Brain...Meet Mr. Hand.

This is not going to be a profound blog. It's just about music. Music is pretty profound all by itself, and that is why I'm taking guitar lessons at 59. I already know how to bang on my guitar (as my mom calls it) but I want to grow vertically. I've grown horizontally for awhile, learning one new song after another, and that can help anyone grow vertically, but not as much as understanding a little music theory will.
I'm trying to catch another gust of wind now because I believe a little instruction from someone who actually understands music theory will help give me some wings.
So right now, I'm in my second month and my guitar instructor is teaching me about barre chords. I wrote this down: "If a chord is rooted on the 5th or 6th string, the same shapes can be used over and over to go up and down the neck to find different voicings of basic chords you normally play down on the first three frets.
Also, he was showing me that the 1st and 6th note on a scale will help me find out where I am on the fret board.
All of this is what he calls fretboard logic. I'm not a very logical person, but I can arrive at logic sometimes by intuition! So, I've got to practice this week to remember and grasp what he was trying to teach me.
Plus, he gave me some assignments to challenge me.
All of this is to develop control and clarity.
I saw on on you tube video an exercise with the fingers that looks helpful (besides the scale exercise that my guitar teacher showed me. Here is the link for this one for developing clarity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05uwfe2TWGw
For control, this website was helpful in explaining that. Having control when playing the guitar, means three things according to Claude Johnson (who also offers guitar lessons)> It means "esssential technique, fretboard knowledge, and the brain to hand connection."
I understand the brain to hand connection. I remember someone telling me that you have to become "one" with your instrument. That takes practice and getting to know your instrument.
Until then, my brain and my hand are trying to get to know each other better! We want to become great friends and make beautiful music together.