Classical Guitar Blog Roundup [Links – 3/6/2011]

Steve Thachuk (aka Dr. Steve) continues his exploration of guitar fingerings. This week fingerings that fall under the interpretive/phrasing category. In other words, why do some fingerings appear to make things difficult? Well, probably because the editor was looking for a specific effect, such as consistency of tone or even a visual effect (a large movement to go along with a musical leap, etc). This is a fascinating article, so go check it out.

William Bajzek reminds us of some lessons from Pablo Casals. I especially like this point, “most guitar music involves multiple simultaneous lines and we need to shape those independently.” Yes. In fact, I’ve written about playing musical lines separately before.

Philip Hii outlines how the Art of Virtuosity and Tremolo fit together. Specifically, how his concepts of looseness, lightness, power, and speed all fit into a scheme for understanding what makes a good tremolo.

Nick Cutroneo explains why having goals is an essential part of practicing. Nick and I think slightly differently on this topic, but his ideas are very much in line with my own. Goals are a big deal, and you should read Nick’s post to find out why.