notes classical guitar

Edi t ed by Joshua Weage ( j pweage@mt u. edu) . Maj or cont r i but i ons and many t hanks go t o Chr i s Goodwi n who was t he pr i or mai nt ai ner of t hi s FAQ. St uar t LeBl anc who has cont r i but ed much t o t he pl ayi ng t echni que sect i on of t he FAQ. Len Fr azi er who has i n f act wr i t t en about hal f of t hi s FAQ. Br i an Egr as compi l ed t he l i s t of musi c, composer s and per sonal i t i es i n t he c l assi cal gui t ar wor l d. Ot her peopl es cont r i but i ons have come di r ect l y f r om t he news gr oup l et t er s. To f i nd t he answer t o a l i s t ed quest i on, sear ch f or war d wi t h t he sear ch par amet er ' A* . * ' wher e * . * r ef er s t o t he number of t he quest i on. A cr oss by a quest i on number i ndi cat es t hat t her e i s no answer f or i t . I f you f eel you coul d wr i t e a good answer , pl ease do and send i t t o me and I ' l l add i t . I f you woul d l i ke t o add a quest i on, t el l me about i t . I t won' t appear i f you don' t t el l me about i t . Any spel l i ng mi st akes, er r or s, and out - r i ght f al l ac i es you not i ce shoul d be br ought t o my at t ent i on pl ease! Anyone who woul d l i ke t o hel p compi l e a mor e compl et e FAQ i s wel come t o, and i f you have any comment s pl ease t el l me. The answer s gi ven ar e not wr i t t en i n gr ani t e, and i f you f eel you can wr i t e a bet t er answer , pl ease do so and send i t t o me. Her e goes. . . Sect i on 1 - Begi nner s Cor ner 1. 1 What di st i ngui shes a c l assi cal gui t ar , and a c l assi cal gui t ar i s t ? 1. 2 I want t o st ar t pl ayi ng and need a gui t ar . Whi ch sor t ( Qui ck gui de t o buyi ng a gui t ar ) ? 1. 3 How do I s t ar t t o l ear n ( t eacher or book) ? 1. 4 How do I f i nd a t eacher ? 1. 5 What ar e t he good books? 1. 6 Shoul d I l ear n t ab or ' pr oper ' musi c not at i on? 1. 7 What i s a good sampl e of c l assi cal gui t ar musi c t hat someone who doesn' t know much about i t shoul d l i s t en t o? 1. 8 Wher e can I get sheet musi c, s t r i ngs and ot her accessor i es? 1. 9x I ' m new t o c l assi cal gui t ar - what pi eces can I pl ay? 1. 10 How do I t une my gui t ar ?

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CLASSICAL GUITAR

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Ar chi ve- Name: musi c/ c l assi cal / gui t ar / f aq

Post i ng- Fr equency: gumy moty

1. 11 Wher e can I f i nd c l assi cal gui t ar musi c ( TAB and not at i on) on t he net ? 1. 12x What i s t he di f f er ence bet ween an A- f r ame and a f oot st ool ? 1. 13x Who i s a good t eacher i n my ar ea? Sect i on 2 - St r i ngs and ot her pr obl ems 2. 1 What ar e t he best st r i ngs f or me? 2. 2 How do I t ake car e of my nai l s? 2. 3 How do I pr event my nai l s f r om br eak i ng? 2. 4 How do I r epai r my nai l s? 2. 5 How can I qui ck l y memor i ze a pi ece? 2. 6 How much shoul d I pr act i ce ( Al so: My f i nger s hur t ! ) ? 2. 7 How do I avoi d RSI , car pel t unnel syndr ome, et c? 2. 8 You know t hat pi ece i n t he adver t f or . . . , what i s i t ? 2. 9 I ' m t aki ng my gui t ar on an aer opl ane, t o t he ant ar t i c , t hen t o t he Sar aha deser t , and t hen t o t he moon. How do I pr ot ect i t ? 2. 10 Who ar e t he composer s and per f or mer s f or t he c l assi cal gui t ar ? 2. 11 What ar e t he di f f er ences bet ween c l assi cal gui t ar and f l amenco gui t ar ? 2. 12 Can anyone r ecommend some f l amenco musi c t o l i s t en t o? 2. 13 How do I l ear n t o s i ght r ead? ANSWERS ======= A1. 1 What di st i ngui shes a c l assi cal gui t ar and a c l assi cal gui t ar i s t ? A c l assi cal gui t ar has some speci f i c f eat ur es i n i t s anat omy. I t has s i x st r i ngs wi t h t he t r ebl e st r i ngs made of nyl on and t he bass st r i ngs made f r om nyl on wr apped i n br ass wi r e. The body i s symmet r i cal i e. no cut - out s at t he hi gher f r et s and i s made of wood. Ther e ar e no el ect r oni cs i nvol ved, so no pi ckups - vol ume comes f r om si mpl e r esonance i n t he gui t ar body. A c l assi cal gui t ar i s t i s mor e t han someone who s i mpl y pl ays a c l assi cal r epet oi r e. The way t he gui t ar i s pl ayed i s al so i mpor t ant . Essent i al l y , a c l assi cal gui t ar i s t pl ays by pl ucki ng t he st r i ngs wi t h hi s r i ght hand f i nger s and t humb - st r ummi ng i s a speci al ef f ect , and no pi ck i s ever used. Ther e ar e ot her st r ong r ecommendat i ons on t he gener al post ur e of t he ent i r e body and gui t ar f or c l assi cal gui t ar i s t s t hat di st i ngui sh t hem f r om ot her gui t ar i s t s. A1. 2 I want t o st ar t pl ayi ng t he gui t ar and t o buy one. Whi ch gui t ar shoul d I buy? ( A qui ck gui de t o buyi ng a gui t ar ) ? I f you ar e a compl et e begi nner t hen I don' t suggest you go out and buy a gui t ar wor t h hundr eds or t housands, but I guess you don' t need t el l i ng. On t he ot her hand, some cheap gui t ar s ar e r eal l y awf ul - so her e i s how t o t r y and t el l t he di f f er ence bet ween a bar gai n and a bad banj o. The pr i ce of a gui t ar i s l ar gel y det er mi ned by t he woods used i n i t s const r uct i on - cheap gui t ar bodi es ar e made f r om pl ywood or l ami nat es. As t he pr i ce i ncr eases woods such as r osewoods, cedar and spr uce wi l l be encount er ed. These l at t er woods wi l l al so age wel l , wi t h t he sound of t he gui t ar i mpr ovi ng wi t h t i me, unl i l ke t he cheaper var i et y whi ch ar e at t hei r best when new. As a begi nner , t her e i s l i t t l e har m i n buyi ng a pl ywood gui t ar - as l ong as i t f i t s some ot her cr i t er i on. . .

of 22Guitar Notes: CLASSICAL GUITAR FAQ

I n gener al , t he gui t ar shoul d be sol i d wi t h no l oose bi t s i ns i de - gi v i ng t he gui t ar a smal l shake wi l l det er mi ne t hi s. The gui t ar ' s neck shoul d be st r ai ght . Thi s can be checked by s i ght i ng al ong i t s l engt h. Good f r et wor k can al so be checked at t hi s t i me by r unni ng your f i nger s al ong t he edge of each s i de of t he neck. Each f r et posi t i on wi l l need checki ng t o make sur e t hat t her e i s no buzzi ng of st r i ngs on poor f r et s. Do t hi s s i mpl y by pl ayi ng a not e at ever y s i ngl e f r et posi t i on on t he boar d, ensur i ng you pl ace a your f i nger c l ose behi nd each f r et when you do so. The act i on of a gui t ar ( t he hei ght of t he st r i ngs above t he f r et boar d) i s down t o per sonal choi ce, but i t i s r ecommended t hat you pi ck a gui t ar wi t h l ow act i on ( s t r i ngs near t he f i nger boar d) as t hi s wi l l make f r et t i ng easi er . Do not buy a st eel s t r i ng gui t ar and r epl ace t he st r i ngs wi t h nyl on ones. Ther e ar e t wo mai n r easons f or t hi s. Cl assi cal gui t ar s ar e l ess r i gi d t han st eel s t r ung ones, al l owi ng t he st r i ngs t o v i br at e t he wood mor e, pr oduci ng bet t er sound qual i t y . Secondl y, s t eel s t r i ng gui t ar s t end t o have necks whi ch var y i n wi dt h. A c l assi cal gui t ar shoul d be 2- 1/ 8" acr oss over i t s ent i r e l engt h - you' l l need t he wi dt h t o cor r ect l y f i nger bot h t he l ef t and r i ght hands. Japanese makes, such as Yamaha, Takami ne and Rodr i guez ar e cheap and qui t e cheer f ul , usual l y bei ng per f ect l y adequat e f or begi nner s. I t i s onl y af t er some mont hs/ year s pr act i ce t hat you may want t o spend t he money on an i nst r ument wher e t he t one i s somet hi ng ver y i mpor t ant t o you. One over al l gui del i ne i s t hi s: t ake someone who i s exper i enced i n gui t ar s wi t h you. For exampl e, a t ut or ( i f you have one) or a f r i end who has been pl ayi ng c l assi cal gui t ar f or sever al year s. Tut or s may al so be abl e t o show you t he good shops, good bar gai ns, or of f er you gui t ar s f r om ot her st udent s of t hei r s who ar e pr ogr essi ng ont o a f i ner i nst r ument . Cost : cheap and cheer f ul : 50- 180 pounds st er l i ng. expensi ve: 350 - t housands pounds st er l i ng. A1. 3 How do I s t ar t t o l ear n ( t eacher or book) ? Undoubt edl y i t i s bet t er t o have a t eacher . A good t eacher wi l l be abl e t o gui de you cor r ect l y t hr ough t he t echni cal poi nt s of post ur e, hand posi t i on, et c. f ar bet t er t han phot os or i l l ust r at i ons i n t ext s. I t i s possi bl e t o l ear n t hr ough books, but i t wi l l t ake l onger and you may devel op poor habi t s t hat l i mi t your abi l i t i es and ar e har d t o br eak af t er mont hs of pl ayi ng. Of cour se, t he down poi nt about a t eacher i s t hat t hey cost about 17- 20 pounds an hour ( $15- $25 US) A ver y usef ul appr oach i s t o f i nd a t eacher t hat of f er s gr oup c l asses wi t h 4- 6 st udent s. The cost per l esson i s usual l y much l ower , and you' l l l ear n bot h by di r ect i nst r uct i on and obser v i ng your c l assmat es appr oach pr obl ems. You can l at er schedul e addi t i onal gr oup or pr i vat e c l asses as you desi r e. I n addi t i on, your t eacher wi l l be i nval uabl e i n t er ms of advi ce on begi nner i nst r ument s, sour ces f or musi c, s t r i ngs, and ot her begi nner s i n your ar ea wi t h whom you mi ght pr act i ce. My advi ce i s t o get a t eacher i f you can, but i f you can' t , wor k c l osel y wi t h good, r el i abl e t ext s.


A1. 4 Wher e can I f i nd a t eacher ? Look i n your l ocal paper s, and al so ask at your l ocal l i br ar y wher e t hey coul d wel l have a l i s t of musi c t ut or s. I n t he UK, t he mont hl y magazi ne " Cl assi cal Gui t ar " mai nt ai ns a l i s t of t eacher s who subscr i be. Al so, l ocal musi c shops of t en have a l i s t of t eacher s who of f er ei t her gr oup or pr i vat e l essons. A good sour ce of i nf or mat i on about t eacher s i s your l ocal gui t ar soci et y, or any col l ege l evel i nst i t ut i on wi t h a musi c pr ogr am. I n t he U. S. , you can al so cont act t eacher s t hr ough t he Gui t ar Foundat i on of Amer i ca. When you cont act a pr ospect i ve t eacher , do not hesi t at e t o ask about : o Qual i f i cat i ons. I s t he t eacher an act i ve per f or mer ? Does he or she have a degr ee? Does he or she have a gr eat deal of t eachi ng exper i ence, i n year s and number s of s t udent s? Ar e hi s or her s t udent s sat i s f i ed wi t h t hei r l essons? I s t hei r wor k pr i mar i l y i n c l assi cal gui t ar , or j azz/ r ock/ what ever ? Al t hough t hese quest i ons do not necessar i l y i ndi cat e a good or bad t eacher , t hi s i s i mpor t ant i nf or mat i on t o use i n your f i nal dec i s i on. o Appr oach t o st udy. Does t he t eacher emphasi ze t he i mpor t ance of i nf or mat i on and t he st r uct ur ed i nt r oduct i on and appl i cat i on of i t ? The t eacher shoul d be abl e t o c l ear l y ar t i cul at e what you wi l l l ear n f r om t hem. St udent s who r eal l y want t o become bet t er pl ayer s qui ck l y i dent i f y t eacher s who seem t o spend most of t he l esson pr ovi di ng vacuous ent er t ai nment s, or who do not hi ng but poi nt out wr ong not es and assi gn new r eper t oi r e, or who of f er l i t t l e advi ce ot her t han t o " pr act i ce har der . " Be par t i cul ar l y war y of t hose who do not t ake i mmedi at e and speci f i c measur es i n r esponse t o any pai nf ul condi t i on whi ch may ar i se. I n gener al , f i nd a t eacher whose compet ency you bel i eve you can basi cal l y t r ust , and gi ve t hem your best ef f or t . As your st udi es pr ogr ess, j udge whet her you ar e l ear ni ng anyt hi ng - - you' r e ent i t l ed t o r ecei ve your money' s wor t h. A1. 5 What ar e t he " good" books? I f you t ake c l asses f r om a t eacher , you' l l want t o f ol l ow hi s/ her r ecommendat i ons f or st udy gui des, met hods, et c. I f you deci de t o st udy on your own, ei t her as an added aspect t o c l ass i nst r uct i on or f or your pr i mar y l ear ni ng, t he f ol l owi ng books have r ecei ved good r epor t s: " Sol o Gui t ar Pl ayi ng" t wo vol umes, by Fr eder i ck Noad. Cost : 10 pounds ( $16. 95 US) per vol ume. Thi s book wi l l t each you good post ur e, t each you t o s i ght r ead sheet musi c and i nc l udes about 30 pi eces whi ch have st udy not es ( whi ch I ' ve f ound ver y usef ul ) . I t wi l l t ake you ar ound t wo year s t o go t hr ough t he f i r s t vol ume - i t t ook me 2. 5 year s - maki ng i t ext r emel y good val ue f or money. I t r equi r es pat i ence t o begi n wi t h - l ear ni ng t o r ead t he musi c par t and get t i ng acquai nt ed wi t h t he basi cs t akes t i me, but i s necessar y and wor t h i t . Once t hi s i s past however , t he pi eces st ar t comi ng t hi ck and f ast and many ar e ext r emel y pl easant t o pl ay. " The John Mi l l s Cl assi cal Gui t ar Tut or " , John Mi l l s . Cost : 10 pounds ( $14. 95 US) .


Mi l l s ' t akes a di f f er ent t ack on t eachi ng, at once l ess t echni cal t han t he Noad met hod but al so of f er i ng mor e i n- dept h di scussi on and gui dance. Wher e Noad t eaches not es i n sequent i al or der and ar r anges exer c i ses t o f i t , Mi l l s appr oaches t he t aks mor e by t eachi ng key and of f er i ng musi c i n t he key l ast l ear ned. Mi l l s mai nt ai ns a mor e i nf or mal t one t hr ough hi s book, and of t en di scusses poi nt s of t echni que mor e f ul l y . For t he begi nner , Mi l l s of f er s an excel l ent page of advi ce on sel ect i ng a f i r s t i nst r ument - t he c l osest you' l l come t o havi ng a f r i end wi t h you i n t he shop. Bot h t he Noad and Mi l l s met hod books of f er casset t e t apes of t he pi eces i nc l uded, as wel l as suppl ement ar y books of musi c, i e. Noad' s, " 100 Gr aded Cl assi cal Gui t ar St udi es" and Mi l l s ' " Mus i c f r om t he St udent Reper t oi r e. " " Lear ni ng t he Cl assi c Gui t ar , " A. Shear er , t hr ee vol umes: ( $12. 95- $18. 95 US per vol ume) . Thi s met hod i s most ef f ect i ve under t he gui dance of a t eacher , who pr esumabl y has mast er ed t he t echni cal concept s cont ai ned i n Vol ume 1; i n t hi s s i t uat i on you wi l l onl y need Vol ume 2 and a not ebook. For sel f - s t udy however , t hese books ar e st i l l unsur passed i n t hei r pr esent at i on of a compr ehensi ve, accur at e and or gani zed body of i nf or mat i on on al l aspect s of pl ayi ng: t echni que, r eadi ng, i nt er pr et at i on, memor i zat i on and per f or mance devel opment . Techni cal concept s ar e i nt r oduced i n a measur ed and coher ent f ashi on, each one i s appl i ed i n exer c i ses and composi t i ons speci f i cal l y cr eat ed f or each poi nt of pr ogr ess. Addi t i onal l y , t he musi c i s composed ( by Al an Hi r sh) i n a c l ear and at t r act i ve neocl assi cal / neor omant i c st y l e whi ch i s i deal l y sui t ed t o devel opi ng t he st udent ' s basi c i nt er pr et i ve ski l l s . Pr oper l y i mpl ement ed, t hi s met hod of f er s an i nt egr at ed st udy of t echni que, musi c r eadi ng and musi c i nt er pr et at i on, whi ch s t udent s consi st ent l y f i nd f asci nat i ng f r om t he f i r s t f ew l essons onwar d. - - St uar t LeBl anc ( gust av@mi nt i r . new- or l eans. l a. us) Ther e ar e many ot her t ut or s avai l abl e, f r om moder n wor ks ( t he Par keni ng met hod books) t o r epr i nt s of ol der wor ks ( Car cassi ' s " Cl assi cal Gui t ar Met hod. " ) And, of cour se, you need not l i mi t your sel f t o a s i ngl e met hod. You wi l l f i nd good advi ce i n havi ng bot h t he Noad and Mi l l s met hods avai l abl e, f or exampl e, especi al l y i f you ar e at t empt i ng t o t each your sel f . 1. 6 Shoul d I l ear n t ab or ' pr oper ' musi c not at i on? " Pr oper " musi c not at i on as we know i t t oday i s t he r esul t of sever al t housand year s ' at t empt s t o pl ace musi c on paper . " Tab" or t abl at ur e, whi l e st i l l used i n hi st or i c r epr i nt s of musi c f or t he l ut e, et c. does not of f er t he best set of t ool s f or conveyi ng musi c. The gr eat maj or i t y of musi c of f er ed t he c l assi cal gui t ar i s t i s pr ovi ded i n f or mal musi c not at i on, i e. not es on st aves. Any of t he above ment i oned t ut or s pr ovi des f or l ear ni ng t he musi cal not es and st af f al ong wi t h t he pl acement of t hose not es on t he neck of t he i nst r ument . I f your goal i s t o pl ay anyt hi ng beyond t he s i mpl est of f ol k songs, you wi l l need t o l ear n " pr oper " musi cal not at i on. I n addi t i on t o t he above t ut or s, t her e ar e sever al gui t ar not e " spel l er s" avai l abl e, wor kbooks t o assi st you i n l ear ni ng t o r ead musi c and each not e' s pl ace on t he gui t ar . ( Not e: Cl assi cal gui t ar musi c i s wr i t t en on onl y t he t r ebl e, or upper st af f , and i s pi t ched an oct ave of f t he wr i t t en not at i on. ) A 1. 7 What a good sampl e of c l assi cal gui t ar CD' s t hat someone who doesn' t know much about t hem coul d l i s t en t o?


Some good sel ect i ons ar e ( i n no par t i cul ar or der ) : Manuel Bar r ueco pl ays Al beni z & Tur i na ( EMI cdc 7 54382 2) i nc l udes: Al beni z: Sui t e Espanol a, op. 47 Tur i na: Fandangui l l o, op. 36 Sevi l l a ( Fant asi a) , op. 29 Raf aga, op. 53 Homenaj e a Tar r ega, op. 69 Sonat a, op. 61 Manuel Bar r ueco pl ays ' 300 Year s of Gui t ar Mast er pi eces ( Vox Box CD3X 3007) i nc l udes: ( 1) Bach: Sui t e No. 4 i n E Maj or Bach: Sui t e No. 2 i n A Mi nor Al beni z: Fi r st Sui t e Espanol a, op. 47 ( 2) Scar l at t i : Sonat as Ci mar osa: Sonat as Pagani ni : Sonat a i n A Maj or , op. 3 no. 1 Gi ul i ani : Var i at i ons sur l es Fol i es d' Espagne, op. 45 Pagani ni : Sonat a i n E Mi nor , Op. 3 no. 6 Gi ul i ani : Gr an Sonat a Er oi ca i n A Maj or , Op. 150 Gr anados: Spani sh Dances ( 3) Gr anados: Spani sh Dances ( cont i nued) Vi l l a- Lobos: Et udes f or Gui t ar Guar ni er i : Est udo No. 1 Chavez: 3 pi eces f or Gui t ar Vi l l a- Lobos: Sui t e popul ai r e br esi l i enne Andr es Segovi a pl ays ' The Segovi a Col l ect i on Vol ume 7: Gui t ar Et udes' i nc l udes: Aguado: Ei ght Lessons f or Gui t ar ( 1- 8) Sor : St udi es f or t he Gui t ar ( 10, 15, 19, 6, 3, 17, 5, 4) Segovi a: St udy Gi ul i ani : St udi es f or t he Gui t ar Cost e: St udi es Sor : St udi es Tar r ega: St udy i n t he f or m of a Mi nuet John Wi l l i ams ( Sony SBK 48 168) i nc l udes: Rodr i go: Conci er t o de Ar anj uez Rodr i go: Fant asi a par a un gent i l hombr e Gi ul i ani : Concer t o i n A maj or , op. 30 Vi val di : Concer t o i n D maj or , RV 93 John Wi l l i ams " Spi r i t of t he Gui t ar - musi c of t he Amer i cas" ( CBS MK 44898) i nc l udes wor ks by: Andr ew Yor k August i n Bar r i os Mangor e Ast or Pi azzol l a Manuel Ponce Ant oni o Laur o Leo Br ower Char l i e Byr d Hei t or Vi l l a- Lobos Jul i o Sagr er as


Gomez Cr espo Gui t ar Pl ayer pr esent s Legends of t he Gui t ar , Cl assi cal [ Rhi no R2 70563] 1) Sonat a, K. 336- Domeni co Scar l at t i , Davi d Tanenbaum ( gt r . ) 2) Al l egr o ( f r om Engl i sh Sui t e No. 3) - J . S. Bach, I da Pr est i & Al exandr e Lagoya ( gt r s. ) 3) Var i at i ons on t he Russi an Fol k Song " Spi nni ng Wheel " - Mi kai l Vi sot sky, Al exander I vanov- Kr amskoy ( gt r . ) 4) I nt r oduct i on and Var i at i ons on a Theme of Mozar t , op. 9- Fer nando Sor , Ni gel Nor t h ( gt r . ) 5) Cappr i cc i o No. 5- Ni col o Pagani ni , El i ot Fi sk ( gt r . ) 6) Danzas Espanol as, op. 37 no. 2 " Or i ent al " , Pepe & Cel i n Romer o ( gt r s. ) 7) Homenaj e a Debussy- Manuel de Fal l a, Jose Rey de l a Tor r e ( gt r . ) 8) Sueno en l a Fl or est a- Agust i n Bar r i os Mangor e, John Wi l l i ams ( gt r . ) 9) Et ude no. 7- Hei t or Vi l l a- Lobos, Eduar do Fer nandez ( gt r . ) 10) Fandangui l l o- Joaqui n Tur i na, Andr es Segovi a ( gt r . ) 11) Cochi chando- Al f r edo Vi anna ( Pi x i ngui nha) , Shar on I sbi n ( gt r . ) 12) El Pol i f emo de Or o- Regi nal d Smi t h- Br i ndl e, Jul i an Br eam ( gt r . ) 13) Br azi l l i ance- Laur i ndo Al mei da, The Fal l a Tr i o ( gt r s. ) 14) Mi cr o Pi ezas- Leo Br ouwer , Ser gi o & Adai r Assad ( gt r s. ) 15) Gi gue- Ant hony Newman, Benj ami n Ver der y ( gt r . ) 16) Chase- Mi chael St ar obi n, Davi d St ar obi n ( gt r . ) 17) Sunbur st - Andr ew Yor k, Andr ew Yor k ( gt r . ) " Gui t ar and Fl ut e Duet s" by Pet er Dr aper . Amsco Publ i cat i ons. Some cool st uf f . Bach, Mozar t et c. A 1. 8 Wher e can I f i nd musi c, s t r i ngs, and ot her accessor i es f or c l assi cal gui t ar ? To var y i ng degr ees, al l musi c shops wi l l be abl e t o hel p a gui t ar i s t i n need of equi pment or musi c. However , t her e ar e speci al i zed r et ai l er s, t he maj or ones bei ng Gui t ar Sol o ( Cal i f or ni a, USA) , Or phee ( Ohi o, USA) , Spani sh Gui t ar Cent r e ( Not t i ngham, UK) and Musi c i an' s f r i end ( OR, USA) . Gui t ar Sol o 1411 Cl ement St r eet San Fr anci sco, CA 94118, USA. Phone: Voi ce: 415/ 896- 1144; FAX, 415/ 668- 2816. Of f er s a f r equent l y updat ed cat al ogue of t housands of pi eces of gui t ar musi c ( met hods, st udy gui des, books, sol o, duet , ensembl e, et c. ) as wel l as casset t es and CDs f eat ur i ng gui t ar , and a wi de sel ect i on of st r i ngs and accessor i es. The cur r ent cat al ogue ( 15t h edi t i on, Febr uar y 1994) i s avai l abl e at $4. 00 US, $12. 00 al l ot her count r i es ( payabl e i n US dol l ar s onl y, so cr edi t car ds may be easi est her e) . Hi nt : Whi l e Gui t ar Sol o obvi ousl y t r i es t o keep a l ar ge st ock, t hey ar e of t en out of s t ock on t i t l es or some suppl i es. I f you el ect t o have t hem Back Or der out - of - st ock i t ems, you' l l pay shi ppi ng on each i t em as i t i s shi pped. At t i mes you may pay mor e i n shi ppi ng char ges t han t he i t em' s act ual cost . I t may be best t o ask f or No Back Or der s and s i mpl y or der t he i t ems agai n at a l at er dat e. Edi t i ons Or ph' ee, I nc. 407 Nor t h Gr ant Ave. , Sui t e 400


Col umbus, OH, 43215- 2157 Phone: 614- 224- 4304 f ax: 614- 224- 1009 Or ph' ee pr ovi de a cat al ogue whi ch i s gi ven out f r ee on r equest , al t hough does not at t empt t o pr ovi de t he ent i r e gui t ar r epet oi r e l i ke Gui t ar Sol o. They al so have a dat abase of composer s and per f or mer s avai l abl e. These t wo i t ems can be obt ai ned ei t her di r ect f r om Or ph' ee or t hr ough ot her good r et ai l er s. They al so st ock a good r ange of equi pment and accessor i es . Spani sh Gui t ar Cent r e, 44 Not t i ngham Road, New Basf or d, Not t i ngham, NG7 7AE Tel . : 0115 9622709 ( or f r om t he US, 011- 44- ( 0) 115- 9622709) Fax. : 0115 9625368 ( " 011- 44- ( 0) 115- 9625368) The Spani sh Gui t ar Cent r e has possi bl y t he most compr ehensi ve cat al ogue of al l . They wi l l do mai l or der , even t o t he US at compet i t i ve pr i ces. That ' s al l I know. . . Musi c i an' s Fr i end, PO Box 4520, Medf or d, OR 97501, USA. Phone: Voi ce: 503/ 772- 5173. Pr i mar i l y dedi cat ed t o el ect r oni c musi c i ans ( el ect r i c gui t ar s, keyboar ds, ampl i f i er s, ef f ect s) , Musi c i an' s Fr i end of f er s excel l ent pr i ces and good ser v i ce on sever al i t ems of i nt er est t o t he c l assi cal gui t ar i s t . Thei r pr i ce on st r i ngs i s one of t he l owest avai l abl e ( D' Addar i o Pr o Ar t e at $4. 99 per set ) and t hey have equal l y good pr i c i ng on t uner s, musi c st ands, et c. Si x mont h subscr i pt i ons t o cat al ogues ar e f r ee. I nt er nat i onal or der s ar e wel comed. A 1. 10 How do I t une my gui t ar ? 6t h ( f at t est st r i ng) = E, 5t h=A, 4t h=D, 3r d=G, 2nd=B, 1st =E. ( 1st st r i ng i s E above mi ddl e C. ) Ther e ar e sever al ways of doi ng t hi s but al l can be put i nt o t wo c l asses. The f i r s t i s t o t une a s i ngl e st r i ng and t hen t une al l t he ot her st r i ngs r el at i ve t o t hi s one, or ot her wi se t o t une each st r i ng t o anot her i nst r ument . I t i s i mpor t ant t o r emember t hat gui t ar scor i ng i s wr i t t en an oct ave hi gher t han i t act ual l y sounds. Mi ddl e C i s at 256Hz. The 1st f r et on t he 2nd st r i ng al so t hi s f r equency. Thi s makes 5t h f r et 1st st r i ng ( A) 440Hz, and t he open 5t h st r i ng 110Hz. Many gui t ar i s t s now r el y upon wi del y avai l abl e el ect r oni c t uner s. I n my humbl e opi ni on I t hi nk i t i s i mpor t ant t o l ear n t o t une a gui t ar wi t hout t he ai d of el ect r oni cs - one day you be caught wi t h your bat t er y f l at . However , I s t ar t ed wi t h such a t uner , but t o my del i ght f ound t hat I devel oped a sense of pi t ch t hat enabl ed me t o t une my gui t ar adequat el y and easi l y . But back t o t he el ect r oni cs. . . Many of t hese i ncor por at e a smal l mi cr ophone f or t uni ng acoust i c i nst r ument s, wi t h excel l ent model s avai l abl e f r om Kor g, Sei ko, Sabi ne, Mat r i x , et c. Model s f or gui t ar usual l y i nc l ude aut o not e sel ect i on, so t he gui t ar i s t onl y st r i kes each st r i ng and ei t her a met er or r ange of LEDs l i ght s t o show how f ar f r om t une t he st r i ng i s , f l at or shar p, et c. A r el i abl e exampl e i s t he Kor g GT- 3, ( $29. 98 f r om Musi c i an' s Fr i end. see: Sour ces) . Chr omat i c t uner s,


whi ch of f er al l not es ( gui t ar speci f i c t uner s pr ovi de f or t he s i x st r i ngs onl y) ar e al so avai l abl e, handy f or t hose who expl or e al t er nat e t uni ngs or pi eces t hat r equi r e a speci f i c st r i ng be t uned down a st ep, et c. ) , such as t he Mat r i x Aut omat i c Chr omat i c Tuner ( $54. 95, Gui t ar Sol o) . I nst ead of el ect r oni cs, you can use pi t ch pi pes. These ar e cheap and pr ovi de a r ef er ence f or each st r i ng. Just bl ow i nt o t he r i ght pi pe and t une t he st r i ng unt i l t hey ar e i n t une ( you know when your r eachi ng t he r i ght pi t ch because you' l l hear a k i nd of waver i ng, or beat i ng, or t he not e. When you f i ne t une t he st r i ng so t hat t he beat i ng goes away - your exact l y i n t une! ) I nst ead of pi pes, you can use anot her i ns t r ument , such as a pi ano or anot her gui t ar . I f you pl an t o pl ay wi t h someone el se, t hi s i s of t en t he best way as l ong as t he f i r s t i nst r ument i s known t o be t uned cor r ect l y . OR, t he ot her c l ass, i s t o get a s i ngl e r ef er ence poi nt and t une your gui t ar f r om t hat . I deal f or t hi s i s an A=440Hz t uni ng f or k. Tune t he 5t h st r i ng t o t hi s by st r i k i ng t he f or k on a har d obj ect l i ke your knee and pl aci ng i t on t he sound boar d of your gui t ar t o ampl i f y i t . Once t he 5t h st r i ng i s i n t une by t hi s met hod, or i n f act any ot her , f ol l ow t hese i nst r uct i ons: Tune t he 6t h st r i ng by f r et t i ng i t at t he 5t h f r et and compar i ng i t wi t h t he open 5t h st r i ng. Tune t he 4t h st r i ng 7t h f r et wi t h ei t her t he open 5t h or 5t h st r i ng 12t h f r et har moni c. t une t he 3r d st r i ng 2nd f r et i n t he same way. t une t he 2nd st r i ng 10t h f r et i n t he same way. t une t he 1st st r i ng 5t h f r et i n t he same way. What you shoul dn' t do i s t une t he gui t ar by compar i ng t he open st r i ng wi t h t he adj acent and l ower pi t ched st r i ng f r et t ed at t he 5t h posi t i on al l t he way t hr ough t he st r i ngs ( except of cour se f or t he 3r d and 2nd st r i ngs) . Thi s i s because any er r or s you make i n t he t uni ng wi l l be compounded by t hi s met hod. The above descr i bed met hod el l i mi nat es t hi s. Al so, do not t une your gui t ar by compar i ng t he 5t h and 7t h f r et har moni cs of adj acent st r i ngs. The r eason f or t hi s i s t hat your c l assi cal gui t ar i s desi gned and bui l t as a t emper ed i nst r ument i e. i t f ol l ows t he t emper ed t uni ng, r at her t han t he di at oni c t uni ng. To use t he 5t h and 7t h har moni cs t o t une your gui t ar wi l l mean, st r i c t l y speaki ng, t hat your gui t ar wi l l be out of t une. A 1. 11 Wher e can I f i nd c l assi cal gui t ar musi c ( TAB and not at i on) on t he net ? FTP Si t es: For al l of t hese f t p s i t es use t he user name ' anonymous' and your e- mai l addr ess as t he passwor d. i nsane. apana. or g. au / user / pcc/ PCMUSI C - cont ai ns musi c f or PS pr i nt er s / user / pcc/ MACMUSI C - post scr i pt f i l es f or t he MAC " / GUI TAR - concer t s t udi es and mi nuet s f t p. nevada. edu / pub/ gui t ar Web Si t es: c l assi cal gui t ar home page: ht t p: / / www. t el epor t . com/ ~j di mi ck/ cg. ht ml c l assi cal gui t ar f aqs ht t p: / / www. me. mt u. edu/ ~j pweage/ - - Per sonal Si t es - - ht t p: / / www. seas. upenn. edu/ ~f j or ado/ f el i pe. ht ml ( musi c i nst r uct i on sof t war e)


- - St or es - - BPM Musi c Expr ess ht t p: / / www. csn. or g/ ~der i ck/ A 2. 1 What ar e t he best st r i ngs f or me? Ther e ar e at l east a dozen pr i mar y st r i ng compani es pr oduci ng pr oduct f or t he c l assi cal gui t ar , and each company of f er s a sel ect i on of f i ni sh and t ensi on. Wher e does one st ar t t o sor t out t he l ot ? Whi l e c l assi cal gui t ar s wer e once f i t t ed wi t h gut ( usual l y swi ne) st r i ngs, t he i nt r oduct i on by August i ne of nyl on st r i ngs i n t he 1940s has al l owed f or much mor e r el i abi l i t y i n st r i ngs. Al l compani es of f er good qual i t y cont r ol at al l r anges. Nyl on st r i ngs do not , usual l y , have a l ong l i f e once i nst al l ed on t he gui t ar , so pr i ce wi l l l i kel y be a pr i me consi der at i on. The begi nner , whi l e l ear ni ng, mi ght change st r i ngs ever y f ew mont hs, whi l e pr of essi onal pl ayer s mi ght use a new set ever y day. Over t i me you' l l begi n t o hear when st r i ngs go " dead" and need r epl acement . Among t he mor e popul ar br ands at pr esent ar e August i ne, D' Addar i o, GHS, Chor us, Mar t i n, Savar ez, Hannabach and pr i vat e l abel st r i ngs of f er ed by Gui t ar Sol o and ot her musi c shops. Many br ands of f er sever al " l evel s" of qual i t y and t ype, as wel l as t wo or t hr ee t ensi ons, i e. nor mal , har d, ext r a har d. Pr i ces can var y f r om $5. 00 US t o $25. 00 US ( 3 pounds t o 9 pounds UK) f or a f ul l set of s i x st r i ngs. Your sel ect i on of st r i ng wi l l be gr eat l y i nf l uenced by how each f eel s and sounds on your gui t ar . A nor mal t ensi on August i ne, f or exampl e, pl aced on a gui t ar wi t h l ow " act i on" ( l ess di st ance bet ween t he st r i ng and f r et s) may pr oduce a l ot of buzz and noi se, whi l e a nor mal t ensi on GHS st r i ng ( by GHS measur e) of f er s a hi gher t ensi on t hat r educes t he noi se. ( Al t er nat el y, you may deci de t o use l ower t ensi on st r i ngs and have t he nut and br i dge of your gui t ar al t er ed t o a hi gher act i on, or t o use hi gher t ensi on st r i ngs and have t he act i on l ower ed. Consul t a good gui t ar t echni c i an/ r epai r shop. ) A suggest ed st ar t f or qual i t y st r i ngs f or t he begi nner woul d i nc l ude D' Addar i o' s " Pr o Ar t e" ser i es of f er ed i n Nor mal , Har d, and Ext r a Har d t ensi ons, whi ch have won wi de accept ance among many c l assi cal gui t ar i s t s. Souces f or st r i ngs i nc l ude l ocal shops, t hough di scount s ar e of t en meager f or somet hi ng you' l l r epl ace so of t en. I n t he US, Musi c i an' s Fr i end of f er s D' Addar i o ( Pr o Ar t e Nor mal and Har d Tensi on, $4. 99) and August i ne st r i ngs at l ow pr i ces. Gui t ar Sol o of f er s a much wi der r ange of st r i ngs, i nc l udi ng s i ngl e st r i ngs, at at t r act i ve, t hough somewhat hi gher , pr i ces. ( See: Sour ces f or Musi c, St r i ngs, et c. i n t hi s FAQ sect i on) . A 2. 2 How do I t ake car e of my nai l s? Nai l Mai nt enance - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The l engt h, shape and sur f ace of your f i nger nai l s have a di r ect ef f ect on your pl ayi ng: how you car e f or your nai l s wi l l af f ect your musi c as much as how you pr act i ce. A shor t , wel l - shaped, smoot h- edged nai l wi l l f ac i l i t at e f i nger st r oke and pr oduce a c l ear t one; a negl ect ed nai l wi l l i nt er f er e wi t h r i ght hand ef f i c i ency and wi l l sound r aspy. Di f f er ences bet ween i ndi v i dual nai l s wi l l di sr upt r i ght hand t echni que even f ur t her , par t i cul ar l y i n al t er nat i on and ar peggi os. For t he devel opi ng st udent , t hi s can cause a gr eat deal of wast ed pr act i ce and f r ust r at i on. Fi nal l y , r egul ar and pr oper car e of your nai l s i s t he s i ngl e, f or emost way t o pr event t hem f r om br eaki ng and r equi r i ng


r epai r . Al t hough ever yone has di f f er ences i n t he cur vat ur e, t hi ckness, r esi l i ency, t ext ur e and ot her qual i t i es of t hei r nai l s , obser v i ng t he f ol l owi ng can s i gni f i cant l y i mpr ove your pl ayi ng. You' l l need a di amond f i l e and 500 gr ade sandpaper ( pr ef er abl y open coat , not wat er pr oof ; a mul t i gr ade cosmet i c nai l buf f er can al so subst i t ut e f or sandpaper ) : f i l i ng: Hol d t he f i l e poi nt i ng t owar d your f ace ( l ooki ng down i t s l engt h) , wi t h t he f i ner sur f ace f aci ng upwar d. Hol di ng your f i nger at a ni net y degr ee angl e ( per pendi cul ar ) t o t he f i l e, pl ace t he nai l on t he sur f ace. The vect or of your f i nger shoul d be ar ound f or t y - f i ve degr ees t o t he pl ane of t he f i l e, so t hat t he nai l i s bei ng f i l ed somewhat f r om beneat h. Fi l e t he nai l by evenl y dr awi ng t he f i l e back and f or t h wi t h t he l ef t hand, exer t i ng even pr essur e and gui di ng i t i n pl ace wi t h t he r i ght t humb. l engt h: Hol d your hand wi t h t he pal m f aci ng you, f i nger s ext ended wi t h t he t i ps poi nt i ng upwar d. You shoul d see t he t i ps of t he nai l s j ust peeki ng past t he f i nger t i ps ( 1 t o 2 mm past t he f i nger t i p i s pl ent y) . Excessi ve l engt h causes t he nai l t o dr ag al ong t he st r i ng, causi ng wast ed ef f or t and di sr upt i ng t he t i mi ng of al t er nat i on and ar peggi os. Uneven l engt hs ar e al so di sr upt i ve; make sur e no nai l i s s i gni f i cant l y l onger or shor t er t han t he ot her s. Not e t hat excessi ve l engt h i s common among pl ayer s wi t h l i t t l e or no t r ai ni ng; t he ext r a l engt h r equi r es l ess pr eci se nai l pl acement dur i ng f i nger st r oke and can t hus make pl ayi ng seem easi er . I f you ar e s i gni f i cant l y shor t eni ng your nai l s , you may i ni t i al l y f i nd your f i nger st r oke i s l ess accur at e. I f so, spend some t i me concent r at i ng on pl aci ng on t he exact same spot of t he nai l f or ever y f i nger st r oke. shape: Hol d your f i nger s poi nt i ng t owar d you, so you see onl y t he edge of each nai l ; each edge wi l l f or m a mor e st r ai ght or a mor e cur ved l i ne. Now l ook at t he ent i r e nai l , f r om above. I f f i l ed per pendi cul ar l y and f r om beneat h, t he st r ai ght - edged nai l s shoul d have a mor e squar e shape, and t he cur ve- edged nai l s shoul d have a mor e el l i pt i cal shape. I f t he edge of t he nai l i s st r ai ght but t he shape i s not ver y di s t i nct l y squar e, you' ve pr obabl y been f i l i ng t he nai l f r om i t s s i de and t he nai l wi l l have t o gr ow out a bi t t o devel op mor e body on t he cor ner . I f t he cor ner s of t he squar e shapes ar e shar pl y poi nt ed, use t he f i l e t o r ound t hem ( but don' t al t er t he basi c shape) . sur f ace: Af t er t he nai l i s f i l ed, i t s edge must be f i nel y pol i shed. Take a smal l por t i on of 500 gr ade open coat sandpaper and r ub, wi t h a back and f or t h mot i on, t he same spot of sandpaper on t he edge of t he nai l , par t i cul ar l y concent r at i ng on t he l ef t s i de of t he nai l . The sur f ace of t he sandpaper wi l l wear down as you r ub, cr eat i ng an i ncr easi ngl y smoot her pol i shi ng sur f ace. Keep r ubbi ng unt i l t he edge i s as smoot h as a gl ass sur f ace. Af t er you' r e f i ni shed, v i sual l y i nspect each nai l f or consi st ency i n l engt h and shape. Use t he t humbnai l edge t o f eel each f i nger nai l edge


f or f l aws i n smoot hness and shape. I f your nai l s ar e pr oper l y shaped wi t h t he edges f i nel y pol i shed, t her e shoul d be a di st i nct i ncr ease i n ease of execut i on, and al so i n t one qual i t y . - - - St uar t LeBl anc gust av@mi nt i r . new- or l eans. l a. us A 2. 3 How can I pr event my nai l s f r om br eaki ng? One pol i cy t hat may hel p i s t o r ub ski ncr eam or nai l cr eam i nt o t he cut i c l es of t he nai l , t wi ce a day. Thi s wi l l s t r engt hen t he nai l s i n a gener al way and make t hem mor e r esi st ant t o damage. The f ol l owi ng t i ps have al so been successf ul f or at l east t he aut hor : 1. Avoi d get t i ng your nai l s wet . Use r ubber gl oves when you have t o wash di shes, t he car , et c. 2. Get i nt o t he habi t of us i ng your l ef t hand f or t hi ngs such as openi ng door s/ dr awer s, f l i ck i ng swi t ches, anyt hi ng wher e you mi ght cat ch t he nai l s on somet hi ng. 3. Let your l ef t t humbnai l gr ow a l i t t l e l ong so you can use i t f or pr y i ng i nst ead of t he r i ght one. 4. Keep t he nai l edge ver y smoot h wi t h a f i l e and ul t r a f i ne sand paper ( ar ound 600 gr i t ) . Thi s wi l l pr event l i t t l e snags whi ch can cat ch on t hi ngs and maybe r i p of f t he nai l t i p. 5. Appl y t wo or t hr ee l ayer s of c l ear nai l pol i sh. Put pol i sh on t he over hangi ng under si de of t he nai l t oo. 6. Don' t l et t he nai l s get t oo l ong. They can hamper your pl ayi ng and t hey may br eak easi er . A 2. 4 Can I r epai r a par t i al l y br oken nai l ? Yes, but i t i sn' t al t oget her a good i dea or st unni ngl y easy. Pr event i on i s bet t er t han cur e ( cf . A2. 2) . However , f or some peopl e, such as per f or mer s, a damaged or spl i t nai l must be r epai r ed. Get some super gl ue and use t hi s t o put t he nai l back t oget her and i n pl ace. Do I need t o say be car ef ul ? Why not . BE CAREFUL. Al t er nat i vel y, or i n addi t i on, buy a l i t t l e pack whi ch i s desi gned f or t hi s pur pose - I bel i eve t hey sel l t hem i n phar maci es. They consi st of l i t t l e bi t s of t i ssue paper st r engt hened by f i ber s and a bot t l e of nai l var ni sh. Fol l ow t he i nst r uct i ons on t he box, but basi cal l y i t s a case of pr e- wet t he t i ssue wi t h nai l var ni sh, pl ace i t on t he wounded nai l and t hen appl y sever al mor e coat s of nai l var ni sh. Leave t o dr y. A 2. 5 How can I qui ck l y memor i ze a pi ece? Ther e ar e many appr oaches t o t ake, and i t ' s pr obabl y a good i dea t o use as many of t hem as possi bl e. Fi r st , t r y t o l ear n what t he l ar ge scal e st r uct ur e of t he pi ece i s . I s i t bi nar y? Ter nar y? Rondo? That way you ar e basi cal l y begi nni ng by cut t i ng i t up i nt o mor e manageabl e chunks. Second, l ook f or phr asi ng and ot her t ypes of musi cal s t r uct ur es. Tr y t o l ear n i t by ear ( can you s i ng t he pi ece al l t he way t hr ough wi t hout t he musi c or t he gui t ar ?) . Thi s i s easi er f or peopl e who ar e mor e " aur al l y"


or i ent at ed ( l i ke me) . I f you ar e mor e " v i sual " t r y t o memor i ze t he page t o as gr eat an ext ent as you can. The har p pr of her e gave a l ect ur e about memor y & l ear ni ng t echni ques, and sai d t hat v i sual memor y r eal l y was mor e st i mul at ed by l ooki ng up ( and t o t he l ef t , I t hi nk) so i f you can, t r y pl aci ng your musi c st and VERY hi gh ( f or pr act i ce & l ear ni ng) such t hat you ar e l ooki ng UP at t he musi c. I knew many gui t ar i s t s i n Spai n who memor i zed t he sol f ege syl l abl es - t hey coul d s i ng t hei r pi eces f r om st ar t t o f i ni sh ( mi r e mi f a mi r e mi . . . ) Tr y t o memor i ze t he pi ece st ar t i ng at t he back ( Thi s i s a t i p f r om Davi d Russel l ) - we al ways go f r om f r ont t o back, of t en boggi ng down, so usual l y , t he f ar t her i nt o a pi ece we go, t he l ess f ami l i ar & comf or t abl e i t i s . I f you l ear n t he LAST measur e, t hen t he next t o l ast measur e, et c. you ar e set t i ng up a s i t uat i on wher e t he f ar t her you go, t he MORE f ami l i ar and comf or t abl e t hi ngs ar e. Thi s al so br i ngs up t he i ssue of l ear ni ng s i ngl e measur es ( apar t f r om what ever musi cal cont ext t hey mi ght have) . Jose Tomas used t hi s t echni que as a way f or hi s st udent s t o l ear n 30 mi nut es of * new* r eper t oi r e i n 1 mont h: at t he begi nni ng, make a l ear ni ng pl an, i n whi ch you assi ng your sel f X measur es t o l ear n each day, maki ng sur e t hat ever y day you l ear n some of ever y pi ece ( i nst ead of wor ki ng on pi ece A, t hen l at er s t ar t i ng on pi ece B, et c. ) . Lear ni ng ver y shor t chunks hel ps you pr ogr am your physi cal movement s much bet t er . Thi s br i ngs up t he even mor e excr uci at i ng t echni ques suggest ed by Manuel Bar r ueco. Make sur e you know your r i ght and l ef t hand f i nger i ngs so t hor oughl y t hat you can do ei t her separ at el y. For exampl e, pl ay t he pi ece wi t h t he r i ght hand onl y ( i . e. al l open st r i ngs, but usi ng t he * EXACT* r i ght hand f i nger i ngs) . Then, t r y pl ayi ng t he l ef t hand al one. Thi s i s a bi t har der , because i t doesn' t r eal l y necessar i l y f unct i on as wel l wi t hout t he pr eci s i on of t he r i ght hand. Bar r ueco' s sol ut i on i s t o mi s- t une t he gui t ar t o some r andom t uni ng ( i . e. 6t h t o F, 5t h t o Ab, 3r d t o G#, 1st t o D#) . . . t hen pl ay your pi ece, concent r at i ng on pl ai ni ngg t he f i nger i ng per f ect l y . Thi s i s an excr uci at i ngl y di f f i cul t t hi ng t o do i f you ar e pr i mar i l y an " aur al " t ype ( I am) - but i t ' s good, t he t ot al l y " wr ong- soundi ng" nat ur e of t hi s f or ces you t o f i ght t o not be di st r act ed and concent r at e on pl ayi ng t he f i nger i ng r i ght . Do t hi s * ver y* s l owl y t o pr act i ce t he f i nger i ng wi t hout r el y i ng on your A 2. 6 How much shoul d I pr act i ce ( Al so: My f i nger s hur t ! ) ? Pr act i ce as much as you can, but make sur e t hat when you pr act i ce you pr act i ce pr oper l y, and don' t j ust pl ay ar ound. Pl ayi ng ar ound i s f un, but you wi l l make much f ast er pr ogr ess and have mor e f un i n t he end i f you l ear n t o di st i ngui sh i t f r om ser i ous pr act i ce ( whi ch i s not r eal l y f un) . A coupl e of ot her qui ck poi nt s: Don' t over do t he pr act i se so t hat when you say t o your sel f ' Ri ght , t i me t o go and pr act i se' you don' t gi ve an i nner - gr oan and t he pr ospect of mor e dul l pl ayi ng t i me. Don' t do so much you


get bor ed wi t h i t . You pr act i se so you can pl ay and have f un and enj oy i t . Al so, i f ei t her of your hands or f i nger s do begi n t o hur t - r est . Li t t l e t o no benef i t i s gai ned by pl ayi ng whi l s t i n pai n. You can bui l d st ami na by pl ayi ng af t er r est i ng! A 2. 7 How do I avoi d RSI , car pel t unnel syndr ome, et c? Thi s i s a l et t er t hat was put t o t he gr oup once. NOTE: We ar e not doct or s. ================================================== I have a pr et t y t r ashed r i ght hand. I br oke my wr i st t wi ce, and I have a c l assi c boxi ng f r act ur e ( l i t t l e f i nger met a- t ar s l e) t hat poi nt s my l i t t l e f i nger knuckl e down by t en degr ees. When I got i nt o Et ude #1 by Vi l l a Lobos, I s t ar t ed get t i ng a bur n i n t he t endon f or my _a_ f i nger , on t he back of my hand. By t r i al and er r or , I f ound a f ew t hi ngs out . I was squeezi ng my gui t ar t oo har d wi t h my r i ght f or e- ar m. That was const r i c t i ng t he t endons i n t her e. I had t o adj ust my post ur e t o l et t he gui t ar st ay i n my l ap wi t hout c l enchi ng i t so har s. Thi s was especi al l y t ough f or bar r e chor ds, but I am l ear ni ng t o r el ax mor e ever y day. I l i ke t o use t he t i p of my t humb, r at her t han t he s i de of i t , t o pl uck. Thi s causes me t o el evat e my wr i st , and consequent l y bend i t . I have al ways t r i ed t o keep t he l i ne of f or e- ar m t o wr i st s t r ai ght on one axi s ( i . e. I avoi d t he " Segovi a" bend t hat put s t he f i nger s at r i ght angl es t o t he st r i ngs) , but t hi s i s on anot her axi s. I f ound t hat st r ai ght eni ng t he wr i st on al l axes r eal l y hel ps me. I do t hi s by usi ng t he s i de of my t humb. I don' t get i t COMPLETELY f l at , but i t i s ver y c l ose. An added benef i t i s t hat t he base knuckl es f or my i m a f i nger s ar e r ai sed, so I can get mor e of my st r oke f r om t he base f or t hose f i nger s. I under st and t hi s i s pr ef er r ed. Al l t hi s , and t he bur ni ng i n t he back of my hand has di mi ni shed s i gni f i cant l y . No doct or s, no st er oi ds, and no kni f e. Mi nd you, I am mor e of a hobby pl ayer , aver agi ng 14 hour s a week ( t wo hour s a day) or l ess . I hope t hi s hel ps. . . Chr i s Despopoul os ========================================================== I f Chr i s Despopoul os mi nds t hi s l et t er bei ng i n, pl ease wr i t e t o me. A 2. 8 You know t hat pi ece i n t he t he adver t f or . . . , what i s i t ? Lexus ad - Ast ur i as ( aka Leyenda) , f r om t he Sui t e Espanol a by I saac Al beni z, per f or med by Manuel Bar r ueco. The CD i s l i s t ed i n sect i on A1. 7. A 2. 9 I ' m t aki ng my gui t ar on an aer opl ane, t o t he ant ar t i c , t hen t o t he


Sar aha deser t , and t hen t o t he moon. How do I pr ot ect i t ? Basi cal l y , get a har d case. A sof t case wi l l not adequat el y pr ot ect your gui t ar . Har d cases cost as much as a cheap gui t ar , but when t he gui t ar i s wor t h hundr eds or maybe even t housands, i t s wel l wor t h i t . I nsur ance may get you your money back, but some musi cal i nst r ument s ar e pr i cel ess. On ai r ways, and per haps i n gener al , gui t ar s ar e saf e i n t he hol d i ns i de t hei r har dcases i f t hey have ' f r agi l e' s t i cker s c l ear l y pl aced on t hem. Accor di ng t o many post s l at el y, most gui t ar s can be car r i ed on and put i n t he over head compar t ment s. I f your goi ng t o a hot and humi d pl ace t hen i t i s a good i dea t o put a home- made dehumi di f i er i n t he case al ong wi t h your gui t ar . Thi s i s made by get t i ng a sponge and pl aci ng i t i n a pl ast i c bag whi ch has hol es cut i nt o i t . Appar ent l y , i t wor ks i n Sunny Sout h Af r i ca : - ) A 2. 10 Who ar e t he composer s and per f or mer s f or t he c l assi cal gui t ar ? Her e i s a l i s t of c l assi cal gui t ar per f or mer s and s i gni f i cant composer s. I don' t t hi nk t he l i s t i s bad, but i s not compl et e. I t can' t be. However , Or phee suppl y a dat a- base avai l abl e f r om Or phee, Gui t ar Sol o, Not t i ngham Spani sh Gui t ar Cent r e, or any r eput abl e musi c shop, whi ch i nc l ude 5, 100 composer s and 2, 500 r ecor di ng ar t i s t s. Li st ed her e, hopef ul l y , ar e some of t he most pr omi nent and popul ar . The per f or mer l i s t i nc l udes onl y t hose per f or mer s who have r ecor di ngs r eadi l y avai l abl e. No sense was seen i n i nc l udi ng such out st andi ng per f or mer s as Tar r ega of Gi ul l i ani . The composer l i s t i nc l udes some who di d not wr i t e speci f i cal l y f or t he gui t ar but ar e none- t he- l ess cr uci al t o t he gui t ar r eper t oi r e ( e. g. Al beni z) Pl ease make a not e t hat t he per i ods have no exact begi nni ngs or endi ngs. Ther e i s def i ni t e over l ap. The composer s ar e l i s t ed mor e by st y l e r at her t han st r i c t l y by per i od. I ' m sur e peopl e wi l l di sagr ee. That ' s f i ne. CLASSI CAL GUI TAR PERFORMERS: I ndi v i dual s: Odai r Assad Segi o Assad Car l os Bar bosa- Li ma Manuel Bar r ueco Dusan Bogdanovi c Li ona Boyd Davi d Br andon Jul i an Br eam Eduar do Fer nandez El i ot Fi sk Ni col a Hal l Shar on I sbi n Wi l l i am Kanengi ser Al exandr e Lagoya Chr i st opher Par keni ng I da Pr est i


Jose Rey de l a Tor r e Manuel Lopez Ramos Angel Romer o Cel edoni o Romer o Cel i n Romer o Pepe Romer o Davi d Russel Andr es Segovi a Davi d St ar obi n Davi d Tanenbaum John Wi l l i ams Nar ci sco Yepes Andr ew Yor k Ensembl es: Andr i acci o & Cast el l ani The Amst er dam Gui t ar Tr i o The Buf f al o Quar t et The Fal l a Tr i o Hi l l & Wi l t chi nsky The L. A. Gui t ar Quar t et The Omega Quar t et Pear l & Gr ay i l Tr i o I t al i ano COMPOSERS: KEY: REN = Renai sance BAR = Bar oque CLA = Cl assi cal ROM = Romant i c MOD = Moder n CON = Cont emper ar y Di oni so Aguado [ CLA/ ROM] I saac Al beni z ( never wr ot e f or gui t ar but i s heavi l y t r anscr i bed & pl ayed) [ ROM] J. S. Bach ( wr ot e Lut e Sui t es t r anscr i bed f or gui t ar ; many ot her t r anscr i pt i ons) [ BAR] Jan Bobr owi cz [ ROM] Regi nal d Smi t h Br i ndl e [ MOD] Leo Br ouwer [ MOD] Mat eo Car cassi [ CLA/ ROM] Fer di nando Car ul l i [ CLA/ ROM] Mar i o Cast el nuovo- Tedesco [ MOD] Napol ean Cost e [ ROM] Ant on Di abel l i [ CLA/ ROM] John Dowl and ( wr ot e f or t he Lut e) [ REN] John Duar t e [ MOD] Manuel de Fal l a ( wr ot e one wor k f or gui t ar . Many ot her t r anscr i bed & pl ayed) [ ROM/ MOD] Jose Fer r er [ ROM] Maur o Gi ul i ani [ CLA/ ROM] Enr i que Gr anados ( never wr ot e f or gui t ar but i s heavi l y t r anscr i bed & pl ayed) [ ROM] Ant oni o Laur o [ ROM] Lui gi Legnani [ CLA/ ROM]


Agust i n Bar r i os Mangor e [ ROM] Johann Kasper Mer t z [ ROM] Lui s Mi l an ( wr ot e f or t he v i huel a) [ ?] Al onso Mudar r a ( wr ot e f or t he v i huel a) [ ?] Lui s de Navar ez ( wr ot e f or t he v i huel a) [ ?] Ni ccol o Pagani ni [ CLA/ ROM] E. Puj ol [ ROM] Manuel Ponce [ MOD] Gui l i o Regondi [ ROM] Joaqui n Rodr i go [ ROM] Gaspar Sanz [ ?] Domeni co Scar l at t i ( never wr ot e f or gui t ar but i s heavi l y t r anscr i bed & pl ayed) [ BAR/ CLA] Fer nando Sor [ ROM] T. Takemi t su [ MOD] Al exandr e Tansman [ MOD] Fr anci sco Tar r ega [ ROM] Feder i co Mor eno Tor r oba [ ROM] Joaqui n Tur i na [ ROM/ MOD] Hei t or Vi l l a- Lobos [ ROM] Rober t de Vi see ( wr ot e f or t he bar oque gui t ar ) [ BAR] Ant oni o Vi val di ( l ut e & mandol i n wor ks, among ot her s, t r anscr i bed f or gui t ar ) [ BAR] Wi l l i am Wal t on [ MOD] Leopol d Si l vus Wei ss ( wr ot e f or l ut e, t r anscr i bed f or gui t ar ) [ BAR] Yuki hi r o Yoko [ MOD] Andr ew Yor k [ CON] A 2. 11 What i s t he di f f er ence bet ween f l amenco gui t ar and c l assi cal gui t ar ? ( See t he Fl amenco FAQ) Fl amenco has var i ous t echni ques t hat ar e not used ei t her at al l , or not as much i n c l assi cal gui t ar . Some say t hat t he t echni ques of r asgeo and t r emol o make up 90% of a f l amencoi st s pl ayi ng t i me. he basi c r asgeo i s eami ( e=l i t t l e f i nger ) . To keep i t cont i nuous most f l amencos do a eami i ami t ype pat t er n wher e t he t wo i ' s i ndi cat e an up down sweep of t he i f i nger . Thi s pr oduces a wonder f ul s t r ummi ng sound i n some ways s i mi l ar t o t he sound of a 12- st r i ng gui t ar . Tr emol o i s as descr i bed i n t he Pl ayi ng Gui de 1. 5, except t hat i nst ead of t he or der pami , t he sequence pi ami i s gener al l y used. Ther e i s anot her t echni que whi ch pr oduces a s i mi l ar ef f ect , cal l ed pi cado. Her e, j ust i - m ar e used t o pr oduce a ver y f ast r un of not es wi t h speeds at somet i mes shat t er i ng speeds of MM@160, 16 not es a beat . Pi cado can be pl ayed on ei t her a s i ngl e not e, st r i ng or on a ser i es of not es t o make a f ast scal e. Capos ar e used by f l amencoi st s t o. Par t i al l y f or t he sake of an accompanyi ng s i nger or ot her i nst r ument , i t i s al so used t o br i ng t he st r i ngs c l oser t o t he f r et boar d. However , i t does have t he di sadvant age of r educi ng t he s i ze of t he f r et boar d. The book by Juan Mar t i n on f l amenco gui t ar i ng i s hi ghl y r ecommended f or f ur t her i nf or mat i on. A 2. 12 Can anyone r ecommend some f l amenco musi c t o l i s t en t o?


( See t he Fl amenco FAQ 1. 5) Her e i s a l i s t of f l amenco musi c avai l abl e. I t came i ni t i al l y f r om a l et t er t o t he gr oup by one Mi chael P. Bur ns. Thanks Mi chael ! Most of t he popul ar " f l amenco" gui t ar i s t s ar e not r eal l y pl ayi ng f l amenco but r at her " f l amenco i nspi r ed" musi c. The Gypsy Ki ngs ar e r eal Gypsi es but al l t hei r r ecor di ngs f ocus onl y on one f or m, t he Rhumba, one of t he l east i mpor t ant f l amenco f or ms. I have post ed a shor t l i s t of f l amenco r ecor di ngs and am r epost i ng i t now f or t hose of you who ar e i nt er est ed: Her e' s a r evi sed ver s i on of t he Fl amenco r ecor di ngs l i s t wi t h some addi t i onal not es and comment s. TI TLE ARTI ST( S) LABEL & No. Azahar a Paco Pen~a Ni mbus NI 5116 Gui t ar sol os and duet s ( wi t h Ti t o Losada) by one of t he t hr ee v i r t uoso Pacos Musi c of R Mont oya Paco Pen~a Ni mbus NI 5093 & N Ri car do Gui t ar sol os of t r anscr i pt i ons of musi c by Ramon Mont oya and Ni n~o Ri car do, t wo of t he most i nf l uent i al gui t ar i s t s of t he mi ddl e t hi r d of t he 20t h cent ur y. ( Ramon was Car l os Mont oya' s uncl e and t eacher ) Cant e Gi t ano Var i ous ar t i s t s Ni mbus NI 5168 Recor ded l i ve at pr i vat e Fl amenco j uer ga i n Mor on de l a Fr ont er a Si nger s: Mar i a Sol ea, Mar i a l a Bur r a, Jose de l a Tomasa Gui t ar s: Paco del Gast or , Juan del Gast or Paco del Gast or i s t he t hi r d of t he t hr ee v i r t uoso Pacos ( i . e, Paco Pen~a, Paco de Luci a and Paco del Gast or ) . Cant e Fl amenco Var i ous ar t i s t s Ni mbus NI 5251 Recor ded l i ve at pr i vat e Fl amenco j uer ga i n Mor on del a Fr ont er a Si nger s: Gaspar de Ut r er a, Chano Lobat o, Manuel de Paol a, Mi guel Funi , El Cabr er o Gui t ar s: Paco del Gast or , Juan del Gast or Fl amenco Paco Pen~a Phi l l i ps 826 904- 2 Gui t ar sol os, ver y good i nt r oduct i on t o t he mai n Fl amenco st y l es Cant e Gi t ana OCORA C558642 Recor ded l i ve i n concer t i n Par i s and i n st udi o. 2 CDs Si nger s: Fer nanda and Ber nar da de Ut r er a Gui t ar : Paco del Gast or Fer nanda and Ber nar da ar e s i st er s of Gaspar ( see above) Los Mal aguen~os Har moni a Mundi HMA 190965 Si nger s: Conchi t a and Nena Cano Gui t ar s: El Mal aguen~o, Mar i no Cano Sever al gui t ar sol os and duet s, t hr ee cut s wi t h s i nger s. I nc l udes a gr eat r umba Fl amenca and f eat ur es some i nnovat i ve har moni es Thi s woul d be a good sampl er of Fl amenco f or a begi nni ng l i s t ener . Musi c of R Mont oya Manuel Cano Hi spavox ( no. ?)


Gui t ar sol os. Most of t he same pi eces as on Paco Pen~a' s CD wi t h a mor e r est r ai ned per f or mance. Gui t ar r a Gi t ana Mel chor de Mar chena Hi spavox 7304032584 Anot her of t he gr eat s of t he pr evi ous gener at i on i n a r ar e sol o per f or mance. Mel chor was of t he school t hat bel i eved t hat t he r ol e of t he Fl amenco gui t ar was an accompani st t o t he s i nger and he di d i t bet t er t han anybody. Fl amenco Hi ghl i ght s f r om Spai n Laser l i ght 79036 Cont ai ns some good exampl es of Sevi l l i anas i nt er sper sed wi t h gui t ar sol os by Sabi cas, one of t he gr eat est Fl amenco gui t ar i s t s ever . Zyr yab Paco de Luci a Ver ve Wor l d 314 510 805- 2 Si r occo Paco de Luci a Mer cur y ( no. ?) The t wo r ecor di ngs by Paco de Luci a ar e a good t ast e of t he most avant gar de Fl amenco. Paco de Luc i a i s ar guabl y t he gr eat est l i v i ng v i r t uoso of Fl amenco gui t ar . I n t hese r ecor di ngs, especi al l y " Zyr yab" , he admi t t edl y goes beyond t he bounds of Fl amenco i nt o j azz, " wor l d musi c" or cal l i t what you wi l l . Anyway i t ' s gr eat musi c . Le Chant du Monde: Gr andes Fi gur es du Fl amenco Ser i es di st r i but ed by Har moni a Mundi The " Gr andes Fi gur es du Fl amenco" ser i es i s a t r easur e t r ove of Fl amenco t r adi t i on. These ar e r e- mast er s of ol d r ecor di ngs on whi ch t he engi neer s have wor ked t hei r magi c t o i ncr ease t he f i del i t y and r emove hi ss, pops, et c. I have nos. 6, 9 and 10 and t he qual i t y i s ver y good, bot h t echni cal l y and ar t i s t i cal l y . 1) Pepe de l a Mat r ona LDX 274 829 2) El Ni n~o de Al maden LDX 274 830 3) La Ni n~a de l os Pei nes LDX 274 859 4) Ter r emot o de Jer ez LDX 274 860 5) Ramon Mont oya LDX 274 879 6) Car men Amaya LDX 274 880 Fl amenco song and dance, some sel ect i ons f eat ur e Sabi cas as accompani st . Fant ast i c ! 7) Manol o Car acol LDX 274 899 8) Manuel el Aguj et a LDX 274 900 9) Ant oni o Mai r ena LDX 274 911 wi t h Mel chor de Mar chena accompanyi ng. I t doesn' t get any bet t er t han t hi s. 10) Pepe Mar chena LDX 274 912 A s i nger i n a st y l e t hat was popul ar i n t he 1920' s, sof t er and mor e subt l e. Paqui t o Si mon and Ramon Mont oya accompanyi ng. - - Mi chael P. Bur ns A 2. 13 How can I l ear n t o s i ght r ead? ( by John Ri ce, j r i ce@f a. i nt el . com) I got t hese t echni ques f r om Randy Tucker , my cur r ent t eacher . I s t udi ed wi t h t wo ot her t eacher s f or a t ot al of 3 year s and made zer o pr ogr ess on s i ght r eadi ng. Af t er appl y i ng t hese t echni ques, my s i ght r eadi ng i s much i mpr oved, and cont i nues t o i mpr ove. You can devel op an under st andi ng of t he f r et boar d i n coupl e of mont hs. Mor e i mpor t ant l y , t hi s under st andi ng i s sel f - nut ur i ng.


Meani ng, i t makes i t easi er t o l ear n mor e musi c, whi ch r ei nf or ces your under st andi ng of t he i nst r ument , whi ch makes i t easi er t o l ear n mor e musi c. . . . I was convi nced t o begi n st udi es wi t h my cur r ent t eacher when he gave me t he f ol l owi ng qui z over t he phone: He asked me my phone number . Of cour se, I knew i t i nst ant l y . Then he asked me t he names of t he not es of t he open st r i ngs. I knew t hose, but not as qui ck l y. The he asked me t he names of t he not es at t he 2nd f r et . I was basi cal l y st umped, I coul dn' t do i t wi t hout a bunch of ment al gyr at i ons. The obvi ous i mpl i cat i on was how coul d you expect t o pl ay t he i nst r ument wi t hout such under st andi ng. He sai d I needed t o know al l t he not es on t he gui t ar l i ke I knew my phone number . By t he way, Randy i s t he best s i ght r eader I ' ve seen. These ar e some of t he t echni ques he used t o hel p hi msel f . The best way t o l ear n t he f r et boar d away f r om t he gui t ar . Lear ni ng t he f r et boar d away f r om t he gui t ar opens up t ons of ot her oppor t uni t i es t o pr act i ce ( l i ke i n t he shower . . . . ) and hel ps you v i sual i ze t he gui t ar . The basi c st r at egy behi nd al l t hese i deas i s t he br eak t he pr obl em down i nt o smal l , managabl e chunks. Lear n your f r et boar d ver t i cal l y and hor i zont al l y . 1. Take some 3x5 i ndex car ds and make some f l ash car ds. You wi l l need 12 car ds, one f or each f r et . Put a f r et number on 1 s i de of t he car d and names of t he not es at t he f r et on t he ot her s i de. When you' r e t hr ough you shoul d have t he f ol l owi ng: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 bot t om ( st r i ng 6) F F# G G# A B~ B C C# D D# E~ E B~ B C C# D E~ E F F# G G# A~ A E~ E F F# G A~ A B~ B C C# D~ D A~ A B~ B C D~ D E~ E F F# G~ G C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B~ B F F# G G# A B~ B C C# D D# E~ E t op ( st r i ng 1) Lear n t he not es on t he f r et s i n t hi s or der . 1. Fr et s 12, 5, 10 ( f r et s wi t h no shar ps or f l at s) 2. When you have t hose memor i zed add f r et s 7, 3 ( 1 shar p, 1 f l at ) 3. When you have t hat memor i zed add f r et s 8, 2 ( 2 shar ps, 2 f l at s) 4. When you have t hat memor i zed add f r et s 9, 1 ( 3 shar ps, 3 f l at s) 5. When you have t hat memor i zed add f r et s 4, 6 ( 4 shar ps, 4 f l at s) 6. When you have t hat memor i zed add f r et 11 ( 5 shar ps, 5 f l at s) Take your t i me i n doi ng t hi s ( you' l l spend a l i f et i me l ear ni ng t he gui t ar ) . Add t he next set of f r et s when you have t he ot her s down col d. I f i t t akes t wo weeks or mor e, t hat ' s f i ne. You' l l f i nd many oppor t uni t i es t hr oughout t he day t o pr act i ce t hi s. As you do t hi s exer c i se, you may f i nd t hat t he f i r s t f r et s you t ackl ed wi l l be much st r onger t han t he f r et s you add l at er . You can pr event t hi s pr obl em by r eci t i ng t he not es i n t he r ever se or der you t hem. That i s , name t he not es on t he newest f r et s f i r s t , t he ol dest f r et s


l ast . When you' r e abl e t o r eci t e al l 12 f r et s i n 30 seconds, st ar t i ng at f r et 1 and wor ki ng t o 12 AND st ar t i ng at f r et 12 and wor ki ng t o 1, t hen move on t o t he next exer c i se. 2. Make anot her set of 12 f l ash car ds. Number each car d 1 t hr ough 12 as above. On t he ot her s i de put one of t he not es C, C#, D, D#( E~) , E, F, F#, G, G#, A, B~, B. Ther e i s no cor r el at i on bet ween t he number on one s i de and t he not e on t he ot her . They ar e used f or t wo di f f er ent exer c i ses. Do t hi s exer c i se at l east once a day. Shuf f l e t he car ds and f l i p t hem number s i de up. Name t he not es at t he f r et i ndi cat ed f or each car d. 3. St ar t l ear ni ng t he not es hor i zont al l y . Meani ng, wher e t he not es ar e on each st r i ng. Lear n t he not es i n t hi s or der : C G D A E B F# C# G# D#( E~) B~ F. For exampl e, you can f i nd C at f r et s 8, 3, 10, 5, 1, and 8. Lear n t hem a not e at a t i me, onl y addi ng a new not e when you' ve got t he l ast one col d. Remember , t hi s i s an addi t i ve pr ocess, r eci t e posi t i ons f or C, t hen G and C, t hen D, G, and C. . . . Her e' s a t i p: Gi ven t he st ar t i ng posi t i on, t he next posi t i on can be f ound by subt r act i ng 5 f or al l s t r i ngs ot her t han 3. I f t he posi t i on i s on s t r i ng 3 subt r act 4. I f t he posi t i on i s l ess t han 5, t hen t he next posi t i on wi l l be t he cur r ent posi t i on +7, unl ess you' r e on st r i ng 3 t hen i t ' s +8. For exampl e s t r i ng: 6 5 4 3 2 1 C = 8 ( - 5) 3 ( +7) 10 ( - 5) 5 ( - 4) 1 ( +7) 8 4. Readi ng: do t hi s i n par al l el wi t h your ot her exer c i ses. Read al l t he mat er i al you can. Read s i mpl e st uf f . St ar t wi t h t he s i mpl est mat er i al you can f i nd. Tunes l i ke Mar y Had A Li t t l e Lamb and Twi nkl e Twi nkl e ar e not t oo s i mpl e. You want t o pr act i ce s i ght r eadi ng on mat er i al t hat i s wel l bel ow your abi l i t y t o pl ay. Pl ay t hem at di f f er ent f r et posi t i ons eg. 3, 5, 7, 9, dont ' s t i ck t o t he f i r s t posi t i on. I n f act , i f you ar e al r eady f ami l i ar wi t h t he f i r s t posi t i on, t r y and avoi d usi ng i t t o some ext ent t o avoi d memor i z i ng t he t unes. Met hod books f or ot her i nst r ument s ( c l ar i net , f l ut e. . . ) ar e good sour ces, song books of f ol k musi c f r om t he l i br ar y ar e good sour ces t oo. When you r ead, do not st op when you make a mi st ake. Keep goi ng and t r y t o keep t he r yt hm. Pl ay as s l owl y as necessar y t o pl ay and keep a st eady r yt hm. When you f i ni sh a t une, go on t o t he next . Go t hr ough al l t he t unes you have, unt i l you r un out t i me or unt i l you ut t er l y f ai l , t hen st ar t over . The i mpor t ance of keepi ng goi ng when you make a mi st ake can' t be over emphasi zed. You don' t want t o memor i ze t he pi ece. Al so, keepi ng t he beat i s cr i t i cal . Dr op t he odd not e i f you have t o , but keep goi ng i n t i me wi t h t he r yt hm. The ear wi l l qui ck l y f or get a f l ubbed not e i f you' r e abl e t o keep t he beat . 5. Ryt hm St udi es: do t hi s i n par al l el wi t h your ot her exer c i ses. Many peopl e ( me especi al l y . . . ) have t r oubl e s i t e r eadi ng not because t hey don' t r ecogni ze t he not es, but because t hey don' t r ecogni ze t he r yt hm. Usi ng your s i mpl e songs, c l ap t he r yt hms. Meani ng, put your gui t ar


down, and i nst ead of pl ucki ng t he not es, c l ap t he not es. An execel l ent book t o do t hi s wi t h i s Leavi t ' s " Mel odi c Ryt hms For Gui t ar " . I t syst emat i cal l y br eaks r yt hms down and pr esent s exer c i ses. Don' t pl ay t he exer c i ses, c l ap t he not es. You can r ead t he exer c i ses l at er when your s i ght r eadi ng ski l l s become st r onger . 6. For t hi s excer s i ze you wi l l need someones hel p. Pr epar e t o pl ay whi l s t r eadi ng some musi c. Then get someone wi t h a pi ece of car d t o cover up t he not e( s) you ar e about t o pl ay by movi ng t he car d al ong t he scor e. As you get bet t er , t hey shoul d be abl e t o cover up not es f ur t her and f ur t her ahead of t he ones you ar e pl ayi ng. I f you can r ead mor e t han t wo bar s ahead of what you ar e pl ayi ng, I r eckon you' r e pr et t y much t her e! But t hi s excer c i se i s not easy, ei t her f or you or t he per son wi t h t he car d. The per son wi t h t he car d must be abl e t o r ead musi c t o some ext ent , so i t may wel l end up bei ng your t ut or . 7. Ti p: Don' t bur n your sel f out on st udyi ng r eadi ng. Do some ever day, by st r uct ur i ng your pr act i ce t o i nc l ude s i ght r eadi ng. Thi s i s somet hi ng you' l l al ways do i n di f f er ent ways and wi t h di f f er ent mat er i al as you advance, so don' t wear your sel f out on i t . Do a l i t l e ever y day, and t he benef i t s wi l l accumul at e over t i me.


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