Arts & Entertainment, Music
Practice as Musical Offering
Lesson time 12:25 min
Learn Carlos’s strategies for acquainting yourself with your instrument, and growing more proficient and confident as an artist.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Harness Your Breath • Dismiss Your Brain • Explore One Key With a Rhythm Machine • Explore a Single Note • Learn Every Part of a Song • Practice Gives You Freedom • Stay True to Your Sound
Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar
Carlos Santana teaches you how he creates a distinct, soulful guitar sound that moves the hearts of audiences.
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Sacrifice is like a burden, like like-- [PLAYS DIRGE RIFF] Like it's hard, and it's heavy, and you carry it up the hill. And it doesn't sound like fun. That's why I purposely encourage students to get rid of certain words that have a negative connotation to it. Because we're in the business, if that's what you want to call it, of accentuating positivity. And positivity has to be joy. You know, you have to reward yourself mentally for what you're investing, as what you call practice. That's why I don't call it practice. I dismiss practice and sacrifice out of my vocabulary. Those ones have kind of like a negative weigh-- too much weighed down. And instead of a sacrifice, I call it an offering. You know, this is my offering to today. I'm going to spend two hours, unplug the phone, unplug the TV, and just become acquainted. That's a better word. Become become acquainted with the symmetry of sound. Minor, major. Sad, happy. Soft, loud, you know? All of those things are really, really good to become acquainted. Practice is-- eh, I don't like that word. [GUITAR MUSIC PLAYING] It all starts with the breath. You have to know how to breathe. When you take a deep breath, and you-- you're sitting or you're standing a certain way, you're accessing the invisible. If you know how to breathe correctly, you can do the incredible and the impossible. If you don't know how to breathe correctly, and you're trying to play something that is beyond, you will pass out, because it's too powerful for your brain, you know, and too powerful for your mind. So you take a breath And then you trust. That's really two key ingredients-- take a deep breath and trust that whatever you're going to manifest is going to be true, because by taking the deep breath, you're actually moving yourself out of the way. And then in that breath, you're allowing the Holy Ghost to have his way over you, an- and play the things that you don't know how to express or feel. Because there's something beyond the the knowing of the brain and the mind. That's where spirit, and soul, and Holy Ghost comes in. It's the language that can be very, very accessible by everyone. [GUITAR MUSIC PLAYING] The way to prepare your brain before you practice is to dismiss it. Tell him to go for a walk. You know, right now, disappear. You know, we're just like going to the blackboard, and you erase everything. I learned that from Keith Jarrett, he does that every single time. He dismisses every melody, e-- he goes with a blank sheet of of anything, so that everything that he plays is at that moment being printed-- imprinted from the other side. So yeah, I'd say the best way to prepare your mind is to get rid of it. Right now, it's going to be only spirit, soul, and heart. Those don't need to practice. They know where everything is, and why it is. What we need to practice is the coor-- muscle coordination between the brain, and th...
About the Instructor
With 10 Grammys and almost 50 years on stage, Carlos Santana teaches you how to play guitar in his spiritual style. Learn how he weaves emotion, artistic expression, and musical genres from across the world to create a sound that transcends classifications and connects with audiences. Join Carlos in his studio as he breaks down his process note by note—so you can discover the soul of your sound.
Featured MasterClass Instructor
Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana teaches you how he creates a distinct, soulful guitar sound that moves the hearts of audiences.
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