Cross-String Ornaments
Classical Guitar Technique
I suggest you read a few articles on cross string ornamentation by two people way smarter than I: David Russell: Two String Trills Stanley Yates: Everything You Wanted to Know about Cross String Ornaments Russell and Yates give two different fingerings to use for cross-string ornaments. Russell’s method is to use aimp: Yates uses imam, […]
Read MoreRight Hand Fingering Guide
Classical Guitar Technique
Getting a great set of fingerings for a piece is not easy. The goal of this post is to provide some things to think about when putting together your right hand fingerings for a piece. “Good” vs. “Bad” string crossings This can be extremely helpfully in scalar passages. A “good” string crossing looks like this: […]
Read MoreComposer Profile: Ralf Bauer
Classical Guitar Tips
Compser Ralf Bauer contacted me last week. Ralf’s Website contains samples of some of his music, all of which is very attractive. Unfortunately I don’t read German, but this is from his Biography page: Ralf Bauer studied composition, lute, guitar and mathematics. He gave concerts in China, Pakistan, Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. His compositions […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: Koshkin Edition
Monday Motivation
“Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” -Albert Einstein Nikita Koshkin is a Rusian-born composer known for his […]
Read MoreLinkage: 4/11/09
Guitar Related Links
Ever wished you could get your hands on John Williams arrangements and transcriptions? Rumor has it Mr. Williams will be releasing his arrangements of public domain sheet music for free on John Williams’ Guitar Notes.com. There’s nothing on the website yet, but we may see it launch within the next week weeks or in a […]
Read MoreThe Neapolitan
Music Theory
In last week’s discussion of secondary dominants and previous discussions on mixture I’ve introduced everyone to chromaticism in tonal music. That is, chords that exist outside the traditionally diatonic chords found natural in any major scale. Today we add another: The Neapolitan. Construction The Neapolitan is a major chord build on a lowered second scale […]
Read MorePractice Hard
Classical Guitar Practice Tips
An unorthodox practice technique is to make something more difficult, then the “normal” way seems much easier. For instance, if you were working a standard tremolo, pami, you could practice more difficult variations: pima or do a five note “flamenco tremolo” piami or pmami, etc. You can also forcefully overplay a piece–pressing down really hard […]
Read MoreYour Local Library as a Music Resource
Classical Guitar Repertoire, Free Sheet Music Sources
I was in the local library a few weeks ago, and I was astounded by the amount of books about guitar and music. Now combine that with many libraries having a CD/DVD collection available for check out, and you have a powerful resource of music and knowledge. I just did quick search of my Library’s […]
Read MorePractice as an Act of Faith
Classical Guitar Practice Tips
We spend hours locked in a room with our instruments–perfecting small bit after small bit. We spend hours teaching our fingers to move the way we want. We’re mindful of every small movement and every note; we try to wring as much musicality out of each note as possible. Then we perform the piece: for […]
Read MoreMonday Motivation: Llobet Edition
Monday Motivation
“Do not fear mistakes. There are none.” -Miles Davis Today we feature Thomas Viloteau performing Variations on a Theme by Sor by Miguel Llobet. Thomas Viloteau’s Guitar Recital Album (MP3) Thomas Viloteau’s Guitar Recital Album (CD)
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