I Could Feel the Solo Before I Could Play It
What 2 years taught me about closing the gap between seeing, understanding, and hearing music
Last Thursday I was practicing a Dann Huff solo from Lou Gramm’s “Angel with a Dirty Face.”
It’s challenging and I’m still working on it.
But as I went through it, I was struck by how this would have been almost impossible 2 years ago.
Not that I couldn’t have done it. But this much clarity would have taken me way longer. I’m getting closer, and I can actually feel the progress.
2 years ago, I could have slowed it down to hear it, as I did with this. But I didn’t understand what Dann was doing to play it so effortlessly. It felt overwhelming. I would have left it at a slow tempo and never pursued it.
This time was different.
It’s challenging for sure. But I could see it more clearly. The technique. What I had to do physically to play the entire solo. It all made sense.
And because I understood what I was playing and how it connected to the harmony, even the fast runs made sense. My brain slowed it down.
I could feel what I was working towards.
Point is:
Deep familiarity turns what you know into musical expression.
But grinding reps alone won’t get you there. Your mind has to make those connections on its own, and listening is a large part of what makes that happen.
What continues to shift for me is this: I can see the fretboard. I understand the harmony. But taking the time to allow my mind and ear to connect them to the music brings clarity and confidence.
That’s why I started DeepFrets, to train that exact skill. Freteleven’s new podcast.
Every week, we go over music concepts, songs, and ideas that is audio only. No tab. No video. Just training your mind and ear to connect what you hear to what’s under your fingers.
Episode 3 comes out this week.
If you want to close that gap between seeing, understanding, and hearing, join the paid subscription and check it out: