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Q: Do you have any tips/strategies/advice to achieving a good
practice session. I find myself lately losing focus & moving away from
what I set out to practice in to other areas, & can end up wasting say
an hours session by meandering, usually if a bit tired or pre occupied
with other things. Is it a question of focus & clearing your head of
other stuff before a session or just keeping it interesting instead of
rigid practice schedules, have you had any practice ruts in the past?
- from John
A: I think practice should be treated purely as a technical exercise,
i.e. don't worry about being musical. The whole point is to achieve
better articulation with your notes and tempo. Nothing more and
nothing less. It's similar to a fitness regime. For instance, like a
runner or athlete, you want to start really slowly by doing simple
things and then build up some tempo. There is always a good point when
it is good to have a short break (a cup of tea) and then get back to
it with more conviction. After another break you might want to tackle
whatever piece of music is troubling you and focus on the harder
passages. Personally I like to practice simple Bach pieces at hyper
slow speed and then apply the principles above. I always end up making
improvements.
Q: I was just reading an interview/tutoring exercise from Martin
Taylor, he was saying that he feels there can be too much science &
worrying about names of things & which scale fits over such & such
chord sequence etc etc when really we learn best by listening hard &
playing what comes naturally to us or 'sounds right'. I am spending a
great deal of time playing short exercises from a classical ( 8 bars
or so) tutoring book, telling me which finger goes where left hand , &
right hand i m a sequences , I have been doing this for over a year as
part of my playing. I am starting to wonder really if all the details
of which hand does what really matters, certainly anyone listening or
watching doesn't give a s***, & whether I should stop the exercises &
just practice playing pieces of music instead. I just wondered if you
have been down this path years ago and got to a point where you
decided to go your own way. Can I ask your opinion as to whether to
continue with exercises or just do my own thing, I am not trying to be
a "serious" classical player, just get to a good standard.
A: I agree with Martin. But I think it helps to know as much theory as
possible. When you are playing, or improvising I would advise
forgetting all the theory you know and play what comes naturally.
Then, after your performance you might amuse yourself by understanding
dissecting why you played what you did and where it came from. I am
not a great believer in doing scales or exercises but there is
certainly no harm in maintaining them. This is after all just
technical practice where you are trying to produce a clean sound with
a solid tempo. Instead of doing scales I like to practice Bach which
is mostly scales anyway. Bach's music is like mathematics with soul.
It has an inner beauty even if you are playing it with no feel at all.
I often practice Bach (every day actually) and play it without emotion
mostly. All I am doing is trying to improve my dexterity as a player.
If I wanted to play these pieces in a musical way I could never do it
unless I practiced them slowly and methodically. I hope this makes
sense.
Q: I just returned from auditing a Pepe Romero master class
(fantastic) and was a bit surprised that many of the performing
guitarists seemed to be trying pieces above their ability. Have you
found this to be common with the master classes you've given? Many of
them were technically proficient enough, and could have chosen good
pieces well within their range, but for some reason their "reach
seemed to surpass their grasp." - from Kirk
A: I understand this problem. I would have thought the best way to
tackle a masterclass would be to choose the simplest piece possible
and see how a "master" tackles it. Then the student can apply the same
principles with the more complex tunes in his/her own time. Slowly.
Q: I am a little older than you (44) and have been playing for over 25
years. As I get older I find I am not as subtle as I once was. So
firstly, do you have any particular warm up exercises you do before
playing, even perhaps before you even pick up a guitar, that might
help? Secondly, have you ever suffered from cramp in your left hand
during a gig and if so, how have you coped with it? I try and keep
well hydrated (I only drink water when I gig) and after 20+ years
playing semi pro, I am not overly tense, but this cramp thing really
freaked me out! - from David
A: Actually, I am older than you. I was born in 1960. I don't know of
any exercises before playing. I never do any because I believe playing
is the exercise. Especially playing slowly and economically. I have
had cramp a few times from over practicing. This has always been due
to an improper position with either my back or wrists. I have always
learnt something from these pains.
Q: Do you still practice for electric guitar, any finger exercises,
pentatonics, sequences, or alternate picking picking exercises? How
many hours do you practice if you do? - From Süheyl
A: I like to practice playing Bach slowly. It's very important to know
how to play slowly because it is harder because there is more room for
error. I love the harmony in Bach which has all the scales anyone
could dream for.
Q: I am having good days and bad days practicing, on a bad day (today)
I seem to f*** up things I know I shouldn't, which I find very
demotivating, I am learning classical from scratch (with the help of
an excellent player) I am used to playing electrics which I find
easier to play. I just wondered if you have bad days, do you just put
it down & walk away or persevere. - from John
A: Yes I do have bad days practicing when I sometimes think I am
useless and a fraud guitarist. But after many years I have learnt to
learn from this syndrome and actually find it quite useful because my
real weaknesses are exposed. This means on another, better day I know
what to work on.
Q: I know that you practice them regularly, I’ve decided to do the
same. I decided to learn the double in the Partita I (B minor) first
because of the uninterrupted eight notes I think it will be a great
musical warm-up. My questions are, how closely you follow the
dynamics/articulation that is written? How long do you spend on
finding the correct fingering and do you try to stay in roughly the
same position? Out of my own curiosity do you play any of these using
a pick? - from Dan
A: I don't use any articulation when I practice them (or anything
else). Practice is about control, not feeling. I think the
articulation or dynamics become evident once you play them enough.
Sometimes I listen to well known violinists’ recordings to get some
accent tips. The fingering takes me ages but is my favourite part of
the process. I try to be as logical or economical as possible while
retaining the best tone of the instrument. I try and stay in the same
position as much as it will allow. Sometimes I adjust. I never use a
pick for these pieces. Actually, I don't even use nails. Flesh sounds
better for me. My best tip for the Partitas and Sonatas is to practice
them as slow as you can. If you can play them accurately and slowly
you will have control of all the above.
Q: Can you please tell me one or two little exercises you practice on
your guitar? - from Chris
A: It's good to practice chromatic scales on the guitar and then do
them in octaves. I hope you continue to play and remember to practice
slowly. You will be better for it.
Q: Many times I have seen on your web site a rule saying that, when
learning to play a guitar you should play slowly. How about long
pieces (pieces with scores on many many pages)? Should I (a) try to
play the WHOLE piece slowly at first and then build up the speed or
should I (b) break it in to smaller parts and learn to play each part
up-to-speed and then stick those parts together? - From Artus
A: I think you should do both. Try and think of it as many pieces and
then join them together. It's sometimes a good idea to pick a section
at random and then work on it instead of always starting at the
beginning.
Q: I saw your set at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday
September 18th and you inspired me to learn some classical guitar
pieces. I am 46 years old and picked up the guitar again a few years
ago. What songs do you recommend I start off with? I am patient and I
try to practice at least 2 hours a day. - From David
A: I am glad to hear you are learning some classical guitar. The best
pieces for you would be Fernando Sor's guitar studies. They work
really well and are very pleasant. Then you can move on to some Bach.
remember to practice slowly.
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