Slur Scales

Feelin Slurry?
Here are some slur scales that I came up with that really give a good work out to the left hand and also are quite fun to play!
You will notice that the scale takes on a pattern (except in first position) that can be repeated. Once you have completed one slur scale, shift the [...]

Choosing Repertoire

It is important to consider carefully which works you choose to study because more often than not, they stay with us throughout our entire lives. Our repertoire can shape us and even define what type of musician we are. It has been said that “pieces choose us” and at times it does feel that way [...]

Metronome Technique

When I was in my teenage years I built up quite a large collection of metronomes. I was absolutely convinced that they kept breaking, one after another. I had tried new batteries, different settings, and even asked my friends if they could hear what I was hearing. To my, very self-assured ears, they were constantly [...]

Three ways to slow down your practice and improve your playing…fast.

In my lessons with the undergraduate students here at Yale I find myself repeating a few core ideas many times. Perhaps one of the most common suggestions I make to students is to… slow down.
Guitarists seem to have a fascination with playing things fast. I must admit that I too went through my phase… ok. [...]

Setting Goals

Setting goals is a great way to make your practice sessions more productive and get you feeling positive about your playing.
All too often we sit down to practice and work without any sense of direction or time frame. The progress of the practice session is dependant on what scores are at hand and what technical [...]

Recording yourself for practice

Recording yourself is one of the best ways to improve your abilities. We often have quite a different idea in our head of what our playing sounds like compared to the scathing honesty of a recording. If you record yourself and hear things that you want to improve then you have already learnt something and [...]

Using Buzzing in your Practice

Its possible to forget sometimes just how easy it is to hold down a guitar string. When our left hand is required to do many complex movements and move rapidly in synchronization with the right hand we can forget to relax and end up using much more pressure than we need. That pressure builds up and can cause aches and pains in the palm and forearm. It also makes playing more difficult than it needs to be.

Scale Practice

The process of running up and down a scale, which is a very common way of practicing scales, is pointless. Without a specific focus to practicing a scale then the time is wasted without any goals being reached. The scale itself may become familiar and fluid but seeing as there are few actual applications of a scale in a piece the process really is, pointless.

Memorizing Music

These days it is more common than not to see a classical guitarist perform from memory. It has become almost par for the course to have an entire recital memorized and performed without mistakes (if our job wasn’t already hard enough!). Before going on to talk about methods of memorization I would like you to first give some thought to why we perform from memory?

Slurs

Slurs are an integral part of classical guitar technique. They offer a source of musical expression and they also have many technical advantages that can make difficult passages of music flow with more ease.
For free slur exercises visit the Scales and Exercises page
Slurs can more or less be divided into two types: musical slurs and [...]