To start out with, I played a familiar chord progression that I had used once a few years ago. I usually try to stay away from familiarity but this felt natural so I went with it. But very quickly I began associating too many things with the progression i had made, and it was very difficult to focus, but not so difficult to be aware of my thoughts. My mind was not really wandering, rather it was gazing through all the open doors that could lead to wandering thought. After a few minutes I began experimenting again with other chords. This improved my state of mind considerably, except that now all my efforts lay in problem solving, trying to find a piece of music I resonated with. For me this is the most intriguing stage. O constantly wonder what causes me to think that some things sound right and others sound wrong? Can I change that? Can I ignore that? Could I simply move my fingers aimlessly and just experience the sounds that result with an unbiased ear? Perhaps I will try that some time in the future. But for the moment I typically search around the fretboard until something clicks and then I run with it. Thats what I did today. I found a very simple progression that was new to me but did not require much effort mentally. I played it over and over and just listened, exploring every part of it but never tiring of it. But why this piece? Why this sound. I think this is a question worth exploring.
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10/20/09
I just did my daily practice in 3 parts. Once with My roommates guitar, once with mine, and once with mine after tuning it precisely. I found it was much easier to get into the music and enjoy it when the guitar was tuned properly. Its also generally easier to play on a better guitar. I also realized that I must be happy today because my music definitely came off more up beat than it usually does. ANd generally the happier the music is, the easier it is to get into the zone, though this is not always the case. It seems that each time I play the guitar it takes me a little while to get comfortable with the sound I'm making and the way my fingers are moving. This could be because I never warm up before recording, maybe I should. Would that detract from the purpose or make it too goal oriented? warming up just gets me loose and I don't have to think as much about the physical guitar and I can focus more on the music. It usually takes me about five minutes to get comfortable, though I record this anyway because I feel it is authentic.
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