Getting back on the ball (And awesome guitar tip!)

Hey EDGErs!  It’s been a long while since I posted something, but I hope to get right back to it!  Hope everyone is having a warm and fine Monday.  I must say, thinking back on it, how awesome it is to see this group jamming on for nearly four years already!  Anyways, everyone seems to be doing well, learning, and having fun, and I’m glad to have been here since the beginning to witness it all.

I don’t want to take much of your time today, but I thought I would start off this first post of the year with a handy guitar playing tip I picked up recently.  In fact, this would probably be one of, if not the most important tip I can give you.  You can forget your scales, chords, theory, notes… but never forget this one tip I’m about to tell you.  Are you ready?  Breathe.  No really, the tip is to breathe!  I feel like this is a critical step that is oft overlook in guitar lessons.  It may sound silly, but think about it.  Everything from your fingers to your brain requires an oxygen flow.  If you are not breathing properly it will affect your playing, especially in more complex and faster arrangements.  Irregular breathing may lead to further anxiety, more mistakes, stiffen your muscles, and cause loss of focus.  Though it’s not like we all intentionally hold our breaths through a solo; it is very much subconscious….

Until you become aware of your breathing, that is.  And that is the first step; becoming conscious of it.  What you do next is as simple as integrating breathing exercises in your practice routines, both with and without the instrument.  As I figure out ways to do this, I shall pass it along.  For now I thought I should bring awareness of this music/life hack that I feel will make a difference for all of us!