Robben Ford Q&A #3 - Practice Regimens

ROBBEN FORD: www.robbenford.com/
BLUES REVOLUTION: truefire.com/robben-ford/
TRUEFIRE GUITAR LESSONS: bit.ly/TrueFire

[@Birdy8441]

You play what you practice. If you want to play music then practice music! Great answer by Robben.

[@druchumley4571]

Robben has flown under the radar for far too long. It is time for the rest of the world to hear and appreciate this fretboard wizard.

[@7775Kevin]

Very good answer. I am a big fan of robben ford and his honest way of expressing himself.

[@danvee1804]

Great Advice , He chuckles as he swings his head back and looks gently at his six string ax wittingly waiting on his lap. His mind recedes into the depth of his souls searching for that moment in his past. Practice, Practice ,Practice!

[@Mrhomi01]

One of the MOST real talk I have ever heard from a musician, specially a guitarist. wow

[@greenwoodcolin]

what a thoughtful response

[@desmo999]

In every word a wonderfull really special man and musician. If someone wants to learn and understand the Guitar play, the soul of it, no way without Mr. Ford.

[@davidallison5529]

Wow, I love Robben's thoughts on playing and music. He's always pretty deep, never trivial.

[@jamescopeland5358]

Amen Robben, learning music is by far the best way to learn. I've have grown leaps and bounds since I've listened to your advice and approach

[@bluematrix5001]

Interestingly Robben have that Rock look... a great American Musician, his understanding of the Feeling of music and how a musician should gravitate within music is amazing and so clear

[@dzsuba1]

Thank you! Yes, I was so surprised and excited that I was not able to react in a different way. But most importantly I talked to all of you, who voted and made this question happen. I really enjoyed Robben's answer and I am very happy that a few of you also interested in. I agree, Robben is an excellent guitarist, musician and a very good teahcer too! Thanks.

[@lNllClK]

wow, i was gonna give you a pat on the back but i see you've already done it yourself... yeah, this guy's no joke. a lot to be learned from his philosophy and the way he expresses himself as a guitarist and a person..

[@jerrymcgeorge4117]

Echoing what Robben suggests here. a great classical guitarist I studied with years ago discouraged spending lots of time on scales, etc. His mantra was “practice music, not the foundations.”

[@jconstant]

That's some great advice. And he's such a humble guy too. Kudos to TrueFire for getting together with Robben for this and the new Blues Revolution course. I hope to see a lot more great stuff.

[@FreedomZealot]

I love the respect Robben expresses for Pat Metheney. That being said, I don't think the world has seen a guitarist who can play the rings around Robben in ANY setting.

[@jimjiminy76]

The best way to improve your technique is to learn solos and melodies from tunes and players you love. I use Charlie Parker heads to improve my technique. That way you're always learning melodies that you love.

[@CrazyQ6930]

Loved his playing from the very first time I heard him with Yellow Jacket. And I've learned a lot about playing guitar from him ever since. His guitar always has something different to say. = lots of fun. Thank you Robben Ford!

[@PedroBellora]

Such an important message. Beautiful video!

[@joseiraheta5622]

Pursuing to be a better musician is exactly what I try do as well on each of my days. l thank you for your insight Robben Ford.

[@soerenjordan]

indeed a thoughtful response, absolutely right in my musical world!

[@desmo999]

Wooonderfulll! Faaantastic!!! Every word from this wonderfull man is absolutely true!!! Now one can describe the palying with so much feeling!!!

[@clapton79]

very wise words. although I still dig Joe Bonamassa's awesome skills. :) just love the fact that he makes a distinction between opinion and truth and uses words wisely. To me credibility measures by how humble a person someone has become during mastering a profession, including music.

[@jefsrodrigues]

Para mim, o melhor guitarrista da atualidade. Robben Ford possui o brilho e uma linguagem própria, fazendo da guitarra uma extensão de suas ideias musicais.

[@joebutler2550]

Some of the best advice a musician can get. Wish i heard that rap years ago.

[@seanconstantine34]

Maestro,and seems like a very good human being!

[@dzsuba1]

Thank you Robben for answering my question. And thank you for all of you who voted and let this question to be asked. Hey! Have you realized that this answer is the longest from all 5? It shows it had to be asked and there was a lot to be discussed. Thanks!

[@TrueFireTV]

Check out his Blues Revolution course on TrueFire.com for many more insights!

[@Vanadeo]

I understand this.. awesome.. I seen many a people who shred the necks off guitar and are totally awesome... but after 8 or 9 years of playing I never feel like quitting cos i cant do it.. I just chose not to do it, one being im lazy and secondly I feel totally comfortable with my current ability. I like my rhythms, riffs and solos are slow and meaningful for the song. Jerry Cantrell really speaks to me in that sense and Robben I have only just started getting into and he speaks my language as well :D.

[@theflyingties]

Brilliant and somewhat ironically makes me want to practice

[@vdeferens]

What a champ. Very well spoken guy too.

[@joschibuch]

oh he's so modest... look what he's done with miles and his live solos. very hard to play stuff also technically... cool guy!

[@jboughtin7522]

It seems to me that Robben is making a point to cover the less tangible and more abstract aspects of music and playing an instrument. There a lot of places to get the technical stuff, but this is kind of information is great value.

[@ybaberat]

Such great advice.

[@RockGuitarPanya]

100% agree with the great Robben Ford

[@GraffitiLA1]

A-frikken-men! So spot on!

[@jclev99]

Im not great as he, but somewhat relate to every word this man's said

[@swilhelm3180]

"Free from your technique".....Brilliant!

[@fiddlefolk]

a musician's musician! The guitar just happens to be his instrument! Very tasteful player!

[@mqblues]

As a guitarist/ bassist I agree with Robben on his approach to practicing. concentrate on basic picking techniques; slow use of scales. I also practice arpeggios -- and I try to get the sounds into muscle- memory for the gig or song I'm working on. Improving technique through practice regimens should have as the ultimate goal to help make your musical voice clear.

[@fvcostanzo]

Exactly. The idea is to have enough technique to make the music/song sound the way you want, not to work toward technique alone as a goal... otherwise you sound like Steve Vai - tremendous technique, but it's not music.

[@afonsosousa2684]

+Frank Costanzo Steve Vai is a genius composer and an extremely expressive player. Listen to Lotus Feet, Gentle Ways or Windows to the Soul and tell me it's not music.

[@georgeeldridge7954]

Afonso Sousa he just replicates other guitarists too well.

[@xspector8]

It's curious and I think unfortunate in many ways that electric guitarists draw such a distinction between "practising" and "playing" their instrument. In classical music there is no such distinction. If a classical musician plays for 4 hours then they say they have done 4 hours practise. This distinction leads to confusion when you hear electric guitarists claiming that they never practise when in fact they practise all day. They play music and enjoy the experience so they don't consider it practise but in the wider world of music (and the one that has been around the longer) that is what practise is; to explore your instrument and your own musicianship.

[@henrystrom5470]

I think the reason many players tend to make that distinction is the difference between playing with an intended goal in mind other than simply playing for fun, versus playing solely to play, though you can still take much out of playing without an intended goal it just won't be something you are expecting to learn and it just comes. I think there is a distinction between the two, but either way you're getting the experience which is what you want, but in my opinion it's the mindset a player has when he picks up his guitar that makes that distinction. I think whichever definition you have of it (playing/practising) doesn't matter. Whatever motivates you to play will differ person to person and I think that's partly why there are so many amazing and diverse musicians. :)

[@p6x2]

So true.... I play licks, because I practiced scales and licks, but I am totally inept at getting out of the patterns I learned....

[@tombstoneharrystudios584]

Wise words

[@tomshaddix8446]

Right on

[@hsuchieh1007]

well said!!!!

[@jclev99]

yes

[@bobritsky]

that true what he said..

[@zodiacbluesbaby]

Epiphone Riviera?

[@curtisbrown5728]

Yes, makes me think about the REAL reason I want to play guitar. Curtis Brown

[@zodiacbluesbaby]

A good Buddhist, he walks the middle way between music and technique.

[@adamrafferty]

100000000% right!

[@SIRONEDRAGON]

cool : )

[@mariowanagat1412]

Here we go, become a better musician not necessarily a better g player! He gave it away right there folks. I couldn’t agree more. I would put one on top and say, don’t play your guitar for other guitar players. Play it for everyone who can be bothered to listen to you at any given time.

[@jholtz9970]

"don’t play your guitar for other guitar players" - Bingo. That's it. That is all that needs to be said. Play for the music lovers who just want to hear great music.

[@e-gitarrenunterrichtkoln8930]

👌😊

[@jclev99]

I personally find Pat Metheny to be unlistenable to and Robben to be the one I most enjoy listening to. To each their own

[@Pedroguitarbr]

well, maybe you just chose some wrong metheny's songs. he has a vast compilation of different genres, it's almost impossible that you don't like him at all, as far as i know hahah

[@lasuey]

so he never sounds the same? sounds a little cocky

[@milegonzalolenguaprodanovi7661]

No entiendo ni un carajo!!!

[@MAP448]

So glad we can here you much better now. Ty to all who made this possible.