There are goals and there are GOALS.

Instructional sites are full of advice about using practice goals:   "Set a goal for every practice session";  "clearly state your short-, medium- , and long-term goals"; "work out your long term goals and work backwards to schedule the work towards them", "list your goals on practice log and mark off how many times you work on them"; "break your goals down into small bite-sized chunks";  "Make your goals so that your practice can always end on success"; "if you can't achieve your goal, make it smaller, go slower!" And the list goes on.  But there are some things that involve a shift in mindset, a difficult new technique, or more flexibility or strength that will take weeks or months for the penny to drop --  how do you have goals for those?   I've been thinking about this while I've been sweating my way through one painful measure at a time of a Bach piece - each measure taking me days to figure out and make my fingers do it (and then I promptly forget and have to go over it again).  Yes I can break it down into smaller goals (figure out which notes need to be damped, work out the fingering that allows me to do it, practice at a speed that will allow me to do it, figure out which notes need to be emphasized, etc)   But there is so little progress in a given practice session that it's hard to feel like it was successful.  And you know what?  You really do need a little success to encourage you to keep plugging away at it!

So is there another way to approach this?   I had the same realization when I made myself practice sight-reading.  In my case I don't see any obvious progress from day to day or even week to week.  So I set myself a goal of working my way through sight reading materials every day, the goal being to do it for 15 minutes.   Once the need to achieve a perfect read-through was taken away, I found it much more fun to do it, and often the 15 minutes stretched to 30 minutes.  And after a while there WAS progress  - but it crept up so slowly I didn't notice it (but when I did, there was a real sense of achievement!)  The secret there seems to be just to put the time in, and when enough incremental progress has been made that there is finally an achievable goal, then, and only then, set the goal.

Even though I wrote this down, I still had a hard time making myself practice the Bach - a week went by while I ignored it,  Today it was almost back to square one.  However just like parking a thumb on the string and thumb damping, I'm hopeful it will eventually click.  In the meantime, I'll just practice a measure for 15 minutes at a time and see what happens...

Overload

Someone mentioned feeling overloaded with music books the other day, and I thought to myself -that's exactly how I'm feeling with respect to learning to play...  Even though I don't have to deal with exams or others' expectations, my own internal expectations mandate that I should somehow be progressing faster (or at all, maybe).

 I think part of it is how difficult I'm finding the music I'm currently learning.  I spent over an hour trying to work out how to play one measly measure this morning, and even then I'm not sure I came up with a good solution.  And what about the seasonal music I promise myself I'll learn every year then leave till it's too late?  And my poor duet partner has probably given up on me because I still haven't got around to learning the music.  Then there's all the new orchestra music that's about to arrive.  Not to mention I'm still trying to learn to sight read and figure out how to arrange things......  

I think it's time for some triage.  Either I drop everything else for a while while I concentrate on getting a handle on the hard stuff, or I give the hard stuff a break, learn a Christmas tune or two, and do some enjoyable messing around. As my GT is on break for a few weeks, I'm beginning to think it's the ideal time for the second option 😁 

It's that time of year again...

Even though I often feel like I'm standing still in my guitar playing (or worse, going backwards!) looking back over a longer period, I can see that progress is actually being made. 

Last year I made the list of the 10 most useful things I learned - I think they bear repeating (see end) but this year I'm going to do a round up of the 5 things I accomplished this year (and what got me there)

1. I got to play in public.  This was a big deal.  Before then I rarely managed to play for anyone without collapsing with nerves.   It took a series of steps, the initial one (I would never have thought of) suggested by my teacher - ie practicing playing a piece through in lessons very, very slowly.  Over several weeks I was able to ramp up the speed until I was actually playing it at tempo in lessons, then in online masterclasses and finally in an open mic.  It's still not great, but the most useful thing is I really did get used to making mistakes and continuing to play - and not getting too bent out of shape about it.
2. I passed my level 3 certificate (grade 6).  This involved working on pieces for months not weeks, and running the entire set every day for weeks before recording it.
3. I got really comfortable using the phone as a practice tool.   Record - listen - did I actually get the tempo steady or am I still speeding up? Can anyone else apart from me hear the dynamics?
4. I started to play duets  - first with my teacher, then with other players.  I played a duet at the open mic at 2 summer camps, and recently got asked by others, so I'll be working on this in the coming year.  I enjoy duets, it is a change from solo practice, it's not quite so stressful to play in public (though it's stressful enough) and the final result can be more complex than a solo at my level would be.
5. I signed up for music classes at our local university.   This involved getting over the feeling that I wouldn't be good enough, and just giving it a try - they say turning up is 90% of the battle, so I'm showing up in January 😄 - just theory at this point, but you never know...

And here is last year's list of the most useful things I learned with a few tweaks...

1.  Sometimes the best only way to keep in time is to count along with yourself.  
2.  Work out the fingering and write it in.  
3. Playing super slowly really helps with memorization AND errors.  
4. Don't ignore the score after you've memorized the piece
5. Practicing things 4x in a row correctly before moving on
6. If you can't seem to 'get' the LH fingering, check the RH!   
7. Start learning the dynamics and articulation sooner
8. If it's not working after a number of iterations, rework it.
9. Recording yourself is really really really useful. YEP!
10. Work up pieces until they are solid enough that they don't  fall apart under performance pressure - that means playing them super slowly without getting lost, playing them with eyes closed, visualizing, whatever it takes.   

How many ways are there to damp a string?

This is my current nightmare.  Other people might lie awake pondering car problems or how to avoid having to deal with the leaky roof but me, I try to wrap my head around how to damp guitar strings.  (Actually I worry about leaky roofs and strange noises in my car too, but that's beside the point).
I've been familiar with damping bass strings for a while - but now I'm looking at damping any open string, which means treble strings too.  It's proving something of a challenge, so I thought I'd sit down and list all the ways I know currently.

Bass strings thumb
- if the thumb is moving to the next highest string, then its pretty easy to touch the ringing string with the  thumb while playing the next  note.
- and if not adjacent, you can still use the side of the thumb to damp the bass strings though it involves moving your hand
- you can put your thumb back down on the note you just  played
- if you’re moving the other way, from eg D to E string, you can go back and damp with the thumb after playing the next note

Fingers
- If moving to the next lowest string, eg E to B string as you play the B string note  you can flatten the left hand finger so it touches the higher string
- with the right hand you can drop another finger onto the string, e.g. play B string note with m and simultaneously drop a onto the E...
- you can use fretted notes instead of open strings -
- you can place a left hand finger early onto a fret you will soon be playing
- I guess you could reach  over and stop a bass string with the left hand

I’m still experimenting with this stuff so I’m sure there are more ways to learn - and all I can say is that it makes it exponentially  harder to figure out which fingers to use! And that doesn’t even begin to address  the question of which notes - really- need to be stopped and which can  inoffensively ring over😳

What has Marilyn Monroe to do with my guitar playing?

She starred in a movie called 'The 7 Year Itch'! 
Whaaaat? - Patience!  All will be revealed in due course -

 When I started learning guitar I had a simple goal - to play some tunes on the guitar.  Although I started with a steel string, within a few months I switched to nylon, partly because I was taking group lessons with a classical teacher and partly because I found myself attracted to the beautiful sound of the classical guitar.   My goals, however, were still pretty much the same - play some tunes (and enjoy getting there).   But as time went on a funny thing happened - the more I learned, the more problems I started to hear. [Here I have to note that I'm surprised professionals don't wince the whole time they are listening students play -- on second thoughts, perhaps they do!]   So pretty early on my goals morphed into not only learning more difficult 'tunes' but also refining my playing so that it was less wince-worthy.    And I wondered to myself - as an older learner - how far could I get before my body let me down?   Yep - Type A personality here.   I finally settled on aiming to reach a playing standard of grade 8.  It seemed a sufficiently distant, though arbitrary, goal at the time.  Of course I didn't actually tell anyone (it was after all, rather a lofty goal given my age and lack of natural aptitude).

So I've held onto this "goal" over the last few years, but it might be time to reassess. Why?  A number of reasons:  I've been learning CG for 5 years, and if past history is anything to go by I will need to give my playing a new direction within the next couple of years.  I'm still just as addicted to learning CG (OK maybe now I sometimes give myself the occasional day off) but 7 years tends to be the length of my attention span for hobbies -gardening, flying small planes, speed skating...   (See, I did eventually get around to telling you what the title had to do with the subject, if only distantly 😂) Also I'm going to be working on grade 7 material this winter, which means my glorified and distant goal might actually be attainable.  I love to play the guitar.  It still provides me with entertainment, stress relief, new friends, and a sense of satisfaction/achievement so I really don't want it to succumb, either to the '7 year itch', or to a sense of being 'done' if and when I get to grade 8.

Is it enough just to 'stay on the path' and ditch goals altogether?  Perhaps, but realistically I'm not good at standing still: I need something to aim for.  For now, grade 8 fits the bill,  however it may in fact be at or beyond the limit of my physical ability.  So I'm thinking about new directions and possibilities to take my hobby.  At least one goal is certain: not to succumb to the 7 year itch!

Recalibrating

There are some things in life that are immutable.  In my case, new things are a struggle.  Once I get into something it's full speed ahead, but getting started is always tough.   How does this relate to CG?  After passing my Level 3 Certificate exam through CGC (grade 6)  I  thought I would charge right ahead with new pieces, perhaps tackling the next set of exercises and new repertoire for grade 7.  But wait! there are whole bunch of new skills to learn, such as being sure that individual melody voices don't ring over (what? treble strings?), and of course finally getting to grips with real dynamics and tonal variation.   Turns out that I wasn't really ready to get started these challenges quite yet.  For an interesting read on the interaction between work, fun, and drudgery, click on the graphic above, where the horizontal axis is what's driving us to do something (ourselves or someone else) and the vertical axis is how rewarding it is.  I'm not sure anything in CG really should be because someone else says we should do it, but it's worth checking if 'work' tasks are we really need to be doing to further our goals rather than what we think we ought to be doing.  Specifically how many of those technical exercises really are helping us play that Sor piece?

When I find myself not wanting to practice, I've learned to stop, take a breath and do something different. In this case I looked at the things I enjoy doing (mostly getting together with others to play and learning new - not too difficult - pieces) - and those that are harder to do (learning new techniques, sight reading, orchestra, playing for others) and decided to rejigger what I'm doing.   On the fun side, I signed up to join in an acoustic "play and sing" evening - something I haven't done in forever, plus a get together with some other CGC members (despite the 3.5 hour drive).  Also on the fun side, I started to learn a Pujol piece that has nothing to do with exams, and I've had waiting in the wings to learn for a while.  It requires 'strings ringing over' rather than 'string muting' and has a funky Milonga rhythm to boot For a detailed history of this rhythm and it's relationship to Tango, click here. Did you know it predated the Tango and originated with Argentinian cowboys?   Piazzola wrote a lot of pieces with the Milonga rhythm - here for example is a video of a beautiful guitar performance of Milonga del Angel, where the rhythm can clearly be heard.

Learning the Milonga piece is a lot of fun - it ticks a lot of my boxes - it's got a Latin rhythm, a cool melody, and it's immediately appealing to most audiences.   I've found the rhythm/accents to be quite challenging, and  I've been posting it a page at a time on the CGC forum as I get it to the "play through" stage, as an incentive to keep going.   My intention is to be able to play the whole piece through by the time of the CGC meetup ( in 7 days, gulp).   It's touch and go - still learning the last 2 lines, but with the added stress of an audience, playing it at that venue might be overly optimistic...  And sometimes practice doesn't go according to plan - like when I'm trying to nail the timing and my dog joins in with her squeaky toy (that's what you hear in the recording here). 

What about the "work" side?  I'm back to sight reading - 15 minutes, on the timer,  - not without hesitations, but everyone has to start somewhere.  And I did "play for others" a couple of times - a duet at a low key open mic, and 2 certificate pieces at our classical guitar society open stage, without it being a total disaster.   So I'm not entirely delinquent on the 'work' side of learning CG.

So that's where I am.  Hopefully by the next time I post I will be able to post the Pujol piece ... and having recuperated somewhat, will be ready to tackle the Grade 7 challenges.

Small is beautiful

I might have been talking about my new (to me) romantic guitar, but I'm not.   Instead, more on practicing.  It's so easy for frustration to set in when learning something new.  Try it, try it again.  Almost get it.... Nope it's gone again.   Seems to be the story of my life right now. It's not like I'm not practicing, though admittedly having a furry friend has cut into guitar time somewhat.  So I started thinking about the way I practice. My morning routine involves working through a list of technical exercises as a warm up, taking the dog for a walk,  eating a quick breakfast, then back to the guitar for a bit before heading out to work.  Invariably the dog is nosing at the guitar before I finish the technical exercises and the shorter days mean I have less and less time to practice after the walk.  At least that is my excuse for the fact that I'm still making the same mistakes and having the same problems today that I was having at the beginning of the week.  Each day I start, I fumble, I work at it until it comes right, then move onto the next thing.  And then I realized that I am so focused on getting through everything that I am not taking the time to properly practice things that are not working.

So today I did something different: I worked on only small sections of the technical stuff (but stayed with them a lot longer).  I picked only one or 2 measures of pieces to work on and forced myself to think about them, check the sheet music, then play them in slow motion to see why I was still making mistakes.  What happened? For one of the measures I was working on I ended up changing position and fingering allow me to fret a part I've been having problems with.   And in the shifting exercise I've been struggling with, I noticed that my hand snugs up against the guitar neck much better when shifting relaxed than shifting tense.  Huh? Have to explore this more, but maybe it will help me a) find the notes at the other end of the shift and b) recognize if my hand is relaxed or not (believe it or not, unless I stop and think I really can't tell).

Moral of the story?  make it small and take it slowly,...

It pays to revisit old pieces sometimes...

I have been struggling with some new skills recently.  The first?  More comprehensive damping of strings - starting with identifying where they need to be damped, figuring out which hand is available to do the damping, and then finally trying to choreograph it while actually playing the notes!  This is still a work in progress.  At least I fondly hope and anticipate there will be some progress at some point...   Tapping your head and rubbing your tummy is child's play by comparison.  (Oh wait, that is child's play 😉).  The second is to shift around the fretboard without adding a whole boatload of tension.  I seem to have failed to grasp the concept that relaxing during the shift is a much better way of shifting than tightening up.  Seems obvious in retrospect doesn't it? Again - working on it.  Don't hold your breath.

While struggling with these apparently immovable obstacles, I've been more than a little frustrated.  Throwing balls for the puppy has become a too-attractive substitute.    However I started to relearn an old piece, the beautiful "Un Dia de Noviembre" by Leo Brouwer.   I've heard that it's difficult to incorporate improved technique into a piece where there is old muscle memory - and indeed if I'm not concentrating - off I go automatically again.    However there are some rewards as well as challenges to applying new technique to old pieces. For instance in the Brouwer second half I could never actually play all the notes with the barre, but now I can - and in that same section the previously- fudged slurs show hope that they will emerge nice and clean.  If pushed, I can now play the piece in time with a metronome rather than adding in technique-related pauses, and my improved knowledge of the fretboard means that reading the notes has not been a major hurdle in itself.  And for the rhythmically challenged (ie me) I was able to check the tricky timing by inputting it into Musescore.  Now just need to practice
I like this version - low key and doesn't rush...

So although the major challenges of the day remain unconquered, there have been small successes... I'll take what I can get, and keep working on it.

OK done! What's next?

When I get focused - everything else goes out the window (metaphorically speaking).  I was determined to get the videos submitted for the certificate, and as the opening date for submissions approached, it seemed I was doing nothing else guitar wise apart from trying to get to a point where I could play all the pieces in a row without too many errors.   It worked - I submitted the videos at the weekend, breathed a big sigh of relief, and ... well  no I haven't got straight onto all those other projects that got put on hold after all.  Instead in the last few days I've indulged myself by learning fragment of a simple but beautiful JS Bach piece (BWV 1056) arranged by Edson Lopes.    Working for the certificate really demonstrated to me the stages a piece goes through in development - there's the initial "learn the notes" stage where you can kinda play it through with the music.  Then there's the memorization stage - where dynamics and phrasing is being added but mostly just trying to get a picture in my head to follow.  Then there is the recapitulation stage after I get some feedback from my GT - this can cycle a number of times - and finally there is the practice performance, where eventually I hope to be able to pick up the guitar and play it through cold - perhaps not at its best but still take a decent shot at it.   So this piece is at the "I just memorized it" stage - it takes multiple attempts to get through it without forgetting the next bit or misplacing a bass note, and as yet there's precious little in the way of organization.  Stay tuned for the "after input' stage! 😂

And when I feel like concentrating again - maybe another Bach piece now I seem to be in that headspace - Prelude #1 is on the list for the next certificate (perhaps be ready next year) so I might start work on that.  Though I suspect it is going to take me quite a long time to get that one under my fingers!

Nearly there...

I've been practicing for a "certificate" with Simon Powis' online Classical Guitar Academy, so haven't had a lot of new stuff to post recently.  Taking a semester off orchestra, not learned any new pieces- this is getting to be a lot like work!  However I am spending more time with the video as I find it very useful to see what I sound like (as opposed to what I think I sound like).  Maybe one day the 2 will sync up!  So although I have a bunch of "so-so" takes of the overall performance, I haven't really got one I'm happy with yet.  However I am getting better at those D# slurs in Adelita, so in celebration I'm posting a practice video of that piece - see below - then the secret will be to actually nail them when it counts!
Oh and here is all the stuff that has been on hold while I have been working at the certificate pieces
Figure out CG arrangement for duet with electric bass:  "fly me to the moon"
Duet with CG partner:     "Sicilienne" - Faure
Figure out accompaniment to my singer songwriter friend's latest song so we can play it at local club
Pagina de Radio - Pujol
Promise - Joanne Bloor
Wild Mountain Thyme - trad arranged by Scott Tennant
And there are others..... 

https://youtu.be/DbKKZztwH3Y

Summer Guitar Camps - for adults... compared

I had the distinct pleasure of attending 2 classical guitar "summer camps" this year , and while they    are still fresh in my mind (just finished the Peabody Summer Guitar Intensive yesterday) here's my take on them.  But before I get into the specifics, a short digression on having a hobby in a niche field such as classical guitar.  After all, it's not, say, baseball or bluegrass, where you only need turn the corner to find people who are similarly fascinated.   Access to teachers, orchestras, playing partners and opportunities to socialize with other guitarists are limited, particularly if you don't live in a major metropolitan area with a music school.  On the flip side, as an adult amateur enthusiast, in what other field would you have the opportunity to be taught by truly world class artists??

So to the summer camps - the first was the classical guitar corner (CGC) camp in Massachusetts run by Simon Powis, and the second was the Peabody summer guitar intensive (PBI) run by Zane Forshee.

Both had the core activity of small ensembles and a larger orchestra of all participants.  You work on the pieces all week and give a performance on the last day.  Wow!  I'm used to working on the music for weeks/months so this was quite a challenge, but somehow it works.  The teachers/conductors are truly miracle workers!

The Music 
In CGC we got the music on the first day.   Each ensemble had its own music geared to skill level - and obviously easy enough that you could get it to a performance standard in less than a week.  Because this camp is anchored by an online site where guitarists post videos of their playing, the organizers were able to assess fairly well where most people would be comfortable.  The camp is open to all, and for non-subscribers, self-reporting about repertoire presumably guides the decisions.  However, because we didn't get the music until the first day, it was pretty seamless to switch groups if you found the music too challenging ( or wanted more of a challenge).  The aim being to get involved and have a good time!    On the whole this works quite well, although I will say that it's not a perfect system: in my group we struggled to get the repertoire down in the time available and ended up dropping one piece. However despite some pretty rocky rehearsals, it all came together on the final day!
In PBI, the adults were all in the same ensemble group ... parts and music were sent out the previous week so we had the chance to familiarize ourselves with it beforehand.  Many of the participants in this camp were students of the teaching faculty so it was pretty obvious what we were capable of - otherwise I guess it was self reporting.  In practice the ensemble pieces was well chosen to be easily doable in the time available.  One notable feature of this camp  - there was a lot of friendly  support from conservatory students and teachers, who sat in and backed up us up where necessary (and believe me, it was necessary for the large orchestra piece, which was Ben Verdery's "Ellis Island" taught and conducted by none other than Ben Verdery himself).


The participants
 CGC is big - in its second year there were 50 adult guitarists from all over the world and 6 teachers (Simon Powis, Dave Belcher, Fred Hand, Janet and Raffaele Agostino and Ben Verdery).  Many of the students have "met" and interacted extensively online (or in last year's camp),  so it was like a reunion when we all came together in person.  In fact this was one of the key features of this camp - the friendly camaraderie and chance to get to know people from so many different backgrounds and parts of the world who are truly enthusiastic about learning guitar...  The social aspect was enhanced because everyone was living and eating together on site at the beautiful Endicott college in Beverley MA (though the dorm beds were definitely not for the faint of heart).

PBI in its first year was small - 11 guitarists and 5 teachers (Zane Forshee, Julian Gray, Ben Verdery, Zoe Johnston Stewart and James Keretses)  plus a bunch of conservatory students who sat in, playing beautifully of course, and helped us out when we got stuck. Participants were all local, and split between the junior (8-15) and adult groups in 2 separate programs.  All of us in the adult group knew each other from the local guitar orchestra.  I have to say that it was an extraordinarily friendly and supportive atmosphere and just great to meet and get to know the faculty and some of the conservatory students.

The Schedule
CGC was hectic.   We were on the go from first thing in the morning to last thing at night. The daily schedule included fairly intense small ensemble rehearsals, large orchestra rehearsals, 2 half-hour lesson/masterclasses (during the course of the week),  a lecture/presentation and a concert.   Faculty gave concerts on 3 nights, students had an open mic on one night (very popular!) and the final ensemble/orchestra performances on the last night.  The camp participants and significant others made up the audience for the faculty concerts, and the student concert (though attended primarily by faculty) was streamed live on the CGC facebook page.   Space  in between was filled by eating (cafeteria food was excellent and varied), socializing, practicing for the various performances and masterclasses and watching others who were doing masterclasses. Although I thought twice about performing in the lessons, in the end I was glad I did...  getting feedback from teachers who have different training and perspective was thought provoking.  Together with the new friends made, it was one of the main things I took away from this camp.

The PBI schedule was in some ways the same (ensemble and orchestra rehearsals) and in some ways different.  PBI was much more instruction-based - the day started with an hour and a half on technique (with guitar of course), followed by another hour and a half of masterclass-cum-enrichment session.  These morning sessions were where the camp really stood out - the adult classes were conducted by 3 outstanding, gifted and entertaining teachers (Zane Forshee and Julian Gray from the Peabody Conservatory and Ben Verdery from Yale).   I learned such a lot this week that I will be processing it for a while - how to practice, warm up exercises, how to learn a piece,  how to memorize, what to think about when performing to defeat stage fright... how to shape your nails, (and get a manicure in process :))... the list goes on.  Also being coached by Julian Gray for the ensemble was a huge learning experience - he threw in so much additional information in the course of practicing the pieces (exactly how many ways are there to indicated "go slower" anyway???) Obviously I didn't get to sit in on the junior group, but they had a pretty exciting schedule in addition to their ensemble practice - activities included performing in the Penn train station (garnering $45 for the snack fund!) and a session in the Peabody recording studio.  Oh to be a kid again...! As in CGC there were 3 outstanding faculty performances in the evening plus the student performance night, where everyone performed admirably, with a special mention for the kids!  There was an outside audience for the faculty concerts in the gorgeous Griswold Hall of the conservatory, and friends and family for the student concert in the more casual Byrd Hall.

The location
CGC was at the beautiful Endicott college in Beverley MA.    All participants and teachers lived in the dorm rooms, which were nice by dorm room standards (we had private baths) but not exactly palatial.  I managed to take too few warm clothes (again- it's colder than you would think in June!) and spent several nights sleeping in pretty much ALL my clothes until it warmed up later in the week.  My down sweater is going with me next year.   The food was great, the surroundings were calming and the arrangements ran like clockwork.  Because we were all on site and there was alcohol (!) the evening socials in the dorm rec room were well attended...:)

PBI was in the Peabody conservatory in Mount Vernon downtown Baltimore.   Key features were - learning not to get lost in the maze of buildings (!) and meeting up in the same homeroom with the same people for all activities.  We ate in the onsite cafeteria, where the food was not bad - the staff were helpful (they twice cooked me special meals without gluten) and most days we got to eat outside in the plaza.  If we had had more time for lunch, it would have been nice to explore the local restaurants though.  We were all commuting, so not the same opportunities for socializing outside lunch, but personally I needed the downtime to recover for the next day!

The cost, the takeaway.
The costs for CGC were relatively high - in addition to tuition you had to factor in the costs of travel and paying for accommodation and food.  However getting away for a week made it more like a vacation, and by the standards of a truly excellent vacation it was well worth it.  Major takeaways for me - I got new things to think about from the lessons, I conquered my fear in several "performance" opportunities, and I got an "aha" moment from Simon Powis' lecture on harmonic analysis.   Most importantly I feel like I made new friends and had a complete break from the usual routine.    I'll be back next year!

PBI tuition tuition costs were very reasonable, and apart from parking (under the building) and buying lunch, that was it.  Major takeaways were - wow - I learned so much it's hard to summarize, but perhaps the things that stand out (apart from Julian Gray's amazingly erudite teaching style and Ben Verdery's stories) were the fabulous teaching, the performance opportunities,  the ability to get to know the faculty and fellow students in a small group setting, and the many many things I learned.  I can't wait for next year!

Taking Time

It's funny how we are aware that some things are important when playing guitar, yet fail to implement them until they rise to the top of the priority pile...  this week the need to "take time" was that thing for me.  Of course I didn't realize it was going to be that thing, this week...  Coincidentally I was listening to Matt Palmer's  approach to Torroba's Andante,  and I just had to marvel at his masterful timing resulting in a gloriously unhurried approach.  Not that I thought it had relevance to my personal playing odyssey until I asked my GT why I was repeatedly failing to nail all dynamics I wanted in the De Visee Prelude (not to mention making stupid little mistakes).  I asked the question really hoping that it would be something I could change and instantly fix (could it be my left hand thumb yet again?) Nope - it was all about the timing.  My GT pointed out that I needed to take time: time to phrase it correctly, time to relax, time to avoid rushing to the next phrase (and under no circumstances to  -hateful word -'grab').  Each time I felt the need to rush to the next part I tensed up, making it infinitely more likely I would make a mistake and/or fail to execute the dynamics I could hear in my head.

So this week's practice is to actively work on relaxing into the phrasing...  So here's a question - I wonder if it is possible to meditate while playing the guitar???

Taking Stock

Endicott College: site of summer school

It's been a long time since my last post, and I have to admit that I haven't felt quite the enthusiasm for posting on my progress recently - mostly because there hasn't been much progress!  Guitar Summer School was a blast - enjoyed the camaraderie, the ensembles, the workshops, the get-togethers - and even the duet with my one-time-a-year duet partner went reasonably well.  However on arriving back home it was really hard to get back into regular practice -  particularly as I brought home our new labradoodle puppy (pictured below) the following day.  She looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth but I can assure you just about everything else goes in there and comes out demolished 😧

However now it's time to take stock and get re-oriented.  I am still working towards my goal of submitting a level 3 certificate by the October 1 deadline, so for the last week I've been starting my practice with running through the required technical exercises, with a view to recording them and getting them out of the way.  I thought I nearly had them until I tried to run the whole set all at once - about 20 mins - .... reminds me of when my husband took up the triathlon and blithely commented that he could swim/bike/run the required distances no problem so of course he could do a triathlon.

Sprint Triathlon—750 meter (0.465 mile) swim / 20 kilometer (12.5 mi) bike / 5 km (3.1 mi) run

Standard or Olympic Triathlon—1.5 kilometer (0.93 mile) swim / 40km (25 mi) bike / 10 km (6.2 mi) run

   That was when he found that doing them one after the other was a whole different ball game!   For guitar, keeping concentration on what you are supposed to be doing for that long is hard!  I'm still fighting with the artificial harmonics, but otherwise things are coming along, with the possible exception of the 6-string scales, which I absolutely cannot get up to the required tempo.  Back to slow practice increasing just one click a day...  And I pretty much have 4 of the 5 pieces where I want them when played singly ... the ante- will be upped this week when I try to play them one after the other for my GT.  I had a great lesson with Fred Hand  at summer school on Maria Luisa, and I really like the way it is sounding.   Stay tuned, I'll try to record it and add it to this post later.   Adelita still needs cleaning up and I have to work on the dreaded D# slur, but it's a lot closer than it was.
The only thing I am still really not getting my head around is the improvisation... gotta remember to ask GT how I should approach it - if I have to memorize static scale patterns and shift them on the fly as the chords change,  I might as well give up now 😐

What did I take away from summer school?

• I need to sit the guitar up straighter and look at my left hand less, so I've been working on that.   My left hand is not at all accurate when I don't watch it, but I'm hoping practice will help, so I've been playing the Prelude,  Sor D major and Carcassi 7 mostly without looking.  I think there are parts I'm still going to have to glance to make sure I'm in the right place, but I do find I can concentrate on the dynamics, tone, and what's coming up next much better when I'm not watching my left hand.  
• Not looking and better LH positional sense will of course help with sight reading - which is the the other elephantine task I need to work on.  I'm doing a mediocre job of sight reading exercises a couple grades lower than my repertoire pieces at the moment (sadly that's sight reading exercises a couple grades down, not solo pieces).  Still - last year I spent only a few months practicing sight reading , this year I plan to start off every day with sight reading for 15 mins!  We'll see how that goes...😏
• I felt a lot better about performing the duet this year, so the efforts I've been making to get performance practice have been helping.   I need to get back into it!   Haven't done anything since I got back, but I did play my certificate pieces for my daughter and her boyfriend this week - they were the ideal audience - busy checking out their phones and not really listening lol!!!

And I still have another guitar "camp" to look forward to in my hometown at the end of the month,  where I'll be joining several guitar orchestra colleagues (and a bunch of young adults) at a summer guitar intensive run by the Peabody preparatory.  I have no doubt it will be a different experience (for a start, I'll not be "vacationing" out of town).  I'm hoping to learn a lot from the world-class guitarists and accomplished teachers, including Ben Verdery, Julian Gray, James Kerestes, Zoe Johnstone Stewart, and Zane Forshee.  

Time for Guitar Camp!

I personally have not been counting down the minutes (unlike Roger 😉) until Classical Guitar Corner's adult summer school next week, but as the days approach I'm getting increasingly excited...  it was just so much fun last year.  I really didn't expect it to be so good - after all, the whole thing is anchored by rehearsals - rehearsals for smaller ensembles of 6-12, and for the whole crowd (this year I believe 50 guitarists!)   There was something about everyone being in the same boat (you've never seen this music before and you have to play it in concert in 5 days?  No problem!) and working together towards a common goal...  Not to mention lots of laughter with people who are equally obsessed with learning this instrument that is both impossible and inspiring.    Ben (Verdery) of course took everything just so seriously (not!) and Raffaele's (of duo Agostino) deadpan sense of humor had us in stitches on a regular basis during our small ensemble rehearsals - good job Janet got us all under control for the large orchestra...  Gotta shout out to Dave Belcher, who did everything from coaching to playing in concert and running round organizing.  New this year, Fred Hand will be teaching too - can't wait!  But this come-togetherness for support was everywhere - from the cafeteria to the open mic (when so many people were encouraged to have a go that we all had to sign up in advance this year!) And thanks to Simon (Powis - the organizer of this wonderful event) the impromptu/occasional "extras" (lubricated get togethers in the evening, yoga for guitarists by Evita Powis, BBQ day) have now become fixtures - I wonder what else will be added on an impromptu basis this year? perhaps a jam? Mandatory ocean dip? (kidding).  I will most definitely be reporting on this after my return... but I'm hoping that time s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s out while I'm there.   However I will be able to console myself when it's over - there will still be the very first Peabody Summer Guitar Intensive right on my doorstep to look forward to later in the summer 😊.

Avoiding Shiny Objects - or not.

I was fascinated to listen to the CGC podcast by Simon Powis on information overload (AKA shiny objects) and their role in derailing us from becoming better guitar players.  Everything he says is absolutely true.  The more we get distracted by other information/ avenues/ things to try, then the less time we are spending working on our goals, ergo the progress we make is slower.  And even though I currently keep a log of things I should be working on, the things that don't get written down still take up a substantial amount of "guitar time."   Why can't I keep focused?  I see other people post their substantial practice list and accomplishments and demonstrating significant progress from week to week, but not me.

However, (and it's a big however),  I would contend that a few shiny objects are what makes this whole journey so much fun.  Yes I want to improve my guitar playing (I still have that list of things I intend to play 'one day') but given that the real goal is to actually stay the course (see last week's post on the path of mastery), some fun is definitely in order.    Playing backup to my songwriter friend as she tries out her new compositions?  Sure!  Hosting the acoustic group for a singalong (and having to dig out songs where I can actually sing and play the chords)?  Definitely! Taking on a new duet partner who plays electric bass?  Why not?   Well actually there's a good reason why not- there don't seem to be too many duets written for classical guitar and electric bass...   But no problem!  We will just have to develop our own  arrangement..... which will require becoming intimately familiar with  musescore , figuring out how to translate jazz chords onto the fretboard, and both of us working together with the help of our respective guitar teachers to develop an arrangement. I can't wait to get started!   And in the meantime I will continue my snail-like progress in CG, and will just have to practice smarter with the time I am not spending investigating shiny objects 😂

Mastery ?!

Almost since I started learning classical guitar as an adult of (let's say) an indeterminate age, I've wondered where I'm going with it.   Kids might take up an instrument because they really want to be a Hendrix/Segovia or their parents push them into it.  But what about adults?  Of course it can be a rewarding experience finally being able to play 'twinkle twinkle little star' so it doesn't sound like your 4-year old playing (unless she's the new Segovia), and it's easy to get so involved in the learning process that the stresses of everyday living are temporarily forgotten.  But is that enough?  I've racked my brains for a suitable summit to aim for.  All my attempts to come up with an achievable "goal" seem strangely lacking.  Yes I'd like to be able to play for others at the odd open mic or for a nursing home.  Yes I'd like to be able to record some pieces that aren't too embarrassing to post on Soundcloud or Youtube.  And most certainly I'd like to learn more, perhaps take some college courses,  arrange some music for the guitar.  But is that all? 

Recently I was prompted (by one of Simon Powis' / Noa Kageyama's inspirational videos) to read the diminutive book 'Mastery' by George Leonard.   I had an "Aha" moment: like suddenly finding the solution to a problem you've been battling with forever.  His point?  It's not the goal that's important. Instead it's the immersion in and enjoyment of the process of working towards mastery, whether it be in martial arts or playing the classical guitar.  In fact striving single-mindedly towards a goal can be counterproductive: it can erase pleasure and derail forward progress as we push on without taking the time to thoroughly learn, understand, and absorb each step on the path.  It causes frustration as we seem to be stuck on an endless plateau.  Again.  Instead, he says,  the 'goal' is staying on the path to mastery with the complete understanding that true mastery will never be achieved, either as an accomplished professional or a dabbling amateur.  (And in my opinion there couldn't be a better instrument than the classical guitar to demonstrate how true mastery can never be achieved 😂)

Too heavy for  a Friday before the holiday weekend?  Probably.  But I feel strangely liberated. So what if I'm still trying to get Adelita to sound vaguely musical.  I can enjoy each small step on the way... and maybe I'll eventually move off this plateau, but in the meantime, I'm still on the path.

What I like to play: fun intermediate pieces for classical guitar

Optimistically speaking I'm an intermediate level guitarist.  OK so I'm not an optimist, but I'm trying to be more optimistic!  Pieces at my level can be pretty boring - studies meant to teach various skills - ugh.   I've found it hard to find pieces that interest me enough to put the work in to learn them.  I don't think I learned a single piece by Sor, Carcassi, Carulli, etc. up till recently... (I haven't been struck by lightning yet either).

Regardless, here is a list of pieces I thoroughly enjoyed learning in case they would interest you.  Some of them I learned quite soon after I started learning guitar, but I still enjoy them now.  They are all short and melodic (at least I think so).   I have to give credit for some of them to my guitar teacher, but most of them I heard someone else play first...either at our local guitar society or on Delcamp...

Rose in the Garden by Carlo Domeniconi
Sepia by Thierry Tisserand
Vals de Primavera by Thierry Tisserand
Slow Blues by Alexander Vinitsky
Pavane #1 by Milan
Un Dia De Noviembre by Leo Brouwer
Evocacion by Jose Luis Merlin
Birds Flew over the Spire by Gary Ryan
Royal Plum Pudding by Andrew York
Simple Study #6 Leo Brouwer
Mad World   (Originally by Tears for Fears)
Valse Choro Francis Kleynjans
Nocturne #2 by Mertz
Giuliani op 50#17

And here are the pieces on my current wish list for next year (after I've finished the level 3 pieces I've been working on forever)

Promise  Yvonne Bloor
Wild Mountain Thyme (Scott Tennant arrangement)
Pagina de Radio (Pujol)
Arabian Dance (Tchaikovsky - arranged by Kossler)
Joropo (Jose Luis Merlin)
Testament de Amelia  Llobet
Prelude in D major Cello Suite Bach

And maybe one day...
Home Andrew York
Julia Florida  Barrios

Maybe you'll hear something you will enjoy learning too 😊

Focusing Power...

Recently a number of things came together for me as a result of my latest attempts to overcome performance anxiety... 

- I participated in a challenge to improve a single discrete skill.  This involved practicing that specific skill every day for a month and recording it weekly.
- I made myself 'perform' for others several times a week, including in person to my teacher and a friend, online by Skype/Zoom, in 2 guitar circles, and at an open mic.
- I got expert advice on performing from my teacher - most notably by practicing pieces unbelievably slowly to activate different types of memory.
- I read a number of articles on ways to address performance anxiety - the piece of advice that most resonated (particularly now I am getting some experience performing) was to change expectations.  I had always considered that the only acceptable performance was one where I played to the best of my ability - any mistake would set me on a downward spiral to disaster.   The article pointed out that this was unrealistic - particularly at the beginning.  The goal instead should be to recover from mistakes and keep playing!  The other thing it said was to develop a mistake recovery plan and practice it (deep and steady breathing was suggested).

Why am I listing these things?  because it reminded me of something my guitar teacher said when I grumbled to him about falling apart when trying to play for others.  (Honestly I don't need to tell him this - he experiences it on a regular basis in lessons!)  Getting back to the point, he asked me whether I had made addressing this deficit my specific focus.   And now I think I understand.  It's not something you work on occasionally.  It's something you address systematically and often over a period of time in multiple different ways,  continually analyzing and applying the results forward.  And this article talks about focusing on a process rather than a goal - interesting.

Have I conquered performance anxiety? Of course not.  However I am more often than not managing to play through mistakes and keep going.  (Hopefully this will eventually translate into better performances).

Journaling...

I've recently been participating in challenges that are posed by the online guitar school I subscribe to (classicalguitarcorner.com academy).   The latest one was "scales".  Which scale?  Well, any scale you are working on -  you post the scale, what your focus will be, and a one minute (or less) video of you playing the scale at your starting point.   I picked a 2-octave G scale in 6ths with a goal of legato shifting because I have to learn it.  It's hard, so I try it for a few days, get back to where I was last time, then give up!  The motivation to keep working on it in the scales challenge was the requirement to post an update video every week for 4 weeks... 

What happened?  Fear of exhibiting no progress on the weekly videos caused me to practice it each day for around 10 minutes.   And I not only conquered those awkward intervals above the 12th fret, but got the whole thing up to tempo - yeah!  Which got me thinking - maybe I need to do something similar to make me apply concentrated daily effort to other gnarly challenges, like that D# slur in Adelita - or maybe almost any part of Adelita come to think of it - i.e. some personal accounting. 


I  wasn't thinking to do weekly videos though.  Instead I decided to try dot journaling (AKA bullet journaling) - much more attractive to us female types than a spreadsheet (it used to be called a diary in my day,  and had lines, not dots, but what the heck).  And it doesn't require logging in to fill out!   I've seen some absolute works of art online - but my journal is rather more prosaic and pretty much reflects my usual state of mind (scattered).   I am finding coloring in those little pink squares can be quite satisfying...  I started out thinking I would list all the things I need to practice, but I'm refining it as I go on.  I've seen it needs modification - there are not only the larger chunks (practice running through that piece!  learn that section!) but also smaller challenges, like practicing a single shift.  And there needs to be a spot for notes, such as 'moving the thumb makes that work.' So maybe I'll rearrange things on the next page.  Finally I might get a journal that already has the lines connecting the dots!

I've found just glancing at it before I start practicing gives me a good idea of what I might have been missing out on, it remains to be seen whether it will actually make me practice the tough stuff 😆

Performance Anxiety - again

I'm coming to the conclusion that learning to deal with performance anxiety is like painting the Forth Bridge...  Why the Forth Bridge? - anecdotally the painting process never stops - once you reach one end, you just toddle back to the other end and start again - ad infinitum.



After a particularly discouraging personal performance in our orchestra in early April I determined to once again tackle this exasperating problem - this time simply by grabbing lots of opportunities to play for others - online, to a friend, my guitar teacher, to small groups of guitarists I know well, and yesterday in a small playing circle I didn't know so well.   Has it transformed me from a state of near panic (gripping the guitar with rigid cold sweaty hands like it might jump up and run away) into a confident performer?  Sadly, no.  However things have improved - although the physical symptoms have not disappeared, they have abated somewhat, and I have managed to play several times for my GT and other people.  Not particularly well, and with lots of fumbles plus the occasional outright wrong note, but mostly getting from the beginning to the end without stopping.  I actually thought I was doing a little worse yesterday, then recalled that we had to play completely cold with no warm up at all, so it wasn't so bad, considering.  And I didn't even stand out because everyone (even the more experienced players) were apparently suffering from the same problem! 

What did I do to even get this far?  There were 3 components:

First
I had help from my guitar teacher on preparing the pieces.  Specifically I've been working on the same 5 short pieces for the last 9 months - so I know them pretty well.  And GT had me play them super slowly - to the point where muscle memory failed and I was forced to think about the notes and what was coming up next.  I still find this surprisingly hard but it sure helps when you get brain freeze when trying to perform...

Second
I've been gradually ramping up the stress level and (hopefully) building up positive experiences -  it doesn't help to march out to play a masterclass first off, then crash and burn - makes things ten times worse the next time.  Experiences from low to high stress, for me that would be:

1. Recording self
2. Videoing self
3. Playing for a friend (ie a real person) who doesn't play guitar
4. Playing for teachers online (via classicalguitarcorner.com academy)
5. Playing for a nursing home Alzheimer's unit (I did this a while ago - the first time was excruciating, but after that it wasn't too bad - I could count on the audience not remembering the mistakes!)  I need to get back to it though because the performance practice definitely helped.
6. Playing for my teacher - really I should be used to this, but 'performing' for someone who is critically appraising my playing is the absolute worst stress...
7. Participating in playing circles with other guitarists (why guitarists? they hear the mistakes!)
8. Playing at a low-key open mic - there's a cafe near us where the open mic happens while people eat that's a distinct possibility. 
9. Playing at a higher stress open mic, like at our local guitar society or inviting a group of people round to a house concert
10. Playing in a masterclass... (just the thought makes me feel queasy).

I've reached #7 so far but I have a feeling it's going to be like learning to play the guitar - it gets exponentially harder...

Third

I had to make a commitment.  Each time there's an opportunity I would normally skip, I have to remind myself that this is the only way I'm going to get more comfortable (even while I'm busy making excuses to myself as to why I should pass).
So tonight, I'm definitely going to play something online.  For certain.  Definitely...  Well most likely anyway!

Guitar tuning by ear - starting points

Yep we all have electronic tuners -what would I do without my trusty Snark?  I'm generally pretty lazy and haven't spent a great deal of time trying to tune my guitar without an electronic aide, but I figured it was about time.  So I dug out the notes I may have written down correctly (or not) last time I thought about it.  I remember struggling with it but I couldn't make it sound right - but that was then, this is now.  Here's what I did:

First I used the electronic tuner to tune the A string.  I know, it involves using an electronic tuner, but I'm not about to start banging a tuning fork around - knowing me I might hit my guitar!   (Interesting note if you are in Botswana with no tuner - the telephone dial tone worldwide is an A!)  In any case I don't suppose it matters if the A string is in tune if you are just playing solo: the guitar should end up in tune with itself.

As harmonics are the way I've been tuning, I figured it might be useful to know the actual notes when playing natural harmonics.  It turns out it's based on the ratio of the fretted string length (from the nut) to the total string length.  Unless you want to memorize the frequencies of the notes, figuring them out might be a mite cumbersome.  As I only intend to use the 5th 7th and 12th harmonics for tuning, it's far easier to remember them.  So here they are:

• the 5th fret harmonic is 2 octaves above the open string
• The 7th fret harmonic is an octave plus a fifth above the open string
• The 12 fret harmonic is an octave above the open string

nb.  This can be confusing - remember the harmonic note is calculated not above the fretted note but above the open string.

And for extra credit:

• The 4th and the 9th fret are both 2 octaves plus a major third above the open string

So how could we use this to tune?  (Disclaimer, I'm not an expert - I just tried this a few times and got my guitar pretty much in tune.  There are other, more accurate methods but I figured this would do for a start).

1. 5th string.  Tune your A string to 440 Hz (or to "A" on the electronic tuner)
2. 6th string. Tune the E harmonic on the 6th string  (5th fret) to the E harmonic on the 5th string (7th fret).
3. 4th string.  Tune the A harmonic on the 4th string( 7th fret) to the A harmonic on the 5th string (5th fret). 
4. 3rd string. Tune the fretted note A on the 3rd string (2nd fret) to the A harmonic on the 5th string (12th fret).
5. 2nd string.  Tune the fretted E on the 2nd string (5th fret) to the E harmonic on the 5th string (7th fret)
6. 1st string.  Tune the open E on the 1st string to the E harmonic on the 5th string (7th fret). 

UPDATE: When checking this method results against the electronic tuner - it was good except for the G string was flat, so perhaps fine tuning of that string in particular might be needed.

Having got the guitar roughly in tune, I understand the next thing to do is to cross check using intervals in the key you will be playing in.  As I don't actually know how to do that yet, maybe that will be a future post.  For the moment I'm just cross checking using 5ths on adjacent strings because they sound pretty similar to my ears.

The beauty of this system is that you tune everything directly to the A string.  Unlike the method I was shown when I first picked up a guitar: i.e. tune each string relative to the next one using 4ths, so that small inaccuracies get compounded as you tune each successive string.  I could never get that one to work. I guess in my case the small inaccuracies were not so small...

However, there is a drawback with this method.  Tuning one string with harmonics to another with a fretted note isn't perfectly correct because of the fretted notes not always being pure tones (there's that equal temperament tuning again).  Hence the 2 frequencies are not quite identical.  For more information this site appears to offer useful advice and recommends other methods that are likely more accurate, and the site here claims to have the perfect solution.  But for the time being, I'm just pleased I managed to get the guitar to sound in tune without using the tuner.

UPDATE: I tried the tuning method recommended by the  Guild of American Luthiers (see tuning method here) and personally I felt compelled to reach for the electronic tuner afterwards (!)  Probably because it requires you to rely upon one tuned string to tune the next and maybe my ears are not that good.  YMMV. 

And what started this train of thought?  An instructional video at classical guitar corner on Drop D tuning.  I could have done with that before last week's orchestra performance - though I don't expect it would have helped me remember to tune back up again afterwards :(     Who would have thought that tuning down to D then an additional 6 (yes 6) turns down then slowly back up 5 or so to D would be required to stabilize the tuning???  Watch the video - could alleviate a lot of the hit or miss nature of having to play in drop D!

  

Basic techniques that seem to have escaped my notice - until now

I think I hurry too much.  Maybe if I took my time and thought about things more it would save me time in the long run.  What caused this thought?  I was wondering why I was so nervous about starting to play the simple one line melody I have been assigned in orchestra.  It has shifts, yes, but they are mostly on the same string with plenty of time to move. Nevertheless I still tense up (not a recipe for success).  Will I manage to make the connection legato? Will I land the note at the right time?  Then after the umpteenth time through it I realized  -  instead of trying to release the first note then move to land on the next note,  if I keep the playing finger down and slide that down from the first note to a position ready to play the next note, even though I'm technically not playing the first note any more, it sounds like it is carrying over to the next note.  Why didn't I know this before?  It seems obvious in hindsight.... 

Another technique I've struggled with in several orchestra pieces are rapid sequential descending slurs - is it a lack of coordination? finger independence?  strength? (probably some of each).  But turns out the main problem is I have too much finger on the string - when I just use the very tips, the amount of movement required is small, and the rapid movements are much easier. Of course this is something my GT has told me about more than once, but it's hard to change unless there's a reason, so I guess I found one. 😐

And then there is Maria Luisa  - sometimes the run ups are fluid and they sound fine, and sometimes - well let's say they are less than perfect.  Then KG suggested to think of them differently - to think of the first 3 notes as one set, diddle dum, then the next 2 notes, the open string (when you move) and the first note after the shift as a pair.   Dee dum.   This focuses the attention on the landing note (instead of where you've just been) and synchronizes the hands.  At least that's what seems to happen, and bingo!  I have had to correct so many things to get those shifts to work consistently I should be grateful.  First I wasn't staying in position, or preparing the fingers while I was moving my hand/arm up the fingerboard (so I was falling off the side). When that got fixed the LH/RH coordination problem was revealed.  Hopefully that's now all the things that it has to teach me!

Keeping a journal for....useful hints and tips

I read a lot about people keeping logs/excel spreadsheets/ goals lists (in fact I think I had one of those at one time) but it seems to have gone by the wayside in recent months.   I do keep an online progress journal on another site, but even that has developed into an informal soundcloud documentation of where I am with various pieces.  So that's not really a 'system' either.  What I have been doing of late is writing down (in a little book, longhand, with an actual writing implement) things I discover during my practice sessions. Useful, because my short term memory doesn't seem to translate into long term memory at all well, and scanning it before I start reminds me what specifically I need to be working on as opposed to just practicing a particular piece or exercise...

What do I write?  Often there are themes.  Currently the theme is relaxation.   Everything from building in "relaxation reminders" when playing a piece (to avoid getting more and more tense),  to  practicing slurs and remembering to relax the 'other' finger.   There's a whole chapter on this in  the natural classical guitar  by Lee Ryan including some interesting exercises to learn to 'actively' relax.  Which reminds me: I need to write one or 2 down to remind me to practice them.

Another thing I'm finding useful is to play pieces or parts of pieces with the iphone recording - and then writing down areas to work on after listening -  it helps to focus if I write it down.   I just started practicing the De Visee Prelude again and this was what I heard on the first run through...
- need to relax on initial phrase - otherwise it's hard to move
- fingers on same fret need to be closer to avoid buzz
- Following section is too loud too soon...
- Check score -  G is an 8th and can be released, which will help avoid the stretch
- Shift to G chord more consistent if hand is parallel
- Try ponticello instead of loud to contrast voices
 -Chord sequence is too abrupt - give it more space and legato
- Start decrescendo later (on A)
- First trill should be quieter
- Slur section needs to be quieter and even tempo
- Last note is too loud and need to hear the top note...

Another use for the book - I'm woefully inconsistent in practicing technical exercises, so I'm using them to warm up with.  Today I wrote
- Boardwalk - practice placement of 4 which is always too flat.
- Use the Brouwer piece to warm up.
- Learn required artificial harmonic tunes

It might be time to get a bullet tracker (see pic)....

Self defeating practice. Yikes!

I was hoping I could post an improved soundclip this week but it is not to be.  I’ve had worse weeks, guitar wise. Just can’t remember when. Not helped by having not one but two messed up nails...So I’m going to remind myself of all the things I do on a regular basis that thwart progress🤔

- Working on something else instead of  things I want to improve. 

- Trying to fix a phrase instead of a measure, or a measure instead of a single shift

- Trying to fix a problem without identifying exactly what the problem is

- Trying to fix a problem without figuring out a workable solution...

- Trying to fix a problem with a method thats not working, instead of looking for alternatives 

- And the perennial ...

          Ignoring the music

-        Confusing working on a piece with running it

- And of course ignoring my guitar teacher’s advice!  

Aaaaagh! Patience! So what if I spent an entire week working on damping and made it sound worse? At least now I know the extremes: everything ringing over vs. overly aggressive damping. And if the work on phrasing didn’t quite work? At least I am more aware of what I’m aiming for. So although it’s disappointing to start over, I could compare it to being back at the start of a journey, but now I have a more detailed map to guide the second attempt....

Is there such a thing as "active" relaxation?...

Playing lightly is perhaps a necessity for playing "well" - and I've tried various techniques to ease up on the pressure with limited degrees of success.  Playing buzz scales beforehand, or playing through pieces so lightly that they buzz is one method, but that has limited applicability when you have to apply a certain amount of pressure or your fingers sli___ide back together.  What needs to happen is for the pressure to release as soon as it isn't needed.  But if you're me, once you apply the pressure, it tends to stay on. This leads to a merciless build up of tension on progressing through a piece until moving at all is a major challenge. And then there's the additional problem of tensing up just because there is something challenging ahead - a fast shift, or a challenging stretch for instance - totally a recipe for not making it!
Why am I thinking about this now?  This semester I have a part in the orchestra that is a simple one line melody.  No problem, right?  Wrong!  It's very slow and very exposed, IOW a messed up note will be all too noticeable.  Compounded by a major shift 2 notes in.   Guess who tenses up and finds a straightforward shift difficult??
So I figured there is a need to be able to relax on demand. Easier said than done, of course and not something that seems to be taught as a separate skill. Once relaxed, the shift is easy, moving is easy, in fact the whole process of playing is much easier, so why can't I do it?  Probably because I don't actually know how to 'turn on' relaxation.  I've tried thinking about it beforehand but somehow it always gets lost in the playing of the music, thinking ahead etc, so I obviously need to slow it down. Not the whole thing, but precisely where I need to be thinking about relaxing.  So tonight I'm going to experiment with taking that piece and adding a beat before every shift with the goal of using that time to make my hand relax.   Maybe once I get that, I will be able to progress to relaxing without having 'thinking time'.  We shall see!