Licks (Pentatonic/Blues scales) Intermediate players
These are some of our earlier videos made in 2019, and aimed at intermediate players, who are looking to extend their ability to improvise using a mixture of techniques such as slides, hammer- ons, pull offs, rakes, bends etc. Best advice is to make sure you know how to execute these techniques first, before trying the relevant Addanote videos below. There is a section at the end of most of these videos with a backing track to practise over. Enjoy…
Information for users:
Memory (short and long term) and how it relates to our aims and objectives:
In delivering a video-based tuition method we seek to enable learners to achieve successful execution of new musical skills most efficiently, and swiftly, thus maintaining or increasing the necessary motivation to continue learning through accelerated rates of progress.
The old saying: “practice makes perfect” has now been refined and replaced by: “perfect practice makes permanent”.
When you attempt a task, using for example the fine motor skills required to perform correctly a number of consecutive notes in a particular rhythm on a musical instrument such as a guitar, a memory trace and neural pathway is set up.
In someone learning to play a musical instrument, where a sequence of notes is attempted that is too long or difficult to play, or the learner is playing too quickly, an error may occur due to the overly high cognitive load experienced by the learner.
The memory trace for that attempted sequence of notes, including the error, is held in the learner’s short- term memory for around 18 seconds (if no rehearsal or repeat is executed – either out loud or through mental simulation) and will then begin to decay over time.
In reality though, a learner will seldom wait that long before reattempting the sequence of notes they are learning. A frequent occurrence is an early reattempt by the learner which will often initiate an identical repeat of the newly formed memory trace and neural pathway, including the error!
This may happen a number of times before the learner has to slow down, reflect, and actively try to correct the error.
Another common occurrence is as follows: If the initial error occurs on say, the fifth note of the sequence, the learner then deploys their working memory in attempting to manipulate stored information by thinking about the error on the 5th note whilst simultaneously playing notes 1 to 4. In doing so, a certain amount of attention is lost or interrupted, and the learner proceeds to make a different error on one of the earlier notes (1 to 4).
This pattern of behaviour during practice is very easily repeated, even with more advanced or skilled learners.
We would like to know the following:
Now that you have been made aware of some of the science behind good or poor embedding of long-term memories such as those needed in playing a musical instrument, will this influence your attitudes going forward, such as in
a) selecting a tempo of video (when available) at which you are able to succeed in performing all or most of the notes correctly at each step?
b) following instructions given as to how to make best use of the videos and not pause or skip forward whilst using them?
It should be noted that learners who make the most rapid progress are those that adopt learning behaviours such as those required through correct use of our videos.
As ever your feedback is greatly appreciated.