A phrase is a line of music that presents a complete idea. It is quite an ambiguous term, and there are many variations possible, however phrasing is crucial to making music as it tells us how notes relate to one another, rather than being isolated dots on a page. The concept itself is very familiar to us … Read more
Interpretation of classical guitar music is what makes the difference between a mechanical rendition vs. a musical one. But what does that mean, Musical? Musicality is largely an understanding of musical syntax. It allows us to communicate a shared feeling between strangers, even if they are from another culture. It can be learned, and in … Read more
Let’s get one thing straight… the classical guitar is not a loud instrument. Explore dynamics and colour with the free tone-colours guide A trumpet is loud, a taiko drum is loud, the crosstown bus outside my window is loud, but the elegant classical guitar is not. You can, however, create drama, excitement, surprise, and grandeur … Read more
If you are familiar with my teaching style, you might know that I often resort to singing lines to understand how we might play them. We can learn a lot about phrasing, melodic contour, and legato note connection from listening to singing and singing ourselves. So, to add to this appreciation of sung melody and … Read more
Thinking horizontally is something that doesn’t come very naturally to guitarists. But working on horizontal phrasing is the key to playing long beautiful melodies. First let me clarify what I mean by the term ‘horizontal’. When we look at a guitar score that has chords and polyphony we will stack those notes in our head … Read more
In some recent guitar classes I gave in Australian universities I found myself talking about phrase structure quite a lot. Phrasing in music is incredibly important, but it is also important to recognize the smaller sections of a phrase. These smaller sections will help you understand how to play a phrase, it will aid in … Read more