How to practice guitar: Play very slow | Tal Wilkenfeld and Lex Fridman
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- Опубликовано: 12 янв 2024
- Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: • Tal Wilkenfeld: Music,...
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GUEST BIO:
Tal Wilkenfeld is a singer-songwriter, bassist, and guitarist. She has performed with legendary artists including Jeff Beck, Prince, Incubus, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and many more.
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Full podcast episode: ruclips.net/video/9qfwPv7clEw/видео.html
Lex Fridman podcast channel: ruclips.net/user/lexfridman
Guest bio: Tal Wilkenfeld is a singer-songwriter, bassist, and guitarist. She has performed with legendary artists including Jeff Beck, Prince, Incubus, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and many more.
Had a guitar teacher tell me “if you can’t play it slow you can’t play it fast.” Great advice!
thats true for some aspects of playing guitar, but certanly not for things like alternate picking
@@tommuller849 I think he was referring more to songs or phrases than to styles or techniques. You are certainly right about alternating picking. Although, before you blaze through a song alt picking or finger picking for that matter, I’ve always had to start slow and speed up.
Tit's just but one perspective... other people will emphasize other things...listen, then pursue your own objectives...you can then teach what you've discovered
Funny thing is the fastest player ever says the opposite lol. Learn a lick slow yes, but then practice it at a speed way too fast for yourself, that way you avoid the barrier of muscle memory.
Thing is: If you CAN play it slow, there is no guarantee that you can play it fast. Running isn't just walking at an ever faster pace. You need the intense attention to detail at slow tempos, but you also need to push. Sometimes, going faster - even to the point of messing up - is required to unlock higher speeds. In addition, some problems can ONLY be fixed at the target speed.
She nailed it. A lot of people treat music like a sport. Couldn’t agree more.
Yes. Either that or those card games where you trump the other with some aspect of your gear...
@@InaN0377 You must be speaking of the Dumbledork mafia.
.. like a competitive sport!
Man, I know that this is true and that one shouldn't see it this way.... but man, ever since I got into Holdsworth about 6 years ago, I've been ruined. It's like there really is no point. I'll never come anywhere near that level of musicality and sublime beauty, so why bother?
@@lex.cordis I don’t get Holdsworth at all. What am I missing? Seriously, Eddie idolized him.
Always loved Tal's playing. Her gigs with maestro Jeff Beck are legendary.
It's easy to imagine Tal thinking of her playing / connection with Jeff as one of those times when being in the presence of greatness transfers in some way.
I had piano lessons with the keys player on those gigs, Jason Rebello - great guy
you hipsters sound so hipster it's disgusting
I’ve been doing Taichi for a couple of decades and agree with this a lot. Slowing the movements way down - down to the slowest pace you can find - deepens the connectivity of awareness through the movement. Everything smoothes out - no jerky motions, very clean transitions from one movement to the next, etc. The smoothness and fluidity also translates into the movements in painting, or any other art form you happen to be into. A very deep practice.
So true.
If you can’t play really slowly with good time then it’s extremely hard to execute playing fast with clarity and finesse.
Does this apply when you stroke your wiener?
Holy cow man. That was INTERESTING
I see this applying during the training of Jiu Jitsu ✍🏽
I studied tai chi as well, and aikido, so I get it, you're so right.
I'm now 63 and only had one Mentor early on. Until about 5 years ago, I was stuck from where I started. Thanks to RUclips, the clouds parted, and the angels sang because I was able to understand so much more...
That's been alot of us. Amen !!
I’ve not heard her being interviewed before, she is so cool and full of wisdom.
What an amazing woman. She combines technical excellence with a deep emotional understanding.
A true Zen master of bass.
Lex is the best. Subtle, thoughtful - and you can see he’s listening to everything his guests say. He lets them guide the conversational journey in such a way that really lets us understand the thoughts of his guests
Very lucky to see Tal live recently… incredible talent and as cool as it gets. I’ll be stuck in the boring phase for the rest of my life but hopefully I get a better appreciation for real musicianship through my own struggles. Time to slow it right down… thanks Tal!
In a very strange way… You are the instrument. Allow yourself to be played by music.
I started trying to play guitar when I was 13 in 1980, where I lived there was no one to teach me, watch or learn from, I knew nothing but very, very gradually taught myself some stuff. After about 18 years I gave up because I wasn't satisfied with my playing, my progress and my understanding - I was still grasping at straws. Since then the internet and in particular the fantastic resource that is RUclips has become so incredibly useful as a guide and teacher, Tal is entirely correct in this. At the age of 57 I'm going to get myself another guitar and learn to play again. I'm sure there are many like me around the world who have similar story, we are not natural musicians, we sweat our learning - it is a real effort and continuous disappointment (especially if we compare ourselves to others) trying to get the knowledge and skills but, persevere brothers and sisters and you will get to a point where it might actually 'click' - the journey there should be the fun part ;-)
It was Jeff Beck's concert with Tal at Ronnie Scott's when they played 'Where were you?' that I decided to return to guitar - I'm also tempted by bass and slightly left field, Northumbrian pipes.
Yo Play with others thats The Magic
Tal's technical ability and musical talent are unmistakable, and yet her introspection and intuitive sense of how the best creative expression comes from the emotional center takes her to another whole level....a 50 year musician, humbly bowing....thanks for this interview, Lex.
Two LOVELY SOULS riffing 💃🕺 this might be my favourite and most inspiring Lex clip EVER!!! Thank you Tal and Lex 🙏🏽
This video comes at such a great time for me. I have been recovering from tendinitis and just getting back to holding my guitar and I find myself just going through basics really slowly, my position angles, posture, etc... I also see parallels between this discussion and the practice of Thaichi. There is so much going in every movement that the only way to do it correctly is to really slow down.
Be patient-don’t want a re-injury. I hurt my finger once and couldn’t play(piano), sure made me fall in love with the piano all over again. Made me appreciate everything. Good luck with your recovery❤❤
I received so much from this interview, what I needed to hear even if obvious-slow it down, feel it and don't overwhelm your senses when learning! Thanks!
She’s awesome. Amazing young woman. She learned music in a way that is not contained by one instrument. But undoubtedly very quickly an accomplished guitarist and bass guitarist of epic talented skill. We could say jeff beck gave her opportunities, but what she contributed for him was incredible. Bittersweet but so glad those performances are captured. Great unexpected interview. Thank you.
I've been playing piano and taking lessons for two years. She provides great advice so glad I listened to this.
Love her....first saw her playing with Jeff Beck. And she was so young, and so good.
Watching all your videos. . . Listening to the monotone comforting nature of your interviewing voice. Knowing that your purpose is of sincere genuineallity, so not a word. This interview, with this legend - Made my bucket list complete. Thanks
to the both of you ! Best, Gregory ❤
This was a lovely clip. I may watch the whole thing. Thank you
As far as I remember, that was the first piece of advice that could bring me back to the guitar.
I always wanted to learn it, but not so much that I really tried it.
This was a great interview, Lex. Tal is an amazing player. Thanks for posting this.
Perfect! Got a guitar AND a philosophy lesson simultaneously.
This is EPIC! She just changed my whole perspective of the way you should approach playing a song, chord, note in a song and what it can do and provide to a song.
An excellent choice for an interview. The chemistry and joy she shared with Jeff Beck was so obvious just watching those videos. I’ve no doubt Jeff had his pick of the best bassists in the world that would have jumped at the first opportunity to play with him, yet despite being a young girl, generations apart, he picked Tal. She and Jeff would convey visual emotions to each other, assuring they were both on the same page with their incredibly complex music. Sharing the stage with Jeff Beck, one the most unique guitar talents in music history, is an acknowledgement of her musical talent and instrumental prowess. I can’t fathom the pain the loss of Jeff had on her, but hopefully time heals wounds and her talent will keep shining.
She sounds like she was doing SNL Coffee Talk sketch.
She didn’t have that accent a few years ago, when she was doing interviews.
Lots of “oys.”
@@CorbCorbin oys?
She's wise , talented beautiful and so damn cool !!!.. What a gift , what a treasure
Lex, thanks for this! I’ve been enjoying your videos for quite a while, this is a great interview clip. As an older bass player, and wanna-be musician, I found this interview insightful and very helpful. ❤
Tal has such a good mind set not only for music but for life. Always nice to listen to someone at the top of their game.
Creative energy driving this conversation, awesome ❤
She's a rockstar! Slow everything down. Play from your center chakras. Music as heart opener and poetry.
I’ve played guitar for 25 years. Only this last year I started practicing playing from my heart, rather than learning already made arrangements. It’s made a huge difference to the feeling of playing music. Much more enjoyable, and other people enjoy it more too.
Slowing down can be a part of really learning how to execute the music perfectly, with just the right touch etc. Also there is so much music in just 1, 2, 3 or 4 notes, learning to hear the harmony of the movement, focusing on motifs etc. Really getting into the details can open so many doors in terms of musical understanding.
Beautiful thoughts. Thanks for sharing this interview
I’ve been watching and appreciating Tal’s career for some time. I have such a crush on her. So talented!
“Slow down” is the best advice anyone can mention. I have been playing guitar for over 15 years. I got a gig to play bass in a band and I have been looking at music at a different way. Slowing down and really paying attention to the backbone of all types of music. Rap and pop especially. Great information and video
Tal and Jeff Beck"s PBS Special HD is a must watch.
Thank you for the info 😊
Loved loved this. She is wonderful! Such a great interaction!
I loved this thanks !
Now that was a simple but deep interview with an artist wise beyond her years I won't soon forget.
Unbelievably she’s 38
Wow she looks 25, peace of mind and doing what you love really shows.@@andyhayman3077
@@andyhayman3077 37.
What a great insight! Love it.
I feel I’m in the intermediate phase of learning guitar even though I’ve been playing solo gigs for six years. I connected so much with this message to slow down. Im also getting into meditation and see the correlation! Thanks!!!
This woman is one of the most brilliant humans Lex has interviewed. Need to watch the full thing next
This was very important advice about slowing down completely and the reason. As a beginner thank you.
That something that transfers with someone in person I think might be similar to what I’ve experienced when watching live performances. This works best when you are up close and really focus on the playing expression. I think it has something to do with the vibe, the energy, and getting a sense of where is the playing coming from. Being in person gives you a much better sense of those things and feels like you’re soaking in it. At the very least it can inspire and give you a boost of motivation.
Having great mentors in person is not just about getting their tips. They listen to your playing and guide you.
I saw Tal play with Jeff Beck in Madrid about 18 years ago. What a talent!
The show I wish I went to was Jeff Beck with Tal in Sydney, 2009/10. I wasn't listening to Beck back then and only starting getting into him later that year when I saw Tal on an Aussie music TV quiz show. I went to YT to check them out and instantly regretted my failure to go!
What an amazing insightful video. Plenty of food for thought.
Truly beneficial insights! Thank you for sharing! 🙏
A truly insightful and inspiring discussion. Thank you. ❤ Alan
Wow, as a guitar player for decades who wants to get better and faster it seems like a very inspiring advice, thanks!
What a welcome oasis of brilliance and heart. Love it!
Thank you for this great advice.
Tal is so brilliantly insightful. She is a great artist.
Countless pearls of insight like this one are inside every one of the "greats", and I figure less than half of them have the energy or ability to express them to others so well.
Learning to be special on an instrument is not about making your hands obey. It's more about structuring your mind toward that goal of creation.
This is perfect Tal and Lex, thanks! I've been struggling trying to get The Leaving of Liverpool - The Pogues. Just C, F and G chords I think but getting my fingers built back up and able to do what I need them to do is challenging.
F is hard at first, but getting is the key to playing up and down the neck. Keep going
Slowing Down one's practicing is super great advice. I like when she said it is a spiritual expression. Ultimately, i feel that is what comes out when you are deeply merged with your instrument, and are feeling some passion.. Something else can take over,,,
I love this girl. Thank you Lex.
As a bloke that can hardly play cow bell I’d love to have her as a teacher
Great interview great Tal , thank you yes she has the spirit of rock and life
Although I do hope to still have living mentors in the room more often in my life,.. I am grateful for this deep transmission via YT.
Musical T'ai Chi! Going slow to go fast. Brilliant Tao & Lex!
I absolutely loved this interview as a hobbyist guitar player.
Of course she speaks of transcendence. Her playing certainly is and it had to get that way somehow. It's a good thing for all of us that she had such great mentors.
I was playing a long time before RUclips came around. RUclips can be a blessing and also a curse for guitar players. I was a "listen to music" and "teach myself" player. It's great that I can learn a lot on youtube. On the other hand it's harder to express yourself as an individual when there's so much judgement about different players. The lesson to be learned is to ignore the crowd and express yourself through your music. Awesome players like Tal and Tyler Cowen are great at encouraging you to refrain from comparisons and just create music.
That head/heart and creativity moment was insightful.
Also, Lex seems more subdued than he usually is.
Good stuff! I play Cajun Accordion. When some play it, all the songs sound the same. I want to be one of those that make each song have a distinct, unique character, feeling, and story. Her explanation is just what I need to hear.
It's nice to hear her emphasize slowing down. People have asked me for years how to get good at playing fast on the guitar, and my answer has always been exactly what she said. Go slow. Fast is slow. Play slow. Feel the notes. Feel the tone. Feel the atticulation..Go slow and speed will come on its own, but WITH all the feel of playing slow.
If you only play slow speed won't come on its own😢
@@HUGEFLYINGWHALEthe most constructive advice i heard was from the guitarist in obscura, he recommends practicing slow with bursts of intense speed. i agree with you that you have to practice fast to be able to play fast, well - i don't get why the "play slow to play fast" thing is so common and popular - practicing slow is good for all practice in general, but if you have the basics down and want to build speed - alot of repetition and increasing speed gradually with a metronome is where it's at.
@@HUGEFLYINGWHALE Yes, it does. It's worked like a charm. It's the crawl, walk, run progression. If you just sit down and try to play fast it ain't gonna work. You find the nuances, the feel and the cadence by slowing it down. Perfect example..."I'm the One" by Van Halen. Slow that down to 50% speed and listen to it. You hear subtle articulation, nuances, rhythms and picking that you don't really lock onto hearing it at full-speed. But, when you try and play it, it never sounds right and you can't figure out why. Because those details are what make the song, and they were missed because they were hidden in the speed, but made the song. First time I heard it slowed down was a revelation and I started from scratch. It took ages. But, it worked. Play the parts hundreds of times, thousands of times, slowly. Eventually the fingers want to fly, and"BOOM".
@@e.l.norton crawl walk run progression?
If you only walk your whole life you won't get better at running
@@HUGEFLYINGWHALE That's exactly the fucking point. Play slooooooooow...crawl. Then, eventually....your fingers WILL start walking, and then running on their own. Get it? Get it? Or, are pictures needed?
Wow, you really make me want to test this out.
Oh Tal....An old soul in a young'ins
Body😂 Your resume speaks for itself 👏 but your heart eloquently, along with your experience, is a breath of fresh air in a musical world of mediocrety. Thanks young lady for the valuble insight 🙏
Lex is wicked smart. Asks great questions
The wisdom of this lady is just mindblowing
Great advice thanks !!!
Great advice. Thanks.
What a talent, and what a great choice for an interview! The depth with which musicians at this level understand the big picture is incredible to me - check Pat Metheny's neuroscience interview.
And slow down to go fast is a huge component. None better than Jeff Beck himself to demo the power of understanding the emotion in single notes. Give a listen to his lines in Roger Waters' Amused to Death to experience that.
Glad I got to see Tal first hand at the MIM in Phoenix several years ago. She's a "don't miss" event.
I simply love Pat Metheny
Hi Tall. I was born in 64, so you know what I grew up on, and ye Beck was the top, together with Larry Carlton, and more. I fried my memory with teen yrs. Still play and sing, its a different cup of tea, emotional Jewish music. I compensate for my memory failure by reading as I play, I sing along so that gives me an image of 1/2 job done, even so I keep that to myself, everyone are pleased, so I get by with that. Its good to hear for you, I love your performance, and keep it up - From Israel.
Tal has been amazing for a long time!
Bang on, great advice, meditation, music, almost inseparable. Seperate mantra for song,personally, I use the word jazz, to mentally sett, no matter the genre, magic
I love how she picks up the bass to explain her point.
I really enjoyed that Lex, thank you.
Recently saw Her play with The Allman/Betts Band in St Louis and She was AWESOME
Awesome!!! Thanknyou!
This is so true and it's applicable to any instrument, you have to play it very slow for a long time to be able to play good. I did an experiment and only played slow for a long period of time and when at the end I played at normal speed, the sound was unbelievable. Good advice she gave!
It's kinda both.
Slow yeah but you also need to do sprints beyond your speed.
If you only play slow you may do what I did and get to a point where the picking technique I was using simply wasn't suited for going any faster so I had to relearn how to pick.
@@mo-em1ke Maybe you're right, I studied piano like this and on piano you don't have many options it's either flat playing or standard and you can play fast with both. I also played guitar and I know on guitar there are many picking styles, just you need to choose the right one. Yeah, I don't think it's applicable to all picking styles.
That’s why I love flamenco music. All musical emotions are put in half a note difference.
Lex is accomplished at both guitar and BJJ. He will doubtlessly have heard a common saying across both which sums up Tal’s point - Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
Interesting discussion 😊. I play guitar and sing and make the best of my limited skills. I feel I’m very aware of my limitations but am able to have fun creatively.
Tal has such amazing wisdom for someone so young. There is no fluff. She is a bass philosopher.
she's 37 years old. toured the world. had a really big career for most of it, with some incredibly important people. i wouldn't say there is much 'young' aspect to her, except spirit and looks.
Been playing bass and guitar for more than a decade. From a technique standpoint, 'practice to a metronome and start slow and gradually build up speed' is basically the best advice. You become a sloppy player otherwise. You can still communicate through music while being a sloppy player, but your pallet becomes limited because you have to make the sloppiness work somehow. Unfortunately, I learned this pretty late on, and being a bit impatient and eager to get to the composing side, I picked up lots of bad habits in my playing and re-constructing them is a bit difficult.
Such a good interview!
She's cool. Never heard of her, now a fan. I've always known slowing down, but she explains a little more of what you can get out of doing so, besides just the memorization. Pocket baby.
I hope you two see more of each other. I sense something here. No pressure lol. ;)
She's brilliant. Yes!! Practice slowly and see how you can cock in to the note. It becomes a transcendental learning and sharing experience.
Makes sense! Ty
Tal’s playing with Jeff beck at ronnie Scott’s is some of the nicest bass you’ll ever hear
Tal is a legend!
If you look at playing a note like drawing a line, it has a lot in common with calligraphy. There is so much detail in every single stroke. Writing is learned slowly!
Wow this woman is really insightful
I knew this would be good! I watched the clip as a way to tease myself. Full interview is saved for later.
I saw Tal with ABB Revival. Welcome to the Machine.
Seemed like work mostly, with some musical moments peppered in here and there.
If you practice scales/riffs fast and you make mistakes you train yourself to make those mistakes.
Also a better quality instrument that's set-up well, makes a huge difference when you do slow down. You will hear things you couldn't in an inferior instrument.
When i started i went for the foundation as theory, CAGED system, Nashville number system. And having goals. I think also a ton of resilience. I practiced 3 times a day 1-2 hours and in between i took walks and social life.. a became quite good
She is spot on about the "sport" aspect, many young drummers seem obsessed with BPM Speed etc😔
Not just drummers… also guitar players.
I don't know if you're familiar with EL Estepario Siberiano, but I think that sport-like obsession is one of the reasons why he's so popular. His technical skill is off the charts, but his drumming is utterly boring. There's no feeling or expression, just power, speed and aggression.
@@jackinthebox301 I know him very well. I am a (non-professional) drummer too. He is innovative (his one-handed performances are really impressive) but very very very focused on the physical aspect... I think he is great and fun to watch. But there are other young YT stars like Luke Holland who are incredibly creative, play a little bit with similar style/technique as EL Estepario but are all about serving the music, and less about the chops themselves. Tal is a monster bass player and, as it emerges from this interview, also has a great soul/heart.
@@Stargate2Heaven I don't think there is a single thing about him that's innovative. He's doing exactly what prog rock drummers have done for decades. Heck, even Def Leopoard's drummer was playing one handed nearly 40 years ago. Like I said, Estepario's technical skill is amazing and his work ethic something to admire, but past a certain point 'more' technical skill is meaningless; Who cares if you're 3% faster or your internal metronome is 20 milliseconds more accurate? Expression, creation and musicianship are far more interesting metrics.
The only thing interesting about Estepario is that he has an excellent sense of Branding. He took advantage of the social media algorithms and created a massive niche for himself. He did a damn good job there.
That’s why Ringo is so great, Beatles songs have so much breathing room because of his style
Great conversation