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• guitarist help: how do i pick faster?
  

  Haha Figured that was the case, but I couldn’t help mentioning. In the end, it’s all part of technique, & therefore all important.
  - written 1 year, 1 month ago

• guitarist help: how do i pick faster?
  

  Really fast picking comes from the elbow/forearm, not the wrist. In the end, it’s important to develop both techniques. (& the MANY other right hand techniques)
  
  I agree completely w/ soundefekt & Ice.man that regular practice & building chops is essential. If you try to push forward without mastering the earlier steps, you end up with an unstable foundation of technique.
  
  However, I do have to respectfully disagree about the left hand meaning nothing… Both hands are important in their own ways, & there’s so much to touch, bending, vibrato, staccato, hammer-ons, pull-offs, intelligent comping (chord playing), flexibility & dexterity in the left hand… if your left can’t get there, your right can pick all day but nobody will hear anything except open strings & fudged notes.
  - written 1 year, 1 month ago

• What are the best music colleges in america?
  

  If you’re interested in jazz performance, The New School in NYC has a really amazing program… you can study privately w/ anyone in NYC! Other great jazz schools include The Manhattan School Of Music, Julliard, University Of North Texas, & Berklee.
  
  I have a BA in music performance, & often wonder whether it was worth the investment. In some ways, it definitely was, but my student loan debt is substantial… Not the best if you want to be an artist.
  
  An alternate route: move to a major music city, find some excellent private teachers, & study on your own. The biggest benefit to music school is the connections you make to other students, although if you’re talented & dedicated, this can be found through other avenues.
  
  Something worth considering…
  - written 1 year, 1 month ago

• I am on the verge of breaking down.
  

  I’ve been feeling on the verge myself lately. In pondering my situation, I came to the following conclusion:
  
  No matter what is going on or how large the problems may seem, the real problem lies in the way a person thinks about & reacts to the challenges in life. If you step outside yourself, take a breath, & really think about it, the things that are bothering may not be so large after all… Anything can be overcome with the right thoughts & actions.
  
  Also, it’s important not to overextend yourself or put so much effort into stressing about the problems that you make a complicated situation more difficult. Cut back on the obligations in your life that don’t matter so you can free up some time to find solutions.
  
  These things are working for me, hopefully you can find something of value as well…
  
  Also, asking for help is always good for a fresh perspective. What’s going on that causing you so much strife?
  - written 1 year, 1 month ago

• I am…
  

  Again, my deepest thanks to both of you for your thoughtful responses.
  
  
  It’s interesting that you both mentioned that I’m trying too hard… I think there may be something to that… At some point I think I became caught in that; when the particular branch of development I was on came to its natural conclusion, I tried to force it to continue, rather than accepting its end and moving on… I need to think a lot more about this.
  
  I really do think I need to take a break of some sort… I try to do what I can to relax (I seek refuge in NYC’s parks whenever possible) though relaxing is easier said than done in this environment, where motion & battle are constants. The double life is, at this point, a necessity, but it truly can be exhausting. I try to take advantage of long weekends & go back to my parents’ home upstate, but it never feels quite long enough… As if, just when I’m starting to regain my bearings, I have to return to the complexity of my regular life.
  
  As for friends at work, I had some close ones, although in the past few months all of them have left the job, & I’m left in a place where there are few people at work with whom I feel a true connection. I do have friends outside of work, & the loneliness I mentioned in my initial post was more in reference to romantic relationships than to friendships…
  - written 1 year, 1 month ago

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