Hello folks.
I'm a newbie at classical guitar.
Having said that, I've been on the Allen Matthews system for a year.
I've also dabbled in the Parkening method and followed a bit of the
Werner stuff.
I feel I've learned quite a bit of theory and find my way around with
scales. I practise arpeggios every day and go through what chords I know.
Problem is, if I don't watch my fingers I keep hitting the wrong strings.
I don't want to play with my head cranked over the instrument and I'd
like to be able to follow written score (aka sight read). I can follow it now, saying the notes and I even know where they are, but my fingers
don't. Fingers aren't too bad on the first 3 strings, but do sometimes
touch the adjacent strings. The right thumb is a total disaster. I was
trying to play a simple tune with a bass line and just kept playing the
wrong string. If I leave out the bass I can more or less get by with the melody.
I started with the guitar as a way of relaxing, but I'm now more stressed
out than ever. I've come very close to smashing the guitar against the
wall.
The obvious answer would seem to be get lessons. But where I live,
flamenco is the *only* style (other than strumming along to christmas carols).
Oh, and here it's all soflège, which I have no desire to learn.
I am seriously considering giving up. What's the point of knowing theory, scales and arpeggios if I can't play a tune?
I know you've probably all heard this sob story a million times, but seriously, can one train ones hands without one on one tuition?
I've tried blaming the guitar, but I'm sure it's ok really.
I am pretty sure that having no nails is making things a tiny bit more difficult, but that's as far as it goes.
Opinions?
Hello folks.
I'm a newbie at classical guitar.
Having said that, I've been on the Allen Matthews system for a year.
I've also dabbled in the Parkening method and followed a bit of the
Werner stuff.
I feel I've learned quite a bit of theory and find my way around with
scales. I practise arpeggios every day and go through what chords I know.
Problem is, if I don't watch my fingers I keep hitting the wrong strings.
I don't want to play with my head cranked over the instrument and I'd
like to be able to follow written score (aka sight read). I can follow it now, saying the notes and I even know where they are, but my fingers
don't. Fingers aren't too bad on the first 3 strings, but do sometimes
touch the adjacent strings. The right thumb is a total disaster. I was
trying to play a simple tune with a bass line and just kept playing the
wrong string. If I leave out the bass I can more or less get by with the melody.
I started with the guitar as a way of relaxing, but I'm now more stressed
out than ever. I've come very close to smashing the guitar against the
wall.
The obvious answer would seem to be get lessons. But where I live,
flamenco is the *only* style (other than strumming along to christmas carols).
Oh, and here it's all soflège, which I have no desire to learn.
I am seriously considering giving up. What's the point of knowing theory, scales and arpeggios if I can't play a tune?
I know you've probably all heard this sob story a million times, but seriously, can one train ones hands without one on one tuition?
I've tried blaming the guitar, but I'm sure it's ok really.
I am pretty sure that having no nails is making things a tiny bit more difficult, but that's as far as it goes.
Opinions?
Hello folks.
I'm a newbie at classical guitar.
Having said that, I've been on the Allen Matthews system for a year.
I've also dabbled in the Parkening method and followed a bit of the
Werner stuff.
I feel I've learned quite a bit of theory and find my way around with
scales. I practise arpeggios every day and go through what chords I know.
Problem is, if I don't watch my fingers I keep hitting the wrong strings.
I don't want to play with my head cranked over the instrument and I'd
like to be able to follow written score (aka sight read). I can follow it now, saying the notes and I even know where they are, but my fingers
don't. Fingers aren't too bad on the first 3 strings, but do sometimes
touch the adjacent strings. The right thumb is a total disaster. I was
trying to play a simple tune with a bass line and just kept playing the
wrong string. If I leave out the bass I can more or less get by with the melody.
I started with the guitar as a way of relaxing, but I'm now more stressed
out than ever. I've come very close to smashing the guitar against the
wall.
The obvious answer would seem to be get lessons. But where I live,
flamenco is the *only* style (other than strumming along to christmas carols).
Oh, and here it's all soflège, which I have no desire to learn.
I am seriously considering giving up. What's the point of knowing theory, scales and arpeggios if I can't play a tune?
I know you've probably all heard this sob story a million times, but seriously, can one train ones hands without one on one tuition?
I've tried blaming the guitar, but I'm sure it's ok really.
I am pretty sure that having no nails is making things a tiny bit more difficult, but that's as far as it goes.
Opinions?
El Mon, 03 May 2021 18:07:13 +0000, Matt Faunce escribió:
Paul Carmichael <wibbleypants@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello folks.It’s hard to offer help without knowing, more specifically, where you
I'm a newbie at classical guitar.
Having said that, I've been on the Allen Matthews system for a year.
I've also dabbled in the Parkening method and followed a bit of the
Werner stuff.
I feel I've learned quite a bit of theory and find my way around with
scales. I practise arpeggios every day and go through what chords I
know.
Problem is, if I don't watch my fingers I keep hitting the wrong
strings.
I don't want to play with my head cranked over the instrument and I'd
like to be able to follow written score (aka sight read). I can follow
it now, saying the notes and I even know where they are, but my fingers
don't. Fingers aren't too bad on the first 3 strings, but do sometimes
touch the adjacent strings. The right thumb is a total disaster. I was
trying to play a simple tune with a bass line and just kept playing the
wrong string. If I leave out the bass I can more or less get by with
the melody.
I started with the guitar as a way of relaxing, but I'm now more
stressed out than ever. I've come very close to smashing the guitar
against the wall.
The obvious answer would seem to be get lessons. But where I live,
flamenco is the *only* style (other than strumming along to christmas
carols).
Oh, and here it's all soflège, which I have no desire to learn.
I am seriously considering giving up. What's the point of knowing
theory,
scales and arpeggios if I can't play a tune?
I know you've probably all heard this sob story a million times, but
seriously, can one train ones hands without one on one tuition?
I've tried blaming the guitar, but I'm sure it's ok really.
I am pretty sure that having no nails is making things a tiny bit more
difficult, but that's as far as it goes.
Opinions?
are in your progress. But, based on what you said, my best guess is that
you should play a lot more of the simple stuff: perhaps, for you, that’s >> simple melodies on the first three strings, with only open-string bass
notes that are timed to fall in between the treble notes. I’ve written a >> bunch of beginner pieces that do just that.
Flamenco lessons and/or Christmas-Carol strumming lessons incorporate
solfège?
No, but what music they do teach is all do re mi. Actually, the christmas carol stuff uses chords that are named do re mi. So yes.
Paul Carmichael <wibbleypants@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello folks.It’s hard to offer help without knowing, more specifically, where you
I'm a newbie at classical guitar.
Having said that, I've been on the Allen Matthews system for a year.
I've also dabbled in the Parkening method and followed a bit of the
Werner stuff.
I feel I've learned quite a bit of theory and find my way around with
scales. I practise arpeggios every day and go through what chords I
know.
Problem is, if I don't watch my fingers I keep hitting the wrong
strings.
I don't want to play with my head cranked over the instrument and I'd
like to be able to follow written score (aka sight read). I can follow
it now, saying the notes and I even know where they are, but my fingers
don't. Fingers aren't too bad on the first 3 strings, but do sometimes
touch the adjacent strings. The right thumb is a total disaster. I was
trying to play a simple tune with a bass line and just kept playing the
wrong string. If I leave out the bass I can more or less get by with
the melody.
I started with the guitar as a way of relaxing, but I'm now more
stressed out than ever. I've come very close to smashing the guitar
against the wall.
The obvious answer would seem to be get lessons. But where I live,
flamenco is the *only* style (other than strumming along to christmas
carols).
Oh, and here it's all soflège, which I have no desire to learn.
I am seriously considering giving up. What's the point of knowing
theory,
scales and arpeggios if I can't play a tune?
I know you've probably all heard this sob story a million times, but
seriously, can one train ones hands without one on one tuition?
I've tried blaming the guitar, but I'm sure it's ok really.
I am pretty sure that having no nails is making things a tiny bit more
difficult, but that's as far as it goes.
Opinions?
are in your progress. But, based on what you said, my best guess is that
you should play a lot more of the simple stuff: perhaps, for you, that’s simple melodies on the first three strings, with only open-string bass
notes that are timed to fall in between the treble notes. I’ve written a bunch of beginner pieces that do just that.
Flamenco lessons and/or Christmas-Carol strumming lessons incorporate solfège?
OK. Just so you know, solfège is a system for training the ear via the singing of solfège syllables. If they make you sing, “Dashing through
the snow” as “sol mi re do sol” then that’s solfège.
I've tried blaming the guitar, but I'm sure it's ok really.
Hi Paul,or hammering action) and then return the finger to playing position using basically extensors only.
This reminds of the time I took up classical guitar. Sort of pre-mid-life crisis (I have since advanced to straight up mid-life crisis).
I got a "teacher" but of course did plenty of self-directed study and research.
After some months I discovered that I had developed a bad habit of grabbing the string with my nail (flexor action) and then plucking the string to sound it (extensor action). According to the Internet, CGists sound strings with flexors only (stroking
I asked my teacher about this and he was like, "Well....DUH....yes that's how it works" although it got me to wondering why he never said anything to me about it. Then again, in his defense, he also told me to "not play" 2 measures of a Sor study thatI didn't understand and didn't quite sound right to me. No explanation or assistance, just "don't play those 2 measures").
So, teachers aren't always the answer. I suggest you find some simple TAB or sheet music of something you really want to play and have at it. All theory and no play makes us dull. Theory isn't really that important anyway, in my humble opinion!
On 5/4/2021 4:13 PM, Gary Dufresne wrote:
Hi Paul,
This reminds of the time I took up classical guitar. Sort of
pre-mid-life crisis (I have since advanced to straight up mid-life
crisis).
I got a "teacher" but of course did plenty of self-directed study and
research.
After some months I discovered that I had developed a bad habit of
grabbing the string with my nail (flexor action) and then plucking the
string to sound it (extensor action). According to the Internet,
CGists sound strings with flexors only (stroking or hammering action)
and then return the finger to playing position using basically
extensors only.
I asked my teacher about this and he was like, "Well....DUH....yes
that's how it works" although it got me to wondering why he never said
anything to me about it. Then again, in his defense, he also told me
to "not play" 2 measures of a Sor study that I didn't understand and
didn't quite sound right to me. No explanation or assistance, just
"don't play those 2 measures").
So, teachers aren't always the answer. I suggest you find some simple
TAB or sheet music of something you really want to play and have at it.
All theory and no play makes us dull. Theory isn't really that
important anyway, in my humble opinion!
There are good teachers, not so good teachers, and terrible teachers. In
my view, teachers *are* important, but it's important to select a good
one.
I've learned a lot by myself, but I also had good teachers who helped me unlearn some of the bad habits I learned by myself.
I *like* theory :-) I'm a technical person. I've spent many hundreds of hours buried deep in machine code. Old school hacker.
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