Uncover the Secrets of the Guitarist’s Mind! Ever wondered what thoughts run through the minds of shredders and Bebop masters while they play? Is it mathematical precision or a symphony of colors? We embarked on a journey to discover the truth and what we found was truly enlightening. Read on for the inside scoop on the artistic and analytical side of guitar playing.
Guitar playing engages both the analytical and artistic parts of the brain. Scientific studies show that guitarists use both the left hemisphere’s analytic and mathematical abilities, as well as the right hemisphere’s artistic and emotional skills while playing guitar.
We delved into the inner workings of guitar playing from all angles, gathering insights from professional players, examining music learning psychology, and exploring scientific research. The results are fascinating and may inspire you to pick up the guitar yourself.
The Guitar Player’s Brain
Thanks to advancements in technology, neuroscientists are now able to delve into the inner workings of a musician’s brain while they perform. By observing brain activity, they’ve discovered that a concert of mental activity takes place within a musician’s mind while they play their instrument, even if they appear to be calm and composed on the outside.
When engaging in activities like reading, solving math problems, or participating in non-musical art forms like painting or filming, our brain utilizes specific areas corresponding to the task. However, listening to music sets off a heightened response in the brain, with multiple regions simultaneously being activated.
Playing vs. Listening to Music
When researchers shifted from studying the brain activity of music listeners to musicians, they discovered that the heightened brain activity transforms into a complex interplay, with multiple regions of the brain actively and simultaneously processing information.
Compared to any other activity like sports or different types of art, playing a musical instrument engages almost every brain area simultaneously, especially the motor, visual, and auditory. This unusual brain workout is unique to playing music! Listening and especially playing music was also proven to help with neurological issues and diseases.
The Brain-Enhancing Effects of Playing the Guitar
Guitar playing can positively impact cognitive abilities, according to research. Regular and structured practice helps improve specific brain functions. Engaging in a period of music learning offers a range of benefits and can enhance skills transferable to other activities.
Music-making, as opposed to just listening, engages both hemispheres of the brain, using fine motor skills while integrating left-hemisphere skills like analytics and mathematics with right-hemisphere skills like artistry and creativity. The result is increased activity in the Corpus Callosum, the brain’s connection between hemispheres, leading to improved information flow and greater diversity in brain pathways.
The Guitarist’s Brain Upgrade
Music-making can boost problem-solving skills, resulting in more efficient and creative solutions. Creating music involves analyzing emotions and using cognitive and logical thinking, leading to higher executive skills such as effective planning, strategizing, and meticulous analysis. So not only will you be creating beautiful tunes, but your brain will be soaring to new heights!
Musicians also benefit from an improved memory system, which allows for more efficient creation, storage, and retrieval of memories. They tend to add multiple tags to memories, providing more pathways to access specific information.
Music vs. Other Activities: What Sets it Apart?
Scientists have investigated the question of whether the cognitive benefits seen in musicians are unique to music or if they simply reflect preexisting differences in intelligence or aptitude. To answer this, they conducted a study with a control group of individuals with similar cognitive processing and neural abilities.
Half of the group was exposed to a period of music learning, while the other half was not. The results showed that the group exposed to music learning exhibited enhancements in multiple brain areas compared to the control group. This supports the conclusion that the benefits of music-making are unique and not simply due to preexisting differences in ability or intelligence.
Pro Guitarist Thoughts: Two Perspectives, One Guitar
The Formulated Thought Process in the Left Hemisphere
The cognitive process of a professional guitar player encompasses both technical and technological aspects of playing. Technical knowledge, such as which scales, chords, and playing techniques to use, is integrated with the operation of musical equipment, like deciding which pedal to use, selecting pickup mode, or resolving sound issues. This logical thinking is located in the left hemisphere of the brain.
The Emotional and Artistic Right Hemisphere
This artistic part of the guitarist’s thought process is a little difficult to articulate as it relies more on emotions and feelings rather than practical thinking. This is the creative, expressive side of the brain that conveys emotions and determines the mood and emotion in a musical performance. There are no specific guidelines or boundaries in this aspect of music-making; it is simply a matter of personal expression and capturing the emotions and feelings of the moment.
Practicing vs. Rehearsing vs. Performing
The focus of a guitar player’s thoughts can vary greatly depending on whether they are practicing alone at home, rehearsing with a band, or performing. Different conditions in each scenario guide their thought process in a unique direction.
Practicing
When practicing alone at home, guitar players often have the opportunity to focus on specific and intricate aspects of their playing without considering the overall performance. For instance, a player might spend hours honing their right-hand alternate picking technique, focusing solely on the micro-movements and timing of each string.
Understanding the Four Stages of Competence in Learning Psychology
- Unconscious-Incompetent: The initial stage of learning where one is unaware of their own incompetence.
- Conscious-Incompetent: Recognition of incompetence and the realization of the need to improve.
- Conscious-Competent: Understanding how to do something and actively processing acquired information.
- Unconscious-Competent: The final stage of learning where one is able to perform a skill effortlessly without much thought.
Rehearsing
When rehearsing, there are multiple factors to consider, including the composition, the other musicians in the band, and your role in the ensemble. Despite the controlled setting, the main focus should be on ensuring the guitar fits in with the musical composition and the overall sound of the piece being performed.
Performing
In live performances, the thought process of a performer can change depending on their familiarity with the specific show. The high-stakes environment, where only one chance to play each song is given, shifts the focus from fine-tuning the guitar part to ensuring flawless overall execution of the performance.
When performing new material, a professional guitar player’s mind is always busy with what comes next. This mental preparation helps them predict the upcoming segment while playing the current one.
When a show has been rehearsed and performed multiple times, the mental state of the pro guitarist becomes much more relaxed. The prediction of upcoming parts happens naturally and intuitively rather than through an active thought process. This relaxed state allows musicians to focus on the emotions and sound they want to convey, making the performance experience much more enjoyable for both the player and the listener.
Reading music vs. Improvising and Playing from Memory
The thought process and mental state experienced while playing music can vary depending on the approach used, whether it be reading sheet music, improvising, or playing from memory.
Reading
When reading sheet music, it is similar to reading a foreign language. A portion of the process is automatic, while another part requires active thought. For instance, a skilled guitar player will actively anticipate upcoming notes or chords while playing the current section, avoiding surprises such as unexpected chords or musical breaks. Simultaneously, their fingers will instinctively find the correct position as they read each note or chord through their intuitive understanding.
Improvising
The thought process behind improvising music is more creative in nature, but still requires some level of analytical thinking, based on the piece’s intricacy and the musician’s proficiency. Improvising is similar to speaking, where you focus on conveying the overall message rather than each individual word. Like speaking, an experienced musician knows how to use various musical phrases, chord progressions, and sounds to express a particular emotion.
Playing from Memory
Playing from memory is the ideal state for live performance. When a piece of music has been fully internalized, the musician is able to fully immerse themselves in the music and interact with both the band and the audience. The need for conscious thought and effort is greatly reduced, allowing the hands to move instinctively to the correct position.
The Unbelievable Story of Pat Martino
Pat Martino is a renowned Jazz guitarist who was born in Philadelphia in 1944. Despite being a highly regarded musician in the Jazz community, he is not widely known among the general public. He has earned the title of “the most influential Jazz guitar player of the 60s” and is widely respected by other famous Jazz guitarists such as George Benson and John Abercrombie.
Aside from his musical achievements, Pat also has a fascinating medical history. He underwent a left temporal lobectomy due to a brain tumor, which caused him to lose nearly all of his musical abilities, including playing the guitar. However, he managed to recover his musical skills and returned to his former virtuoso status. His medical journey was documented and showed a remarkable degree of memory recovery.
