Week 4: Etude Extravaganza!

Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary 

Hello, Nijwm. I am also a beginner on classical guitar and going through the level system on tonebase. See this link in the forum.

https://guitar-community.tonebase.co/category/level-system-forum

Level one and 2 offers good courses which will include pieces of music for beginners.

My first posting is a piece from Carcassi in the level one course.

I am also going through the Sor po 60 serie of pieces, that are of increasing difficulties.

The no 1 and 2 are for beginners. I posted these 2 pieces in this challenge.

Despite you are a beginner, Posting your progress is very rewarding and people around are great and supportive.

Eric Phillips This is what I've come to love about the community, Eric. You're all so eager to help fellow members. Wonderful pieces of advice. Thank you. I'll bookmark your post. Watch out for my video submission soon

Andre Bernier Thank you for the advice, Andre. Yeah, everyone around here is so supportive and encouraging, I feel a part of this vibrant community, even though I'm far away in India. By the way, right now, I'm working through Gulli Bjornsson's Landslog pieces. I've completed the first three

As a fellow beginner, I highly recommend it, if you haven't explored it already. Really beautiful pieces of calm, atmospheric and introspective pieces in my opinion.

Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Namaste! I would agree with Eric Phillips who is a specialst on Sor's music.  I also like Carcassi's Progessive Studies but as Eric mentioned,  they tend to be more intermediate, although his 3rd Study in that set was the first piece that I studied.  I would also look at some Carruli and Aguado simple studies.  They both have some very nice and begiining arpeggios studies.  

Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary 

Yes, Nijwm. I also like a lot the Gulli Bjornsson's Landslog serie of pieces. I learned the first one last January and am planning to learn the second one later this fall. I want to learn a new one every time I move up one level in the TB level system.

Blaise Laflamme Thank you Blaise,  really interesting points. I'll keep them in mind.

Dale Needles Thank you Dale. 

Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary .... welcome! I am new to tonebase as well yet already sense a very positive, supportive vibe from established longer-term members.  All of us "began at the beginning" and the important thing is to enjoy each step of the journey and do it with as much clarity and patience as possible.

I began my classical guitar journey at age 30 after playing rock/folk/some jazz beginning at age 13. My classical teacher started me in Sagreras 1 and even though I already knew quite a bit of rock/jazz theory, I had to first learn PIM (and eventually A) fundamental technique, and then confront reading simple two line notation over eight bars in first position. It was very humbling to realize that I lacked fundamental musical competencies after many years of playing other styles, even publicly in bands, etc.

At one point after about a year of weekly classical guitar lessons, I got so frustrated with my slow progress,   I slammed the headstock of my (thankfully student level) Classical guitar into a wall. Thankfully, no real damage other than a scar on the headstock.  

The moral of the story is don't allow yourself to reach this level of frustration.  Classical Guitar can be a capricious lover, but with enough patience and the support of a community like this (and hopefully a good local teacher) you can win its love!

All of us are pilgrims on the path of music with plenty of room to grow.

Brian That's a heck of a story, Brian. I couldn't have put it so beautifully myself regarding our relationship with the guitar. I really want to get to a high level, but realised the patience, hard work, discipline and determination that's needed. In a way, for me, practicing has been like meditation, it's given me calmness and perspective on many things, not just music.

Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary ... "practicing Classical Guitar as meditation" . . . I could not have put it better.!  

Eric Phillips   Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary

I second Eric's recommendation for the first 3 Leo Brouwer Estudios Sencillos. 

It's very important to get a solid foundation early on in technical fundamentals (LH exercises, PIMA combinations with both rest and free strokes, RH open string arpeggios, scales, etc.) and basic reading skills progressively with 1, 2,  and 3 parts.  I got most of this from the First Studies for guitar book byJulio S. Sagreras and later on the Emilio Pujol Guitar School books for progressively more difficult technique and reading studies -- all while taking weekly lessons with an excellent local teacher.  I periodically revisit these studies and continue to learn much from them!  Also get a basic foundation in common practice harmony (Walter Piston's book is often used for this -- others may have recommendations as well).

I've seen adults attempt Bach Lute Suites who sadly cannot play simple 8-16 bar pieces in Sagreras 1 well, while children who learned the fundamentals progress much faster!  Be like those children!