mirror to the video so she can see her fingers from the same angle.
Next she’ll shoot my right hand demonstrating the correct technique. As well as me playing the new blues riff she learned this week.
Voice Memos: It’s hard to wrap your brain around that description of the V7 chord resolving to I: the leading tone of the key resolves up a half step to the tonic while the 4th of the key resolves in contrary motion to the 3rd, creating a tritone resolution over cycle 5 root motion in the bass. Didn’t get that the first couple of times? Let’s record a voice memo so you can review that ’til you’ve understood and memorized it.
Tuners and Metronomes: lots of great ones are available as free apps. ‘Nuff said.
Tools for Practice: And don’t forget all the ways you can use your phone to practice at home: download apps for ear training, slowing down and looping mp3s to play along, even virtual amps so you can plug your electric guitar in to your phone and jam along with songs.
© 2012 Brenna Method
