Interval Review:
Reviewed intervals and as per yesterday's post, 6 new cards.
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position.
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) i, m at 108 bpm. Near bridge at 95 bpm.
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 85 bpm free
Rest stroke very difficult even @ 85 (big improvement from yesterday)
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 92 bpm
Scale Rhythmic Variation
Played etude @ 84 bpm with i, m.
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 84
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 89.
Samba Caribe
Played @ 65 through. Part A measures 12-13 @ 70 bpm
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A w/o metronome.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Interval Review:
Reviewed intervals. I decided to add all the remaining cards at the same time, because I spend too much time each session figuring out which cards need to be added. So, I added about 30 cards to round out the high strings. From now on, I'll just add 5 or so cards a day, and that should do the trick within a week. I think I've been on this project for a bit longer than planned.
Sight Reading:
Level 3 4/4 @ 75 bpm.
I recently bought a very interesting book called simply The Rhythm Book, by Steve Savage. It is great for nondrummers - it starts from scratch and analyzes modern drumming in pop music.
In the beginning, it has some simple practice exercises. Somewhere in there, it suggests that it's a good idea to keep a mental track of the count. It was hard keeping the count while doing the latter exercise.
Delcamp Volume II pg. 61
@ 55
Fretboard Review:
79 correct, 2 incorrect (97%) @ in 2 minutes.
Increase to 7 frets tomorrow
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position.
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) wow! I didn't play for two days and I can only play at 108 bpm. Noticed that it is harder to nail the string closer to the bridge. Can only play at 95 bpm.
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 85 bpm free
Rest stroke very difficult even @ 78.
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @95 bpm rest & free
i, l @ 91 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 93 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 100 bpm i, m
@ 77 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 84
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 85. I want to get up to speed ASAP so I can find a singer.
Pica-Pica
Tried to make video, but too many mistakes, too nervous. Don't really know how I'll play in front of 50 classical guitarists tomorrow, but I'll just have to manage.
Estrellita
Same as Pica-Pica.
Samba Caribe
Played @ 65 once through. Sounds good!
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A w/o metronome.
Reviewed intervals. I decided to add all the remaining cards at the same time, because I spend too much time each session figuring out which cards need to be added. So, I added about 30 cards to round out the high strings. From now on, I'll just add 5 or so cards a day, and that should do the trick within a week. I think I've been on this project for a bit longer than planned.
Sight Reading:
Level 3 4/4 @ 75 bpm.
I recently bought a very interesting book called simply The Rhythm Book, by Steve Savage. It is great for nondrummers - it starts from scratch and analyzes modern drumming in pop music.
In the beginning, it has some simple practice exercises. Somewhere in there, it suggests that it's a good idea to keep a mental track of the count. It was hard keeping the count while doing the latter exercise.
Delcamp Volume II pg. 61
@ 55
Fretboard Review:
79 correct, 2 incorrect (97%) @ in 2 minutes.
Increase to 7 frets tomorrow
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position.
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) wow! I didn't play for two days and I can only play at 108 bpm. Noticed that it is harder to nail the string closer to the bridge. Can only play at 95 bpm.
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 85 bpm free
Rest stroke very difficult even @ 78.
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @95 bpm rest & free
i, l @ 91 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 93 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 100 bpm i, m
@ 77 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 84
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 85. I want to get up to speed ASAP so I can find a singer.
Pica-Pica
Tried to make video, but too many mistakes, too nervous. Don't really know how I'll play in front of 50 classical guitarists tomorrow, but I'll just have to manage.
Estrellita
Same as Pica-Pica.
Samba Caribe
Played @ 65 once through. Sounds good!
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A w/o metronome.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Interval Review:
Reviewed intervals. Need to start adding remaining ones.
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position. Fingers definitely lost some flexibility while I was away in Mexico. Good reminder to just keep at it :)
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) back down to 105 (instead of top 113)
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 85 bpm free (down from 91)
Rest stroke @ 80. Tried filing nails a bit, but it made it even worse
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @92 bpm rest & free (down from 97 bpm)
i, l @ 88 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 80 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 97 bpm i, m
@ 75 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 80
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 71 bpm.
Pica-Pica
Played once through.
Estrellita
Played once through.
Samba Caribe
Part A measures 13-14 played once through.
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A @ 70 bpm up to part C.
Reviewed intervals. Need to start adding remaining ones.
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position. Fingers definitely lost some flexibility while I was away in Mexico. Good reminder to just keep at it :)
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) back down to 105 (instead of top 113)
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 85 bpm free (down from 91)
Rest stroke @ 80. Tried filing nails a bit, but it made it even worse
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @92 bpm rest & free (down from 97 bpm)
i, l @ 88 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 80 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 97 bpm i, m
@ 75 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 80
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 71 bpm.
Pica-Pica
Played once through.
Estrellita
Played once through.
Samba Caribe
Part A measures 13-14 played once through.
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A @ 70 bpm up to part C.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Thoughts:
Just came back from a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A break from playing music everyday was definitely a good thing. It allowed me to look more objectively at my playing. Additionally, I got tons of new insights from The Book of Rhymes, by Adam Bradley, which I read on the plane. I'll have to go through it again, as it's a pretty deep read.
Interval Review:
Just decided to review intervals today, since the cards piled up to 100. Reviewed half of the due cards.
Just came back from a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A break from playing music everyday was definitely a good thing. It allowed me to look more objectively at my playing. Additionally, I got tons of new insights from The Book of Rhymes, by Adam Bradley, which I read on the plane. I'll have to go through it again, as it's a pretty deep read.
Interval Review:
Just decided to review intervals today, since the cards piled up to 100. Reviewed half of the due cards.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Interval Review:
Reviewed yesterday’s intervals - hadn't done reviews in a couple of days, so it took a while. As I was playing an octave interval, I spontaneously started to pay Sonnie Rollins' St. Thomas. I couldn't stop. There's a jump here that's hard but sounds really cool. I'll try to get it up to tempo. I actually played the whole melody while fooling around, but too camera-shy still.
Sight Reading:
Level 3 4/4 @ 75 bpm. Instead of increasing the tempo, I decided to challenge myself and look ahead further than before.
This has given me unique insight. I'm kind of starting to get a feel for the stages of getting good at sight-reading. First off, there are two main components - the notes and the rhythm. Very often, it's the rhythm that messes people up (although the notes do, too. Studying key signatures helps with note identification, etc). Though reading ahead is integral to sight-reading, before getting comfortable with reading ahead, one must be comfortable playing the measure in question. After this stage, there's more opportunity to look ahead.
Just now, I think I actually experienced what happens when I read the rhythms ahead. My brain processes these rhythms and kind of remembers them, so that when I actually get to the next measure, it becomes easier to play. TRULY AMAZING!
Reading Studies For Guitar pg. 8-9 @ 65 bpm - a real struggle. I've forgotten these key signatures (Eb and Ab major), and turns out this really makes a difference.
Andante Opus 95 by Matteo Carcassi (pg. 58 of Delcamp Volume II)
Rhythm is all out of wack on this recording. On the other hand, I like how I look from the side. The breath @ 0:39 highlights my shallow breathing in other parts of the tune - I'm too busy trying to look ahead and keep up.
Fretboard Review:
87 correct, 1 incorrect (98%) @ in 2 minutes.
I will increase the frets being tested to the 7th tomorrow.
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position.
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) wow! I didn't play for two days and I can only play at 100 bpm (not 113)
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 85 bpm free (down from 91)
Rest stroke very difficult even @ 75. Tried filing nails a bit, but it made it even worse
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @97 bpm rest & free (slower than the 97 bpm I've been playing)
i, l @ 88 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 80 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 97 bpm i, m
@ 75 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 90. Realized that there’s still something off. Decreased tempo to 70 and practiced slowly.
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 71 bpm.
Pica-Pica
Played freely with muffled metronome @ 40 bpm (downbeat only) and recorded with Zoom H-2. Analazed - so many problems with this piece, it seems overwhelming.
Converted into a Transcribe file and notated the measures. Incidentally Transcribe has a master volume button that makes the music really loud. In this case it was useful because the muffled metronome was barely audible as is. After notating the measures and beats, I slowed down the recording, turned the volume up and then started notating where the metronome downbeat fell. Measure 6 is the first measure in which the metronome clicks about 1/5th of the beat into the measure. By measure 14, my playing is half a beat ahead of the the metronome.
I don't know how to address this problem, but I'll try reading Klickstein, and also asking for advice on the Classical Guitar forum. Perhaps this is a lesson-in-disguise : maybe there's some kind of rhythm fundamental that I've been neglecting.
Estrellita
Recorded. Realized after all these months that I need to play the low F# in measure 3 of Part C with the pinky in order to be able to cleanly play the min. 3 double stops in the next measure. Rhythm isn't so consistent here either.
Samba Caribe
Part A measure 13-14 @ 64 bpm. Recorded. The recording sounds great!
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A @ 70 bpm up to part C.
Triad Study:
Added G# minor in 1st inversion.
Reviewed yesterday’s intervals - hadn't done reviews in a couple of days, so it took a while. As I was playing an octave interval, I spontaneously started to pay Sonnie Rollins' St. Thomas. I couldn't stop. There's a jump here that's hard but sounds really cool. I'll try to get it up to tempo. I actually played the whole melody while fooling around, but too camera-shy still.
Sight Reading:
Level 3 4/4 @ 75 bpm. Instead of increasing the tempo, I decided to challenge myself and look ahead further than before.
This has given me unique insight. I'm kind of starting to get a feel for the stages of getting good at sight-reading. First off, there are two main components - the notes and the rhythm. Very often, it's the rhythm that messes people up (although the notes do, too. Studying key signatures helps with note identification, etc). Though reading ahead is integral to sight-reading, before getting comfortable with reading ahead, one must be comfortable playing the measure in question. After this stage, there's more opportunity to look ahead.
Just now, I think I actually experienced what happens when I read the rhythms ahead. My brain processes these rhythms and kind of remembers them, so that when I actually get to the next measure, it becomes easier to play. TRULY AMAZING!
Reading Studies For Guitar pg. 8-9 @ 65 bpm - a real struggle. I've forgotten these key signatures (Eb and Ab major), and turns out this really makes a difference.
Andante Opus 95 by Matteo Carcassi (pg. 58 of Delcamp Volume II)
Rhythm is all out of wack on this recording. On the other hand, I like how I look from the side. The breath @ 0:39 highlights my shallow breathing in other parts of the tune - I'm too busy trying to look ahead and keep up.
Fretboard Review:
87 correct, 1 incorrect (98%) @ in 2 minutes.
I will increase the frets being tested to the 7th tomorrow.
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position.
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) wow! I didn't play for two days and I can only play at 100 bpm (not 113)
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 85 bpm free (down from 91)
Rest stroke very difficult even @ 75. Tried filing nails a bit, but it made it even worse
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @97 bpm rest & free (slower than the 97 bpm I've been playing)
i, l @ 88 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 80 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 97 bpm i, m
@ 75 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 90. Realized that there’s still something off. Decreased tempo to 70 and practiced slowly.
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 71 bpm.
Pica-Pica
Played freely with muffled metronome @ 40 bpm (downbeat only) and recorded with Zoom H-2. Analazed - so many problems with this piece, it seems overwhelming.
Converted into a Transcribe file and notated the measures. Incidentally Transcribe has a master volume button that makes the music really loud. In this case it was useful because the muffled metronome was barely audible as is. After notating the measures and beats, I slowed down the recording, turned the volume up and then started notating where the metronome downbeat fell. Measure 6 is the first measure in which the metronome clicks about 1/5th of the beat into the measure. By measure 14, my playing is half a beat ahead of the the metronome.
I don't know how to address this problem, but I'll try reading Klickstein, and also asking for advice on the Classical Guitar forum. Perhaps this is a lesson-in-disguise : maybe there's some kind of rhythm fundamental that I've been neglecting.
Estrellita
Recorded. Realized after all these months that I need to play the low F# in measure 3 of Part C with the pinky in order to be able to cleanly play the min. 3 double stops in the next measure. Rhythm isn't so consistent here either.
Samba Caribe
Part A measure 13-14 @ 64 bpm. Recorded. The recording sounds great!
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A @ 70 bpm up to part C.
Triad Study:
Added G# minor in 1st inversion.
Spoke to my folks yesterday, and upon hearing my grand schemes for music, they adamantly tried to convince me that I'm wasting my time and that I don't have my talent. I see where they're coming from, as my return on investment in music has not panned out in terms of playing results. Yet one of the reasons that this has happened is that I've often become discouraged and given up on the practice routine that I was on. The conversation with them really ruffled me up.
Fundamentally, this blog is based on the idea that with enough effort and the right methods, anyone, including me can learn to be an exceptional guitar player. I must remember this and not give up.
Fundamentally, this blog is based on the idea that with enough effort and the right methods, anyone, including me can learn to be an exceptional guitar player. I must remember this and not give up.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Interval Review:
Reviewed yesterday’s intervals (40 cards)
Sight Reading:
4/4 time, level 3 @ 75.
Also, 3/4, level @ 75
Fretboard Review:
76 correct, 4 incorrect (95%) @ in 2 minutes.
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position.
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) with i,m eight @ 113 bpm
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 91 bpm.
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @97 bpm rest & free (slower than the 97 bpm I've been playing)
i, l @ 88 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 80 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 97 bpm i, m
@ 75 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Speed Burst pg. 69 Exercise 1 G & H @ 75 bpm i, m
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 90. Realized that there’s still something off. Decreased tempo to 70 and practiced slowly.
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 71 bpm, making sure that I’m only hitting the notes I need in the bar chord in the first measure. This is especially hard to do when switching from the Bb major chord back to the F chord.
Pica-Pica
Played with metronome on silent at 90 bpm, but it was hard to concentrate for some reason. Definitely didn’t get into the groove of the tune.
Estrellita
Samba Caribe
Part A measure 13-14 @ 60 bpm. Sounds solid.
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A @ 70 bpm up to part C. Did well, but the speed is killing me. It’s so slow, I feel the spirit of the tune is gone. I was really tempted to play at full speed, and I did. It went fine, but I had to look at the fretboard at times (for the double-stop parts, the wrist position is a bit different, and I’m not so used to them; also for the artificial harmonics, the left hand fingers are supposed to be right over the frets, as opposed to a little to the left when playing normally). I reminded myself that I should get this part down perfectly at a slow tempo before playing at concert speed.
Triad Study:
Added G# minor in 1st inversion.
Reviewed yesterday’s intervals (40 cards)
Sight Reading:
4/4 time, level 3 @ 75.
Also, 3/4, level @ 75
Fretboard Review:
76 correct, 4 incorrect (95%) @ in 2 minutes.
Warm-up/Technique:
Finger-stretching exercise - 1st position.
String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) with i,m eight @ 113 bpm
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 91 bpm.
String-Jumping 1st string to 5th string, 2nd string to 6th string @ 88 bpm
Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 110 bpm rest & free.
l, m @97 bpm rest & free (slower than the 97 bpm I've been playing)
i, l @ 88 bpm
Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes 95 bpm.
l, m @ 83 bpm
Putting it all together p. 67 Exercise - @ 80 with i, m.
@ 75 bpm l, m rest stroke
Scale Rhythmic Variation p. 68 @ 97 bpm i, m
@ 75 bpm l, m
Played etude @ 70 bpm with i, m.
Speed Burst pg. 69 Exercise 1 G & H @ 75 bpm i, m
Percussive Exercise
Played Nothin on You rhythm @ 90. Realized that there’s still something off. Decreased tempo to 70 and practiced slowly.
Repertoire:
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars cover)
Practiced @ 71 bpm, making sure that I’m only hitting the notes I need in the bar chord in the first measure. This is especially hard to do when switching from the Bb major chord back to the F chord.
Pica-Pica
Played with metronome on silent at 90 bpm, but it was hard to concentrate for some reason. Definitely didn’t get into the groove of the tune.
Estrellita
Samba Caribe
Part A measure 13-14 @ 60 bpm. Sounds solid.
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Played beginning to part A @ 70 bpm up to part C. Did well, but the speed is killing me. It’s so slow, I feel the spirit of the tune is gone. I was really tempted to play at full speed, and I did. It went fine, but I had to look at the fretboard at times (for the double-stop parts, the wrist position is a bit different, and I’m not so used to them; also for the artificial harmonics, the left hand fingers are supposed to be right over the frets, as opposed to a little to the left when playing normally). I reminded myself that I should get this part down perfectly at a slow tempo before playing at concert speed.
Triad Study:
Added G# minor in 1st inversion.
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