Learn Guitar Faster by Hacking Sport Science Research

Summary

In this video, the host shares their experience improving guitar picking skills by applying sports science techniques to musical practice. Over five days, they focused on four exercises: tremolo technique, sweet picking, a descending scale, and a pentatonic pattern. Drawing insights from studies on Gaelic football players, surgeons, and hockey players, the host emphasizes the importance of deliberate practice on weaknesses, interleaving techniques, and prioritizing speed over accuracy for faster skill development. The summary of their practice plan includes chunking and chaining notes at speed, randomizing practice order, and targeting specific areas for improvement.

Takeaways

• 🎸 The speaker is a fingerstyle guitarist who wants to improve their picking skills.
• 📚 They have been reading sports science articles to find effective practice techniques.
• 🌟 The first takeaway is focusing on weaknesses rather than strengths for more efficient practice.
• 🔄 The second takeaway is the benefit of interleaved practice over blocked practice for skill improvement.
• ⚽ The third takeaway is that focusing on speed can improve accuracy later on, as seen in hockey players' training.
• 🎼 The speaker applied these concepts to four specific guitar exercises: tremolo technique, sweet picking, a four-note scale, and a pentatonic circling pattern.
• 📝 They created a practice plan with chunking and chaining techniques, focusing on playing at speed early in the learning process.
• 🎼 The practice sessions were structured with random ordering and timed segments to work on different exercises.
• 📈 The speaker documented their progress in a notebook, emphasizing the importance of deliberate practice planning.
• 🚀 They experienced noticeable progress in just five days and expect to continue improving with consistent practice.
• 🎉 The ultimate goal is to incorporate these improved picking skills into live performances in the new year.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to share the progress and techniques used by the speaker to improve their picking skills on the guitar, particularly focusing on fingerstyle techniques and applying sports science principles to musical practice.

What is the speaker's background in music?

The speaker is a fingerstyle guitarist by background, implying that they primarily play the guitar using their fingers rather than a pick.

What are the four specific picking techniques the speaker worked on during the five-day period?

The four picking techniques the speaker worked on are: 1) Tremolo technique using a simple lick from 'Highway Star' by Ritchie Blackmore, 2) Sweet picking with a fauna arpeggio, 3) Descending four notes over three notes per string scale, and 4) A four-note pentatonic circling pattern.

How did the speaker integrate sports science into their practice routine?

The speaker integrated sports science into their practice routine by reading articles on training techniques used by elite athletes and applying similar principles such as focusing on weaknesses, using interleaved practice, and prioritizing speed over accuracy initially.

What is the concept of 'interleaving' in the context of the script?

In the context of the script, 'interleaving' refers to the practice of mixing different skills or exercises in a random order during training, as opposed to focusing on a single skill for an extended period, which has been shown to improve learning efficiency.

What did the first study on Gaelic football players reveal about their practice approach?

The first study revealed that elite Gaelic football players made more significant improvements than intermediate players, largely due to their more efficient practice planning. Elite players focused more on their weaknesses and were more deliberate and random in their practice approach.

What was the key takeaway from the study on surgical skill training?

The key takeaway from the surgical skill training study was that the group that used an interleaved approach to training improved more than the group that used a blocked approach, suggesting that interleaving is an efficient way to learn complex skills.

How did the hockey study influence the speaker's approach to practicing guitar picking speed and accuracy?

The hockey study, which showed that focusing on speed first could later improve accuracy, influenced the speaker to practice guitar picking at the desired speed from the beginning, using techniques like chunking and chaining to gradually build up speed and accuracy.

What is the 'chunking and chaining' technique mentioned in the script?

The 'chunking and chaining' technique involves breaking down a complex sequence into smaller, manageable chunks, practicing each chunk until it can be played at the desired speed, and then gradually chaining these chunks together to play the entire sequence.

How did the speaker structure their practice sessions based on the studies?

The speaker structured their practice sessions into fine-grained segments, focusing on weak areas, and using the interleaved approach by changing the order of exercises each time. They also implemented chunking and chaining to build up speed and accuracy.

What was the speaker's overall assessment of their progress after the five-day practice period?

The speaker felt that they made decent progress in a short period of five days and expected to continue improving with consistent practice, with the goal of incorporating these techniques into their gigs in the new year.