From time to time, all of us have experienced highs and lows as players. Some of us even like to think of certain times during our playing life as “peaks”. I find this can be a little scary, and maybe not such a good thing to do, as we never really know when out true “peaks” are, or if they may just be once again around the corner. Certainly, we can have creative peaks and valleys, which is probably what most of us are really remembering. Keeping up your playing “chops” is a truly important thing for anyone to stay in touch with as a musician, and there are many ways of doing this.
I know that one of my favorite ways to keep my chops up is to actually teach students, and to be challenged by quite advanced ones. This helps me “dig deeper” as a player, often in search of more challenging things to teach, and therefore to play. This results in so much creativity that I have come up with totally new songs, as well as riff ideas that really build up my physical, as well as creative “chops.” Practicing is essential, though I always refer to it as more like just “playing!” I can scarcely remember a time in my life when I considered myself as “practicing”. It seems to have a negative, “I don’t want to do it” kind of connotation, and for me it was always just “playing” that really mattered to me. It was something I HAD to do, as a developing player, who truly felt all my guitar endeavors were an art form!
Playing with others is key as well; since we must let other musicians push us in the right direction, and let them give us more structure to work with. I can recall a time when I was performing live on a very regular basis, recording almost every day and also teaching several hours a day. This was a time when it seemed like I was literally eating, breathing and sleeping the guitar, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was at one with my instrument, and so happy to be doing what I really loved to do, and excelled at for my living. All of this exposure to different musical forms and ideas was a constant stimulation to me, and it simply couldn’t help but raise my “chops” and general guitar ability to newer, and higher levels. I was always able to carry this feeling forward in my life, and in recent years, have continued a busy teaching schedule, as well as entering into a very prolific creative period. It seems as if I already am thinking three albums down the line when I’m finishing one, and always developing new ideas, song-wise and always looking for new material to interpret. This keeps my ideas fresh, and helps “push” my playing in new directions.
So, I must suggest to you that you try to achieve the same, and that you always play as much as possible, and in as many musical situations as possible, too. Challenge yourself, and certainly, please don’t feel too intimidated by new musical ideas and structures that are thrown at you. The fear factor will only serve to stifle your creativity, and you must really learn to feel “free” when it comes to opening yourself up to new ideas and concepts. Now, THAT will really build your chops in a “forever” way!