Practice Rebellion
Classical Guitar Practice Tips
Last summer I wrote a few posts about practicing efficiently. Specifically, the approaches outlined were highly structured and meant to be extremely focused. As a person, I tend to be able to sustain that sort of regimented activity for a few months, then I need a change. And for the past few weeks, I’ve been […]
Read MoreTechnical Exercises for the Absolute Beginner
Classical Guitar Technique, Guitar Teaching
Technique gets a lot of talk in the classical guitar world. Beginners, especially self taught beginners, can often feel lost about the proper way to practice technique. Technique is the way our fingers move when we play guitar. It’s not certain arpeggio exercises or scales; it’s not a specific routine. Technique is just the way […]
Read MoreRead This Book: The Savvy Musician
Classical Guitar Book Reviews
“Being talented is wonderful, but technical skills alone do not assure a successful life in this business.” -David Cutler in The Savvy Musician p. 5 Professional musicians have a problem: they spend thousands of hours practicing — honing every detail, shaping every phrase — expecting a career to just happen. Good at music + degrees […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: Dearman Edition
Monday Motivation
“Disappointment is part of the road to greatness.” -Josh Waitzkin in The Art of Learning, p. 46 Today we feature a short lesson from John Dearman of LA Guitar Quartet fame. He outlines a great exercise for developing evenness in tremolo or arpeggio patterns.
Read MoreAn Interview with Petar Jankovic
Interviews with Classical Guitarists
Petar Jankovic is a performer and teacher based in Indiana. A native of Serbia, Mr. Jankovic’s accomplishments are many: competition wins, critical acclaim–the works! In addition to his performance activities, Petar Jankovic is one of two guitarists on the faculty of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, one of the best music programs in the […]
Read MorePerfect Left Hand Finger Placement
Classical Guitar Technique
One of the first things we learned about guitar was that our left hand finger tips go right behind the frets. The real scoop is that the left hand has to exert enough pressure so that the string does not move when it’s plucked by the right hand. There has to be a firm break […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: McAllister/Agnew Edition
Monday Motivation
“Now we can do big things for love.” -Clay Shirky, in Here Comes Everybody p. 104 Today we feature Mathew McAllister and Aisling Agnew in a guitar and flute duo. Really great piece, and some really great playing from both performers. Very tight as an ensemble.
Read MoreMusical Literacy
Musical Interpretation and Musicianship
Any person participating in art music (as a professional or hobbyist or otherwise) owes it to themselves to be musically literate. That is, a person should know the repertoire and the major figures and general characteristics about styles and time periods. A person should always be listening to more music. That’s a huge part of […]
Read MoreMusic is About the Line
Musical Interpretation and Musicianship
Contrary how music theory is taught (harmony first), music is about the line. That is, the chords are nice, but the melody and counter melodies (the lines!) are king. That means that us guitarists have to work extra hard to connect and shape lines in music. I’m sure many people have noticed that we play […]
Read MoreAn Interview with Michael Thames
Interviews with Classical Guitarists
Michael Thames builds concert classical and flamenco guitars. In fact, he builds a lot of them: over seven hundred guitars over his thirty year career. He and I chatted about how he got started building, trends in guitar building, some of his influences, his instruments, strings, and much more. Michael also is an avid youtube […]
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