Introduction to Guitar Counterpoint
 

Edit: A PDF of all four "sets" of exercises is now available directly from the web page -- which is now part of my sig (Thanks mods!). I hope to get the second video up by mid-week. Thanks again for the input and interest.

I've been teaching for decades, but am just now taking the plunge into producing video lessons. Here is one of my first videos, a beginner-classical lesson that deals with independent bass lines, and playing two lines at once.

I've also done these two "demo"lessons on the Spanish-guitar standard "Romanza."

https://youtu.be/y9BU3X4p1Lk
https://youtu.be/GZeT7JEpL48

I wanted to share these on the AG forum in particular, because the members here are really similar to my target audience and student base. Of my adult classical students, none are beginners and are almost always crossing over from some other style.

Instead of taking a strict, pedantic approach and telling students to forget everything they ever learned about guitar, I try to exploit whatever previous knowledge student has about chord shapes and scale patterns, etc., and connect what they already know with the new skills they're trying to learn.

I'm actually working on a whole instructional program aimed at players who can already play -- just not classical or fingerstyle. This place could be a receptive audience, and I'd love to hear any feedback you have if you decide to watch these.

I'm your demographic and I'm also a teacher-trainer in another field who has taught myself guitar so I'm a bit picky about pedagogy. I thought this was a great lesson. I was interested enough, personally, to try out what you were saying and was able to follow it easily. I learned new things just in this lesson and was immediately able to apply them to my own music. I love that you use notation and pima and don't take it down to tabs or other finger names. I would definitely watch more of your videos. You're a good teacher and you're explaining this quite well. I would request that you consider saying "fretting hand" and "picking hand" or something like that instead of "left" and "right" since you seek to appeal to a wider audience that will include left-handed players. This terminology makes it even easier to follow for everyone, imo. Great job. I look forward to more.

Enjoyed that!!!! Other than what's mentioned above, no additional feedback at this moment.
What I like is your style........strong, knowledgeable, direct and respectful all while staying on point and not straying from where you intend to go.

I'll look for more.........thanks for posting!
Fred

Very impressive lessons on the Romanza! I like the way you relate technique the student may already be familiar with, to what you're demonstrating, perhaps in a slightly different form.

I appreciate your ideas on shifting; it's the type of technique I've been using myself, without knowing if it was a good idea or just me being lazy. -)

I've yet to watch the counterpoint video, so I'll provide any feedback on that later. I think you're off to a great start if you're planning on more video lessons.

Thank you everyone for the feedback.

Very good point about left and right vs fretting and plucking. Years of teaching has taught me that strong left-handers are better off playing left handed guitars. In fact, I can usually tell right away when a lefty is trying to learn on a righty guitar. If I can tell just by looking, then that student is a very good candidate for a left-handed instrument.

So, I,m sensitive to the issue, and thanks for the gentle reminder.

OP, I could have written this post by SunnyDee verbatim if I were left handed myself. Very helpful.

I love your video about counterpoint, Chris. I've always been a fan of chord improvisation and I find counterpoint a better approach for melodic freedom.

Good job out there!

Now I am doing... DO, re, mi, fa, sol, fa, mi re, SI, re, mi fa, sol, fa, mi, re...

Ll.

As a former teacher I think you've got it right in trying to utilise a students knowledge in areas of guitar not strictly classical. It makes for a more rounded player don't you think.

I've been looking at counterpoint recently, in the superb book by Mick Goodrick, the Advancing Guitarist.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Advancing-G.../dp/0881885894

I've played fingerstyle guitar for 50 years (boy, hard to believe) but boy, using that pinky is a killer.

While I've only looked at the one counterpoint video, what I liked about it was that it wasn't stressing technique too much. When I attempted taking some on line Delcamp courses, there was so much emphasis on proper technique and an insistence on using only the rest stroke, that it was off-putting for a player already experienced in non-classical guitar. While I'm sure there are reasons to instill good technique, I think too much emphasis on it can lead to frustration and then to quitting.

EDIT:

Just watched Romanza Lesson Part 1 and am looking forward to giving it a shot! I love the light attitude you assume in these, making this fun and approachable!

Bach two part and three part inventions (transcribed for the guitar of course) might be something to consider working on.

Thanks again for the looks and the comments everyone.

I'll let you in on a secret: that rest-stroke business is not gospel anymore, and it hasn't been for several decades. Playing rest strokes to sustain a melody over top of an arpeggio pattern, as in Romanza, has fallen out of favor over the years.

Of course, one advange of rest strokes is that they're naturally louder, so the melody in this kind of pattern "automatically" jumps out at you. But generations of guitarists have found the technique awkward and unbalanced. Phrasing and fine control is so much more natural with free strokes in an arpeggio pattern like this. You just need to have enough dynamic control to bring out the notes you want.

For a lot of modern classical guitarists, the rest stroke is mostly reserved for single-note lines and accents. Using it in a tune like Romanza or, say, the Sor B-minor Etude, is rather old school based on my experience...

Good to hear there is flexibility in the classical guitar community. I'll be looking out for your videos.

PDF available
 

A PDF of all four "sets" of exercises is now available directly from the web page -- which is now part of my sig (Thanks mods!). I hope to get the second video up by mid-week. Thanks again for the input and interest.

Nice site! I think your sig should be "There's more to playing music than wiggling your fingers...." :)

Thank you for the tab, Chris.