Lesson with diegord

Ok, diegord has requested to start lessons on classical guitar

So where do you wish to start? Do you want to study technique? Sight reading?

Please reply as soon as convenient :)

Hello master, thank you for accepting me!

I'm pretty good at sight reading I believe, I'd rather start with technique, and then maybe choosing a couple of pieces/studies and learn to study them properly. Would that be OK?

Hello master, thank you for accepting me!

I'm pretty good at sight reading I believe, I'd rather start with technique, and then maybe choosing a couple of pieces/studies and learn to study them properly. Would that be OK?

Absolutely, would you be looking at studying right hand or left hand technique?

Would it be all right to do both?

Please allow me to tell you the pieces I will be studying for the audition:

Studies

Sor-Coste: Studies 1 - 3 - 8 - 9

Sor - Segovia: Studies 1 - 2 - 3

(those two are the same studies, the numbering is different that's all)

Carcassi 25 studies Op. 60

Reinassance

Milan: 2 pavanes (I get to choose them, I'm already studying 1 and 2, they are really easy to play and they are readable at first sight)

Baroque

Scheit: Baroque suite

Contemporary (am I spelling that right?)

Leo Brouwer: Estudios Simples Nros 1 y 6.

There are some more, but those are some of them. I'm already studying Carcassi and the two pavanes. I need to get the rest of the sheets, but I will get them soon.

Would any of those be OK?

Would it be all right to do both?

Please allow me to tell you the pieces I will be studying for the audition:

Studies

Sor-Coste: Studies 1 - 3 - 8 - 9

Sor - Segovia: Studies 1 - 2 - 3

(those two are the same studies, the numbering is different that's all)

Carcassi 25 studies Op. 60

Reinassance

Milan: 2 pavanes (I get to choose them, I'm already studying 1 and 2, they are really easy to play and they are readable at first sight)

Baroque

Scheit: Baroque suite

Contemporary (am I spelling that right?)

Leo Brouwer: Estudios Simples Nros 1 y 6.

There are some more, but those are some of them. I'm already studying Carcassi and the two pavanes. I need to get the rest of the sheets, but I will get them soon.

Would any of those be OK?

I would recommend adding Sor's study No. 5 to the list, it's a very good right hand study and it's also a very nice piece

I would recommend adding Sor's study No. 5 to the list, it's a very good right hand study and it's also a very nice piece

Ok, I will, thank you master. Any thoughts/suggestions about the rest of the list?

I still need to get the material, but I will surely have that one since it's part of Sor studies.

Ok, I will, thank you master. Any thoughts/suggestions about the rest of the list?

I still need to get the material, but I will surely have that one since it's part of Sor studies.

Free-scores.com : World Wide Free Sheet Music (Directory and Direct Download)

There should be a whole list of Sor's Studies at this website, and some other pieces I'd recommend are listed here

Grand Solo - Fernando Sor

Giulinani - La Motreuax Characteristiques (not sure about the spelling there :P)

I'll will add more later, but remember not to overload your brain with too much, keep it organized and quick

I've seen in You Tube one of the LAGQ guys playing Sor's Grand Solo. Sounds hard. I'm starting to download the material.

How do you recommend aproaching Sor's solo? Studying it by parts and trying to master it at a good speed, or reading it several times entirely? It seems that it should help to improve techinque.

I know the site, but I really don't know what are the studies I'm looking for. I didn't find the Grand Solo either.

Edit: The search for Giulinani returned no results.

I've seen in You Tube one of the LAGQ guys playing Sor's Grand Solo. Sounds hard. I'm starting to download the material.

How do you recommend aproaching Sor's solo? Studying it by parts and trying to master it at a good speed, or reading it several times entirely? It seems that it should help to improve techinque.

I know the site, but I really don't know what are the studies I'm looking for. I didn't find the Grand Solo either.

Edit: The search for Giulinani returned no results.

Ok, the Giuliani isn't a must, just thought if you could find it it would be a nice addition

ok, as for the Grand Solo, it's quite a large piece, so you could possibly stand to omit a few other smaller pieces unless there is a number of pieces required

For studying purposes, it usually makes things easier if you break it into smaller sections, for instance, learn the first page of the piece, memorize it, perfect it, and then the next page or part and so on

Ok, the Giuliani isn't a must, just thought if you could find it it would be a nice addition

ok, as for the Grand Solo, it's quite a large piece, so you could possibly stand to omit a few other smaller pieces unless there is a number of pieces required

For studying purposes, it usually makes things easier if you break it into smaller sections, for instance, learn the first page of the piece, memorize it, perfect it, and then the next page or part and so on

I'll see if I can get the solo, but first I'd rather learn the compulsory pieces. Any tips for memorizing? I need to do that with all of the pieces, except for the studies, but I find it really hard. A teacher told me to read all the material first, and read it while I play, but I know I'll have to face memorization sooner or later.

I'll see if I can get the solo, but first I'd rather learn the compulsory pieces. Any tips for memorizing? I need to do that with all of the pieces, except for the studies, but I find it really hard. A teacher told me to read all the material first, and read it while I play, but I know I'll have to face memorization sooner or later.

If you're looking to memorize, then I find that it's far better to break a piece up into parts, and memorize them seperately. slowly linking them together to form the whole piece

that might work but be sure to try other ways to see which way suits you best

really small parts maybe... that should work. I wish I had more time, I'll give it a try and see if it works.

really small parts maybe... that should work. I wish I had more time, I'll give it a try and see if it works.

Ok, just remember not to rush it, nothing good was ever done in a hurry :D

Ok, just remember not to rush it, nothing good was ever done in a hurry :D

[Offtopic] Except for Star Wars of course :D

It is giving me good results to try to play it by hard, without looking at the sheet at all, and try to force my memory, looking at my left hand all the time. Obviously I can't do than while I'm reading.

It is giving me good results to try to play it by hard, without looking at the sheet at all, and try to force my memory, looking at my left hand all the time. Obviously I can't do than while I'm reading.

Very good, keep working on it

All right, thanks for the patience master.

I'm doing all Sor studies, Leo Brower studies I and VI, Carcassi's 25 studies, I through VIII, Milan's pavanes I and II, a Sor's minuett no. 10, and later I will study a Barroque suite by Scheit and some Argentinian music that is also compulsory.

I need a couple of tips regarding volume and body pain. These are two issues I've been dealing with since long ago. My spine hurts, so does my neck, parts of my back, my forearm, after studying for reasonable periods of time.

As regards volume, I can't get loud volume without losing tidyness in my technique, very noticiable in forte passages, specially when it's forte and marcatto.

Any suggestions?

All right, thanks for the patience master.

I'm doing all Sor studies, Leo Brower studies I and VI, Carcassi's 25 studies, I through VIII, Milan's pavanes I and II, a Sor's minuett no. 10, and later I will study a Barroque suite by Scheit and some Argentinian music that is also compulsory.

I need a couple of tips regarding volume and body pain. These are two issues I've been dealing with since long ago. My spine hurts, so does my neck, parts of my back, my forearm, after studying for reasonable periods of time.

As regards volume, I can't get loud volume without losing tidyness in my technique, very noticiable in forte passages, specially when it's forte and marcatto.

Any suggestions?

I have a few

As for the pain make sure that you are sitting straight up when you're playing. If you are hunched over at all it might be just enough to cause pain. Also, make sure your elbow isn't poking out on top of the guitar, your elbow should be level with the surface of the guitar when playing.

As for volume. Make sure your nails are as long as you need them, don't let them get too long or else your sound will become absolute garbage, I'll provide some video links to players who have not done a good job on tone, so you can see what not to do and sound like

Here's an example of what NOT to do with nails

YouTube - Edgar Cruz - Bohemian Rhapsody (classical guitar)

Notice how horrificly thin and snappy his tone is. He acheives volume, but he sacrifices nearly all of his tone while doing so. This comes from his ridiculously long fingernails and lack of touch.

Now here is probably the best example possible of good tone.

Notice how he acheives a balance between bright and warm tones, and his nails aren't 5 inches long lol

Now, for volume you must play a little hard, but not so hard that it snaps your strings against the fretboard. A balance must be acheived

My teacher told me once that Segovia is a great guitarrist (we all know that of course) but his right hand technique shouldn't be adopted. His right hand is too perpedicular to the neck of the guitar. So is Edgar Cruz's right hand, which I believe is bad for his sound. I'll make my nails shorter, I'm positive about that, I believe it'll work.

Besides the sound, I love that arrangement for Bohemian Rhapsody!! What do you think about it?

My teacher told me once that Segovia is a great guitarrist (we all know that of course) but his right hand technique shouldn't be adopted. His right hand is too perpedicular to the neck of the guitar. So is Edgar Cruz's right hand, which I believe is bad for his sound. I'll make my nails shorter, I'm positive about that, I believe it'll work.

Besides the sound, I love that arrangement for Bohemian Rhapsody!! What do you think about it?

well look at it like this, Segovia held his hand like that because it was comfortable for him. Cruz holds his hand like that because it's comfy for him. There is a way to hold your hand to get better tone, there's no right or wrong way, just what sounds and works best for each individual player.

As for the arrangment, I think it's quite good but Edgar Cruz has some of the worst tone I've ever heard :P

Thank you very much for the advice master. My nails are shorter and that really improved my sound and volume. I'm also playing harder, but here's the problem.

When I'm playing Leo Brouwer's study no.1 (from the "6 Estudios Simples"), I need to achieve some fortes and fortissimos marcato. Since the study is kinda powerful (I'm too lazy to think of a better adjective :P) , that really needs to get the all the sound out of my guitar, but I'm making it sound ugly. Regarding this, my new teacher (I'm taking classes with her for a couple of months) told me to practice playing harder everytime I play, but to play Brouwer's study thinking about the music, because I was getting louder but the sound was getting poorer.

Bottom Line: do you know any studies that I can play to get louder volume? Specially with the thumb.

I'll be going on a short 1 week vacation the first week of January. After that I'll try to post in youtube some videos of myself playing.

Thank you very much master, have a great 2008.