How to learn guitar fast | Tal Wilkenfeld and Lex Fridman

[@LexClips]

Full podcast episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6LJqIOsbMife9k Lex Fridman podcast channel: kzbin.info Guest bio: Tal Wilkenfeld is a singer-songwriter, bassist, and guitarist. She has performed with legendary artists including Jeff Beck, Prince, Incubus, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and many more.

[@vhyles]

Getting better at an instrument is one of the most time-consuming hobbies you can have. But the reward man... knowing you have this additional dimension about yourself wherever you are in the world is quite a feeling. And this goes pretty much for any hobby you might have at which you're good.

[@thereGoMapo]

sounds like mathematics

[@badnick6659]

In what sense ? ​@@thereGoMapo

[@vacc1001]

Amen brother!

[@Aaronius_Maximus]

@vhyles Great way of explaining it! Couldn't agree more! :)

[@cliftonjarvis8010]

I am hoping to be able to relate

[@JGunit]

I can absolutely shred in my head.

[@SuperBroncosguy]

😂😂😂

[@nouyed]

haha, I guess what she omitted was that visualize after you have made the fretboard and ear connection. ie you know what each note would sound like before you play it.

[@FlankinspanK]

air guitar?? lol

[@admtech69]

me too!

[@TooTRUEtoBeG00D]

There is always a music player turned on in my head somewhere.

[@Sabbathguy]

My buddy growing up was an absolute prodigy and he always would take naps after learning a part, and when he would wake up it’s like he was practicing the entire time he was asleep. Incredible

[@dylanmoore6146]

There’s actually been sleep studies about this. Participants completed a task or played a game or something one day, and then went to bed. They were awoken if on brain scan they were showing to be in REM sleep, and were asked what they were dreaming about. Some were dreaming about the same task, and the next day these participants had better results at these tasks implying that the mental practice even that happens in a dream can help you progress at a skill.

[@Sabbathguy]

@@dylanmoore6146 very interesting, I think my boy was just really high and needed a nap

[@rhysqqq]

I practice right before bed as much as I can

[@direloky]

​@@Sabbathguynah dude, sleep is absolutely the best enforcer of learning new things. There's zero doubt about it. I'll practice on guitar for hours right before bed, go to bed, and wake up being able to play it 3x better than right before I went to bed. Or even like playing the video game "Rocket league" I can stay up playing for hours and go to sleep and when I wake up and get back on I'll be totally in the zone after a game or two.

[@jacobwilkinson6112]

That’s pretty common. I notice that about myself too

[@justaguy328]

As someone who tried to learn by himself off and on for like 10 years without any progress and then finally actually started to learn a few years ago, the best advice I can give is the advice I heard from John Mayer, and that is to learn the musical scales/intervals on guitar. These are the building blocks of all chords and soloing. That changed everything!

[@WyattWade]

Even just understanding what a triad is and the difference between major and minor can be a huge lift off point.

[@ephraimm.1750]

Interesting

[@johndoe4073]

Yes! 100% this.

[@muge9987]

been playing guitar consistantly for over a year, didnt come across scales until very recently but so glad i did. So much fun just playing along to any backing track

[@HigherPlanes]

Learn the caged system and master C major up and down the neck.

[@manks5491]

I'm learning classical thump right now and the concept of playing something, taking a minute break and then playing the same thing again but way better than the first time always blows my mind because it almost never fails. She is the first musician who I've heard talk about that. Cool stuff

[@paulshirer]

Only one way to learn guitar -- love it. I can't imagine learning just to learn. ... Have picked up my guitar and played it almost every day for 30 years. Never once because I had to practice. Just keeping it real you all.

[@sosukeaizen2723]

True, never felt like a hard task to go play or learn just always fun and exciting

[@selliantuttimusi6735]

More that the only way to learn guitar, that should be the only reason to learn it.

[@notyourdad]

I've noticed that I often see major leaps in my ability to do certain things when I take long breaks from it - months or even years - after I come back and shake off the dust I'm somehow better than before.

[@JackT13]

I get this with sports particularly. My friends get very annoyed when I turn up to play a round of golf for the first time in six months and beat them (when they practice much more frequently). I’m actually pretty bad when I play a lot. Weird

[@Ottophil]

@@JackT13golf isnt any more of a sport than guitar

[@JackT13]

@@Ottophil i’m afraid not; playing guitar is not a sport. It does not involve competition. If you’re referring to the lack of physical exertion in golf, that doesn’t affect whether or not it is a sport. Golf is certainly more of a sport than playing a musical instrument

[@SGTXSAVAGE]

Same!!! Especially with drums… personally

[@direloky]

I love reading stuff like this because it verifies things I already know to be true through intuition that maybe science can't quite prove yet. I definitely noticed this too. I've specifically noticed this on guitar, with my boxing, and on the video game "Rocket league" was actually probably by most prevalent example because that game actually takes years to really reach the upper echelon and has really different levels of skill. I just remember when I didn't play for like 4-6 months, getting back on after that is the.biggest leap in ability I ever made on that game. It really truly took me to the next level of skill, no doubt about it.

[@TheWilliamHoganExperience]

For me, learning to play music is about love - Tal's success is a consequence of doing what she loves most in the way that works best for her. Brava! We should all strive for the same thing - she's very fortunate. I always tell young people to do what they love most as much as possible. Not because it will make them happy (Though it will) But because it's where they'll make the biggest impact with their lives upon the world. I taught architecture and design for many years in Los Angeles. I'm also autistic - late diagnosed at age 57. Tal's description of how she integrates learning by pausing is incredible. I taught thousands of people how to develop ideas into plans. Learning is a creative process unique to each person. Still, certain strategies work better than others for most people. The main thing that's helped me improve my singing and guitar playing is consistent practice, rehearsal and or gigging. A couple of hours a day on average is all it takes - but that's what it takes. If you don't put in the time, your chops slip. Ask any pro. Some people need more time, some less, but as long as you put the time in, you'll reach whatever potential is available to you. For better or worse, aptitudes are not uniformly distributed in the human species. There's a lot of variation between phenotypes. Nuerodiversity exists for a reason - the world is unpredictable, so god covers her bets. If you believe in that sort of nonsense anyway... ;-)

[@ChrisGBaker]

Thank you Lex and Tal for your inspiration. I picked up the guitar late in life. This clip reminded me of how to learn. God Bless!!

[@jaythejuiceman3000]

I started jiu jitsu and mma in 2008 and had to stop for a while in 2011. I had so many injuries so for 7 years I couldn't train. I trained in my head. I watched videos from time to time. I thought of rolls and situations. I went over techniques I had already learned and had down. I was still low key obsessed in my head. I walked into an open mat in 2018 for the 1st time in years and caught quite a few people who trained daily for years. I wasn't amazing, but even though I was older and more broken I was worlds better than I was before I stopped.

[@shaunreich]

The emotional toll of not being able to practice for 7 years, something you're so passionate about, must've been so, so challenging...a difficult to accept process

[@asymmetricbeing]

thank you for sharing what are your reasons for the injuries in 3 years of practice?

[@jaythejuiceman3000]

@@asymmetricbeing The first couple that caused too many issues were a rib that broke close to my spine. It was pushing out my back for a long time. That was about 2 years straight of pain and then the other injury was a back injury. That was from slacklining. The back injury took me out for about 4 years. I got back into BJJ and MMA for about 4 months a few years later before injuring my tailbone and getting a shoulder injury that required surgery. After that I went through a depression because I couldn't do shit anymore. I was limping around, I couldn't do a pull up or lift weights because of the surgery. I couldn't sit because of the tailbone dislocation. Eventually I was good enough to come back in 2018. I was healthy, eating right, no alcohol, and training hard. After 3 years of training and even some competition I tore my RCL in my hand, tore meniscus, and dislocated my tailbone again. The tailbone was what ended everything. All of the docs said there was no fix and it got stuck in a dislocated state. I could barely sit let alone train. After 6 months of not being able to sit I started weight training. I put on about 15 pounds of muscle, most of it in my legs and butt. Now I can sit and feel really good, but BJJ and MMA aren't in the cards at 40. Now I play disc golf, weight train, and enjoy non degenerative activities. I miss BJJ, but the reality is that BJJ isn't physically for everyone.

[@hatewillneverwin.]

@@jaythejuiceman3000ay at least you’ll always be ready to kick somebody’s ass, that’s an invaluable life skill

[@Ponder_lust]

Sorry to hear that. Ever considered taking steroids?

[@prehistoricturtlesaurus5309]

Very cool that Tal was able to pursue this ability so fully considering the limitation of 30 mins practice per day. For me as a drummer, once I was able to play hours a day it was an absolute game changer. Lost like 40lbs, had way more balance between free play and learning new chops; it actually was what made me start thinking about drums and "practicing" away from the kit. Imagine taking a virtuoso in the making and saying "now that's been 30 minutes, that's all you get."

[@Naniamania3]

True. I’ve been doing these techniques for decades and they work. There’s never enough time in the day and there are always other things that take you away from practice. Developing these habits are incredibly valuable to improving your ability.

[@METABROZ]

very cool to hear tal talk about the queens gambit imagination technique. It's so important to imagine playing. I swear I've had dreams where I practiced my drum parts all night before a big performance -- and I was def better at that part the next morning.

[@sunkintree]

dreaming is not so much a technique as what your brain does naturally. It's sorting out what's important from what's not. If you've been practicing something alot, it knows the stuff in your brain related to that practice is important, so it works on that in your dreams. If you're not working on or studying something it just defaults to something simple like some social stuff happening to you during previous days

[@METABROZ]

@@sunkintree I'm not trying to say I have any kind of special technique. it's hard to describe, but the experience is more detailed than just a dream about drumming or playing guitar. It's like I actually practice, start the track over, correct dynamics and try different parts repetitively, even writing notes for myself in the dream I think our brains have some really amazing abilities that still aren't fully understood by the science of dreams

[@notyourdad]

Man, when I got really into chess for a couple of years I had these dreams where I would just go over the same position on the board over and over and over again - never got there with the guitar though.

[@badnick6659]

I have obtained new skills, from worksheets that I have meticulously made and practiced from in dreams, only to find myself frantically searching for those same worksheets to share with friends in waking life. 😮

[@Andrew-pv8oz]

I mean duh that’s your brain processing what you learned

[@ripcord93]

talking about learning without the instrument what I used to do was always try and guess the unorthodox chords or notes guitarists were playing during live. whenever in bars I tried doing it, seemed nonsensical at first, but after doing it every time I discovered it actually helped me navigate the fretboard!

[@nickrhodes6485]

Ohh I love some Tal!!! She's a great bassist, I've been doing it for 30 years for most of my income it's not easy. She's a pro and easy on the eyes didn't hurt aswell. What a powerful woman.

[@donkeywaffle]

I rarely play the drums, but I'm always drumming on everything. The steering wheel ( which forces me to tap my left foot for kick in the car), my desk, my wife, etc. Every time I get on the drums I can do better than before. Playing in your head or on whatever you can is absolutely the key.

[@XOChristianaNicole]

“My wife.” Lol

[@drugcrab]

you definitely suck if you rarely play

[@Cheddar_Wizard]

That must drive your wife crazy. A ol’ drummer buddy of mine would always tap and slap the dashboard of my car when we’d listen to tunes and it often made me wish I had installed an eject button somewhere

[@Urashison]

Practicing in your head and active listening is huge in learning any musical instrument. Especially when you’re learning pieces in complex time signatures. One thing that helped me massively is whenever I drive anywhere I always tap on my steering wheel along with the beat. Especially listening and learning jazz and progressive metal/rock music following the kick patterns or “chug” patterns in metal songs is massive.

[@bigbassjonz]

When I was growing up and learning to play, my biggest gains would come after I was away from the guitar for a while. After a few days I would really be missing it and I would think through how I was playing things, and I would visualize the fretboard and try to hear the sounds of each note as I played them in my head. When I would return to the guitar, it always felt that I was doing so much better and my learning was accelerating.

[@whatsferdinner1988]

I also practice in my mind. It's critically important. Not only if I can't get my hold of the instrument, but also if I can. I will also visualize my practice regiment before I engage it physically.

[@chuntoon1]

The first time I saw her playing at the Crossroad's festival I was blown away and been a huge fan ever since. Great interview

[@alphalifestyleacademy]

1:15 This is how I fall asleep. I have sleeping problems but I play guitar as I sleep. I work out songs I started writing decades ago and come up with new parts, versions of the songs.

[@gordyhydro5774]

Just started classical guitar. Im 62 for me concentrating on technique right and left hand. Then i use a Guilliani etude each week to see if i have improved.

[@kennethhacker3014]

I will always play my guitar nut never had the drive and passion Tal has..you have to dedicate your life to guitar hope you make it in the business... hopefully synchronicity is on your side ... great interview lex

[@nephronpie8961]

2:00 She's talking about the pomodoro technique and it's insane how effective it is. I had done it during my school days to study different subjects one after another the results were incredible, although I could not keep up the momentum for long.

[@TonyAguirreJazz]

Have followed her for a while and she's a very special player. The Jeff Beck concert on YT is amazing.

[@jimbodavis1944]

I was doing the practice in my head approach without realizing it and I was retaining way more than when doing it physically. Looks like I need to get back to it this year. I used to do it in bed for 30 minutes to an hour.

[@pushkahlon4340]

This is such great advice. I’m doing this with piano right now, and inversions are much easier to play by seeing them in my mind first.

[@ericgilman6170]

The burst thing is so true. When learning anything new. Take at least 20 second breaks every minute or so. Your subconscious will process the problem quicker .

[@psybertron]

i did this with music production and rapping , for 19 years. when i finally wrote songs and got hold of music software , i could just do it. before then i never practiced out of my head. try it , it works.

[@davidcharles4169]

Unless I’m mistaken, I’d guess that’s the reasoning behind the old saying ‘sleep on it’. Visualisation before you undertake a task is very useful, if you don’t find it hard to do. It’s a good tip to visualise a pending job interview - it’s not about predicting the outcome but playing out a scenario can produce a clarity of mind come the real event.

[@venivicifx4113]

When I learned, I didn’t have a TV or video games, and a broken phone. All I really had to entertain myself was to mess with the strings. It helped so much.

[@nickofthenorth]

Good point. If you are purely playing and practicing patterns etc, it makes sense that it may limit creative visualizing. If you can visualize the intervals and think about or figure out the sound/melodies without actually picking up the instrument, that could be good. I'll try it

[@pawlpoche8736]

I play guitar everyday. Since I was 14. I’m 51 now. I’m not great, but I have an amazing time, every time I play! I love smoking killer weed, drink a couple beers and play along with Jim Dooley’s (KZbin drummer) drum beats. Making up new songs/riffs every time 😊 So relaxing and fun

[@NickNicometi]

If I started at 14, no doubt I would be great.

[@pawlpoche8736]

@@NickNicometi seriously, I’m not that good, compared to people out there. I think I have a great fucking sound Tone is King 👑

[@Ric_1985]

I kinda do the same thing, sometimes I play a random backing track and let it ride for a while or sometimes I play a drum loop and make a simple riff in the looper and just play and play. Endless fun

[@lulumoon6942]

You have the right idea, creating any art can truly elevate one's quality of life, even if only for ourselves.

[@pawlpoche8736]

@@Ric_1985 exactly! I’ll never have a hit song. But in my jam sessions it feels like I do! It’s an amazing feeling. Only music fans musicians understand

[@paulofurtado81]

There was a study where people that practiced in their mind practicing basketball had similar results to people actually physically practicing.

[@badmen1550]

I forgot who it was exactly (Kobe, maybe?), but one of the NBA greats would do this with free throws. He would practice free throws on the court and then he would visualize practicing them at night right before he went to sleep.

[@Steff_kjns]

Finally I heard someone said it, I've been doing this eversince I remember. She's great at explaining this stuff, very chill

[@johnmilanmusic7706]

Thanks Lex for bringing her on. Inspiring to me as a musician 👏

[@pietpadda593]

I constantly transcribe music in my head, even without the music on. And run through notation and tabs as it plays in my head as a form of practice. Like I'd tab a song I hear on the radio as I drive, then remember it all and "playback" the tab in my head in sync with the song. Then I'd just play it. It's a good skill and one that everyone should practice with any field, not just music.

[@Hella-cones]

When I was first learning guitar I couldn’t read music, so I learned by ear first, then learned tab, then eventually learned to really read. I figured out early that I could practice without my guitar by memorizing the fretting pattern of stuff I was playing, so at school while in class I’d just practice the fretting hand patterns and when I got home I’d practice my picking hand. It helped me tremendously. I still do it to this day.

[@h-dawg969]

I’ve done the same with Drums, where I’ll be nowhere near a kit, but have learnt a new fill or beat etc, and when next behind the kit, it comes out naturally straight away.

[@northwoodfalls1403]

Placido Domingo (the famous tenor) has preserved his voice where his contemporaries damaged theirs with overuse (like, famously, Pavarotti) because he used his voice as little as possible. He would practice in his head, feeling and visualizing the placement and air flow, etc., without actually emitting a sound. He saved his full voice for his performances. Now, obviously, he had to have used his voice enough to build up the strength and coordinations necessary to sing such demanding pieces, but still …. It’s intriguing. The more I sing, the more I find myself doing this. I will be listening to a vocalist and my entire vocal tract will be mimicking the movements and my chest will switch over to breathing as if singing, but I’m not uttering a sound and then when I go to sing, it’s like my voice has already warmed up and is ready to go. I also find I learn pieces much more quickly now than I used to with much less wear on my vocal tract. I also take long breaks from singing and when I come back to it, it’s like some level got unlocked whilst I was “away”. Adele does this. She takes long breaks between albums to live her life and be absorbed by things other than music and whilst she is away from it, she doesn’t sing at all. I like that about her. Because obviously, whilst she is away from music, inspiration and ideas are coalescing in her mind somewhere until she’s ready or feels inspired to turn those experiences and feelings into songs. That’s probably what is happening to songwriters like Dylan and Mitchel. When it emerges it comes fast, but it has likely been simmering on the back burner of their minds for a while. It’s so fascinating. Mind over matter indeed.

[@Patrick11223]

Learn an A cord, then learn an E Chord, the learn a D chord. Then learn the progression A, E, D. Learn the song Smoke on the Water as you first song it’s the easiest. Then learn a power cord. You can play a power cord all over the neck. Now learn some Nirvana songs now that you know power cords. I taught private lessons for years. Write this down and do it. 😊

[@airmikey8647]

Anyone else notice how the best, riffs, melodies, chord progressions usally pop up in the begining when you first sit down. Especially if you been away from the guitar for a day or two and you're absolutely salavating to just chugg away. You're fresh and not committed to anything yet. Then I usally add too much, or fail to keep things simple, or flat out forget or cant remember what i just did lol.

[@bobbybands1928]

I can practice a new song for 5 hours. But when I give up and go to sleep, I play it twice as good the next day. This is all very true

[@stephenedwardleemusic8997]

Tal is priceless!!! Thanks for this great interview

[@sterlthepearl1000]

A genius is a person who consistently focuses their action on a result their committed to.

[@emfbat]

funny thing is i came accross that line of thought about 14 years ago. i play drums and thru the years when I was working with advance independence stuff like ostinatos (playing a pattern with one limb and playing other stuff with other limbs) I noticed that the least I forced it the faster I learned the coordination. it was like my brain was doing something I had no clue about under the hood. i would practice simple stuff and be able to come up with fills and grooves I had encountered in my past but I had not maybe been able to grasp. then I would be able to play it quicker without necessarily being able to have that as my focus on my practice routines. what I have to confess is I too practiced in my head and felt like I was improving, but I was afraid to say to my father who was a dedicated drummer in his youth who practiced for super long periods of times and whose most poignant advice on improving to me was practice time, practice time, practice time. learning is a science on its own. i will not deny I am a bit lazy person who likes fast results with little work. and that is why I suffer a little bit from analysis paralysis, but I just came to the conclusion that repeating stuff in my mind helped me more than making so many mistakes physically which hurt my self-esteem in the process. so I guess I'll apply that 2 mins of repetition with 30 second rest and see where it takes me. thanks lex, thanks tal.

[@Biscuitsgravy924]

Fun fact: as a musician, you actually “practice” while you sleep. If you’re learning something new, your brain will continue to practice while you are asleep. That’s why if you have trouble with whatever you’re learning, you’ll usually be better after you wake up because your brain was doing it over and over in your sleep. It’s hard to explain but hopefully you understand what I’m trying to say

[@willlicks8584]

I had a revelation about kick drum triplets while sleeping! haha I literally felt all the muscles engaging and I was like "ohhhhh"

[@bradleypalmer7980]

As a musician; I've experienced this phenomenon. Before big performances I always play the piece in my head before falling asleep

[@jackolantern6172]

Learn to play piano before guitar if you want to breeze through it. And start guitar with a teacher just so you don’t learn bad habits. And don’t cut corners. If you don’t learn it right the first time you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to get it right

[@beejoutbush3322]

This is my exact battle.

[@homeontherange733]

Such an interesting story about learning. It obviously works! You play really well. Thanks for sharing.

[@ShnukmZ]

this reminds me of Agnes Obel that mentioned that she hears a melody and it sounds like a story in her head, and by progressing the storyline is how she writes music

[@rowanmurphy5239]

One of my favorite songs that I have ever written, I had these four lines for like 10 years and nothing else came to me at all. No matter how many times I tried to start writing some more lyrics, nothing ever came to me. And one day, I sat down and had an idea for it and lyrics started pouring out of me to the point where now I have too many lines to fit inside the song, and I don't really want to cut any of them. The problem is also, I really had the song's structure down to where I absolutely loved it. I already had the music written, but I don't want to rewrite it.

[@jodojodo8558]

Im actually a self trained space faring adventurer....been practicing astral navigation in my head for decades now.... Im ready for the spacefaring future guys! Bring on the starship enterprise

[@robwolfe6120]

Great insight. Metheny did the same thing when his parents took his guitar away as punishment for bad grades in school (quite inevitable when you're playing guitar 12-14 hours a day!). In Mingus's autobiography Beneath The Underdog he claims at a certain point in his career he ceased physically practicing and did it all in his mind.

[@legniak1]

I play as a stress reliever. I don’t have any big goals, it’s just a fun and useful use of time with small rewards when you get a little better each day

[@Godshonestruth]

I learned guitar alone at 30. Learn all the cowboy chords D C G Am Em F Learn those switches back thru Use the capo to transpose songs into those chords Win.

[@tjames336]

I'm learning beginner guitar stuff now and the break between learning something and then trying it again is wild. It's very obvious how much better you get without even playing which is weird but it's clear as day. But you have to still try and practice a few times a week for it to really stick and remember it.

[@bernhardnizynski4403]

Tal is a genius. It takes a hell of a lot of physical practice just to get the motor skills and dexterity. Tal was extremely competent after only two years - she must have extremely efficient practice technique and good Karma?

[@marshalmcdonald7476]

She mentions 'burst' practicing. I learned high note trumpet and slap bass in 10 minute bursts. Also learned to shred on guitar 10 minutes at a time.

[@boxer_puncher]

I remember a winter break during which I practiced 10-12 hours a day. Before that nothing regular. That's when I got fast. I was practicing and suddenly I could play faster. What got me faster was not playing attention to single notes but to a couple notes together and my fingers were much relaxed than ever as if they were barely touching the fret.

[@albertmarti2718]

I'd say there's a big distinction to be made here between musicians who compose and musicians who play. In her case (the former), she needs to use her head a lot more to put together songs as she's going about her day, and obviously has to practice them but not to a great extent. However, for musicians who are more performative (they play already existing songs), they need the hours and hours of practice to learn pieces that are generally much more challenging as they need to train their muscle memory instead. That said, most of us lie somewhere in the middle and I do play for short intervals of time too :p

[@lulumoon6942]

This is a great point. 👍

[@shaunreich]

The other part is, learning and understanding music and how to compose it, also increases your understanding of it and your memory of it. That is a part of why theory is so important, I think. It enables you to not just read the words, but understand what the words are saying, the overall concepts, the undertones and overtones, and thematic ideas of it. So to speak, I'm using an analogy of reading books here. But the idea is the same, the more connections to concepts and such, the more you increase the ability to learn it and retain it in memory

[@Tr1s]

Yeah learning guitar or any instrument You kind of have to want to Once you genuinely want to that’s when it starts to happen and you start to be able to make sacrifices in order to improve at the thing you enjoy

[@mikenaykki3133]

She’s a great musician! 👍👍🎸😎❤️

[@surfside16]

Excellent interview. And I learned a lot about learning to play an instrument. I am struggling to learn/remember blues licks using the pentatonic blues scale both horizontally and diagonally on guitar. And the comment that Tal made about going slow and how that cements what you're learning into your brain was a good tip. I also liked her comments about song writing. Have her back on your show and talk more about this.

[@ze87ky53]

I've done this for as long as I can remember you are actually practicing in your head & you can even almost compose what you want to play when you actually pick up the guitar & do it you'll find most of what you visioned sounds good might add a little something to it but amazingly you really can picture the entire fret board & hear the sounds it's really wild also just about everything to do with guitar or music in general is all Mathematical I think of the endless possibilities you could play like a Mathematics diagram especially if your used to using Tabs it really works well because your thinking of each fret as a # already so it's all something to study & think about

[@brennan77]

Practice in your head and you'll be touring with Jeff Beck in no time! Sometimes you just have God given talent. This lady has it.

[@huskiefan8950]

Random thought: one of the best and most interesting pieces of advice ive heard in years, for guitar, is to practice each hand SEPERATELY, so, only the fret hand part of a piece, without picking, then ONLY pick, open strings OR muted strings, then, just like this girl... practice ONLY in your head, then practice putting everything together, toggle between all of these 👍

[@WyattWade]

That’s why I hate it sometimes when people play the radio. I got a whole studio season going on in my head.

[@epicadventureturtle1363]

There are actually very interesting studies on this stuff. Like learning things like an instrument works similarly to muscle growth in the sense that practicing 10 minutes for 10 days gives you much better results than 100 minutes for 1 day. Also you most vividly remember the first and last 15 minutes of a practice session, so practicing more than 30 minutes in a row has diminishing returns. Playing for 30 mins a day isnt a bad idea.

[@robbeun3792]

Can confirm allowing an interval for the brain to form neural connections. It’s mysterious in that, if I’m struggling with a piece of guitar music today, and absolutely cannot pull it off, after “sleeping on it” I can somehow play the thing 1st try, no problem. This phenomenon is real.

[@rgsliwa8298]

I saw her play with David Bowie and she was super impressive. Of course he was on fire that evening.

[@bombyxmori8992]

She is talking about curiosity (3:46) Lex sir...too good

[@lordPix3lUK]

I have played for 20 years. I teach guitar, I breathe guitar. There is no fast way. So many good players out there and many better.

[@HAZMOLZ]

Gymnasts, skateboarders and other sportspeople performing highly complex individual skills are also known to rehearse or visualise a routine in their heads.

[@abztract1]

I taught myself how to play the drums and the bass. Looking back at all of those hours upon hours upon hours of practice, I wasted plenty of time learning the long way.

[@gitrekt-gudson]

It's really useful advice, unfortunately I can't visualize stuff in my head. I can "hear" melodies and such but I can't visualize the fretboard. I just love making music, and to me it's releasing a pressure valve on my soul. I also never practice, every time I pick up the guitar I am expressing something and technique comes about and improves as byproduct of trying to express more accurately/effortlessly. I do notice jumps in my learning though when I have taken time away from guitar though.

[@pierreanisimov1771]

Have fun learning "La Catedral" by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, "Capricho Arabe" by Francisco Tárrega, "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquín Rodrigo, Variations on a theme of Sor, etc... in your head. If someone actually can, kudos.

[@moonasha]

I'll leave a quote from Fernando Sor, one of the literal fathers of modern guitar.- "Hold reasoning for a great deal, and routine for nothing."

[@abigailraatz]

I've definitely noticed that taking breaks helps me. I come back later and it just comes naturally

[@jz5005]

Lex, we need Chapter Headings…

[@MrJasonbushey]

I sat in my room at 16 and practiced everyday. Within couple weeks nirvana songs, couple months Metallica. Within a year i was pretty damn good!

[@MILLs_666]

Theres sort of a study like this that was done with basketball. The first group was told not to touch a basketball for 30 days, no practicing or playing basketball whatsoever. The second group was told to practice shooting free throws for a half hour a day for 30 days The third group was to come to the gym every day for 30 days and spend a half hour with their eyes closed, simply visualizing hitting every free-throw. After the 30 days all three groups were asked to come back and take the same number of free-throws they had in the beginning of the study. The first group of students who did not practice at all showed no improvement The second group had practiced every day and showed a 24% improvement The third group however, the group which had simply visualized successful free-throws, showed a 23% improvement

[@uberpekes]

She seems like an interesting person. I see a lot of truth to what she is saying, similar to sturdies that show working out (weights) in your mind actually results in strength increases. The way our minds impact our physical reality is pretty crazy

[@MilesWilliams88]

She's a incredible bass player!

[@vicweast]

What a gifted life this woman has!

[@nickrhodes6485]

It took 20 years to feel confident as a performer and recording. She grew very fast and got great at a young age.

[@Scaredyrat_107]

Can someone break down what does she mean meant by learning in head.Like guessing the pitch and sounds of the notes on the frets?I m new to learning guitar so u wanna incorporate good habits from the beginnig .

[@braeburn2333]

Very interesting. I wonder if at least part of her drive to play came from a reaction to being forced not to play. If her parents forced her to practice instead of the opposite, would she be as immersed in the art of creating music today?

[@jackolantern6172]

It’s amazing how many generations of talented creatives have been tortured by their parents and society, and no one seems to have caught on yet. It’s deeply sobering thinking of just how many gifted souls chose to end it all instead

[@joshuac1364]

I was thinking the same thing

[@briandolan631]

just what i needed to hear.especially now that winter snows have arrived and time to go slow.thanks kids ;)

[@Americoroca]

Short practices and visualization = Perfect

[@FutureAbe]

I do the same thing on the fucking piano. It’s not precisely the fucking same, but it does work. You can definitely fucking visualise and imagine how it’s gonna fucking sound and then later on you go and fucking try it out. Pretty neat

[@demapples6580]

I can compose music in my head Ill often hum the melody and the tune into a recording, but playing piano and guitar were really difficult for me in a motor skills. A lot of chords on guitar I can not do because of my super small hands, I cant reach 4 fret spans, it was the same for piano, so much of it requires large reaches that are almost impossible for people with very small hands unless you get smaller instruments like a thin keyboard or a 3/4 guitar, but then you lose out on other facets of the instrument doing so

[@XOChristianaNicole]

Visualization is so powerful.

[@Me-lj1rk]

Is she the best guest ever or not? What a master and so meaningful insight.

[@aaronkatz2024]

Nice ! I learned something from her I picked up the guitar 🎸 seriously again Thanks 🙏

[@tjmasson1013]

Tal is such a badass player. Jeff becks bassist. Enough said

[@sterlthepearl1000]

Life will pay any price you ask of it. Meaning, if you're interested, you'll do it when it's convenient. But if you're committed, you'll do whatever it takes.

[@SEAclub007]

Tal is amazing.

[@seaweedslitherz]

This is pure gold

[@ThaStranger11]

I've been air guitaring all my life and I still suck. 😂 This is interesting because I do have a decent sense of a fretboard for a drummer, but get me on a guitar and things like picking and finger placement is horrid. So motor skills most definitely play a big role with guitar but I can see how visualization can be a great help as well.