JENNA SAYS...

I’ve been talking to Paul about ‘ending with a win’: making sure he always succeeds at something just before he puts the guitar down. That way he finishes with a positive feeling and he’s going to be more motivated to pick the guitar up again. As teacher, my job is to keep those wins coming thick and fast by choosing the right material. Paul could take on more complex riffs now, and he would master some with enough practice. The trouble is, there would be a lot of frustration along the way and he could easily get put off. Instead, we’re doing a riff with just two notes. This reminds Paul of skills he’s learned already, like picking and fretting. I’ve added quartertone bends and pull-offs. He picked up these variations quickly (two more wins), and along with a new musical example that should keep his interest up.