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Overwhelmed By Guitar Music
This past week flew by faster than a Paco de Lucia scale! I was hoping to have a supporter sign up last week but I had no such luck. But that’s okay, number one is out there somewhere (be my first supporter by the way). Now, let’s get into my week and how overwhelmed I…
Four Stages Of Learning A New Guitar Piece
Every time we attempt to learn a new piece of music, or even a study, there are arguably four stages of learning that must be passed through in order to find fulfillment in a completed piece of music. I am sure that the below stages could be broken down into smaller parts but I think…
Basics Of Classical Guitar Revisited
As many of you know, last week I relaunched my Patreon page for support in working towards a doctorate (still looking for my first supporter by the way). Every Monday my goal is to write a reflection of last week’s work and brief you on the work scheduled for this week. And, as the title…
Dreams by Richard Summers
Dreams comes to us from the founder of the Toronto Guitar Institute. According to his biography, nine of his pieces are featured in the Royal Conservatory literature. He is also a member of The College of Examiners for RCM Examinations. That means he conducts Royal Conservatory guitar examinations across Canada. His students have seen success…
A Gradual Approach To Practice And The 75% Rule
All of us have been there, we hear a great piece, buy the score, and begin diligently working through the piece. Two months into playing it we get frustrated, put it down, and feel as though guitar just isn’t in the cards for us. This, of course, is a completely backward approach to practice. Marathon Approach…
Your Guitar Playing Going Backward During Vacation
Guilt…we all have to deal with it at some point. It’s the vacation season and for those learning the guitar taking time away can lead to feelings of guilt. Get over it and don’t let it happen! You are not going to lose everything you’ve worked for in your guitar playing just because you take…
Moorish Dance by Aaron Shearer
Moorish Dance comes to us from the famous pedagogue Aaron Shearer. I was fortunate enough to study with Aaron while I was a student at Duquesne University. He would make a trip each semester to work with my teacher, Tom Kikta, and on his books. While at school, we would have weekly lessons with him…
Guitar Development And Enjoyment: A Fine Line
I consider myself more of a teacher than a performer when it comes to what I do as a profession. This is only because the majority of my income comes from teaching rather than performing. Because I spend less time practicing than someone making a living from performing, I have to strive, like most, to…
6 Left Hand Tips When Playing Guitar
The left hand is the focus of much of our time on the guitar. For many, the right hand becomes automatic for most of playing and learning a piece. Only when there is trouble do most players work out specific fingerings for the right hand that are contrary to general rules. Therefore, let’s look at…
Music Connects Us Without Limitation
Daniel Levitin’s quote (below) from This Is Your Brain On Music resonates much with my thought processes currently. At this moment in the book, he makes a reference to a Neil Young song. However, I would like to apply a little bit of Bach to this statement on how music connects us without limitation. The power…