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Mark Whetzel suggests ways to get through those

"non-creative" times.

It’s sometimes said that artists are like vessels. They fill with ideas and then empty with periods of creativity. What do we do when we’re empty and waiting to be filled? These periods provide us with great opportunities to work on other aspects of our playing. Here are a few things that I have found to be helpful to guitar players who are looking for ways to improve their playing that perhaps may even lead to new areas of creativity.

Remember those great classical guitarists? The benefits of studying some classical guitar are too numerous to list. First, it will do wonders for your technique. For example, sometimes it’s difficult to tell if all of the notes in a chord are ringing clearly when you strum. Playing the notes of a chord individually (as many classical studies require) will cause you to examine your left-hand positioning in a brand-new way. Is your left-hand thumb positioned correctly? Are you playing on the tips of your fingers? You will also be exposed to new finger-picking patterns that you may be able to incorporate into your own songwriting. Don’t read music? No problem. Lots of classical guitar music is now available in tab. Guiliani, Carcassi, and Carulli are some of the composers to look for if you’re just starting to explore classical guitar.

You may also find that you learn some new chord voicings from the classical pieces you study. Below are some chords from a Leo Brouwer study that I often assign students:

Is it necessary to know that one of these chords is an A6,9 or a Dm6,9/A? Probably not. Are they cool voicings that might give you ideas for you own songs? Absolutely!

If you learn enough classical pieces you may even be able to pick up some extra gigs at restaurants or perhaps even weddings. But why stop there? You could also study some fingerstyle acoustic players. The technique is similar and the pieces will probably sound a bit more contemporary. Plus you may also learn some very useful open tunings that you were previously unaware of. There are so many great fingerstyle acoustic players today that it’s hard to list just a few, but Pierre Bensusan and Peter Huttlinger are two popular players worth checking out.

Finding the Chords

After you’ve learned a few classical pieces, you may start to notice a few things. Why does a prelude in A minor often have E7 chords? Why does another piece in G major use D7, C and Em chords? Perhaps you’re looking for a particular sound for one of your own songs and your favorite chords aren’t cutting it. We’ve all had difficulty at one point or another, trying to figure out the chords to a particular tune.

Having difficulty finding the right chords for a melody you came up with? Perhaps you want to revitalize an old tune with new chords. Learning some theory can provide some answers. Maybe you have questions about chord construction. What’s the difference between C9 and Cadd9? You may also find it easier to remember new chord voicings if you understand why certain notes make up a particular chord.

Learn to Read

It may have occurred to you that studying classical guitar and learning music theory would be a lot easier if you could only read music. Most guitarists go through their musical lives without ever becoming proficient at reading music. Some worry that learning too much about music in general will interfere with their creativity. There are countless stories of great musicians who never learned to read music.

I personally feel that anything that improves your overall musical comprehension can only be positive. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you choose to learn to read music. First, the goal is not necessarily to become a studio guitarist who can read anything put in front of you. It’s more important to become proficient enough thoroughly understand how chords and scales are constructed and the relationship between the two. If nothing else, learning to read will help you to learn the notes on the fingerboard even if you continue to have difficulty reading standard music notation on a staff. Practicing to read music is better done initially by working for short periods of time on a consistent (daily) basis. Working on it once a week will probably only lead to frustration as you become overwhelmed trying to remember the notes and read the rhythms.

It’s also important to listen to new artists, learn different songs, and search for other means of creative inspiration and to work on fundamentals in order to broaden your musical base. This will help keep your musical development on track even when you’re not sure where the next original song is going to come from.

How realistic is your pursuit of success in the music industry? It depends on your passion and expectations.