Rotation, Rotation, Rotation.

Every chord, you play, every progression, every rhythm has one thing in common that is overlooked and not thought about enough. That one thing is rotation. Not repetition. But rotation.

Today's lesson is meant to put your playing and music in general into a whole new perspective.  When you apply this train of thought to your everyday playing routine, you will find that the rhythmic elements of your playing are more consistent and controllable.

Now, let's dive in.

This Technique Has Only Two Steps!

Because the technique of rotation only contains two steps, that means it is super simple to remember and super simple to implement.  Let me show you what I mean!

Step 1: Choose one starting chord.  I would suggest starting with either C Major or D Major.  Begin to pick each note in the chord individually over and over again.  What you should notice is that, built into the chord itself, is a repeating pattern of notes that can be used in any combination and at any speed.  Begin to think of and look at it this way, "You and your pick only have those notes to work with, and that's it!"  This is a form of limitation that automatically assigns a group of notes to you based on the chord you choose, which means that the only thing you have to do is enjoy playing rhythmically and dynamically with them.  Think of yourself as one of those old school player pianos that play themselves.  The music is already laid out for you in the chord and all you have to do is play it.  In a sense, you have automated your music playing and seriously cut down on your odds of having hiccups in your playing.

Step 2:  Choose your chord progression.  Once you feel comfortable doing this with one chord, go ahead and do the same thing you are already doing, but begin to change chords back and forth.  You can choose any and as many chords as you want and you can even mix and match them in whatever way you choose as long as the flow is consistent.  What is now happening is you are taking that initial idea of rotation and applying even more structure to what was already an efficient process.  That's all there is to it!

Keep This In Mind!

What I am teaching you is a form of limitation that you can and should implement whenever you want to and whenever you need to.  In fact, I would even go so far as to say you should always be implementing this form of limitation.  You have probably heard me say this before, but limitation is your best friend when it comes to music!  It's the best way to tame and put clothes onto the creative process.  When you impose limits you improve efficiency and productivity.  If you are a songwriter, then this means you can structure your creative process effectively and churn out finished products faster.

Now, notice that I told you to limit yourself, but I did NOT say "don't stretch your limits."  Feel free to add more chords, change the rhythm to the rotation itself, build out entire song sections, etc.  Think of those initial chords notes as if you were the coach of a Baseball team and you are filling out the starting lineup.  You can bring in notes as if they were pinch hitters whenever you want, but the flow of the game is still going to maintain its flow.    And just like the pitcher, at least back in the old days, you control the flow of the game!

I Truly Want You To Be The Best Musician You Can Possibly Be!

I hope you have a wonderful week!  I hope you get something out of these lessons and I hope you understand that every lesson, blog post, email, social media post, or video I create is truly meant to instruct you in the best way possible and give the highest quality information I can.  I know what it's like to listen to someone teach what you want to learn and at the end you feel like you still don't have the full story!  I hope that is never something you experience with my content and I truly want to give you a complete picture and a straightforward path to becoming the best musician you can possibly be!  Seriously!  If you have questions, or something guitar or music related that you want to know more about, you can ALWAYS reach out to me by replying to an email, or looking up musicians pathway on any of the major social media platforms and DM me or leave a comment on a post and I will do my absolute best to answer it.  God Bless You and Stay Safe!