We had our first introduction to right hand preparation in Right Hand Arpeggios for the Classical Guitar. Now we can look at extending that idea and applying it to a range of scenarios. Right hand preparation offers stability, accuracy and certain articulation possibilities on the classical guitar. Some might argue that it is one of … Read more
In my lessons with students I find myself repeating a few core ideas many times. Perhaps one of the most common suggestions I make to students is to… slow down. Guitarists seem to have a fascination with playing things fast. I must admit that I too went through my phase… ok. several phases, of obsessing … Read more
Setting goals is a great way to make your practice sessions more productive and get you feeling positive about your playing. All too often we sit down to practice and work without any sense of direction or time frame. The progress of the practice session is dependant on what scores are at hand and what … Read more
Its possible to forget sometimes just how easy it is to hold down a guitar string. When our left hand is required to do many complex movements and move rapidly in synchronization with the right hand we can forget to relax and end up using much more pressure than we need. That pressure builds up … Read more
Here are some slur scales that I came up with that really give a good work out to the left hand and also are quite fun to play! You will notice that the scale takes on a pattern (except in first position) that can be repeated. Once you have completed one slur scale, shift the … Read more
Scales are probably the first thing that comes to mind when we think of practice and technical development. The idea that practicing scales makes you a better musician seems to be universally accepted yet in the case of the classical guitar the ‘mythology’ of scale practice seems a little over-rated. Scales occur frequently in music … Read more