I know this blog is followed mainly by guitarists, but I mentioned the great Ignacy Paderewski (1860-1941) to a few students this week and thought I would share a recording of this amazing artist here. Although he wasn't the most technically "polished" pianist (especially compared to todays standards), I always find his playing to be fresh, full of life, and rich with poetic imagination. Listening to him and others while following the score is a fantastic way to learn about interpretation.
Here he plays Chopin's famous Nocturne in F# Major Op.15 No.2 (recorded in 1927).
Here is a link to the score - notice how incredibly imaginative he is with the phrasing and rubato.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Music First
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love the guitar dearly. After 25 years of playing it, I'm still captivated by this marvelous instrument with it's complex fingerboard and the array of amazing tones it can produce.
Having stated that, the guitar has always been in the service of studying music. When I played rock guitar as a kid, instinctively I knew that I had to study rock music in order to excel - how it was written, what is commonly used in the style, how to improvise, how to write songs. When I studied Jazz music it was the same - we didn't talk much about how to play the guitar, but how to use the guitar to play Jazz music fluidly.
As students of the classical guitar, we don't necessarily have to know anything about the music we play. We see the notes on the page, and often the editors make sure that most (if not all) of the fingering is added into the score. The only knowledge that is needed to play even the greatest masterpiece is 1. where to put the fingers and 2. what rhythms are being used. This sort of "notational tablature" is one of the biggest problems I see in students.
We cannot excel at any style of music by simply putting our fingers in the correct place at the correct time. There are no excellent jazz guitarists that I know of who don't have an understanding of jazz music. There are no great pop guitarists who don't have an understanding of pop music. And consequently, there are no great classical guitarists who don't understand how classical music is written on the guitar. Often, I think that students forget that they are studying classical music on the guitar - as if the classical guitar is more about the technique than the music. Let me be clear - if you are studying this style, you are studying classical music on the guitar.
If we look at Fernando Sor's Guitar Method we can see clearly that he is instructing the student primarily in the language of classical music - what is commonly used, what chords, what intervals, what each key contains, etc. and THEN - how it is found on the guitar. Sor emphasized learning classical music through the guitar - not learning guitar technique through classical music - which is so often the case in modern methods.
Sor was correct - if you understand classical music and how it is applied on the guitar, you will learn the music faster, sight read better, memorize easier, improve your ear, interpret music more confidently, become technically more fluid, etc. etc. Everything about your playing will improve.
Please also check out Christopher Davis' excellent post on Sor's method of learning notes on the guitar - http://www.classicalguitarblog.net/2010/01/fernando-sor-advice-for-learning-notes/
Having stated that, the guitar has always been in the service of studying music. When I played rock guitar as a kid, instinctively I knew that I had to study rock music in order to excel - how it was written, what is commonly used in the style, how to improvise, how to write songs. When I studied Jazz music it was the same - we didn't talk much about how to play the guitar, but how to use the guitar to play Jazz music fluidly.
As students of the classical guitar, we don't necessarily have to know anything about the music we play. We see the notes on the page, and often the editors make sure that most (if not all) of the fingering is added into the score. The only knowledge that is needed to play even the greatest masterpiece is 1. where to put the fingers and 2. what rhythms are being used. This sort of "notational tablature" is one of the biggest problems I see in students.
We cannot excel at any style of music by simply putting our fingers in the correct place at the correct time. There are no excellent jazz guitarists that I know of who don't have an understanding of jazz music. There are no great pop guitarists who don't have an understanding of pop music. And consequently, there are no great classical guitarists who don't understand how classical music is written on the guitar. Often, I think that students forget that they are studying classical music on the guitar - as if the classical guitar is more about the technique than the music. Let me be clear - if you are studying this style, you are studying classical music on the guitar.
If we look at Fernando Sor's Guitar Method we can see clearly that he is instructing the student primarily in the language of classical music - what is commonly used, what chords, what intervals, what each key contains, etc. and THEN - how it is found on the guitar. Sor emphasized learning classical music through the guitar - not learning guitar technique through classical music - which is so often the case in modern methods.
Sor was correct - if you understand classical music and how it is applied on the guitar, you will learn the music faster, sight read better, memorize easier, improve your ear, interpret music more confidently, become technically more fluid, etc. etc. Everything about your playing will improve.
Please also check out Christopher Davis' excellent post on Sor's method of learning notes on the guitar - http://www.classicalguitarblog.net/2010/01/fernando-sor-advice-for-learning-notes/
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Prelude no. 5 in E Major - Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)
For the anniversary of the great master's death.
Francisco Tárrega (21 November 1852 — 15 December 1909).
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Menuet in G, Opus 3. by Fernando Sor (1778-1839)
I'm getting back to some recording after a hiatus. One of my favorite Menuets by the great Fernando Sor.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Andantino No.3 op.2 F.Sor
The great Miguel Llobet (1878 - 1938) performing this lovely piece by Sor. I love the wide dynamics, violin tone, and the way the rhythms are played with. This was recorded in 1925 - straight to vinyl.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Art of Repetition
I recently saw the movie "Groundhog Day" (one of my favorites) for probably the 50th time. In the movie, Bill Murray plays a cynical, self - centered reporter who repeatedly wakes up to the same day over and over again encountering the same situations and people. Once he realizes what is happening, he first fights against the situation, then manipulates it, and then finally comes to embrace it. By the end of the movie, he has transformed himself - and by doing so, transforms his situation. Although it is a comedy, the spiritual and psychological ramifications of this message are potent.
In life, we cannot relive the same day repeatedly - but as musicians, we enter into the same musical situations repeatedly through the the art of repetition. Taking a phrase, a passage, or a full piece and playing it over and over again is absolutely necessary for memory, technique, understanding, endurance, listening, etc. However, the one aspect of repetition which is most often overlooked is how we feel when we repeat. By being conscious about how we want to feel during each repetition, we can progress much faster.
For example, a few days ago I taught someone who was having difficulty with a fast passage and was explaining to me how he had been "drilling and drilling this bit, but it doesn't seem to get any better". We checked fingering, preparation, etc. Everything seemed to be fine. I then asked him to play the passage for me a few times. Sure enough, each time he played it, I could tell that he was feeling like he couldn't do it. He kept repeating the situation with the same mindset - and therefore getting similar results.
I then asked him to take a little time, breathe, relax, sit up straight, and think about how it would feel to be fully confident when playing the passage. Feel confident and stay focused on that feeling while playing. Now we began to repeat again. The first few repeats were no different than before, but this time instead of reacting to the mistakes, I asked him to keep refocusing on the feeling of confidence before and during the passage. Sometimes I would just tell him to say "this is easy" and imagine what it would feel like to be a player who had that kind of belief. Each time he would make a mistake, we would reset the feeling of confidence and repeat again.
Now this might seem like fantasy, but after about 6 or 7 repeats, he began to play the passage more accurately and fluidly. His body started to relax, his concentration increased, and although we were focusing on simply getting the passage accurate, even his tone and rhythm improved. At times, he would slip back to the old way (mental habits are hard to break) but the feeling of confidence or ease has to be practiced like anything else for it to take root. Awareness is key here, because it's so easy to do and not feel. Feeling is often totally overlooked, but I'm finding that it has to be practiced hand in hand with doing. One of the best questions you can ask when you are practicing is "how am I feeling?" and then "how do I want to feel?". Observe this as often as you can when you are working and keep refocusing on the feelings you want - practice having them now.
As in "Groundhog Day", as we change how we feel towards a situation, that situation over time begins to change. By practicing the feelings we want when we play, we gradually change ourselves - which has to change our playing for the better. This is one of the most important aspects of effective practice.
In life, we cannot relive the same day repeatedly - but as musicians, we enter into the same musical situations repeatedly through the the art of repetition. Taking a phrase, a passage, or a full piece and playing it over and over again is absolutely necessary for memory, technique, understanding, endurance, listening, etc. However, the one aspect of repetition which is most often overlooked is how we feel when we repeat. By being conscious about how we want to feel during each repetition, we can progress much faster.
For example, a few days ago I taught someone who was having difficulty with a fast passage and was explaining to me how he had been "drilling and drilling this bit, but it doesn't seem to get any better". We checked fingering, preparation, etc. Everything seemed to be fine. I then asked him to play the passage for me a few times. Sure enough, each time he played it, I could tell that he was feeling like he couldn't do it. He kept repeating the situation with the same mindset - and therefore getting similar results.
I then asked him to take a little time, breathe, relax, sit up straight, and think about how it would feel to be fully confident when playing the passage. Feel confident and stay focused on that feeling while playing. Now we began to repeat again. The first few repeats were no different than before, but this time instead of reacting to the mistakes, I asked him to keep refocusing on the feeling of confidence before and during the passage. Sometimes I would just tell him to say "this is easy" and imagine what it would feel like to be a player who had that kind of belief. Each time he would make a mistake, we would reset the feeling of confidence and repeat again.
Now this might seem like fantasy, but after about 6 or 7 repeats, he began to play the passage more accurately and fluidly. His body started to relax, his concentration increased, and although we were focusing on simply getting the passage accurate, even his tone and rhythm improved. At times, he would slip back to the old way (mental habits are hard to break) but the feeling of confidence or ease has to be practiced like anything else for it to take root. Awareness is key here, because it's so easy to do and not feel. Feeling is often totally overlooked, but I'm finding that it has to be practiced hand in hand with doing. One of the best questions you can ask when you are practicing is "how am I feeling?" and then "how do I want to feel?". Observe this as often as you can when you are working and keep refocusing on the feelings you want - practice having them now.
As in "Groundhog Day", as we change how we feel towards a situation, that situation over time begins to change. By practicing the feelings we want when we play, we gradually change ourselves - which has to change our playing for the better. This is one of the most important aspects of effective practice.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Jose Luis Gonzalez (1932-1998) live in November, 1992
Jose Luis Gonzalez (1932-1998), a guitarist unknown to me until today. I love the fact that this was recorded in 1992, but it sounds like it's from the 50's. His playing is divine - full of color, passion, and freedom.
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