Zen Guitar and Rock Spirituality

When you take the path of Rock Spirituality you take the Invisible Path. Rock Spirituality and Zen Guitar is about what cannot be seen. What cannot be seen should not be denied for what can be seen however. The two work together, and are apart of a larger whole.

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The lowest note of the scale is next to the last note. Both work together like your systems within your body. Zen works with the Guitar but Zen is not always Guitar. What you see on the surface is the result of what's happening underneath , in the roots. The timing, rhythm, technique, and structure of music is but a reflection of your timing, rhythm, technique, and structure in every day life. You approach an art in the way you approach any event in the day. Whether your aware of this or not. If you always learn things out of order you will probably learn music out of order, if you learn hard things first and easy stuff later its probably how you handle things in daily living. It is the path you take that is invisible to every one but you, if you only make the choice to see it. Zen Guitar cannot be expressed in a sentence, nor is it something you hold in your hand. Zen is the "Spirit" of Guitar.

The ripples in the pond may appear different but they all come from the same pebble that started it all. Music and Zen have something in common with most of there practitioners. In both the student of the way almost always try to understand it from an intellectual point of view. You can become knowledgeable about guitar you can learn all your scales, chords, progressions, and you can dissect things up and label them with appropriate numbers and letters, but you still won't understand what it feels like to play. Zen Guitar takes us to the feeling and Emotion behind what we play. A Man who is one with Zen Guitar should be humbled by their abilities.

Zen Guitar and Rock Spirituality teaches us that when you study one art you study many arts. Let other arts inspire you to do your own. A painter is an artist just like the Martial Artist and just like the muscian. The only thing that differs is form, what moves them is the same thing. All forms must be differnt no to blades of grass are exactly the same, even identical twins are not 100% identical although it can appear to be that way. Martial Arts, painting,weightlifting,music,whatever. It doesn't matter, learn to see the interconnectivity of it all. When you lift weights you craft your body into something stronger that it was not before. With Music you hone your techniques and become faster. The painter must be gentle with the brush and must learn great control. The shredder must learn to soften his playing and control his shredding so his shredding doesn't control him. Carfeul not to oversalt your tasty dish of rock. Shredding too much can be like pouring a gallon of choclate syrup over a scoop of ice cream. Some people will like it but most will just get a headache.

Maybe your a musician and you are growing BORED with your instrument or maybe you think it's going to take you a long time to get better. I assure you that if you supplement your practice with similar activities you can rock harder and faster. You can create new passions that "live deep within your loins, like a flaming golden hawk"

If you have not already read the Rock Warrior's Guitar Hero Guitar Impact article I suggest you do so. It's outlines many ways to supplement your practice with guitar hero. You can use a pick instead of your fingers or you can "walk the dog" by playing it like a bass. If your lucky enough to have rock band making use of the tapping will surely help your timing and tapping accuracy. The strength you build in your hand will be enough for you to play guitar and break with guitar hero and go play more guitar. If a body builder always lifted weights and never rested than he would stop building muscle because his body has no time to repair it. It's the same with music. Play guitar hero or rock band when you feel you need a break from guitar.

Guitar Pro and Riffmaster are awesome ways to improve your playing! They both have the capabilty music down. Guitar Pro is Guitar Tab/Notation software that allows you to tab out all your riffs and play them back in WAV or MIDI so you can jam to your own songs. Ultimate-Guitar has the biggest archive of Guitar Pro Tabs if you want to download other artists. You can cut your learning time in half by being able to slow down really hard parts and building up your speed. This is how Riffmaster functions as well. You can slow down actual CD's without changing the pitch. Riffmaster is good if you already know how to play the song in question guitar pro is better if you want to learn other peoples songs or play your own.

If you wish to become a better Rocker than study other instruments. Zen transcends just Guitar and can be found in any instrument even the voice. Guitar players will play better guitar if they know how to keep timing with drums. Fingerpicking guitarists will find their right hand becoming stronger by learning fingerpicking bass. Use whatever means necessary to supplement your rocking. Even if you can't get different instruments learn a different style within your own. Studying another style might as well be studying a different instrument. If you have never put your pick down and used your fingers than your missing out on a whole other world of playing. If you've never learned some sweep picking than maybe fingerpicking should take a rest. Maybe your good at both but you never use chicken pickin, which is basically the hybrid of both. Zen Guitar is about creativity. If your the lord of tapping maybe you should practice cross hand tapping. Try to think of moves that will supplement the ones where you have grown stale.

If you are world champion of guitar and you think you can shred amongst the likes of: Malmsteen, Petrucci, Mustaine, Becker, Morse, Friedman, Clapton, Hendrix, Gilbert, Meola, Moore, Vai, Satriani, MacAlpine, Lynch and so many countless others, then perhaps you should flip your guitar over and learn to play all over again. Learning how to play all over again returns you to the beginners mind of not being able to play at all. Zen Guitar can start anew if you choose. At first it will be frustrating because it's hard and your knowledge of how to play guitar will make you want to flip it back to normal. If you really want to become a well rounded guitar player than know what it's like to put your hands on a guitar in any position. Learn behind your neck, with your teeth, with your feet, upside down, overhand, with your fingernails,etc. Don't let their be a limitation to how you play. Zen is about everything and about nothing. It's about the beginners first step and having an empty cup. In Zen they teach your cup is full if you have a head full of preconceived notions. All notions should be dropped and the cup should be emptied.

The Rocker rocks but the musician doesn't always rock. The Rocker is a Warrior of Rock. There is also a Zen to rocking out. It must be dynamic and full of energy just like Zen Guitar. Many of the greatest players seem to lose control as they become one with the music. Something takes over and they do wild things that are both entertaining to watch and fun to partake in. From Running around like a chicken with it's head cut off to setting your guitar on fire, rocking out is an art form that enhances musics power. I'm not saying the Zen to being a Rocker means you have to go crazy but rather rocking out is an art form all it's own. It is your choice whether you wish to take this route. Zen Guitar and Rock Spirituality teaches us to let the music take us over and not the other way around. Zen guitar is not about us controlling music and choosing where to go, but rather Zen Guitar is about be wise about where one is at. So Practice your head bangs, power stances, overhand moves, etc. all moves most people consider flashy with no substance are actually an art form all by itself. It's produced by the music itself, and control's the player. Let your music control you and let the art flow out in whatever extreme rocking method you can think of. Be creative and think of your own moves and ideas. Most importantly be careful not to hurt others or yourself. Doing something wild for the sake of the ego can be embarassing for everyone. Instead let it come out naturally and do not force it. This is the Way of Zen guitar, This is the Way of The Rock Warrior, and This is the Way of Rock Spirituality.