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When I teach guitar students about the 12-bar blues progression, which student do you think is going to memorize the 12-bar chord progression more quickly… Student A who I gave this information? I IV I I IV IV I I V IV I V Or student B who I give this information? I IV I I IV IV I I V IV I V In both instances, the information is exactly the same: 1)12 roman numerals (these numbers represent the chords you use to play blues: the 1st, 4th and 5th chord of the chosen scale/key) 2)In exactly the same order. (This if also called the “blues form” or “12-bar blues”) Yet one student is going to memorize this much more quickly than the other. This comes to showcase the amazing advantages one gets from grouping information. The 2nd student, who I present the chord progression to as 3 lines of information, is going to spend much less time, energy and brain power memorizing the information than student A. It “feels” like less information when the info it is presented as three lines: making it seem as there are only 3 pieces of info. To student A, the chord progression feels like a long series of 12 separate pieces of information that is cumbersome to memorize. One area where guitar students would benefit tremendously from grouping info, is reading (and playing) rhythms. More often than not, guitar students tend to waste a lot of time and progress when figuring out strum patterns and rhythms to songs. (Very often with frustration as a result). The reason for a student getting stuck in figuring out or in being able to play strum patterns, is almost always that they neglect to break the rhythm apart into smaller, more easily digestible parts. As an example: the strum rhythm at 20 secs into the Cat Stevens song “If You Want To Sing Out Sing Out”, halfway the 1st verse). Down Up Down Up Down Up Up Up Down Up Up Down Takes students much longer to pull off and remember than when the rhythm is presented like this: Down Up Down Up Down Up Up Up Down Up Up Down It is much easier to memorize and play 3 small groupings of 3-4 pieces of information, than it is to memorize 10 pieces of info. It is also easier to see reoccurring patterns when you break things down into smaller sections. If you find it challenging to figure out, learn or play certain rhythms in songs you are learning: use the above tips to your advantage. You should see instant strong improvement in your rhythmic abilities and in the time it takes you to learn anything new. Vreny, is a patient and an enthusiastic teacher in California. With 17 years of teaching experience, he offers the best guitar lessons in California. His life's goal has been to make the world a fun place to live in, sharing his love for music through education.
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