Fingering Exercises

Discussion of history's greatest guitar player.

Re: Fingering Exercises

Postby RandyBuckner » Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:38 pm

Rande -

It's not strange at all to me to be "surrounded". I'm ecstatic to be around my "own kind" - people who love the guitar and fingerstyle playing.

I always remind myself that the "Great Quartet" of Merle, Chet, Jerry, and Tommy were not formally trained, yet were, and are, phenomenal musicians. Many musicians such as Tal Farlow, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, & others never spent a day in class. I myself was self-taught until attending MTSU at the age of 39. As a kid, I actually taught myself to read music - bought the Mel Bay books and went to town on them. Also, everything taught in college is first learned "in the field", usually by an "untrained" musician.

When I first sit down with a student, I usually ask them a question like this: If I gave you a computer how would you learn to use it? 1) Play with it until you figure it out. 2) Read the book. 3) A combination of the two. How they answer this question tells me how the student processes information. So, some students I'll teach how to read notes or tab, some I'll teach by ear, and some will be a combination of the two. By doing this, I can tailor my lessons to fit the student in order to get the most benefit from the experience.

I learn songs in many ways - by notes, by transcribing it from the recording, or as Tommy Emmanuel once said, pester a person until they show me the lick or song.

So, no, this doesn't feel strange to me at all - I feel right at home.

Randy
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Re: Fingering Exercises

Postby LMark » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:31 pm

In fairness to Chapdelaine (vs. Segovia), it does not appear that Michael received the scolding because he failed to prepare. Rather, he received the scolding because he tried to improve upon Segovia's fingering, or something like that. LMark
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Re: Fingering Exercises

Postby Mike Nye » Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:09 pm

Listen . . . Jimmy Bryant, the fastest guitar player ever, would warm up for a few minutes, and start cookin' - THAT's IT ! ! !

NO finger exercises, NO Zen Buddhist Meditation or Twitter needed to get him goin' ! ! !
If BRUTE-FORCE isn't working, you're not using enough ! ! !
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Re: Fingering Exercises

Postby keener » Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:10 pm

LMark, I think you are exactly right. That was also my take on the video. I would not have posted it if I had thought Chapdelaine had really "goofed," because I don't like to see anyone who is doing his best be embarrassed by someone else. What impressed me is how he took the criticism to heart, in attempt to become an even more excellent player than he is.

I am impressed by good classical guitarists, but I would not want to be one because you too often have to play a tune a certain, exact way to "do the composer justice." But the way I look at music is why bother playing if you are not going to put some of yourself into the music. That's why I stopped taking classical lessons many years ago. (Well, one of the reasons: it also was cutting into my drinking time and chasing after honeys.) In hindsight, though, I should have attempted to learn more, and save the "putting myself into it" until after I had mastered the guitar better. And I most certainly would have done well to have learned discipline, which is what I am trying to instill more into myself now with regular exercises ... hence, this post.

Anyway, thanks for emphasizing that Chapdelaine's performance didn't "warrant" a scolding, at least not without also being praised for his excellent skills.
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Re: Fingering Exercises

Postby Roger Hardin » Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:51 pm

Chapdelaine should have played this for Segovia.

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Re: Fingering Exercises

Postby keener » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:55 pm

Thanks for sharing that, Roger. What an amazing performance. Lots of soul.
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