To Video Or Not To Video? That is the Question!
Early adopters of my book and methods are asking for videos of my playing. Your trust in my methods and your investment of valuable practice time are greatly appreciated. The fact that most of you agree that video examples of my simple exercises are unnecessary for intermediate and advanced players is a testament to the effectiveness of my methods. These players can quickly learn to play my sixteenth and sixteenth-note triplet exercises over 60 bpm, a clear indication of the simplicity of my teachings.
I am creating video examples of me playing left-handed to teach absolute beginners how to play my Basic Sequential Exercises in rhythm with quarter and eighth notes. On the first day of my 26-week challenge, in the first few minutes of practicing left-handed, I knew that absolute beginners could NOT play sixteenth notes at 60 bpm (to learn more about my challenge, read my article We Have to Talk About Pinkies!).
I have practiced my Basic Sequential Exercises almost exclusively for the past three years. With my dominant right hand, I complete four daily exercises in about twenty minutes using the methods from my book, Rehearsal and Exercises: A Method for Playing Speed Guitar. I have purposefully limited my daily practice routine, like an experiment, because practicing songs and other techniques might discredit my results. In addition, I spend about five minutes practicing one selection from my Wellspring of Exercises on most practice days. I am working through all of the exercises in Neoclassical Speed Strategies For Guitar by Chris Brooks, using my new plan for tracking progress at the BPM Level (The Orange Box Mod is a MUST READ article for PATH2FAST members).
For the curious, I will happily post videos of myself playing right-handed. However, my question is, “Why do you want to see me playing?” If I blow you away, will I inspire you? Or, If I fall short of your expectations, will you conclude that my methods do not work? In my article for PATH2FAST members, Stop Stinkin’ Thinkin’ and Practice More, I warn students that comparing their playing to the excellent online shredders (and even the not-so-great) will drain motivation. Focus on adding purple boxes to your Two Up and One Down templates. Nothing Else Matters.
My ultimate goal is to guide you toward mastering your musical instrument. I aim to keep you practicing every day for about twenty minutes, knowing that this consistency will lead to significant progress over time. Understanding what you practiced yesterday, what to practice today, and what you will practice tomorrow is a powerful key to unlocking your superpowers: patience and persistence. My spreadsheets give you this power. With my simple exercises and learning methods, you will be encouraged to practice daily and work towards mastering your instrument.
I want to upload my videos to every social media platform when I reach my goals. I hope to add credibility to my revolutionary methods and blow minds with my Cliffs of Dover and Marching Out renditions. Zach Evan’s entertaining YouTube videos featuring master-level piano playing led me to buy into his practice methods at Piano University. Because I am not there yet, I am glad there is another path to convince aspiring virtuosos to invest in my revolutionary practice methods. I want to deliver videos featuring my prized students. As early adopters of my methods, you have a shot at becoming the face of PATH2FAST. I want people to see YOUR success!
Remember why we are here! Lost in a forest of too much knowledge from Troy Grady’s Cracking the Code and too many of Chris Brook’s exercises, we felt overwhelmed. We were not practicing. Then, a path opened, a path to playing our instruments at desired speeds, when we learned to practice my Basic Sequential Exercises daily using my Two Up and One Down template and Speed Seesaw method. If sharing videos spotlighting our success with my methods helps us stay on the path and helps others to find the path to fast, then let’s make videos!
