Those of you who visit this site have probably noticed a slowing down of current posts. This is due to a sense of urgency for finding a new place to live. Our landlord has sold the property we rent from and hence the new landlord is forcing everyone out. I’m bummed but not down. Therefore, other priorities have taken order.
With the above in mind, I have been pondering the sense of urgency for the guitar. Did you ever think about urgency when you were in school? Probably not, but I bet you felt the sense of urgency. Remember those assignments that you had all semester to finish? When did you begin working on them? I bet for most of you it boiled down to the last week before the due date. Even for those that worked throughout the semester, you put in longer and more intense hours the week before the due date to ensure the best results. The same applies to guitar, even when it is for enjoyment.
We all need a sense of urgency to really motivate us to finish what we start. We need it to drive use to a higher level than we would otherwise achieve. That’s why you need to create a sense of urgency when it comes to learning the guitar. There are a few ways to do this and probably many more in reference to your own life.
- Create a deadline for a YouTube video. This forces you to get your work done because it is a performance to be seen by millions of people over the web.
- Create a deadline for sending a recording to a friend. This isn’t as “out-there” as a YouTube video but still puts a sense of urgency into your practice. Another way to think of it is to record something for a birthday or anniversary.
- Schedule a live performance. This is the end all of everything you are doing to learn the guitar. The goal is to share music. Even if you are not performing to a huge audience, this type of motivation is hard to beat. Schedule a dinner party and let everyone know that you are going to perform for them after dinner and before dessert.
The above are just a few ways to encourage you to begin to create a sense of urgency in your playing. It will make you a better player and will reward you by getting feed back and giving enjoyment to those who listen.
Sometimes guitar technique just gets in the way. This woman proves that you only need a bit of want to make your music come to life. Her technique might be odd to the rest of us, but the music she makes moves us all.
I thought it was about time to get the videos onto the site of my playing. Currently, I only have those videos that I created to help some of my students in understanding certain pieces. They are full performances, but are centered on demonstrating easier pieces for some beginning to intermediate players.
I am in the process of beginning my journey back into performing. My practice schedule is set and by the end of the month, I hope to have four more videos ready for viewing. I hope you enjoy them. Below is the famous piece by Brouwer, Estudio VI. You can view the others through the video page tabbed at the top of this page. I am using Cooliris to show them interactively and a former student of mine is now working for them. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the upcoming videos.
I am amazed that people don’t know about Tommy Emmanuel. His name seems common to me, but others that don’t associate in the acoustic world have heard little about him. This is his aboriginal inspired song. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by his unorthodox use of the guitar.
Since we as guitarists all enjoy this great piece by Bach, I thought I’d put a master playing it as it was intended.
Suggested Resources:
Cello-Suite No. 1, BWV 1007: Guitar Solo (Edition Schott)
Cello Suite No. 1. Arranged for guitar by John W. Duarte (Guitar Archive)
It has been 28 years since the death of Randy Rhodes in a plane crash (March 18, 1982). Therefore, as tribute to this rocker who loved and was greatly influenced by classical music, enjoy the video below. His guitar work is fantastic. Thank you “Mr. Crowley.”
I often refer to performing as being similar to driving. Peforming is not an easy task and neither is driving if you remember the stress of your driver’s test. However, with time it becomes like second nature.
This is not where the analogy ends. Many students play in their lesson differently than they play at home. This is due to the comfort of experience they feel. Playing in a lesson is a performance even if it is for an audience of one. It should always be from memory as well (ensemble work excluded).
Therefore, when you feel the pressure of performing on you begin to think about where you are going. This can only be done if you have a piece memorized. Like driving a car you look in front of you most of the time, and ever so often clance behind or at the speedometer. Performing a memorized piece is no different (except without the car). You need to stay focused on where you are going next and only take short glances at where you already find yourself.
I have found that this focus on the next placement of your fingers is what many students can focus on to limit their focus on the audience. It is amazing to me that so many benefit from this focus of seeing where to head next. Remember, stage anxiety is about where you put your mental energy. If you can direct your mental energy to the piece and specifically your next move, then you will always be focused on execution.
Suggested Resources:
The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness
Getting Over Stage Fright
The classical and jazz guitar community is not growing like pop and rock guitar communities around the nation. We see this in lack of attendance in guitar related events around the area. This needs to be combated. I just read an article in the current Soundboard magazine about this very subject and disagree with the proposed solution.
The author makes two points of contention. The first is that there needs to be another torch bearer like Segovia of the past century. It is ridiculous to assume that such torch bearers do not exist. Take David Russell, the Romeros, David Tannenbaum, John Williams, Ricardo Cobo, etc., etc. These players are in fact carrying the torch very well and bringing greater performances and levels of performance across the board. The second point is that the public middle and high schools need to have successful programs. I am a guitar teacher and I personally think this is a far stretch for success. I would never be able to make a living if I taught in a public school because the funding, like it or not, is not there. Also, as a teacher, I have to teach multiple styles of music and, let’s be honest, most middle and high school age students are not into the classical or jazz guitar.
My proposed solution is cell groups around cities that encourage performing. We already see this in “jam sessions” for bluegrass players. As classical players they would be more like “performance sessions” of solo and ensemble playing. These groups would be held in homes or public places like libraries (coffee shops have too many other things going on). All that would be needed is a host of each group that could act as a contact and a place to meet. We already know of one group that meets every third Sunday of the month here in Pittsburgh. It has been very rewarding for those attending to play and hear others play for at least six months now.
Just like a good education begins at home, so does the love of music and the guitar. It is up to the local communities to keep this instrument growing in its participants. If you are interested in forming a group and beginning your participation, then contact me and let’s see if we can get some movement to this guitar thing.
