Practicing is an art unto itself. The most common trap that we all fall into is playing rather than practicing. As a fellow guitarist I have no doubt that we share the same passion, if not obsession, with the guitar. It is such am amazing instrument that feels wonderful to play. But playing is not … Read more
▶ pi scales for the classical guitar i and m are a great team, and they provide the basic right hand alternation for many people. Nothing, however, is perfect and one size does not always fit all. So let’s have a look at one alternative. I and m can sometimes make a scratchy sound when playing the … Read more
▶ Fixed Fingers – Guitar Exercise — video Finger independence is important. It helps with speed, accuracy and control, all very integral to making music. To work on our finger independence this exercise, called Fixed Fingers, takes three fingers and locks them in place while the remaining finger jumps around, independently of the others. Starting … Read more
A trill is an ornament that is often used to accentuate a note or simply to add some variety on a repetition. Trills are very common in the baroque period (music of Bach, Scarlatti and Weiss for example) but they are found in all periods of music. Used tastefully, trills can give sophistication and personality … Read more
▶ Left Hand Warmup — video This set of fingerings is a great template to use with left hand warm up exercises. I say template because there are tons of ways you can add extra difficulty and variation to them. Rhythm, dynamics, articulations and right hand fingerings will all change the workout you get. The … Read more
▶ Left hand stretch on the guitar — video This nifty left hand exercise stretches the left hand fingers as you creep down the fingerboard from the twelfth fret to the first. The stretch gets further apart as you descend downwards and contrary to many things on the guitar, the slower you play it, the … Read more