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Regret
I started formal guitar lessons when I was 9 and stayed with that teacher for 6 or 7 years. In retrospect he did a wonderful job of drilling me in the basics and foundation every serious guitar player should, in my opinion, receive. Eventually however I outgrew him or simply was wanting a change. I decided I wanted to learn classical guitar.
When I was quite young (16 or 17) I auditioned and was accepted as a beginner student at the conservatory in the city I lived. I took only a few lessons before quitting. The professor had only one opening; at 6 p.m. I had to miss my evening dinner, drive 25 miles in the dark during freeway rush hour as a relatively new driver, park blocks away and walk to the building through a neighborhood that was questionably safe; somewhat frightening. Then I had to face the professor. A severe, scowling man with black bushy hair, bushy eye brows and deep, dark eyes that looked through me. He made sure that I became fully aware that he had studied under the great Andre Segovia. It all was too much for a young boy to endure. Did I mention, he had studied under the great Andre Segovia? I went off into another direction. I felt driven to advance my guitar playing even if in another direction. In reverse fashion I auditioned and "hired" one of the region's best known jazz guitarists who would become my teacher for several years. I learned a fair bit over the years he taught me. I enjoyed it greatly and appreciated his pleasant, light-spirited personality. We meshed. Years later I took lessons from another bright young(er than me) guitar player. I learned more. But my one regret is never having had extended, focused classical guitar lessons. And at my age and where I live in the boondocks it most likely will never happen anymore. My loss. It is my strong belief that those taught and immersed with a strong classical training have skills and knowledge and approach even the best of non-classic players lack. And it has always seemed that classical players can, if they desire, apply their playing skills to virtually the full array of guitar music...jazz, pop, rock. However few if any rock players (just for example) can hope to approach any sort of credibility as classical players. It's not too unusual for classical trained guitarists to branch off into jazz. One might suggest some online classes. I don't learn well unless in a face to face environment. And my slow "backwoods" internet connection precludes that as well. Anyway, just my thoughts and my regret at not getting in depth classical guitar training. Perhaps in another life.
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"To walk in the wonder, to live in the song" "The moment between the silence and the song" |
#2
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Naaaahhhhhhh......
Dude (or dude-ette)....you way over-processing this.... Quote:
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Skills? Yes, classical guitarists tend to develop very strong physical playing skills. This comes from time and dedicated practice, but it isn't magical fairy dust. Dedicated practice is key, just like most challenging things in life. Knowledge? Whoa there. In my experience, most classical guitarists possess very little music theory knowledge. I have known players who could execute very impressive classical pieces, but were unclear as to even the key of the song. God help them if they had to transpose to a different key. Most advanced classical players are extraordinary note-readers, but many cannot improvise very well. As a general rule, "classical playing" emphasizes the playing of the notes on the page exactly as they are written (i.e. "correctly"), but not so much about improvisation. Approach? Competent classical players are pretty self-disciplined. It simply takes a lot of time and commitment to practice pieces and to build a repertoire if one wants to play by memory. I just don't think you should dwell on some vast missed opportunity as though it is no longer available to you. Pathways for improvement -- even improvement through self-study (did you know that Segovia considered himself to be largely self-taught?) are available. I especially do not think you should delude yourself in believing that there is some arcane mystical knowledge that classical-trained guitarists uniquely possess; it ain't so. End of sermon. |
#3
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Everyone has "if only" thoughts. If only I had started playing earlier, married Linda, change jobs, finished college or the reverse of these. Just accept that the past can't be made into a do over. Count your blessings.
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Happy Sunsets Taylor 514ce (1999) Taylor K22ce - all Koa (2001) Taylor 612ce (2001) Taylor T5-C2 Koa (2007) Ovation CS28P KOAB - Koa Burst (2017) Paul Reed Smith 305 - Sunburst (2012) Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 - Autumn Sky (2013) Fender Classic Player 60s Strat - Sonic Blue (2012) Roland Juno DS76 (2020) |
#4
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I understand where you're coming from but I would consider you lucky for having pursued the guitar in any capacity. I waited until 55 to finally take up the guitar, after one failed attempt 25 years ago, and have big regrets about not starting young as my brother did. So, as the says no goes, consider yourself lucky, in my eyes. And despite your location difficulties, if you're truly driven to learn something, you'll make it happen.
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John |
#5
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A few things of typical things about studying classical guitar:
it is more often well organized it stresses completing pieces to a certain level of competence it stresses clean playing it stresses tone production Most other approaches towards fingerstyle guitar tend to be more haphazardly organized.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#6
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If you still want to study classical guitar one option is to study via Skype or online instruction. There are a lot of talented teachers offering lessons via Skype.
For example, check out: http://douglasniedt.com/videolessonsnew.html https://www.guitarprinciples.com/sho...35081389c36531 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zls9n-W80HU http://sevenweekguitar.blogspot.com Best wishes! Tom |
#7
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"To walk in the wonder, to live in the song" "The moment between the silence and the song" |
#8
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"To walk in the wonder, to live in the song" "The moment between the silence and the song" |
#9
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I regret not having climbed Mt. Everest too as a kid.... Seriously though, I apologize in advance if it's not the case, but there doesn't seem to be anything in your background description that would suggest you have had the opportunity in your life to master that technique. So, I'll go out on a limb and speculate that this piece may be at the root cause of your current state of mind. That's a very difficult piece of music to pull off, and it has nothing to do with fretboard fingering. The tremolo technique, unless it's mastered, will always be a roadblock to advancing any further whenever it's required. It's one of those things, unfortunately, that looks a lot easier than it is when it's done well. Conversely, when it's not, it sounds awful, and nothing like Tarrega's intent. I'm guessing that, even if you had the best teacher sitting in front of you in your remote location, he or she wouldn't even be looking at your left hand. They would be focusing on right hand dexterity and evenness of tone production needed for that technique. And give you technical exercises to work on to develop it. Only when it starts to work would/should you be allowed to advance. In the meantime, there is so much beautiful music to be played and worked on to keep you challenged and rewarded, and that is a lot more accessible technically. In Tarrega's catalog alone, if you're into romantic style classical. So, if I were your teacher I would give you right hand tremolo technique exercises to work on slowly every day for 15 to 30 minutes. At the most. Steady as she goes. And have you working on other material of your choosing that is in accordance with your current skill set. Again, it's not my intent to disparage your abilities. Just the opposite. I'm trying to get you kick started the right way, given your current circumstances out in the backwoods of WI. (Not a bad place to be, as far as I'm concerned.) In this day and age, there is so much more you can do on your own to develop, and so much free instruction (some of it really good) available on the internet. Your connection can't be bad all the time. (For tremolo, check out Pepe Romero, for example, or get hold of Scott Tennant's Pumping Nylon DVD, for non-internet guidance.) You won't be working on RDLA right away, but eventually you will be. So, it's fine to have regrets. We all have them. I fully understand your position. But, you can really do something about it. it just takes time, discipline, and going about it the right way.
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Best regards, Andre Golf is pretty simple. It's just not that easy. - Paul Azinger "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so." – Mark Twain http://www.youtube.com/user/Gitfiddlemann |
#10
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A good point: a teacher can help with these types of things, sharing his or her experience. As an aside, once one gets beyond "basic" approaches to left hand fingering, most guitarists add their own preferences based on the sound they want, what they find easier for them or what suits their particular physical attributes. For example, Parkening has fingerings that work with his long fingers but are nearly physically impossible for someone of average finger length, no matter how well you play or how much you can stretch your average-length fingers. One simply adapts his fingerings, where necessary, or choses one's own. As you encounter the fingering options presented in each piece, you learn from that things you might employ in your own fingerings on other pieces. One option not yet mentioned is the occasional travel to study at master classes or "camps". You then learn things to work on, then go work on them for months - or longer - before obtaining further input. With a skilled instructor, one can learn a lot to work on in a very short time: you have to do the work. |
#11
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There are a lot of skilled players and instructors out there. But not all of them are good teachers. There's a lot of disgruntled really great players out there that are now teaching.
Some of those teachers are disgruntled, because their career never materialized into the fame and fortune they expected would come their way. There's also a lot of so called "Classical or Jazz" guitar teachers out there that are inflexible in their teaching styles. They have a set of methods / requirements that they follow and refuse to change it for each particular students needs or personalities. Over my 40+ years of playing, I've kicked quite a few of those bad teachers to the curb after 1-2 lessons. LOL My humble opinion is that you need to screen any potential teachers via interviews. You need to find a teacher that you can easily communicate with & is in lock-step with your desires & musical tastes. The last thing you need is to be paying $$ to someone, who's focus isn't 100% aligned with your desires.
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2003 Froggy Bottom H-12 Deluxe 2019 Cordoba C-12 Cedar 2016 Godin acoustic archtop 2011 Godin Jazz model archtop |
#12
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It should be a great help if his Recuerdos book is any indication. BTW, one thing you are wrong about, where I live the internet connection is never good, only some days not completely bad Where I live--by choice--cell phones don't work either Quote:
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"To walk in the wonder, to live in the song" "The moment between the silence and the song" |
#13
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An additional though on fingerings that you might find helpful.
Play the open high E string. Play the same pitch on the second string (5th fret). Play the same pitch on the third string (9th fret). Note that although all three are the same pitch, their timbre changes considerably. Which one do you want? That depends upon your preference and your interpretation for the piece of music you are playing. If you want "sweet and mellow" with some vibrato, you might want the 9th fret version. If you want harpsichordish, you might want the open string. But, getting there is half the fun. What do you have to do before and after that note - fingering wise - to be able to play that note? You might be able to use a "guide finger" to slide your finger up to that fret (not glissando) by playing a preceding note of the music on the 3rd string. Might be you can play an entire phrase up in that region of the neck, making the entire phrase "more mellow". Might be that you want a repeat of the same phrase to have a different timbre and you can play it using the open E string and other open strings and notes near the nut. Might be that you don't want the open string to ring beyond its intended duration. In that case, either you stop it from ringing with either right or left hand techniques or you avoid playing that note on the open string, instead opting, say, for the 5th fret second string. And so on. All of these interpretive and "practical" things go into the decision of what left hand fingerings to use. There is no right or wrong answer, beyond the "basics", simply how you want the music to sound. Unlike, say, the piano or flute, where a single pitch can be created in only a single way, on the guitar, a single pitch, depending on the pitch, can be created in a multiplicity of ways and locations on the fingerboard. That this is so is both the joy and the frustration of playing the instrument. It is one of the important tools in the classical guitar player's toolbox for expressing the music one plays. |
#14
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Pumping Nylon is a great book for all guitar players. While the title refers to Nylon, the practice routine for left and rights work great for anyone
I also bought the DVD. There are a few things covered in the book that the DVD does a better job of explaining via the visual aspect. highly recommended book
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2003 Froggy Bottom H-12 Deluxe 2019 Cordoba C-12 Cedar 2016 Godin acoustic archtop 2011 Godin Jazz model archtop |
#15
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http://artistworks.com/guitar-lessons-jason-vieaux
... and adjust your limitations of internet speed and preference for face-to-face instruction. Otherwise, you'll just languish. |