How to Practice Guitar

How to Practice Guitar: As a teacher of classical guitar, I had an opportunity to observe a young student of mine, 12-years-old, I’ll call him Nick.  Nick is a student of immense talent; he seemed from the beginning to possess a sense of phrasing and an ability to play with a beautiful and powerful tone.  He had grown up from early childhood listening to his father’s recordings of the great classical guitarist Andres Segovia, which I believe imprinted him with an acute sense of tone and sound.  If you are accustomed to hearing only the best beautiful, round tone then you tend to want to imitate that standard in your own playing.

Unfortunately, Nick does not practice.  His classical guitar lessons average once a week, and during his lessons I’ve had to ‘practice’ him and do the work that I hoped he would do on his own. Normally I would not put up with a student who doesn’t practice, but Nick has shown me so many things about how a young person learns and retains material that I feel he provides valuable information  that I can pass on  to others.  He inspires me continually to think outside of the box in conquering my own set of challenges.

I would like to share some insight into a technique of practice that I have found to be very efficient as a result of having to ‘practice’ Nick during his lessons.  Let’s start with how to best use your time to learn a piece of music that is brand new to you.  Let’s use Estudio No. 9 by Fernando Sor as an example; for reference, this is the one in chords that I recorded on Homage. During our guitar lesson, starting from the beginning of the piece, I would take Nick through a phrase, very slowly and deliberately.  In the case of the Sor piece it would be about three measures. My original approach to practicing a section like this would be to play it 9 times.  Obviously I could not employ this technique with Nick because we had too much material to cover in our hour-and-a-half lesson. 

To use the time most efficiently, we would start with the first three measures and only do three repetitions before continuing on to the next three bars, always being careful to back up a couple of chords so that we were not starting from a completely unfamiliar place.  For example, if the phrase that we had just practiced ended in the final chord of the third measure I would have him back up two chords or even start at the beginning of the third measure and do three measures from there. In a fifteen to twenty minute period, we would typically do 2 1/2  to 3 staves of music and then go on to another piece and take the same approach.  In about an hour and a half we would have been able to ‘practice’ through parts of 3 to 4 pieces.  Bear in mind that I say an hour and a half but it is really 4 to 6 sets of fifteen to twenty minutes with short breaks between.

I would see Nick again a week later and ask him “Did you practice?” and he would answer sheepishly, “No.”  In spite of this fact he would then proceed to play surprisingly well through the material that we had ‘practiced’ the previous lesson.  There was an obvious familiarity and muscle memory that had been established during the previous classical guitar lesson.  This happened time after time, which made me re-think the necessity for repeating things nine times.
I thought about it, reflecting on the fact that Nick is 12-years-old, very quick at learning things because of his youth and having no fear.  How could I begin to capture his ability to be so efficient?  These are the conclusions that I have been able to prove thus far:

• When I sit down with my guitar and practice something with multiple repetitions, it is like telling myself that I don’t have to concentrate so hard to make each repetition count, because I could continue to repeat it until I conquered the passage.

• When I put a limit on the amount of repetition and time I spend on each passage, my subconscious grabs on to every detail with a sense of urgency.

• If I tell myself that I can learn something very fast; demanding that I learn quickly challenges any sense of fear that I don’t learn as rapidly as I did when I was younger.

• I have also found that it helps to follow this regime for the three repetitions: Play very slowly, exaggerating the left hand pressure so that you are conscientiously memorizing the movements of the fingers on the first repetition.  After that, silently read through the section you have just played – without playing it – and imagine that your fingers are going through each movement. Play it again, a tiny bit faster but still exaggerating the left hand pressure as well as playing it loudly with a lot of power.  Stop and read through the passage again, only imagining that you are playing it.  Then play the passage for the third and final time.

• It is important to remember when starting the next section of a piece to back up a few notes or chords so that you are not starting a completely new section.  I call this ‘overlapping’.

• I find it is best to limit the time that I practice on each piece of music.  I don’t leave it open-ended. This again makes me use my time with maximum efficiency.

• I usually study five or six pieces at a time, averaging around 5 staves in each piece a day, unless the piece is very easy or repetitious in which case I try to cover more material.

• I write down my practice plan before I begin practicing, listing the pieces and how much time I plan to spend on each piece.  I have found it incredibly important not to play repeatedly at the same tempo because the same tempo tends to diminish the intensity of concentration.

• I try to avoid being automatic.  Between each repetition I remove my left hand from the guitar, give what I have played a few seconds to sink in and then start again.  Just like when you are watering a plant it takes time for the water to soak into the soil, the information you garner from practicing needs to soak into your memory.

• Even if I can only get through a small section of a piece because it is difficult and I can barely play it, I still limit myself to three repetitions.  I’ve discovered that your subconscious mind learns and automatically memorizes much more than we can imagine. 

• I try to reinforce my ability to learn quickly and to memorize quickly by acting (or ‘pretending’ for lack of a better term) as if I do learn quickly when I doubt my own abilities.
This is a very successful method of how to Practice Guitar that resulted from observing how young students learn and conquer classical guitar.  It is not ideal to have a student who does not practice, but once again, I am reminded how important it is to stay aware and observant of other players, students as well as pros.

The Life Of The Accomplished Italian Guitarist Mauro Giuliani

Throughout his lifespan, Mauro Giuliani became an accomplished composer, guitarist, and acquainted himself with some of the highest figures of Austrian society.  It is for this that he is still remembered today many years after his death.  But the story of Giuliani begins in 1781.

Mauro Giuliani was born on July 27, 1781 in Bisceglie.  Although this was the place of his birth, most recognize his childhood in Barletta as this is where he moved with his brother Nicola in his early life. 

He became acquainted with music at a very early age.  The first instrument he trained on was the cello, which many people do not understand that he never gave up throughout life.  While it is not guaranteed, many believe he also studied the violin.  Despite this, it was the guitar that really attracted Giuliani as he devoted himself to countless hours of practice.

Because of his high interest and enjoyment on the guitar, Giuliani picked up the instrument rather quickly.  Although it is believed that he had training from teachers, it is unknown who the teachers would have been.

Fast-forwarding to later in life, he would go on to marry Maria Giuseppe del Monaco.  The couple birthed a child in Barletta in 1801 and named the baby boy Michael.  From then until 1806 is a bit shaky, but it is believed he was in Bologna and Trieste for brief stays. 

It was the summer of 1806 where he really began to study counterpoint, cello and guitar in Italy.  At this point in his life he decided to pick up and move to Vienna without his family.  This is where he actually started a relationship with Fraulein Willmuth, whom he had another child with.  They named their daughter Maria, who was born in 1807.  He would end up having another daughter named Emilia in 1813.

Vienna proved to be a solid place for Giuliani as he truly became acquainted with the classical instrumental style people recognize him for today.  It was not long before he was publishing countless compositions in the classical style and touring all over Europe.  He quickly became a reputable image with great success.  In fact, he was actually equal to the best of instrumentalists and composers active in the Austrian capital city in the beginning of the 19th century.

While he was a composer and played many instruments, it was his actions on the guitar that really defined him.  The famous stature led to acquaintances with Rossini and Beethoven, as well as his cooperation with some of the best active concert musicians in Vienna.  In 1813 he even played in an orchestra for the first performance of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

1815 was a big year for Mauro Giuliani as he appeared with the pianist Johann Nepomuk Hummel, the violinist Joseph Mayseder and the cellist Joseph Merk in a number of concerts that became known as the Dukaten Concerte.  In addition, he was also the official concert artist for the celebrations of the Congress in Vienna in 1815.  All of this just added to his prominence in the city. 

Despite great success in Vienna, he really did not have much success there as a composer.  It was the help of Artaria who actually published a majority of his guitar pieces.  In addition, Giuliani did have connections with other local publishers that dispersed his compositions throughout Europe.

While it is not exactly known why he left Vienna in 1819, many believe it was for financial reasons as his property and bank accounts were confiscated so that he could pay debtors.  Upon leaving Vienna he returned to Italy where he spent time in Trieste and Venice.  Finally settling in Rome he did bring his daughter Emilia with.

Between 1821 and 1826, his daughters Emilia and Maria became educated at a nunnery.  Although Giuliani did not have much success in Rome, he focused a great deal of attention on his daughters.  He did, however, publish a few compositions over the years.

In 1826 he performed in Portici in front of the Bourbon court.  He actually began appearing frequently in duo concerts with his daughter Emilia, who was a tremendous classical guitarist herself.  Sadly, Giuliani’s health began to taper toward the end of 1827 and he finally passed in Naples on May 8, 1829.

The Story Behind The Reputable Spanish Opera Composer Federico Moreno Torroba

Federico Moreno Torroba

Born on March 3, 1891, Federico Moreno Torroba was destined to be a musician from an early age.  His father, Jose Moreno Ballesteros was the one who introduced him to the fine art of music and everything it has to offer.  His father was a well known organist who knew a great deal about music himself.

While it was his father who introduced him to music, Moreno moved on to study composition with Felipe Pedrell, who was a great Catalan musicologist.  In addition, he also studied with the composer Conrado del Campo for some time.   A big breakthrough came in 1918 when his tone poem, La ajorca de oro made a premiere at the conservatoire.  This is also where he met a great guitarist by the name of Andres Segovia.

Following this premiere, Moreno included writing guitar into his repertoire for the rest of his life.  Over time, he would go on to produce 80 different pieces including dances, impressionistic pieces, sonatas, suites and concertos and compositions.  Thanks to his affiliation with Segovia, Moreno quickly became a reputable image internationally as one of the foremost composers of the 20th century renaissance of the classical guitar. 

While Moreno was a terrific guitar composer, this was just one of the elements that made him shine.  In addition, he was a supporter of a light Spanish opera form known as zarzuela that was characterized by a varying blend of sung and spoken dialect.  The 1930s and 1940s proved to be a hectic time in his life as he travelled throughout the United States and Latin America performing.  He often travelled with several different stage companies. 

Although his first zarzuela was written in 1912, it was not until 1925 that he gained a great deal of respect and enthusiasm for this style of music thanks to the success of La mesonera de Tordesillas.  From that point on, he produced a great deal of brilliant pieces including La marchenera in 1928 and Luisa Fernanda in 1932.  In all, he would end up producing nearly 80 operas before it was all said and done.

There is no question that Moreno Torroba had a huge impact on the Spanish musical culture.  He continues to be one of the dominant figures for that time and it carried on well past the Spanish Civil War in 1939.  Following the war, he founded a new zarzuela company in 1946 and began touring again.

Although he had great fame and had built up a reputable image, it was not until 1957 that he finally became the most popular Spanish opera of the decade.  Following the war, he would write a total of nine ballets, numerous choral and orchestral music, a piano concerto and many different piano solos. 

If that were not enough, he also wrote a variety of songs and miscellaneous works while continuing his interests in the guitar.  There are numerous Classical guitar pieces that allowed him to remain in the public eye as a true guitarist as well.  This hectic lifestyle continued with Moreno all the way up to his death at the age of 91.

What made Moreno Torroba stand out so much from other composers was his willingness to experiment.  He ultimately would find that he preferred lyrically melodic music with tonal harmony. 

Many consider his philosophy composition to be ‘castizo,’ meaning a blend of folk elements that related to the traditions of Iberian culture.  In addition, this combined with basic forms and impressionistic works that celebrated dance genres.  His guitar stands out because of the rich use of color, melody, and lively rhythms that would truly reel in listeners.  It was an expression of poetic and romantic sensibility that many other composers could never achieve.