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Category: Better Performance
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Better Sight-Reading On The Guitar
Just the mention of sight-reading causes most guitarists to squirm in their seats or look for the nearest exit. There’s an old joke about what you call two guitarists sight-reading the same line of music. The answer…polyphony. For classical or jazz guitarists, sight-reading notation is essential. For the rock and blues guitarist, not so much.…
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Simplest Way To Schedule When To Change Guitar Strings
I know you may think this is a silly topic to discuss. I assure you that “How often should I change my strings?” is one of the most asked questions at any guitar store or studio. This question is usually followed by a reply, “When was the last time you changed your strings?” Therefore, let…
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New Thoughts On Memorizing Music (The Etude: Vol. 37, No. 10)
Over the years, I have accumulated articles from magazines like The Etude. I believe we have much to learn, and unlearn, from the past. It provokes thought when looking at our view of specific topics versus the view of the masters and master teachers of the past. Clifford Marshall wrote this particular article on memorizing…
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Three TED Talks About Music You Should Watch
TED talks should be known to anyone reading this post. However, if you are not, then it is time for you to use your video viewing properly and learn something in the process. Each of these TED talks about music will take your perspective of classical music to new horizons. They take less time than…
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NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert With David Russell
I’m not sure how many readers are familiar with NPR’s Tiny Desk Series. For those that don’t know, it is a series that takes place behind a tiny desk in at NPR headquarters. Whenever I watch one I feel like I am sitting down at my local library absorbing the music from a local musician…
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Performance Practice: Atmosphere That Simulates Performance
When I was in college, I would set up bright lights in my dorm room (or the brightest I had) and aim them at my practice chair. Then, I would turn off all the other lights. Next to the lights, I would place a cassette recorder (yes I am old enough to remember when phones…
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Techniques For Memorizing Music On The Guitar
Over the next few posts, we will be looking at a number of initial techniques for memorizing music on the guitar. These are initial because there are many phases to memorization. These posts are about the initial learning of the notes on the page in order to replicate them on the guitar. In my opinion,…