the classical guitar in new york

Passacaglia by Louis Couperin

2011-05-30T21:08:00.004-04:00

I've been on haitus these months because I've been looking differently at technique, music, how I play, and how I teach. Part of my search has been to find a more "authentic" sound - one with more complexity and humanity. When I hear the older players that I love, I hear a lot of complexity in the tone - many human "artifacts" if you will. There are numerous elements to this kind of sound, but one of the elements is the use of natural nails.

For 20+ years I have been using fake nails because of a belief that my real nails weren't very good for tone. As it turns out, my natural nails were not as weak as I had assumed, and for the last few weeks I've been developing them for playing. This recording is the first I've done with natural nails and was happy to record on a 1965 Fleta guitar. It is one of my favorite arrangements by the great Andres Segovia.

2 Fantasías by Luis de Narváez (fl. 1526 - 1549) - Kevin Gallagher, guit...

2011-01-10T09:39:00.003-05:00

I started getting back into recording to improve my playing. Lately I've been fascinated with the Spanish Renaissance and have been reading the vihuelist's music voraciously. The part writing and imitation in this music is like the European religious vocal music of the time, but it also has some unique and subtle dissonances - an influence from the Moors conquest and subsequent 700 year occupation of Spain starting in the year 711.

Online Music Theory Course for Classical Guitarists

2010-10-14T20:11:00.005-04:00

I couldn't agree with Segovia more when he said "study music more than the guitar". In that vein, I've been notified that there will be an online music theory course for guitarists at the www.classicalguitarblog.net

As I've said, to play classical guitar well you must also understand classical music. This course is specifically designed for classical guitarists and is interactive - you can ask questions and get answers about the material much like a "real" class. If you don't know theory and are interested, this can be an excellent course to get you started.

Recordings from the past

2010-08-19T09:43:00.003-04:00

I've been taking a bit of a sabbatical from my internet postings which will be over soon. In the meantime, I've decided to put up some live recordings from the past not known to the general public (nor to most who know me personally). These recordings are from 1997 with the fantastic guitarist, Antigoni Goni. For those that don't know Antigoni, I highly recommend getting her recordings. I became friends with Antigoni at Juilliard and we formed a brief duo during the years of 1996-1998. The duo began by concentrating on the Spanish Nationalists - Albeniz, Granados, and De Falla, and using the arrangements of the old guitar masters - primarily Miguel Llobet and Emilio Pujol. Evocation by Albeniz as arranged by Llobet is one of the most colorful guitar arrangements I've had the pleasure to perform. Just studying the score is a complete lesson in guitar orchestration. More can be found at my youtube site

Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20

2010-05-03T15:36:00.006-04:00

I've been listening to a lot of romantic era music lately, something I've shunned for most of my musical study. I guess I wasn't that interested because the great composers of that time rarely wrote any music which could be played on our instrument - unlike in the Baroque, Renaissance, and 20th century composers.

It always bothered me that I didn't know most of the great masterpieces from Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, etc. If we are classical musicians, then we should be interested in all great art music - not just art music played on the guitar.

Lately my obsession has been Felix Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 which I've been listening to and studying daily. It was composed in the autumn of 1825, when he was just 16. There's something remarkable about the feelings conveyed in this music - it's full of hope, optimism, and drama - typical of a 16 year old. At the same time, the craftsmanship is stunningly mature. If I had heard this when I was 13, I may have taken up the violin.

There's a digital copy of the manuscript online here.

Here is a playlist to the full piece -

Introduction and Passacaglia on "The Golden Flower" for electric guitar - Dusan Bogdanovic

2010-04-09T15:18:00.011-04:00

This is from a home recording from 2004-5. It's originally for classical guitar, but this version is for electric guitar with added effects to enhance the "indian" quality of the work. The music is based on the Golden Means ratio - a mathematical ratio found in nature.

I know this blog is mainly for classical guitar, but for those who might also be interested in electric guitar and contemporary music, I'll be putting all my old home recording tracks up at www.youtube.com/avantpopmusic over the next few weeks.

Julian Bream masterclass on "Sevilla"

2010-03-29T02:19:00.004-04:00

There's a number of masterclasses by Bream on youtube. I love them. Of course, it's no surprise that Bream always talks about musical ideas and listening, but even more important is the kind of energy he emits. That seems to be the greater, unspoken lesson.

ANDRES SEGOVIA MASTERCLASS - SOR "ESTUDIO"

2010-03-17T13:25:00.001-04:00

Segovia showing us all how easy it can be.

Glenn Gould plays Orlando Gibbons - Allemande (Italian Ground)

2010-03-10T11:08:00.002-05:00

This is a recording of Glenn Gould, a pianist I greatly admire playing Orlando Gibbon's glorious Allemande (an Italian Ground). I was mentioning to a few students this week how important instrumental resonance is in playing. In other words, how an instrument "rings" a certain way when it's pushed nicely with natural power, but not brute force. With command, but not with over control. Listening to Gould play demonstrates that well. The whole piano rings with clarity and resonance no matter what the dynamic.

Mallorca op 202 played by Julian Bream

2010-02-21T22:25:00.002-05:00

Hats off to Julian Bream, who has never tired of exploring music or the instrument. He listens with reverence to the birth and death of every note.

The Attitude of Play

2010-02-13T23:08:00.021-05:00

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." - Thich Nhat Hanh

The underlying feeling when practicing should be one of play - experimenting, being creative, being spontaneous, enjoyment of the present. This is how we learn things best and easiest. When the mind is playing and enjoying the process without judgment, it becomes inspired - we get wonderful ideas, feelings, intuitions. This guides us towards right action.

Even when a technique is particularly challenging, we can still retain the attitude of play. I remember in the Fall, sitting in a park and watching a few skateboarders honing their craft. One boy was trying to do a trick where he would lift the skateboard while he jumped onto a bench, and then land back down onto the ground cleanly. He tried and tried, but wasn't getting it. However, he wasn't getting upset - he was playing with the technique. Through playing and experimenting, his mind/body were open to solutions. When he would fail, he just learned a little from it, moved on, and went on to the next try. His mind was not on judgment - which drains us of energy and inspiration. He was just feeling the sensations for each jump with a sort of intense curiosity. Of course he wanted it to be right each time, but he didn't mind that it wasn't. Failing was just a way to understand his instrument better (body and board)- it wasn't something to get upset about or to take personally. He did nail a few jumps towards the end, and although he didn't become fluid at the technique, it was obvious to me that he was going to get it with this kind of practice.

Play doesn't require perfection in every moment. Do we enjoy games only when we win? Of course not. Why should practice be any different? Think of it as a sort of game. Watch yourself and be careful not to fall into harsh criticism of your self or your work. Be interested in the failures as well as the successes - learn from both and stay open to the ideas that come from both. Some of your best ideas will come from failing - if you are open to learning from it.

The attitude of play is one of the key factors in mastering any endeavor. If you read about anyone who is outstanding in their field, you find over and over again that they enjoy their work immensley. They don't do it for the money or fame. Their work is a sort of play for them. Enjoy each step and you'll see that things get easier - as you become easier on yourself. If you have an attitude of play while you work, in many ways you have already succeeded.

Paderewski plays Chopin (1927)

2010-01-15T22:18:00.009-05:00

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.

Music First

2010-01-05T08:56:00.025-05:00

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/

Prelude no. 5 in E Major - Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)

2009-12-15T00:04:00.001-05:00

For the anniversary of the great master's death.

Francisco Tárrega (21 November 1852 — 15 December 1909).

Menuet in G, Opus 3. by Fernando Sor (1778-1839)

2009-12-10T15:15:00.001-05:00

I'm getting back to some recording after a hiatus. One of my favorite Menuets by the great Fernando Sor.

Andantino No.3 op.2 F.Sor

2009-12-02T21:04:00.003-05:00

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.

The Art of Repetition

2009-11-15T14:46:00.033-05:00

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.

Jose Luis Gonzalez (1932-1998) live in November, 1992

2009-11-12T19:17:00.003-05:00

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.

Digital Manuscripts

2009-10-28T22:54:00.004-04:00

While looking for original Tarrega manuscripts, I found this cool little site http://www.theguitarmuseum.com/

I didn't know it existed. Guitarists can see the original manuscripts of Tarrega, Sor and other greats. Tarrega's handwriting is especially beautiful. I still get excited about this stuff after all these years.

Enjoy!

Kevin

Folías (2nd version) by Gaspar Sanz (ca. 1640-c.1710)

2009-10-23T13:04:00.001-04:00

2nd Version. I couldn't decide between the two versions, so I decided to post both.

Folías - Gaspar Sanz (c.1640 - c.1710)

2009-10-23T00:36:00.001-04:00

Music for the fall.

Classical Guitar Lesson - Op 51 #2 by Mauro Giuliani + PDF of Music Notation

2009-10-19T15:35:00.003-04:00

A new lesson - I hope you enjoy.

the PDf of the music notation can be found at http://www.guitar69.com/videos.html

Best wishes

Kevin

Pavan III - Luis de Milán (c. 1500 - 1561)

2009-10-11T03:05:00.001-04:00

Domenico Scarlatti - Sonata in A Major K208

2009-10-01T02:12:00.001-04:00

I've been studying and arranging a number of Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas these days and ran across this wonderful performance of the brilliant K208, as played by Andreas Staier. I love the way his rhythm bends, dips, falls apart, comes to full stop, and yet always feels human and expressive. It's a sort of improvisation in many ways - a form of speaking.

Visualizing

2009-09-06T11:44:00.053-04:00

Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible. - Cherie Carter-Scott

Above all else, we must see ourselves playing the way we want to play and keep that image in our mind - no matter what the present reality of our playing is. All physical practice must be guided by this image. If we don't imagine ourselves playing well, if we are constantly thinking about how we don't play well, if we continually speak to others about how we don't play well, no amount of physical work can overcome that self image.

The common problem among most people (myself included) is that we become hypnotized by the outer world (see my last post). We see ourselves with deficiencies in tone, accuracy, memorization, confidence, etc. and we keep thinking and focusing on our problems. This continues to manifest them.

Let's understand a little bit about how the mind works. When we have an image of ourselves (positive or negative) continually repeated in the conscious mind, the subconscious tries to find ways to create that image. An interesting fact about the subconscious is - it cannot tell the difference between reality and imagination. If we continually think that we can't play well because of our present circumstances, the subconscious will find ways to continue to create that reality. On the other hand, if we create a positive image of our playing in our imagination and repeatedly see ourselves in that way, the subconscious mind begins to look for ways to create that reality.

So, we start by creating the positive image of our playing in our imagination regardless of the present situation. 5-10 minutes a day is enough. You want to see and feel yourself playing the way you wish as if it is happening NOW. It's important to think and feel like you are playing this way NOW because the subconscious doesn't understand the future. The subconscious only works with NOW feelings and images. Remember to always visualize as if you have what you want NOW. Don't worry if the mind wanders or if the image is hazy - just keep bringing it back to the image for 5-10 minutes. Once in a while, the image will become clear and you will lose yourself in it - that's wonderful, enjoy it! Even if the visualizing feels cold and mechanical - that's ok too. The important point is to do it every day so it becomes a habit.

You want to do this daily for 5-10 minutes a day. Momentum in visualizing is key. It's like we are planting a seed. We must cultivate and nourish the seed everyday. At first, when we repeat this new image of ourselves playing well, nothing seems to be happening. Be patient - there has to be momentum in the new idea for it to grow. A seed grows underground and out of sight for weeks. Keep visualizing the positive image every day even if you don't see results.

After a few weeks of visualizing the positive playing, you'll start getting little insights. The playing will be exactly the same, but you begin to have new ideas about how to overcome the problem areas. You might notice yourself finding articles and videos which help you rethink your playing. You may find yourself trying new approaches, new ways of listening, new ways of feeling as you practice. This is all part of the process.

After more time visualizing daily, you'll see tangible progress. You'll notice that the accumulation of the insights begin to take root physically. You might not be 100% there, but you'll see evidence of progress. Some days will be better than others - that's normal. Keep visualizing yourself playing as you wish and progress will be made towards that image.

Now, let me state the obvious here. You do have to physically practice! I'm not saying that you just visualize every day and BAM! - suddenly you play like your favorite guitarist. What I am saying is - by visualizing the way you want to play daily, the subconscious mind has no choice but to look for ways through your physical practice to create that image. This means that while you practice, you are going to get new insights about your playing - so be aware of that small voice or intuition. If it tells you to try another approach - by all means try it. Insights may come while you are practicing, or they might come while you walk in the park, or while you are talking to a friend, or in your dreams. Be grateful when they come.

Also, understand that everyone progresses differently. Some people will get tremendous insights in a few weeks while others might take longer. Don't keep asking "when is it going to happen". Be patient, enjoy the visualization of yourself playing well every day, practice well and keep your mind open to the new ideas. Stay relaxed - don't try to force this. Remember, if you continually visualize the positive image daily, you are guiding yourself to that image. This isn't wishful thinking - this is mental science. Take the time and dedicate yourself to this everyday. Over time, you'll see wonderful results from this simple, yet powerful technique.

The Inner World

2009-08-09T22:34:00.015-04:00

"The outer world not only influences our inner world - it bullies it, it dominates it, it mesmerizes it. We're hypnotized by the outer world" - John Kehoe

We all live in two worlds - the inner world and the outer world. The outer world is where our playing is. The inner world is where our emotions and thoughts are. These two worlds are connected - they influence each other.

We are taught from when we are children to be hypnotized by the outer world. If something bad happens to us, we think about it and our attitude becomes negative. If something good happens to us, we think about it and our attitude becomes positive. It is very important to understand that the outer world DOES NOT have to affect the inner world. We can choose our own thoughts and feelings regardless of what is happening.

When we are practicing, we want to also practice the correct attitudes no matter how "difficult" something seems to be for us. Even if the practice is going badly, we want to remember to not let the outer world affect our attitude. I admit that this isn't easy, but if we can remember to practice attitude as much as finger movement, we will see that the playing will begin to reflect that attitude.

I'm not suggesting this so we can all feel better about playing badly. What I'm saying is this - the attitude of confidence, the attitude of expressiveness, the attitude of spontaneity, the attitude of enjoyment, the attitude of ease, all the positive (as well as negative) attitudes that we have when we practice and perform DIRECTLY affect our physical playing. If you want to play better, you must also practice the attitude of the great players - confidence, calmness of mind, enjoyment, ease, etc. Do not wait for your playing to be perfect in order to practice the right attitudes. Practice your attidues now with the understanding that it will directly affect your playing. In doing this consistently, you are using the inner world to affect your outer world.

Experiment and play with this idea. Have fun with it. Write down the attitudes you would like to have when playing and keep the list in front of you while you practice. Watch great performers and notice their attitudes as they play. Don't worry if you slip or become negative - just try to reset your attitude whenever you can. Keep practicing and cultivate your positive attitudes and "act as if" you are playing the way you want. If you stick with it, you will see how important this is.

Music for the Guitar Getaway on August 1-3

2009-07-11T17:42:00.009-04:00

To those who are interested in the Guitar Getaway in the Poconos from August 1-3, I've chosen the music that we will perform as a guitar ensemble. Those who have reserved a spot will recieve the parts via email within a day or two. In the meantime, you can look at the scores and listen to the HQ midi files of the pieces.

First, you'll need to Download the Sibelius "Scorch" Plugin

Then, you can go here to view the scores and listen to each piece.

Susato - Rondo and Salterello

Telemann - Quartet in D

Faure - Berceuse

Dowland - Lachrimae

Some of the scores have downloadable Midi Files which you can use to practice with - something I would suggest. We still have some openings for the getaway, so if you are interested but have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at kevinrgallagher at earthlink.net

Best wishes,

Kevin

Interests

2009-07-07T22:59:00.018-04:00

We must be careful in our study to be interested in what helps us and not what hurts us. Often, when we practice we become focused on what is negative in our playing. There's nothing wrong with noticing what needs improvement, but we want to make sure that we are interested in what makes us better - and not focus on the problem. By this, I don't mean to just ignore mistakes, but to make sure we are continually focusing on what we want.

For example, let's say we have two students practicing a fast scale at 120bpm and both of them are having problems with part of it. Student #1 may think "I can't play this scale this fast - this is hard!" while Student #2 may think "I made a mistake, but that's ok - I want to play this scale fluidly"

In both mental attitudes, the students may slow down and work on the scale, but with Student #1, the interest is now on the difficulty, while Student #2's interest is on playing the scale fast and fluid.

This might seem trivial to some, but understand the fact that "The only thing that can grow is the thing you give energy to" (Emerson). Both students may physically work on the scale in the same way, but because one is looking at the difficulty while the other looks for the solution, the results will be different. Student #1 may keep thinking about how hard it is and tense up every time the scale is played, thereby making it harder to play and reinforcing his belief that "this is hard!". Student #2's search for fluidity gets him to eventually relax and enjoy the feeling of speed. As he keeps relaxing, he builds the belief that "this is easy".

I know this example is black and white. Often, we have a mix of emotions while we practice. For example, there are probably days where Student #2 feels that the scale is too difficult and doubts his abilities. But if he can keep the majority of his thoughts on what he wants, and continually imagines what he wants, and keeps interested in only what he wants, with time, what he wants will start to appear.

¡Viva España!

2009-06-25T13:24:00.006-04:00

I'm off to Spain to visit some old and new friends, study, research, and clear my head for a few days. What better place to go than the birthplace of the guitar?

In the meantime, I recently had an interview for guitar theory in depth - a great site for those who want to get more into music theory on the guitar (very important in my opinion). Most of the interview deals with my "Jeckyll and Hyde" personality in regards to the guitar (classical guitar and electric guitar) but other topics are covered as well.

Kevin Gallagher interview for Guitar Theory in Depth

Many thanks to Alex Cortes for the interview.

Hope you all are enjoying the new summer,

Kevin

fingering vs fretboard

2009-06-17T01:30:00.023-04:00

As a teacher of this fantastic art, I often learn more from my students than from the books I've studied or the teachers I've had. Since the study of the guitar is directly influenced by our perceptions, I thought I would share this insight I recently had in a lesson.

As a boy, I never had problems memorizing or understanding what I was playing on the guitar. In fact, the first lesson I ever had was learning a I - IV - V blues progression and the chords and scales that went along with it. When I learned scales or songs at that time, "proper" fingering was never really thought about. I basically would see the notes or tablature, put my fingers where I was supposed to, and off I went. I memorized the shapes of the chords and the scales without really thinking much about how to finger them.

In a recent lesson, I noticed a student perform the correct left hand fingering - but on the wrong string. Most of the time I would have just politely pointed out the error and moved on, but something about this kind of mistake struck me as being deeper than a technical slip. As an experiment, I asked him to play me a scale he knew - which he did. I then asked him to play the same scale using only the index finger of the left hand. To my amazement, the student could not remember the scale - even though he had been playing it for years with the "proper" fingering.

It suddenly dawned on me - some people memorize fingering patterns, but not fretboard patterns. They know the fingering for the scale is 2-4-1-2-4-1-3-4 on the left hand, but they don't know the exact frets and strings the fingering belongs to. Or - they may know a chord's fingering, but because they don't know the fretboard shape of the chord well, they can't easily change to another fingering.

Knowing where you are placing your fingers is more important to memorize than fingering. Fingering is simply the way to get to the frets - the real target and the real knowledge is knowing the fret/string we are playing. Once we have that clear in our head, the fingering can be altered and refined while the proper target (the fret/string) is always in our sights.

Try this for an exercise -

1. Take a 3 octave scale you know well, and play the whole thing with one finger - can you do it? Now start the scale from the top note and go down with one finger. Now start the scale from the 7th note instead of the 1st. If any of this is difficult to do, you've probably memorized the fingering, but not the scale's fretboard pattern. If that is the case, play the scale as you normally would, but this time pay attention to the fretboard pattern of the scale - not your fingering. Really look and study the frets/strings you are playing. After a few repeats, try the exercise again. Also try starting at random spots in the scale. See if you can keep the scale's fretboard shape firmly in your mind regardless of the fingering you choose.

2. Take a simple piece that you have memorized - something very easy to play or can sight read well. Now, change the fingering randomly but don't change positions. If you played a chord with 1st and 2nd fingers, use 3rd and 4th instead. If you played a scale passage with 4-1-0 as the fingering, change it to 1-3-0. Don't make any of the fingering logical or smooth - that's not the point. The point is to be able to change fingerings randomly and still keep the fretboard shapes clearly in your mind.

I've always wondered why rock and jazz guitarists seem to learn classical guitar music easily and I think this is one of the reasons. Pick up any rock or jazz guitar method book and you'll see that fingering is rarely talked about, while fretboard diagrams, and scale/chord shapes are everywhere. From the beginning, these players start looking at the fretboard shapes - while in classical guitar, we tend to emphasise the fingering of the shapes. Fingering is extremely important, but without the proper target, we can only hope that the fingers will land correctly. Know clearly where you want to go and you'll find the way to get there.

Guitar Getaway in the Pocono Mountains August 1-4, 2009

2009-05-26T15:33:00.027-04:00

Dear Friends,

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be holding a three day guitar “camp” in the Pocono Mountains from Saturday, August 1 to Tuesday, August 4th. The Camp has enough beds for 8 students. I’m gearing this weekend for adults who are advanced beginning to intermediate level and are over the age of 30.

For room, board, and lessons the cost is just $350 per person. Although the emphasis of this weekend is to study and enjoy the classical guitar, there will be plenty of time to take in the wondrous beauty of the mountains and lake of Mount Pocono. All students should bring portable music stands - we will be performing and recording chamber music together as a guitar octet!

I hope you’ll join me for this weekend getaway filled with music and good times. Please contact me directly if you’d like to attend - kevinrgallagher (at) earthlink.net

Payment for the Guitar Getaway can be made with a credit card by using Paypal

Click Here to Make your Reservation

You can see photos of the camp here –

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28439328@N08/sets/72157618746362203/

Travel to the camp is very easy by bus from New York City on Martz Trailways out of the Port Authority to Mount Pocono.

Bus schedule - http://www.martztrailways.com/from-nyc.asp

Schedule of Events for "Guitar Getaway in the Pocono Mountains" August 1-3, 2009

Saturday, August 1

Students arrival – after 2pm please! There are buses from NYC leaving at 1:05 pm and 3:15 pm.

2-6 pm – arrival, rest, relaxation, walking, practicing, etc.

6 – 8pm - Ensemble Practice (guitar octet)

8- 11pm Dinner, Wine, Socializing

Sunday, August 2nd

8 - 10am - breakfast

10 - 12pm - Masterclass 1

12 - 2pm - break, snack, walking, relaxing etc.

2 - 4pm - Masterclass 2

5 - 7pm - Dinner

7 - 10pm - Ensemble practice

Monday, August 3rd

8 - 10am - Breakfast

10 - 12pm - Masterclass 1

12 - 2pm - break, snack, walking, relaxing etc.

2 - 4pm - Masterclass 2

5 - 7pm - Dinner

7 - ? Ensemble video and audio recording session, wine drinking, party

Tuesday, August 4th

8 - 10am breakfast

11am - Departure – bus leaves at 11:10am with arrival into NYC at 1:30pm

Please feel free to pass on this information to those who may be interested. Many thanks and hope to see you this summer.

Best wishes,

Kevin Gallagher

www.guitar69.com

Scholarships for the Summer

2009-05-26T13:53:00.005-04:00

I'm offering 2 scholarships for free private lessons this summer from June 1 - September 1. I'd like the guitarists to be music majors at college looking for extra guidance and inspiration during the summer. The level of the guitarist is not as important to me as is his or her enthusiasm and love for the art. Lessons will be bi - weekly and will be at my studio (not over internet webcam).

For consideration, please send me your name, a well written email (one or two paragraphs) with your background information, what you'd like concentrate on (playing Baroque music, Technique, Contemporary Music, etc.), and a sample of your playing - video or audio. Please do not sent the video or audio to my email - use www.yousendit.com and send me links to the files.

Best wishes,

Kevin

Traveling to Madrid

2009-05-26T13:45:00.002-04:00

I'll be in Madrid, Spain between June 26 - July 2nd. I'll be doing some light work there, as well as visiting with some of my favorite people. I'm looking forward to this trip - I haven't been to Spain in almost 10 years now.

If any guitarists in the area would like to take a coaching with me, or just grab a coffee and see some sights, please feel free to contct me at kevinrgallagher (at) earthlink.net

Gracias,

Kevin

Chromatic Octaves Study for Guitar + free Pdf

2009-05-14T21:40:00.004-04:00

I made a video lesson today based on one of my favorite left hand exercises - Chromatic Octaves. The music is available here - http://www.guitar69.com/videos.html.

Enjoy and best wishes,

Kevin

Dedicatoria - Enrique Granados

2009-05-10T02:13:00.001-04:00

for my Mother

Further thoughts on recording

2009-04-15T21:42:00.018-04:00

Recording is like looking in the mirror. By simply looking (or in this case, listening) we can make instant adjustments and improvements. When I talk to students about recording, I encourage them to really experiment with how they feel. There are three basic mental states I like to play around with when the recording light is on - trying, carelessness, and relaxed observing.

Trying is what most people gravitate towards - especially when recording or performing. We try to control everything. When events don't go as we like, we try harder to control the outcome. This is a fearful and stressful way to play. Many teachers would tell you to avoid that, but my advice is to try as hard as you can for a few run throughs - really feel the trying and stress completely. Let yourself get upset. By embracing it and letting it be (as opposed to avoiding it), it will have less effect on us for the following run throughs.

The second way is the way most people are never told to play - carelessly. As you record, let yourself play as carelessly as possible. Make mistakes, move freely without a care in the world - really go for it and enjoy the feeling. Imagine that you are playing it perfectly. Remember being a kid and making a mess with joy? That's the state we want. Don't focus on the notes - focus on the feeling of total freedom of motion. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but doing this frees up the body and mind and reminds us how good it feels to simply move without judgement.

Finally, we've warmed up and you want to allow yourself to play with a state of relaxed observation. Move the hands as you want, but just observe and listen to the guitar. Remember the freedom of motion from your "careless" playing, but now aim for accuracy. If you miss, keep the mental state relaxed - like in the careless playing. Stay open. If you notice that you start to try hard again, that's fine - let yourself try - embrace it as before. Let the trying be there and then go back to relaxed, open observing. Keep observing your mental states as you do this and notice how your playing changes accordingly. Focus more on how you feel than on the notes. When you feel well, the notes will take care of themselves.

The most important thing I can say is to make friends with your enemies. In other words - let the trying and carelessness that you don't like be allowed. Don't fight them off. Welcome them and smile at them. As you let them be, you'll start to go beyond them. This is the joy of recording - we study how we feel as we play. When we feel well, we play well - as within, so without.

Recording Classical Guitar with the Edirol R-09HR

2009-04-15T12:13:00.010-04:00

I wanted to make this video for those who would like to record but don't have a lot of money to spend on a recording project. As fearful as it might be, recording is probably one of the most important exercises a musician at any level can do. The beauty of the classical guitar is that we are able to record whenever we want. I hope this helps those who would like to record, but may have been thinking that it's too complicated or expensive to do. We are very lucky to be living in a time when it's not.

Please support this video by purchasing the Edirol R-09HR at Amazon - thank you

My Lady Hunssdon's Allemande (P.54) by John Dowland

2009-04-10T16:45:00.001-04:00

recorded last night last night during the full moon....

The Clever Salesman

2009-04-07T23:19:00.012-04:00

This is a interesting topic, as my mind can trick me into focusing on what I don't want. Today, I realized that I fell into the same trap yet again. I had to laugh out loud when I saw it.

We want to focus on what we want. What do we want? To play faster, louder, more fluidly, more confidently, with more joy. What do we focus on? - not making mistakes, not getting tense, not cracking notes by playing too loudly. You cannot get what you want by focusing on what you don't want. It may seem to be a subtle difference in language, but in terms of results, the difference is tremendous.

Children don't seem to have these issues as much as adults. Many people think children pick up music quickly because of certain physical attributes, but I believe it's because most children have less critical minds. They make mistakes and it doesn't distract them from feeling good when they play. They don't take the mistakes personally, so they are not fearful of making mistakes while they go for what they want. This is incredibly important to understand.

We adults tend to think that we can have joy in playing only when we are playing well. This is the critical mind at work. The paradox is this - to play well we must feel well inside. If you want to play open and freely, you must feel that way inside. As my teacher has told me many times - go after what you want and feel well no matter what befalls you. How simple, and yet how easy it is to forget this.

The critical mind is a clever salesman, but for today, I will not buy.

New Video Interview

2009-04-03T08:19:00.004-04:00

I was interviewed a few days ago for Chris Davis' excellent Classical Guitar Blog. We recorded our Skype video chat. the entire video playlist is here - Kevin Gallagher Interview on Youtube

Chris's Blog is highly recommended reading

Classical Guitar Blog http://www.classicalguitarblog.net

I'll be recording this weekend and hope to put up more videos soon.

have a great weekend,

Kevin

Beyond Labels

2009-04-02T22:30:00.016-04:00

It's our job as story tellers to express what is happening in the music we play. I don't mean this in an analytical sort of way - i.e. "this is the major 7th chord", or "this is a polyrhythm". All theoretical knowledge is empowering, but at some point we really want to look past the labels and feel the music purely - without any definitions.

It's very easy for the mind to be attracted to labels. I remember being in school, delighted that I could label all the advanced harmonies that were presented to me. I was lucky to have teachers and friends who were fluent at music theory. It's extremely valuable to understand theory, but sometimes theory can become more important than listening. It can become a way of knowing music without really listening to it - like a scientist who studies an animal and knows everything about that particular species, but never takes the time to know each one uniquely.

Lately I've been playing through some very old pieces - I've played some of them for as long as I can remember. When I play them, I practice listening - to the sound of the guitar, the voices as they interact, the variety of intervals, the attacks, the silences, etc. Just listening carefully and discovering - looking it over like a fine jewel. The labels still pop up in my mind, but I'm not so interested in them.

It's very helpful to start your practice this way - just play a basic piece and listen to it from as many angles as you can. Listen to each voice, feel the rhythms fully, try different moods, listen to how the voices interact. Become very interested in all the sounds and silences which create the piece. You will see how much depth can be found in even the simplest forms of music. This awareness will carry over into everything you play or listen to.

"The Earl of Essex's Galliard" (John Dowland) called "Can She Excuse My Wrong" by The Julian Bream Consort(21)

2009-03-28T19:57:00.002-04:00

I found this and couldn't help but to enjoy the supreme rhythmic bounce of Julian Bream. Also lovely to hear him speak.

lyrics

Manuel de Falla - Homenaje (Le Tombeau de Debussy)

2009-03-26T03:26:00.002-04:00

Recorded late on Tuesday / early Wednesday.

The Beauty of the Ordinary

2009-03-25T12:48:00.003-04:00

In this rare audio interview with Glenn Gould, I noticed he says something which is very important to all of us. As he talks about wearing a business suit as opposed to a suit and tails at 7:22, he goes on to say that he thinks it's a "bad strategy to let yourself think that anything is a special event". He then says "the easiest way to be happy at this business of making music is to treat every concert as if it were a days work of any kind. The more things that you do to indicate this is something special or apart from everyday pursuits, the more likely you are going to succumb to nervous tension". The interviewer doesn't quite get the depth of the statement, but it's obvious to me that Gould knew very much about his psychology while playing.

The Inner Ear

2009-03-24T12:33:00.019-04:00

“We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.” Anon

When I was young, I learned music by ear. I would meet with my band every week for many hours, and we would decide on what songs we wanted to learn (heavy metal covers mostly). Then we would learn the songs together or separately.

The nice thing about learning music by ear is that you always have a clear vision (the recording) of what the music should sound like when you play it. You can keep checking to see if what you are doing sounds like the recording you are learning. Eventually, the recording gets into your inner ear and you can tell if what you are doing sounds correct. This is how I learned to play music.

With classical guitar, we learn music by reading written notes. One of the advantages to this is we don't have to guess what the notes are - unlike learning by ear. All the answers are there. However, one of the disadvantages is that we can practice a piece without knowing it. We can get into the habit of reading rather than hearing the piece with the inner ear. For example - the student will practice a piece, but slows down at difficult passages. Most of the time, they don't know that they are adjusting the rhythm. They can't know because they have nothing to compare it to - the correct version is not in their inner ear.

I believe the inner ear is one of the most important and overlooked parts of musicianship. Our inner ear is our "recording". It's our vision. The clearer our inner ear hears the piece, the easier it is to follow it and express it - just like a real recording.

Guitarists tend to do most of their practice with the guitar in hand, but it's equally important to practice the inner ear - read the score, feel the rhythm in the body, let your imagination run free with ideas. Do this without the guitar every day. This strengthens the "inner ear recording" of the piece. By doing this you'll see great gains in your rhythm, memorizing and overall musicianship.

Keep in mind that we are ALWAYS expressing our idea of the piece - whether it's clear of not. The word "express" is defined as "to put thought into words; utter or state: to express an idea clearly. Focus on getting the idea clear so that you know what it is you are reaching for in your physical practice. It seems basic, but is overlooked by most of us.

Recording as Therapy

2009-03-17T12:49:00.005-04:00

As you might have noticed, I've been recording quite a bit since getting back from Portugal. Recording is extremely therapeutic because it documents how I'm feeling while playing the guitar.

I've come to the realization that underneath the notes, dynamics, colors, etc, what we are actually hearing is the way a person feels. There have been quite a few cases where I played a piece "perfectly" - clean, accurate, nice rubato, good phrasing - and yet when I listen back to it I'm not really drawn to the playing. I can tell that I'm not really playing the guitar - there's a subtle feeling of "work" there - a "wanting" to make it clean, accurate, with nice rubato, with good phrasing etc.

There's a beautiful line between wanting something, and letting it happen. Recording has become the study of letting it happen - of letting go and letting myself disappear completely into the play of the present moment.

Check out this video from the great Alan Watts - "Work as Play" It's ironic that he uses "playing the guitar" as an example of playful activity.

Fernando Sor - Study in B minor Opus 35, No.22

2009-03-17T01:38:00.002-04:00

Probably the most famous study by the great Fernando Sor. It was one of the first pieces I performed in public.

Fernando Sor - Study in F Major - Op.31, No. 11

2009-03-13T20:06:00.007-04:00

A little piece by Sor that I was reading through late last night. i think it's a lovely gem.

Charles Combe (1961-2009)

2009-03-10T16:15:00.005-04:00

My friend Charlie Combe died last week. He was a great friend who loved music and the guitar dearly. He will be missed by many.

The last coversation we had included our mutual praise of the Spanish guitarist, Miguel Llobet. I dedicate this Llobet arrangement to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC8J4t6zCYs

Portugal

2009-03-02T13:48:00.022-05:00

Coming back from Guitarmania in Portugal, I'm very happy to report that the entire week was wonderful - the teachers, performances, the audiences, the students - everyone was in a great sense of harmony throughout it all. The weather was sublime and work and play were often blurred. Even the guitar competition had a warm sense of camaraderie rarely seen by this competition veteran.

My good friend, Dejan Ivanovic invited me. He ran the festival, taught 10-12 hours per day, judged the competition, and performed a huge new program twice with his duet partner Michalis Kontaxakis. Michalis is very warm and friendly and a wonderful talent on the guitar - he has a great sound and expression. He and Dejan had only a few days to learn a program of an hour and 15 minutes worth of music! To think that I was nervous because my program wasn't entirely learned a month ago. Needless to say, their concert was stunning. Dejan and Michalis are good friends and play like one person with 4 hands - completely together, wonderful clarity, phrasing, and a wide variety of colors. It was a real treat to hear them at the beautiful Capuchos Convent - one of the best halls for guitar I've experienced. Every concert was sold out at this festival - there were no problems finding an enthusiastic audience for the classical guitar in Lisbon.

Also at Guitarmania were the wonderful performers and teachers Marco Socias and Carlo Marchione. It was the first time I had met Carlo and Marco, but we got along like old friends, going out to eat whenever we had time, chatting at length about experiences as competitors, performers, teachers, and sharing our love for music and the guitar. Both Marco and Carlo are amazing musicians of rare talent - I encourage those who don't know them to find their recordings and videos.

Carlo Marchione

Marco Socias

The three unsung heroes of the week were Paulo Lourenco, Rosa, and Pedro. Paulo in particular put more than 600 miles on his car for the week - picking up teachers, performers and driving them everywhere - concerts, dinners, masterclasses, even hospitals. Paulo himself is a great conductor and teacher but dedicates his help to the festival every year. It is because of his help that the festival has grown so rapidly. Rosa and Pedro also helped drive us everywhere we needed to go, making sure our schedules were correct, making sure the checks were ready, making sure the students knew where the teachers would be, making sure that concert halls were prepared etc. etc. etc. These are not small tasks - one small mistake could mean complete confusion for everyone involved. With their help, everything ran smoothly.

The competition was at a very high level and in the end the prizes were split - one first prize to Mateus De la Fonte of Brazil, and two 2nd prize and two 3rd prize winners. Judging was smooth - no drama or arguments. Mateus had it all - beautiful tone, wonderful musicianship, solid technique, and well balanced program. He will perform next year a full concert at Guitarmania 2010.

Finally, I'll speak of the students. How inspiring to see people so in love with the classical guitar and it's music. There is something incredibly touching to see a person struggling with a new way of thinking, trying it out, experimenting, and the whole time being enthusiastic about new possibilities. Some of the lessons were extra special for me to teach, because I could see that the students were just at the cusp of finding their musical voice - the searching was almost over. I felt like a guide at the bottom of a great mountain giving them an idea of what's ahead now that they've gone this far. It was a great privilege and I feel in the end that we all increased each others lives.

It's good to be back in NYC and to have finally gotten some sleep. I've posted some photos from the festival at Flickr - and included some March 1st snow photos for those who are enjoying the 60 degree weather back in Lisboa....

Guitarmania 2009 photos

Abraçoes,

Kevin

3 Exercises for Barre Technique

2009-02-09T08:45:00.006-05:00

It was bothering me that my Barre Technique lesson on youtube didn't have a set of logical exercises for it, so I created some yesterday. In the style of the old masters, I tried to make them musical - or as they might say - "pleasing to the ear". All three use the circle of fifths progression. The third is particularly difficult and fun.

3 Exercises for Barre Technique

Enjoy,

Kevin

Faith

2009-01-29T20:54:00.010-05:00

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. - Thomas Aquinas

Practice having faith when you play. Have faith that your hands will do exactly what you've asked of them. Trust your magnificent body. Excessive tension is a physical manifestation of fear brought about by doubt and worry. It keeps the body from acting in a natural way. Train your body well through practice, but let go of the need to control it. Relax and observe your hands with a continuous strong faith and you will be highly rewarded.

Efficient Action

2009-01-25T23:36:00.010-05:00

Do, everyday, all that can be done that day - doing each separate act in an efficient manner - Wallace Wattles

Efficient action is a topic I've been studying carefully as of late. It's an incredibly simple idea, and perhaps this is why it is often overlooked. Action can either be strong or weak - efficient or inefficient. Strong action is guided by a concentrated mental vision, while weak action is derived from a distracted mind.

It's not the number of things you do in your practice which matters - it's the full concentration behind each seperate act which matters. Remember that the the body/mind is one unit. If the mind is not fully present, the physical act will represent that. We want to be fully present in each act with a clear mental vision guiding us.

I recently had a wonderful lesson with a student who was having problems with buzzes in the left hand. We tried many "tricks" to get her left hand to fret cleanly, but the problems persisted. I suddenly realized that the student was not guiding the left hand with her mind. She was pressing on the correct frets, but because she didn't have a clean sound in her mind, the left hand was acting inefficiently.

I then asked her to hear the piece clearly without buzzes in her mind. I told her to keep that imagined sound in her mind as she played through the piece no matter what happens. By concentrating on the clean sound, her body started to find the way to get that sound. The playing instantly became much cleaner. This is efficient action.

Keep your mind on the vision of what you want while you work - no matter how distracting the mistakes may be. Stay focused upon what you want and act towards it with your full concentration. When a mistake appears, acknowledge it - but stay focused upon what you want and continue to act with the clear mental vision guiding you. You can only progress with this kind of work.

Lagrima Lesson - Part 2 - The Left hand Technique

2009-01-15T18:56:00.001-05:00

I finished this lesson last night. The music can be found at http://www.guitar69.com/videos.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSdtSstnVqA

Furthur use of the Will

2009-01-14T10:02:00.010-05:00

“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for power equal to your tasks.” - Phillip Brooks

If we want things to change, we must study the use of the will. If you have excellent will power, you can accomplish whatever you want.

Practicing the will can be done every day. Notice when you want or need to do something, but you find excuses not to do it. This is where the will can be practiced.

Practice it on little things at first - washing the dishes now instead of waiting for them to pile up, cleaning your apartment even though you don't feel like it, writing an email to someone even though it's going to take time and effort, going to the gym even though it's freezing out (like this morning in NYC) or - writing practice goals on an index card and then doing them one by one. All of this strengthens the will. Make it into a game - play with this idea.

With time, your will will become very strong. You'll begin to face challenges straight away and take action even though you may not feel comfortable with them. We are using the will to get out of the comfort zone. This is how we grow and learn.

In the following days I will write about efficient action.

Discipline

2009-01-12T12:08:00.009-05:00

"Discipline is being able to give yourself a command and then follow it" - Bob Proctor

It's very easy to play the guitar, but practicing is something else. We want to know exactly what we are reaching for in our practice sessions.

Since learning this new program for Portugal, I write down exactly what I'm going to work on during the day. I put the session's work on an index card which is placed in clear view on my music stand. Since I'm practicing 3-4 hours per day, the list usually consists of 5-6 ideas I want to accomplish that day.

I used to write goals for the day in a note book, but invariably, the goals wouldn't be within clear view at all times, and I would easily forget what I wanted to accomplish. With the index card right in front of my eyes at all times, this does not happen.

Every task is clearly written so that I don't fall into the trap of simply "playing" all day. There's a time to play through the repertoire, but while I'm learning music, practice is the top priority.

For example

Sunday, Jan 11, 2009

1. Right Hand arpeggios - working on speed, volume and fluidity (30 - 45 minutes)

a. Tremolo technique and Pami arpeggios
b. Villa Lobos Etude 1 arpeggio

2. Left hand Technique -

a. Chromatic Scale in slurs
b. Scale bursts working on 431 patterns

3. Right hand fingering for Conde Claros. Write in fingering for all difficult sections and drill.

4. Decide left hand fingering for B section of Movement 3 / Sonata Romantica - write in fingering

5. Work on phrasing for Kreneck Suite Movements 2 and 3. Write in ideas.

6. Memorize opening of Sor Fantasia Opus 7. Circle areas which are not clear in memory and drill them.

If I don't get something done that day, it goes onto the next days list. Notice how much writing is done in the session. The reason I write everything down is because I want to record the idea and anchor the idea clearly in my mind. It has been proven that writing ideas down become fixed in the memory far more easily than not writing them down.

This practice list is a lot for most people, but I'm used to this kind of work load. Make sure that you choose goals which you feel you can accomplish in that day - no matter how small. You might decide to solve the fingering for 1 measure - that's fine. If you accomplish that, you've succeeded. If you don't get everything done - just put it on the next days list. Eventually you will get a feel for the amount of work you can do in one day.

It's vitally important that you walk away from the guitar feeling like you've gotten some work done no matter how small it is. Every feeling of success in your practice leads to larger successes. It cannot be any other way.

Performance and Masterclasses in Portugal

2009-01-07T20:54:00.003-05:00

I'll be perforning and teaching in Lisbon, Portugal at "Guitarmania" from February 22-27th. It's very exciting to be returning to the concert stage in Europe. It would be wonderful to see some of you there. The information for the festival is here -

http://www.guitarmania.ipiaget.org/en/index.htm

Lagrima - Video Lesson

2009-01-07T09:29:00.004-05:00

Part one of a video lesson on Lagrima. "Lagrima" by Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) is one of the classical guitar's most popular romantic pieces.

In this videos I demonstrate the right hand technique used in this piece - particularly the use of rest strokes, or apoyando.

Using rest strokes fluidly and creatively is one of the hallmarks of the "Tarrega School" of playing, represented by such great artists as Miguel Llobet, Andres Segovia, Rey de la Torre, Julian Bream and John Williams, among many others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0PlECAp_cE

2009

2008-12-31T09:27:00.010-05:00

I'm very grateful for 2008. It was a fantastic year and I'm looking forward to an even better 2009. Over the next few days I'll be writing goals for the coming year. I encourage anyone who is not clear on what they want to also write their goals down.

Write down 5 goals on a card and keep it with you. Keep it somewhere where you'll see it often during the day - put it in your wallet, pocket, etc. When you see the card, briefly think about the goals - see yourself accomplishing them in your imagination. We need to be reminded of what we want to do, be or have - because it's very easy for the mind to be distracted from the outside world.

Make all the goals extremely clear - learning a fully detailed program, getting scales to a particular tempo, recording a 20 minute demo, learning 5 pieces in higher positions, writing a piece for the guitar, etc. etc. The clearer we have the idea and the more we think and act upon the idea, the quicker it will come. Clear goals = clear results. Vague goals = vague results.

Your goals may not feel comfortable at first - that's good. It means you probably haven't accomplished something like it before. We don't want comfort, we want growth. We can only grow by putting outselves outside of our comfort zone. It may be fearful at first, but go forward anyway. Know that by facing your fear and acting on the goal, you are automatically growing.

Happy 2009

Silen Night 2008

2008-12-07T08:15:00.009-05:00

This is my last Christmas arrangement for this year. The arrangement is also available for free at www.guitar69.com/noel. Wishing you much happiness in the new year.

Kevin

Do without Doing

2008-12-03T20:34:00.013-05:00

"All things godlike run on light feet" - Frederick Nietzsche

Anyone who is supremely fluid technically, lets go of the need to control technique. They simply do without trying. This is the great study of technique - to do all by doing nothing. The paradox is - the more we try to control, the less control we have.

Wanting control over any situation is triggered by the fear of losing control over the situation. Tension is a physical manifestation of fear. Tension makes movement difficult, which then incites more fear in the player. More fear = more tension. It's a never ending cycle. When we relax our mindset, and stop fearing our loss over control, the body relaxes and control begins to happen naturally. This is a simple, but profoundly deep study. This is "playing" the guitar.

Watch any guitarist with fluid technique and notice how light and playful the approach is. Realize this comes from a mindset - it's not just a physical act - it's his or her mind being represented by the body. When we fully grasp this concept, all technique becomes a study of letting go of fear and control. Only then can the body be free to do what it does naturally and beautifully.

an interesting video related to creativity and play

2008-12-02T09:25:00.002-05:00

how does this relate to your practicing and performing?

Variations on Deck the Halls

2008-11-23T13:22:00.004-05:00

I was asked for this arrangement from a few people last year, so I've finally gotten around to notating it. It's from my "Classical Guitar at Christmas" album which I recorded in the great year of 1993. It can be found as a pdf on this page along with last year's "The First Noel" arrangement.

http://www.guitar69.com/noel.htm

This solo arrangement was originally conceived as a duet, so some of the parts are difficult to master. Feel free to adjust it, add to it, subtract from it, and make it your own.

I'll put a lesson up soon on this piece on my other youtube channel - youtube.com/guitarchristmas. Look for that in the next few days.

Enjoy,

Kevin

New Lesson on Youtube

2008-11-21T12:17:00.002-05:00

I've put a new lesson on Youtube about Barre technique. Barres are problematic for many of my students, so I thought I would make a video explaining the technique. I hope it helps some of you who may be strugging with it. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

The score as image

2008-11-07T11:39:00.015-05:00

"You cannot give what you have not got" - Horace

Our interpretation of a piece depends upon our level of understanding about the piece. Understanding comes from study.

When I was in school, most of my theory courses focused on the harmonic structure of music. This kind of analysis is important, but even more important is to look at a score simply as a graphic image.

If we think of a map, we understand that it's not the territory itself, but it represents what the territory is made of - what roads intersect, what changes there are in the land, what landmarks there are, etc. We get a deeper understanding of a territory by looking at its map.

In music study, I encourage students to look at their pieces like maps to collect facts about the music. The more we can notice on the map (or music score), the more we understand the territory (or music).

Here are some ideas to think about when looking at your music. Do this without the guitar in a relaxed, interested state of mind. Write any ideas that pop into your mind onto the score.

1. Images - What does this piece represent to your imagination. If it were a film score, what would it be? A king entering the court? A horror film? A mother singing to her child? How would that image "feel" musically? Do the scenes change? What about the camera angles? Let your imagination be free and write your ideas in the score.

2. Texture - is the music very thick (like 4 part harmony, or full chords) or is it thin (maybe a single line or two lines)? Notice that the textures change throughout the piece. How will you express those changes?

3. Accidentals - especially in Tonal Music. Accidentals are signs that something has changed in the tonality. We want to feel those changes and express them.

4. Lines - where does a melody begin and end? What about the Bass? What about the middle? Do any lines have something of interest? Do the lines jump around or are they linear? How would your playing express those differences? Many times you will notice that when one voice ends a melody, another voice then adds something of interest so that there is no "dead space" in the music. Pay attention to those "bridges" as well.

5. Counterpoint - one of my favorites. Look to see how the voices interact. Even in the simplest piece by Sor, the counterpoint is wonderful to witness and enjoy.

6. Rhythm - what is the underlying feel of the piece? Even in a very complicated piece there are basic points in each measure which give a "grounding" to the rhythm. Rarely do all the notes get the same emphasis. Find the groove by singing, tapping, and feeling it in your body.

7. Rests - do you notice the rests? Many times a rest is as important as the notes - or even more so. Notice all the rests in the score and choose if you are going to express them or not. Also notice if you need to stop notes from ringing over each other - for example, in bass lines with many open strings.

8. Articulation - Sing the piece with feeling - do you notice your articulation is different than when you play? How about vibrato? Notice the differences and experiment with them in your playing.

9. Harmonic Analysis - what is happening in the harmony? Are there surprises in the harmony? like I- IV - V - iv. If there are twists (and many times there are) we want to express them.

Other questions to ask may be -

What is the Highest / Lowest Note in the piece? Where are they?

What Dynamics are indicated? Why?

What fingering is used by the editor? Why?

What attracts you to this music? Does it remind you of something or someone?

How would this sound as an orchestra piece? What instruments would play which part?

How would this sound if (insert your favorite guitarist here) played it?

Now, you don't have to go through all the questions in one session. One day, just look at the counterpoint. Another day, the texture, etc. We want to build a relaxed awareness of the piece. I would recommend doing this work before you pick up the guitar, as the technical aspect of playing can be distracting for score study. Once you feel like you've become more aware of something, play the guitar and experience it.

There are many beautiful secrets to be found for those who take the time. The more awareness you have of the music, the more you can express it.

New Youtube Video Lesson

2008-11-01T16:53:00.007-04:00

I've put up a video lesson on youtube using John Dowland's little gem "Mrs. Winter's Jump".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6FOVF0CUKg

The pdf for the music is also available for those who might like to learn it.

www.guitar69.com/videos.html

I've been meaning to do more videos, but to be honest, I'm not quite comfortable talking to a camera without the interaction of a student, so I tend to find reasons not to do them. I keep telling everyone in my lessons to "keep stepping into the fire" in order to become comfortable with whatever is uncomfortable - knowing that with time the difficulty will get easier. Of course, it's harder for me to notice when I'm avoiding the fire - especially when the mind gives all kinds of "good" reasons not to step into it.

Free classical guitar music gifts

2008-10-27T15:40:00.006-04:00

God bless the guitarists on the internet - no other instrument has so many resources available to it because of their dedicated work. Students and others have been notifying me of wonderful, high quality free music sites in the last few months. As I become aware of more, I will post them here and at my website.

Here is the first - many thanks to Boris for letting me know about it. Enjoy....

http://creativeguitar.org/sheet-music

Risk

2008-10-16T18:32:00.016-04:00

"You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety." Abraham Maslow

For many people the word "Risk" implies something negative. "I risk losing this - i risk losing that". We rarely see the word risk as a positive thing, but in reality we must all risk failure to grow. With all risk is potential reward.

We are genetically programmed to grow and experience new things - and this means risking pain. Is it not risky to learn how to walk, to ride a bike, to drive, to travel, to try new foods, to speak up, to meet new people, or to study music seriously? The risks in life are never ending. Why do we risk? For the expansion and growth of the experience.

In playing we want to risk often, because with risk comes confidence and freedom. In trying to play safe, we lose life in our playing. We may feel safety now, but we avoid our fear - so the fear keeps us playing safe. It becomes a never ending cycle.

It's important to notice your fear based boundaries, question them, and decide to push past them. That means playing faster than you may be comfortable with, learning something that is more challenging than usual, learning music theory, performing for others, working with other instrumentalists, deciding to record yourself, etc. Study one aspect of your playing that you shy away from and go towards it in some way - step by step. You'll see that as you go towards that which you fear, it will get easier.

You don't have to book a concert at a concert hall tomorrow, or decide to suddenly perform only challenging pieces. Take some small steps towards that which you want. With time, the small steps will accumulate. Will it always work out the way you want it to? Maybe yes, maybe no - but that isn't the point. The point is to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. This is where true growth lies.

Wanting vs Having

2008-10-08T15:40:00.011-04:00

Over the last 2 years I've emphasised how important it is to visualize. The inner vision must be clear if we want to alter any present unsatisfactory results. In the mental sciences, it's often said that one must "have something before one can get something" - in other words, you must have it in the mental/spiritual world before it will manifest for you in the physical world.

Most of us fall into the trap of mentally "wanting" something as opposed to "having" it. If you think of your playing (or life) in terms of "wanting" to get better but don't ever see yourself playing or living in that way, then you are communicating to your subconscious mind that you don't "have" it - and that means, you probably won't get it on the physical plane.

If however, you visualize yourself playing the way you want to play regardless of the present circumstances, see it in the present tense, feel the sensations of playing well now, then you begin to "have" the idea. The subconscious mind will start to act on that image and help you create it on the physical plane.

Remember that our relationship with the guitar has been entrenched into the subconscious mind over many years. Changing the programming of the subconscious takes time and discipline - it's a muscle which must be exercised as any other.

For the next 90 days, when you wake up (before you read the news or talk to anyone), take 15 minutes to visualize how you really want to play. Make the image as detailed as possible - feel the strings with both hands, notice the lighting in the imagined room, listen to the sound, see the audience enjoying your playing, feel the fluidity of the hands and body, notice how good everything feels and how free it is.

Keep thinking about how well you are playing in this imagined scene. You can use affirmations as well such as - "My technique is fluid and effortless", "I'm playing with ease and beauty", etc. It might feel like a lie at first, but keep doing it regardless. You just need to get comfortable with this new idea.

Make sure you feel as if it is happening NOW - not in the future, but right NOW. I can't emphasise this enough. You have to feel and see the image NOW for the subconscious to "have" it. Do this same visualizing at night before bed. Remember to make the image as detailed as possible and feel how easy and beautiful your playing is in the NOW.

Also, use the amazing resource of youtube to watch great performers everyday. You don't have to watch many - even one or two favorite performances will do. Notice how the performer plays and imagine what that would feel like - again, in the NOW. Don't let your mind tell you "I can't do that" - just observe and imagine what it would feel like to play that way with your hands. During the day, let these thoughts simmer inside you. You don't have to force the thoughts - just let them come when they come and enjoy them while they last.

Lastly, have faith and expect what you imagine to begin to come. Look for results, but with patience. Ideas are mental seeds, and all seeds have a gestation period. The seed grows roots (the unseen part) before it grows into the tree (the seen part).

Do this mental work for 90 days - let's say until Jan 1, 2009. I guarantee you will start to see results if you are faithful. You will gain new insights, and notice techniques you've struggled with will suddenly start to come. This is the power of the subconscious mind. We really do create our world.

the great Shawn Lane

2008-10-06T13:33:00.006-04:00

Rarely do I write about electric guitar on this blog, but Shawn was such a channel of beauty and encompassed many of the things I think about - clarity of vision, creativity, and efforless motion.

Most guitarists are impressed with his speed (obviously) but I find inspiration in watching his natural movement. Notice in this video how the energy flows to and from his fingers. He's simply moving them effortlessly - there's no ego involved, no trying, and no doubt.

New Youtube Channel

2008-10-01T10:32:00.002-04:00

I've decided to create a Youtube channel specifically for demonstrating techniques and ideas for classical guitar - http://www.youtube.com/classicalguitartv

It will be sort of like a video masterclass series available for free. I'm going to document as many of my ideas as I can over the next few years.

I'm not sure when I will upload videos, but I'm shooting for once a week - once my life calms down a bit. The first video is a demonstration of counterpoint on the guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfrYKlX6Nkw

Expectations

2008-09-25T09:26:00.018-04:00

"The world we have made, as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far, creates problems we cannot solve at the same level of thinking at which we created them." - Albert Einstien

Far too often we are told as children not to be boastful, not to get our hopes up. Unfortunately, this often leads us to have low expectations of ourselves. I've seen it far too often in my myself and in even my best students. We don't believe we can do certain things. We can even feel good talking about our problems.

One may practice every published study, every exercise, practice 10 hours a day, go to hundreds of teachers, and yet not improve very much because of a negative mental ruling state. If you don't expect to get better, you won't. You have to expect it. You have to see yourself playing well in your mind, believe it to be possible, and expect that it will come.

This is not wishful thinking. This gets the subconscious mind into a position where it starts to look for answers. Expect to find the answers you seek and they will begin to come. Too often we don't expect the good we desire. We focus on the present reality as a fixed Truth. Our present is only the effect of our past thoughts and feelings.

Begin to watch any thought or statement which describes yourself or your relationship to the guitar. When you think or say "I can't do ________" or "I'm not talented" or "I can't memorize" or "The guitar is difficult" etc. - realize that you are programming your mind. It doesn't matter how many years you've had these issues - start changing the way you think and things will start to change. There's no reason we can't do what we want other than the belief that we can't. Whether you believe something is true or not - you are right.

Realize that what you expect and see clearly in your mind will come to you with time. Your visions, when backed by unwavering faith are just like physical seeds. They will grow if they are taken care of and protected. Don't let another person (or yourself) tell you you're wrong because you've never been able to do it before. Don't let the past decide your future. Use the will to stay focused on your vision. Napoleon once said "I see only the objective, the obstacle must give way".

The Law of Polarity

2008-09-10T01:14:00.025-04:00

The Law of Polarity states that everything in the physical universe has an opposite - such as Negative-Positive, Up-Down, Hot-Cold, etc.

One of my favorite discovery (practice) techniques is to use this Law to rethink how I play and listen.

here are some examples -

1. listen to the notes / listen to the silences

2. listen to the attack of each note / listen to the sustain of each note

3. feel the fingers press onto the fretboard / feel the fingers lift off of the fretboard

4. feel the fingers pluck the strings / feel the fingers release

Most of the time, we tend to think and listen in habitual ways. By using the Law of Polarity, we can develop more awareness - which leads to better playing.

For example, we can be so concentrated on plucking the strings that we don't think about the release before and after the pluck. This is one of the reasons why we have unwanted tension. Focus on releasing.

With the left hand, we may think only about the act of pressing onto the fretboard. The fingers do not lift fully, because we are more concerned with the next press. Again, this creates unwanted tension and fatigue. Focus on lifting.

In listening, the attack is the most obvious part of the note, but even more important is the "body" of the note. Hear and feel the rest of the note - listen carefully to the decay.

We sometimes think of silence as a gap between the (more important) notes. Silence is where all sound is born and dies. The more meaning you give to silence, the more meaning your notes will have. We want to cultivate a deep reverence for it.

The Body as Teacher

2008-09-08T00:17:00.024-04:00

It is very important for us to look to nature for the laws of effortless movement. Nature doesn't try, it just does. Your body is part of that nature.

In a recent development in my teaching I have been encouraging my students to compare their motions when playing and when not playing the guitar. It's a simple awareness exercise to feel if our motion is natural or constricted.

For example, take your right hand and hold it in front of you in a relaxed manner. Now move your fingers rapidly back and forth in the form of an arpeggio pattern - perhaps PAMI. Don't try to move them with large motions, just move them playfully and effortlessly. Is it difficult to do this? Most likely it is not. You'll probably find that it is very easy to move the fingers quickly and fluidly. This is natural motion.

Now take the same arpeggio pattern and perform it on the guitar at the same speed. Do you notice the introduction of tension into the fingers? Do you notice an inner tightening? Do you notice a feeling of "trying" entering into the technique? If so, then this motion is constricted. Don't worry about trying to relax the motion - just feel the constriction fully in the hand and body. Keep going back and forth between the two types of motions - on the guitar, and away from the guitar. Feel the difference between both with great interest.

With time and patience, you'll notice that the body will start to apply the natural motion when playing the guitar. Why? Because the natural motion becomes a clear and penetrating idea. Any clear idea can be learned.

This comparison exercise has become so effective for me, that I now practice about half of my technique on the guitar, and the other half away from the guitar. Every time I feel a restriction in my technique, I check the motion away from the guitar to see and feel the difference. It's amazing to notice the amount of stress we can put into the simplest movements. We create unecessary difficulties this way. Awareness is the key to change.

The body already knows how to move beautifully. We want to study what it does in its natural, effortless state. It's your greatest teacher.

Using the Will

2008-08-18T14:07:00.016-04:00

Using the will in our work is extremely important and is often overlooked. We want to use the will to keep focusing on what we want - not on what we don't want.

In the case of practicing the guitar, we want to decide on what we want (better tone, more accuracy, more colors, running through the piece without stopping, etc.) and then use the will to stay focused on that - regardless of the current circumstances. Realize that staying focused on what you want will bring it to you, but it might not happen immediately - although sometimes it does. Often I have to simply tell a student to focus on getting a better tone, and it comes. Or I ask them to focus on being more accurate, and it comes. I don't have to explain anything or introduce new techniques. The student simply has to make a decision of what to focus on and then use the will to stay there. Then the mind / body will start to find solutions.

If there are no decisions made in our work, we can become easily distracted and overwhelmed. Our job is to focus on what we want to improve and use the will to stay focused on that during the session. 15 minutes of this kind of work is worth months of unfocused practice. Remind yourself by saying "I want to play my piece at this tempo" or "I want to memorize this passage" or "I want to get a better tone". Write down the idea and post it all over your practice room. Keep reminding yourself of what you want to improve. It takes time to build the momentum for new ways of playing - just stay on it.

Defending Your Life

2008-08-03T09:37:00.006-04:00

I saw the movie Defending Your Liferecently after a student recommended it to me. It's fantastic - funny and extremely moving. It illustrates quite well how we keep ourselves from what we want without even realizing it. Highly recommended.

The comfort zone

2008-07-23T20:09:00.007-04:00

When practicing, make sure your mind is clear on what you want. Often we practice with an unclear mind, and this becomes the norm. I've noticed myself and my students perform a phrase numerous times. When it finally reaches a point of clarity and brilliance, we move away from it immediately. This is actually the point in which the repeats should begin - not stop.

The mind has a tendency to want to stay comfortable, and comfortable can be a state of clarity or confusion. Whatever it is used to, it will want to return to. If a guitarist with an unfocused approach suddenly gains clarity, the mind will want to move away from that state - it will want to get back to its "comfort zone of confusion". This is very common. We want to watch the mind, notice when it is urging us to move forward hastily, and calmly bring it back. We want to repeat the clarity we've attained so that it becomes the norm.

The mind is like a record with grooves. The grooves we want to firmly entrench involve clear ideas - what notes are we playing, what fingering, what tone, etc. etc. Get your idea clear before you start to drill a passage, otherwise you drill vagueness. Either way, we reap what we sow.

freedom

2008-07-13T19:14:00.007-04:00

Study freedom. Freedom of movement, freedom of imagination, freedom from fear. This is what is in great playing of all kinds. The irony of course is that freedom is already within us, but we block ourselves from it more often than not.

When most people being to play music, it's a joyous challenge. We feel free to explore it, to make mistakes, to try new things. Over time, we learn rules, and they begin to constrict our freedom. We learn what is so-called "bad" and "good" and focus on judgement rather than playing. Let yourself play and don't worry about what happens - just play. Practice that mental state. When I see the children play in the park near me, they play freely. If they fall, they fall - and then get up and keep playing just as hard as before. That is freedom.

Photos of my Studio

2008-07-07T19:44:00.004-04:00

I took some photos of my teaching studio and put them on flickr. I coudn't help take a few extra photos of the beautiful painting by Paula Nizamas, a Chicago artist that I greatly admire. The painting is called "Oasis of Visions" - a wonderful title for my little studio.

Classical Guitar Teaching Studio in New York

Playing Meditation

2008-07-01T22:04:00.008-04:00

Great playing and deep meditation is the same. The mind goes quiet, and observation of the self deepens. Notice this artist - not his hands, but his mind. Is his mind busy making judgements about his playing? Is he worried about what other people will think of his playing? Or is he simply observing his hands peacefully?

Now the real question is - Does his mind become quiet and focused because of his awesome physical technique? Or - Does his awesome physical technique come from a quiet and focused mind?

From the Mountains

2008-06-25T08:21:00.010-04:00

I finally took a vacation and the only place I wanted to be was in the woods. The nature here is stunning. I can't help but to spend hours doing little more than look at the beauty here.

The natural world really is the best teacher. The trees are alive but silent. They do not worry about having more leaves than the next, or being closer to the lake than another tree. They are not concerned if the birds have or have not built nests in their branches.

In looking at them, I also can't help to notice how they don't organize themselves. There is a supreme beauty in the natural chaos. Nothing is totally worked out like in the manicured parks of New York.

It reminds me how in playing music we can fall into the trap of having all our ideas planned - every musical idea, every color, every rhythmic nuance. Our minds want security by knowing exactly what will happen next. This can be helpful as we learn the craft of playing, but eventually we see the Joy in NOT having everything worked out. You let the details come through present inspiration, not through formulaic planning.

At first it may seem hard to let go of the musical control you've fought so hard to attain, but if you consciously let go a little each time, you'll see that it isn't so scary. In fact, it's quite liberating when you are comfortable with not knowing all the details of your interpretation. In this way, a classical guitar performance becomes free and improvisatory in nature.

The Practice

2008-06-17T22:11:00.011-04:00

We must understand that the practice is a simple game of attention - what you pay attention to will grow in your reality. If you react negatively to your mistakes, you are giving the mistakes more power because you are giving them more attention. Notice them, but don't react to them. Any negative reaction feeds them and gives them more power.

When you are playing well, your attention is on playing and listening. When you don't play as well, your attention is divided - you're paying attention to HOW you are playing the guitar, or how other people think you are playing the guitar, or what just happened in that passage, or what will happen in the upcoming passage, or any number of things. This mind activity takes power away from where the attention needs to be - playing and listening in the now. The zen story of the archer demonstrates this point very well.

When you notice your mind chattering - acknowledge it, and then bring it back to playing and listening. Every time you make a mistake, bring the mind back to playing and listening. Be courageous. Don't let any mistake distract you. The mistakes can only win by allowing them to bother you.

Keep focusing your attention on what you want to grow - not on what you don't want to grow. This is the practice. All else will fall into place with time.

The Archer

2008-06-12T14:34:00.005-04:00

The champion arrived at the competition to prove once and for all that he was the greatest archer in the land. All the other competitors were intimidated by his presence and the audience assumed he would be the clear winner.

Surprisingly, each time the champion took the field, his arrows were inaccurate and his technique clumsy. His performance was no better than a beginning archer.

Perplexed by his performance, an audience member asked the Zen Master what he thought was wrong with the champion.

"His need to win drains him of power" said the Zen Master.

The Tea Cup

2008-06-12T13:51:00.010-04:00

A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. The professor had studied the concepts of Zen for a long time and was eager to learn more.

While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about his vast knowledge of Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring.

The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself.

"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted.

"You are like this cup," the master replied, "You are already full of what you know. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

listening

2008-06-06T10:16:00.008-04:00

Try to remove yourself from mind-based listening for a few minutes each day. Start to notice when when you are analyzing sounds, but not listening to them. Listening is not analyzing, it is being with a sound fully without the distraction of the mind.

One of the problems we have when hearing a guitarist is that we analyze the performance mentally - the tone, speed, phrasing, technique, etc. There is a lot for the mind to chew on. This has it's place and is important, but even more important is the art of listening without the mind being active.

Walk in the place you live and listen without any judgements. Hear every sound clearly, but without analysis. Be full of the sounds you hear - as if they are coming from inside of you. The world is rich in sound color. Now listen to the spaces between each sound. Listen to how empty the spaces are. Notice how the space feels. Now listen to both sound and silence. If the mind interferes, listen to that as well, and then go back.

Bringing the "Yes" into the "No"

2008-05-27T20:41:00.025-04:00

This concept is so close to my heart that it may be difficult to write about it. It's completely revolutionary for those who get it. If you don't get it, don't worry - you will with time. For those interested in reading more, I would suggest Eckhart Tolle's classic "The Power of Now" - particularly the last chapter called "Surrender".

I'm learning as I get older to welcome my difficulties, my fears, my struggles - whether it be with the guitar or with life. It's completely natural to want to avoid fear, but eventually it keeps coming back until we learn how to deal with it. Fear and limitations are great teachers.

In the practice of an instrument, we can fear fast tempos, difficult repertoire, high positions, certain fingering combinations, understanding harmony, what people think of our playing, etc. etc. Try to notice whatever it is you avoid or hide from. What do you fear? Awareness is key - most people don't know what they fear. Be curious about what you avoid in your playing and for that matter, your life. It's a fascinating study.

When you avoid something, you bring a psychological "NO" to it. It is basically the avoidance of pain. For example, if someone fears playing at fast tempos, they will avoid fast pieces and passages, they will slow down unconsciously when a fast passage appears, they might even look through a collection of music and avoid pieces with too much "black" in them. Ultimately, they are reacting to the fear of playing fast by avoiding the situation in some way. By not dealing with the fear, it is allowed to grow until "I can't play fast" is believed. Once you believe the fear, it becomes part of you.

So how do we deal with the fears and weaknesses we have? As I've learned, we must accept the fear - make friends with it. Say "YES" to what you fear - embrace it completely.

Fear can only stay strong if we keep reacting or fighting against it. If we embrace our fear, it will dissipate. This is bringing the YES into the NO.

For example, if a person fears playing fast, he or she can say "OK, I fear playing fast - that's fine. Let me play fast and I will welcome the fear. I won't complain about missing notes, tensing up, not feeling comfortable, etc. Instead, I'm going to welcome all of that and keep my mind calm. I will allow the fear to come and I will play fast anyway".

So then the person plays fast and gets tense, misses tons of notes, has a bad tone etc. However - unlike before, there is no reaction to any of this. The person keeps the mind calm and allows it all to be as it is. He or she welcomes the fear. As the fear is welcomed, it lessens because it is not strengthened through a negative reaction (the NO). This is the state of mind we want to cultivate for our difficulties. That doesn't mean you don't go back and work on the difficult passages. It doesn't mean that you ignore them. You just work on them without a negative reaction to them. You want to always say YES to your difficulties, to your fears.

With time, the fear lessens and you'll find that you can do what you used to fear. Why? Because only what you resist persists. Keep putting yourself into the situation you fear and say YES to the discomfort. As we do this again and again, the fear and discomfort will go away.

The great Eckhart Tolle talking about this concept.

A Sense of Direction

2008-05-12T12:49:00.016-04:00

In the book "The Inner Game of Tennis" by Tim Galloway, he mentions the fact that most tennis students are so concerned with hitting the ball properly (with the right swing, footing, etc.), that they actually forget to think about where they want to the ball to go. They are overburdened with directions on how to hit the ball, so they forget about the result - getting the ball over the net. Once they concentrate on where they want the ball to go, many technical problems go away because the body engages the muscles naturally to achieve a visualized result.

I've been noticing this in my students as well. They know the fingering, have good hand positioning, are able to visualize the notes, etc. but they don't actually see clearly where they have to put their fingers. They KNOW the fingering - have it memorized in fact - but often they don't really see clearly where they need to put their fingers. When i say "see clearly" I mean to see it as clearly as you would any object you were reaching out to pick up. This is so fundamental to playing that it can be overlooked easily.

Take a piece of music and play it VERY slowly. As you play each note, see clearly the string and fret of the next note you are about to play. Stay very focused - your mind will probably want to wander because it won't be used to this. See the next note (or notes) exactly where it will be on the fretboard. Try to feel what those next notes will feel like. In other words, you are executing and looking/feeling ahead at the same time for every single note. If you notice that you can do this at a slow tempo, then increase the tempo. Keep going faster until you've reached the tempo you like.

Notice how your body starts to prepare for the next notes naturally. You don't have to "try" to get the body to be more accurate - all you have to do is be clear where you want to put your fingers - and then let the body do what it needs to do to get there. That is exactly what we do when we pick up a pen or some other object. We don't "try" to pick it up - we just move the hand to the pen and pick it up. However, if we don't see the pen clearly, we may not pick it up accurately.

This is Effortless Doing - the mind directs and the body does. There is no "trying". Don't put any stress or strain into this. This is not hard work - it just takes focus and clarity. If you miss a note, just go back and refocus. Focus is the key - stay present in the now and clearly direct where you want to go - then see what happens.

perfection

2008-04-20T22:00:00.006-04:00

The emperor ordered the most beautiful women on earth be sought so that he could finally marry. Thousands of women were presented before him but each one was turned away. Many days passed and it seemed that the emperor would not pick a wife.

Finally, an envoy appeared with a woman from a distant land. Her beauty was so perfect, that the emperor decided to make her his wife.

One night, while gazing at the naked body of his new wife while she was sleeping, the emperor noticed a tiny mole on her hip. That image stayed with him from then on. Whenever he saw her, he could only see that imperfection. Seized by madness, he sought advice from his royal doctors. They prepared an ointment which would erase the blemish forever.
The treatment was successful. The following evening, the emperor was able to gaze at the perfect beauty of his beloved for the last time, as she lay lifeless beside him.

internal = external

2008-03-16T14:34:00.006-04:00

One of the main problems we have with learning the classical guitar is performing pieces by memory. Students tend to watch the notated music as they play, and their mind is busy looking at notes and fingerings. Most of the time very little listening is done.

Most young rock guitarists can memorize many songs per week with very little effort. What is their secret? Very simple - they play along with the album they want to learn until they can anticipate every chord change. Then, without the album playing, they can hear the song inside their mind and follow it.

Many classical guitar students perform pieces in the same way they watch TV - completely detached from the action. They watch the music on the stand, they watch their hands, they might even memorize the fingering in a few passages, but they never actually hear the piece they are playing. Everything becomes external - that is, everything is happening outside of them. There is no internal guide, and therefore, nothing to follow.

For a long time I would tell my students to know their harmony, analyze the piece, visualize the fingering, etc. and yes, all these techniques do help - but you can do all of that and still not know how the tune sounds. The easiest way to memorize music is simply - sing the tune as you play it.

Remember, we want to build a strong foundation inside as well as outside. When we sing and play, we are actively involved in memorizing the piece. We are connecting the inner tune to the outer manifestation (the physical performance). Don't worry in any way if you can't sing in perfect tune, or that you can't sing every single voice independently - none of that matters. Just sing what you can, however you can.

Within a short time, you may sing the tune away from the guitar, and you'll notice that the fingerings just seem to "pop" into your mind. Why? Because your mind has developed an association between the tune, and what it "looks" like. The mind now literally thinks of the tune as a physical act being done by your hands. At that point you've merged the internal and external worlds and memorizing becomes far easier. Give it a try and see.

our perceptions - our realities

2008-02-25T21:18:00.016-05:00

When you are walking or speaking, there is an effortless in your psychology. You aren't trying to do those things - you just do them. We don't see those acts as difficult, so we do them without thought. They become automatic. We do thousands of acts like this - all of them requiring complex body movements - and yet, we percieve them as easy.

In terms of playing the classical guitar, many of us perceive playing as "difficult". We may even have teachers or collegues who like to encourage this idea. The interesting point is - because we perceive it as difficult, we tend to make it more difficult than it actually is. Our bodies tense up for passages that are no more complex than typing fast or speaking. However, our perceptions are programmed to see great difficulty in it.

If we think that moving our hands/fingers is "easy" (like walking, speaking, or driving), it lightens the psychological "weight" of the act and we can move much more freely. We might still miss the passage for now, but the psychological and physiological freedom that is attained far outweighs the mistake. In fact, we will begin to play better much more rapidly if we start to see playing as "easy".

However, if we add heavy psycological weight to the same action (with thoughts like - "this is difficult, i never get this part, i want to get this perfect", etc.) then the act becomes overly dramatic - full of tension and fear. The hands and body tense up. It becomes more difficult to play because your body is reacting to your thoughts. Your thoughts are basically telling the body "this is a difficult situation" - and the body simply agrees with you.

While walking, talking or doing any other act that is natural to you - notice your mental state. Notice how easy it is and how you feel. Feeling is everything. Notice how you flow. It feels good in the body AND the mind. The same goes for playing. If you feel good psychologically while you play, you must inevitably play better. Don't wait to get the passage right first to feel good - feel good NOW - regardless of how things sound. Believe the passage is easy in your mind no matter how difficult it may seem. You'll notice with time how it gets easier - your body begins to react to your mind.

The body (hands epecially) represents your mental state. You can work on relaxing the body or hands as much as you want, but if you don't relax your psychology while playing, the body will keep slipping back into tension and difficulty.

The body mirrors our psychology. Feel good now.

the dissolving of fear and judgment

2008-02-04T16:52:00.000-05:00

Lately, I have been applying some of my philosophical studies to my practicing and teaching. Probably one of the most overlooked concepts in playing well is the removal (or at least the taming) of fear and judgment. When a great player performs, there is a confidence, a radiance, a certain type of grace which only shines through when fear and judgment is let go.

Ask a great player what it feels like to be on stage when everything is going smoothly and they say something like "it feels free, fun, I'm just one with the music". That is to say - there is no fear, no judgment. When things are REALLY going well - there's no thinking at all.

As students (especially guitarists who see themselves as inferior musicians many times) we learn to fear and judge most of what we do. If the tone isn't quite right or if we miss a note, we get upset and judge ourselves harshly. When a difficult passage creeps up, our natural tendency is to tense up - a reaction of fear. We rarely enjoy what we do - instead we expect one day we will get better, and THEN we can then enjoy it. But I'm afraid that this keeps us "chasing our tail", because as we DO get better, our bar for perfection also rises. Thus we are always one step away from where we want to be - and fear and judgment continues no matter how far we've progressed.

There are two ways to deal with this fear and judgment when playing.

The first way is the way that most are taught (myself included). Practice a technique or piece/passage so much that eventually the body relaxes, the mind calms down, you start to enjoy the playing, and eventually confidence begins to come. You "know" the piece - and fear and judgment begin to melt away. On some days they totally disappear and you play great. On other days, they show their ugly heads and you play worse. We've all experienced this.

There's nothing wrong with this approach, however, it's incomplete.

The second way to deal with fear and judgment is even better in my opinion, because it deals with our mental state. You practice the mental and physical attitude of mastery and allow yourself to make mistakes - completely and with enjoyment.

This means, when you practice, you completely allow the mistakes - make them on purpose, with joy, with confidence. The whole time you are doing this, feel confident and enjoy whatever arises out of the chaos. Don't in any way think about the inaccuracy of notes or tone. Pluck multiple strings at once, enjoy your "bad" tones, make shifts fast without caring about accuracy, and push the tempo to what you feel like it should be regardless of current physical limitations. Practice with complete abandon and freedom regardless of what comes out. Imagine that the piece is written this way and you are playing it perfectly.

For people who obsessively judge their mistakes and fear imperfection in playing (most of us), this will seem weird, and if their mind is not open to this idea, they will think it's stupid and a waste of time. However, remember that playing well is much more mental than physical - we want to practice the mental state of playing with freedom, without fear, and with unconditional love.

So you want to focus on the state of effortless, free motion regardless of what happens. Will you make mistakes? - yes, and please make many....haha. Enjoy it, relax, laugh at the mistakes - don't let them intimidate you at all.

When you go back to practicing accurately, remember the feeling of freedom you had when you dropped your fear and judgment. Try to feel like that when you are then focusing on accurate playing. If you make a mistake, enjoy it and "allow" it as you did before. With this mentality you'll end up making less mistakes and build your courage and confidence. With time, you'll notice more freedom, more accuracy, more relaxed technique, bigger tone, and more joy.

When we do not fear and judge, we are free to be creative and happy. This is a major key to great playing (notice the word - "playing"). It may sound crazy to some, however it is based on the wise principle of "what you resist, persists". If you resist making mistakes (aka - try not to) you actually will continue to make them over and over again.

The key word is "allow". Allow yourself to be free. Music is free - be like music.

NYC - Feb 4, 2008

Merrry Christmas - 2007

2007-12-12T13:14:00.002-05:00

Below is a small gift from me to the guitarists who read this blog. I want you all to know how much I admire you. It takes courage to study music with love and faith - and even more so on an instrument which is as demanding as the classical guitar. Keep following your bliss.

The First Noel arranged for solo guitar (with video)

Sincerely

Kevin

introspection

2007-11-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

"Those who have conquered doubt and fear have conquered failure"

James Allen

progress is impossible if you always do things the same way

2007-11-09T12:54:00.001-05:00

thought, word, deed

2007-10-16T15:57:00.000-04:00

Pay close attention to the words and thoughts you use throughout the day.

Words like "I can't" or "I don't" (play well, memorize, learn fast, count well, get a good sound etc. etc.) will shut down your mind's ability to find answers. It will simply agree with you and prove you to be right time and time again.

Questions like "How can I?" or "What do I need to do?" (to play well, memorize, learn fast, count well, get a good sound etc. etc.) will open your mind to the solutions. Your subconscious will work on the problem for you and you will get the answers much more rapidly.

Remove "I can't" from your vocabulary - replace it with "How can I?"

www.guitar69.com

Albert Fuller (1926 - 2007)

2007-10-14T22:32:00.000-04:00

Albert Fuller, who was one of the most influential people in my life, died on Sept 22. I just read about his passing in the Juilliard newspaper. An obituary from the NY times is here

I met Mr. Fuller when I took his class on performance practice in 1992. Tyically, one would think a Juilliard class such as this would be centered around "what kind of trills to execute" and "which editions of Bach's works are the most authentic". However, I'm happy to report that his class had very little to do with any of that.

His lectures reminded us how magical the invisible world of music really is and how fortunate we are to study it. He encouraged us to use our imagination, to question authorities, and to create our own rules and lives. He wanted us to understand that the master composers were not just statues and chapters in music history books. They felt what we felt - they were warmed by the same sun, breathed the same air, walked on the same earth. They felt love and lust, joy and sorrow, victory and defeat. We are all one.

I was so taken by his lectures that I signed up for private chamber music coachings with him - and he let me take them as a solo guitarist. One day I played a Bach Largo for him in a rather dry manner. He stopped me half way through and simply said "think hand mic" and then sang the melody freely as a jazz singer would - pretending to hold a microphone in his hand. It might sound humorous, but I tell you that this one lesson changed my entire perspective on music.

Albert wanted us to think outside the box - and to realize that the box was put there by someone else. I'm very grateful to have known this man for even a little bit of time. May he be joyous.

Mastery

2007-10-14T00:35:00.000-04:00

I'm reading about Mastery and recently heard a lecture where it was broken down into 4 basic parts.

Mastery

Discipline - Using the will to keep thoughts and actions on what you want - not on what you don't want.

Education - Learning for the joy of learning / being curious and open minded.

Unconditional Love - Loving something without expectations of future reward.

Surrender - Detachment from the outcome / freedom from worry and judgment

guitar69.com

not giving up

2007-10-10T09:43:00.000-04:00

It's painful to fail and it's painful to feel like you aren't progressing. Don't let that deter you. Failures can be amazing lessons which lead to much greater paths.

Read this and realize that everyone has these moments.

guitar69

the tree and the wind

2007-09-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

In a time when man was yet to walk upon the earth, the world was ruled by the spirit of the wind. The spirit of the wind traveled though its lands and rejoiced in its possessions. It's favorite game was to blow strongly and force the trees to bend before it. One day it noticed that one small tree was not bending, but remained erect....

"How dare it" the spirit of the wind thought, and blew more strongly. The stronger it blew, the straighter the tree remained. Meanwhile, all the other trees snapped, one by one.

The wind flew into a rage and blew with all it's might. It's breath made the sand fly like birds and the birds drop to the ground. The rivers turned into rain and the earth was destroyed.

The small tree still stood it's ground.

The spirit of the wind contemplated what it had done and how it had destroyed everything it loved. Shaken, it stopped blowing.

At that moment, the small tree bent gently before it.

- anonymous

www.guitar69.com

Admiration of the Students

2007-09-24T13:04:00.001-04:00

As a teacher for many years now, I am always impressed with my older students. They are not children, where they are told by parents that the discipline of music study will do them good or because some report suggests that learning a musical instrument will make them smarter. These students are studying simply because they love it. As I have learned, love can transcend any logic or reasoning.

My older students are working at least 8-10 hours a day, they have families and other commitments, and yet still try to find time to learn the classical guitar. And I might add - this is not always a pleasurable study. The study of the classical guitar is demanding and can be frustrating. I've seen students weep over frustration, get angry, get depressed. I try to explain to them that the plateaus in study (and life) come frequently. We must learn to enjoy them as much as the climb. We must enjoy and travel on any plateau to eventually reach the highest mountains. Relax and know that those mountains will come.

classical guitar lessons, music and philosophies at www.guitar69.com