—ooooh, very Zen.
Not really though; this is just a quick tip I learned from a great Jazz teacher/piano player, and writer Mark Levine– creator of The Jazz Theory Book– a must for musicians, in my opinion.
Anyway, he made the point that you can practice singing scales anywhere – you don’t need to be near your instrument. For example we all know the MAJOR SCALE (do re mi – a la Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music), and we can easily see how well we know that scale by trying to sing it. You can do that in your car, in the shower, wherever, and you can apply that to any scale you are familiarizing yourself with.
Now let’s take this a step further- while away from your guitar, imagine your left hand on the guitar neck in, say the first position. Visualize it as clear as you can. Now imagine PLAYING a G major scale. Imagine your third finger on the third fret of the first string and plucking it. Visualize it as clearly as you can. Feel the string under your finger. As far as your brain is concerned, you’re actually doing it, and not about to drive into a tree. (Seriously, don’t do this while driving or using a chainsaw).
Carry on through the scale – take it from me this is legitimate practice that will aid your sit-down time with the guitar immensely.
As a kid, I used to go to sleep making up guitar solos in my head (I like to think that some of ‘em were pretty good).
Although I just did it for fun, I would also occasionally find myself visualizing the guitar lick in my head. I know for a fact it genuinely helped me as a guitar player. And I hope it helps you too, try it.
May you all know peace and love, and may your pick always be at hand. 🙂
PS I occasionally post small nuggets of guitar wisdom, as I find them, on Instagram and Facebook – be sure to stay tuned in and feel free to drop me a line anytime.