Community Guitar Performance

     I would like to take this time to congratulate some of my students.  They signed up for the group lessons a few months ago, and have been working like crazy to get some music prepared.  On June 12, they were able to put together all the music and do a performance at the local church.  I'm not going to post their names, but I will describe the concert.
     We first started with Baby Bumblebee.  This piece worked out perfectly because each guitarist was able to a capella the "cute" parts at the end... three verses, three students.  All of the students really amazed me at how much they worked on their music at home.  I had given them shortcuts to help them out, and to my surprise, they all went home and learned the chords properly.
     Next, we broke off into solos and duets.  The girl in pink played her acoustic guitar and sang "Mary had a Little Lamb."  Anyone who has ever played the guitar knows how hard it is to sing and play at the same time, and she did amazing.
     This was followed by a classical guitar duet between myself and the girl in the purple.  We played the traditional song, "El noi de la Mare."  The skill we worked on here was how to play with your fingers and without a pick.
     The last duet was between myself and the boy.  He played a swinging I IV blues progression, while I played a solo based off of the minor pentatonics... a skill that he will be learning soon.
     The final piece was another group song, "Jesus Loves Me."  However, we learned some power chords and were able to add a little twist of rock into this normally traditional song.  All three of students amazed me so much, and I am so proud to be teaching them how to play the guitar, and for welcoming them as part of my family.

Playing the Wrong Note the Right Way

     This post is not specific to the guitar, and originates back in my saxophone/band days.  When beginner musicians learn new songs, they have a tendency to play real soft or quiet, rather than with full tone.  Maybe because they are not confident in there reading abilities, or because they are scared of hitting the wrong note.
     I tell my students, "would you rather hear the wrong note played with a weak tone, or a wrong note played with a full tone?"  The point is that a wrong note is a wrong note, and they happen.  However, if you play the wrong note with a full tone, at least the note will sound full, wrong pitch but full.  And in the music world of complex chords, sometimes the wrong notes can be hidden within complex chords.  No one would have even noticed if you acted like you meant to play that note.  
     So, would you rather hear a wrong note played weak or full?

The Recorder, a gateway instrument?

     Remember during your elementary years, and you had to learn that ridiculous instrument called a recorder?  I do.  This small piece of plastic that looked like a toy.  Having to sanitize it in that bucket after we used the mouthpiece.  Placing my fingers over the small little holes.  Can anyone even name a professional recorder player (I know there are some out there)?
     So why am I bringing up this random instrument.  Simple, because of the number of guitar students I have that when I interview them, they say they have no musical background.  All of a sudden, I put some music theory reference charts in front of them, and they are sightreading accurately on there first lesson.  I could go on and on about the importance of music in the public school system, but that is a can of worms that I don't want to deal with.  However, this little instrument helps to provide the basic music fundamentals needed in order to play more advanced and complex instruments.
    So this makes me wonder, how many professional musicians, had it not been for this "elementary" instrument, would not have gone off to play and create some absolutely amazing music... even on recorders.

Sitting in the "Other" Chair

     I was working with a student on a Villa-Lobos' Prelude #1, a piece that I had learned years ago when I was an undergraduate.  We were at one of the measures and she looks at me and says that I played that wrong.  I looked at the music and sure enough, she was correct.  I felt a little embarrassed at first, worked out the new fingerings, and finished out the piece.  This really bothered me at first, and the thought ran through my head for days. 

     What I finally came to realize is the reason why I had learned this measure wrong was because when I first learned the piece, I was in the "other" chair... the student chair. As a student, you are trying to learn so many pieces each semester, and our teachers are trying to fix as much as they can.  However, they sometimes may not notice a misplayed measure for multiple reasons, especially in a piece as complex and intricate as Prelude #3.  

     So, regardless of where we are at in our professional levels, we need to go back and look at some of the older pieces that have been in our repertoire for years. What we may find is that we may have made mistakes on these pieces, and can fix them.

     Conversely, we might be surprised to see how we analyze the music much different now.  For example, on Villa-Lobo's Prelude #3, I found some areas that I could utilize my increasingly-efficient legato abilities to create some absolutely beautifully flowing melodic lines that I was not capable of years ago, which made me really excited to relearn and play the piece.

Summer Time, what to practice?

     For most students, summer means taking a break from school and having a little bit of fun.  Hopefully, most of you are still maintaining a regular practice schedule (which is a whole different set of problems).  As for teachers, we are giving advice as to what to work on, and hopefully setting goals.
      My view is that summer is like the "off-season" of sports.  You don't have the responsibilities of putting together a solid program, and/or constantly learning music.  My suggestion, take this opportunity to clean up your technique.  You have probably identified a few major/minor flaws in your technique that were exposed in some of the pieces that you have been playing.  You did not want to take the time out to clean that section up because that recital was nearing in on you, and memorizing the music was taking up a bulk of the time. 
     Now is your chance.  Whether the use of the A-finger, or the pinkie doing pull-offs/hammer-ons, find some technical exercises to help with the deficiency.  Ask for advice from your teacher, or read one of the several books published that cover guitar pedagogy.  When the fall starts back up, you yourself will be a better player, and might be surprised how some of the more difficult passages have become easier.   

First Night of Concerts for the West Texas Guitar Festival- Part 1

     The opening night of the festival featured a variety of guitar performances with just about as many different styles as were performers.  Being the host, I could not completely listen to and enjoy all the performances, so most of my reflections stem from running around like a mad man behind the curtains. 
     The performance opened with selections from Guest Performer David Brandon.  He played the music of Albeniz, Sanz, and Ervin Rouse.  I was able to listen to a few selections, and really enjoyed his ability to transform the guitar into an instrument of emotion.  The highlight for me was hearing Capricho Catalan from Albeniz.  So many times, performers feel that they must play the fastest/hardest pieces, and forget the artistry behind the slower elements.  Both guest artist made mention to the fact that slow pieces are harder to play successfully than harder pieces.  While Capricho may not be a very fast song, the artistry required makes the piece incredibly difficult; handled by David Brandon with ease. 
     From a non-traditional classical point of view, the "Train Song" was a huge hit.  Originally written by Ervin Rouse for the fiddle, Brandon did an amazing job recreating the sounds of the train on his guitar.  You would hear the sounds of the whistle blowing, the bells ringing, and the thrusting motion of the train as it began to move from the station.  The audience really enjoyed the arrangement, and this added some spice into the normally traditional classical concert.
     Michele Ramo was next up featuring his Mostro Hei-D Guitar.  An 8 string guitar with a range of 6 and 1/2 octaves, just short of the piano on the low end and a High D in the top range.  Living true to his jazz roots, Michele came up with a set list and adapted on the fly for the audience, eventually asking what country and style they would like to hear.  This was an outstanding way to showcase both the instrument and his ability to play a vast selection of musical genres.  I believe he ended up playing some Brazilian music, but unfortunately I was taking care of stuff in the back and could not catch the entire concert.  (On a side note, before he went up to play, I spent a lot of time staring at his guitar in amazement as it was perched, backstage waiting for its turn to amaze). 
     Wow, so much to say about the opening 45 minutes of the performances and I haven't even touched on the other acts.  I will take this time to break before continuing with the local musicians who played on opening night.

West Texas Guitar Festival- 1st round of competition

     With so many great stories, concerts, and events, ordering them by their accomplishment would be a task way to hard to decide.  So I will start with reflections on the opening day of the event.
The first round of the competition started a little late due to some technical issues with the PA system.  Luckily, we were able to get back on track and enjoy the first round.  The interesting thing about the selections was that there was quite a bit of variety in the selections.  The first year, everyone seemed to play the same piece, but this year, hardly a piece was doubled.  We heard selections from Tarrega, Sor, and Brouwer just to name a few. 
     The one piece that really caught my attention was Mussorgsky's "The Old Castle," played by the eventual winner of the competition.  I have only been familiar with Yamashita's transcriptions (referenced in a previous post), and this was the first time I had heard this arrangement.  After the contest, I even talked to her for a few seconds and was able to get a copy of the score, which I am currently working on the piece as we speak. 
     Another standout was a student who performed Afro-Cuban Lullaby.  An interesting story came out of our conversation.  I know the student, and I also know that he is not taking private lessons from anybody.  I asked him where he received his inspiration for the piece and he said, "Youtube."  Cool, was it maybe Brouwer playing, or one of the greats.  "No, he was some long haired guy playing in his room."  I had to let out a little chuckle, and am now searching youtube for a long haired guy who plays guitar (surprisingly, this doesn't narrow it down lol). 
      The final highlight were my students.  The first goes up and opens with one of Brouwer's studies.  He plays really well, until he lets his nerves get to him.  He stops, recomposes himself, and begins again.  While he may not have played the piece perfectly (C#!!!), his feel for the piece was awesome and really was able to bring out some of the more exotic rhythmic sounds. 
After him, my other student performed a Sor study.  Both guest musicians this year referenced how slower pieces are harder to play than faster pieces, and my students played the piece beautiful.  Very legato, and great presence for the style.  I made him listen to 3-voice choirs during one of his lessons, and he was really able to separate the voices when he was playing.  Great use of dynamics and bringing out the melody line, and musicianmanship, instead of sounding like a MIDI machine.
     Overall, the competition round went very well, with several wonderful surprises.  Next time, I will talk about the opening concerts.

Dennis Harris
http://www.permianbasinguitar.com/