How long will it take to regain my ability?

[Jed]

I'm not sure who you are responding to - but just in case:

To learn how to visualize the fretboard - here's one possible method:

1) Find and memorize every location for every "C" note on the fretboard - practice this several times a day (every hour if possible) for several days - trying to see each note location in terms of the string and fret locations (it helps to visualize the fret markers as well)

2) Repeat the above for both the "C" and "G" note locations - practice this several times a day (every hour if possible) for several days. Really push yourself to visualize what the note locations look like. Project the written note name on to each of the locations.

3) Repeat the above for both the "C", "E" and "G" note locations - practice this several times a day (every hour if possible) for several days. Really push yourself to visualize what the note locations look like. Project the written note name on to each of the locations.

4) Try to find all the different ways you can play those notes in order to create various fingerings for 2-octave arpeggios (there are at least 11 possible 2-octave fingerings). Concentrate on the note names and locations rather than the shapes. If you focus on the notes - you'll learn the shapes anyway. But if you focus on the shapes, you may not learn the notes. Practice this - yup - several times a day (every hour if possible) for several days. Really push yourself to visualize what the note locations look like. Project the written note name on to each of the locations. It gets easier with practice.

5) Repeat the same for the notes of the F major triad. Don't forget to repeat and review the C major triad. Each new chord gets added to the list but no chord ever falls off the list of what to practice.

6) Repeat the same for the notes of the G major triad. Don't forget to repeat and review the C major and F major triads. Each new chord gets added to the list but no chord ever falls off the list of what to practice.

7) Repeat the same for the A minor, D minor and E minor triads.

8) Repeat the same for the B diminished triad.

9) come up with your own exercises to test your ability to "see" and "hear" these arps with or without a guitar in your hands.

x) Repeat for every key. Learn to practice arpeggios, fingerings and scales without a guitar - all the time learning to "see" more and more of the fretboard and more deeply into the freeboard

xx) It's better to learn one of these chords really well, then to learn lots of them poorly. Take your time and do it right. You'll never regret having learning these things - and you'll use this information every time you pickup a guitar.

[Crossroads]

Yeah I really need to work on all those things you mentioned! Like visualizing the notes. Is it just practice? Or is there anything spacific that you should do to acheive the things you mentioned above?

It is just practice, but it has to be truly dedicated practice ... by which I mean you need a level of interest and commitment high enough to inspire you with a desire to memorise the notes & intervals, the techniques, the licks and phrases, the songs, etc. That is - it's much easier to master it (memorised, ingrained, or whatever) if you really care about it.

Anything specific? Well yeah, I would get really specific. So specific it will almost certainly go right over your head (as I'm sure the following same advice has done several times here in the past). Specifically -

*get Guthrie Govan's first book (title ref above)
*open it at pages 84 - 86 & stick it up on a music stand! Repeat use a music stand!
*put the Henderson DVD in your DVD player
*start mastering everything Henderson does on that DVD
*transcribe everything he plays onto TAB paper
*analyse all his examples to pick out exactly which scales, modes and arps he plays
*play all of it repeatedly until you are as near perfect as you can get

The purpose of the Govan book on the music stand is that it gives you all the scales, modes and arps used by Henderson in the DVD. You need to practice, learn and thoroughly understand all that stuff ... to understand how Henderson is using it all in the DVD.

Once you've mastered that (may take many years, just from that one DVD & that one book alone), then you will certainly be a very good guitarist with a solid practical knowledge of theory & technique. It's just not possible to successfully master that DVD without becoming a very good player in the process ... it's inevitable.

You wanted something specific and clear? OK, well there it is! - just practice from that DVD and that book until you have it all "nailed". And finally (& important) - for relaxation away from learning and practicing the Henderson DVD, learn as many favourite guitar songs/pieces as you can (note for note, as perfectly as you can....with correct left/right hand technique, especially strict alternate picking & correct legato).

Ian.

[walternewton]

Also on a side note is there anything I can do to help when I don't have my guitar?

I'm probably chiming in too late - but my suggestion would be to relax, enjoy your week of vacation, and listen to some music...