Group 1
Mastering the art of subtle timing flexibility is crucial for delivering performances that are as expressive and speech-like as possible, captivating your audience's attention. Have you ever marveled at how the fluid manipulation of timing by your favorite performers adds depth and expressiveness to their music? If you aspire to imbue your musical expressions with similar vitality, or if you aim to perfect and evolve your ability to produce seamless legato, this course is tailored for you. We will introduce techniques designed to equip you with the skills necessary for integrating these practices into your own rehearsal routines with pieces beyond the scope of this course.
Course Highlights:
Dynamic Timing Flexibility: Delve into the nuances of timing flexibility to achieve a more expressive and speech-like performance. Discover the secrets behind the captivating, ever-changing stretch of time that adds color and expression to music, drawing listeners into your sonic world.
Legato Mastery: Explore the techniques to perfect your legato playing, ensuring seamless transitions and a fluid, singing quality in your music. This segment focuses on cultivating the ability to convey your musical ideas with the same vitality and expressiveness as your favorite performers.
Technique Enhancement: Engage in specialized exercises designed to improve your timing flexibility and legato execution. These practices are crafted to help you integrate these skills into your personal practice routine, allowing for continual growth and refinement.
Customized Feedback: Benefit from personalized feedback tailored to your unique musical journey. This course offers the opportunity to receive direct guidance and strategies from an expert, enabling you to overcome challenges and achieve your musical goals.
Collaborative Learning Community: Join a network of like-minded musicians and enthusiasts. This course fosters a nurturing environment for sharing insights, experiences, and encouragement, building a community of learners dedicated to musical excellence.
Enroll now and unlock the potential of your guitar playing like never before!
Timeline:
- Sign-Up : NOW until March 17th
- Course Period: March 18th until March 28th
- Optional check-In via Zoom: March 23rd, 10 am PST
Assignments Week 1
Note:
- Try to experiment with different tempos (bigger, smaller, etc.).
- Always listen to yourself. If what you were playing was gradually becoming clear or audible, keep at it.
- For exercises 4-7, it is important that you emphasize the melody and make the accompaniment quieter.
- In exercises 6-7, you can use appoyando to bring out the melody.
- Please send me videos of exercises 1, 2, and 3, and choose only one from 4-5 and one from 6-7.
Videos
Exercise one: https://youtu.be/GDYyqiyhuws
Exercise two: https://youtu.be/hgux2nOkEaM
Exercise three: https://youtu.be/SFDvk4CHsaI
Exercise four: https://youtu.be/gbNV-ZEJv5c
Exercise five: https://youtu.be/h9Kfdnhmm54
Exercise six: https://youtu.be/-yHXgqAruYs
Exercise seven: https://youtu.be/OShYqOe6fyo
Scores
Improve_your_time_flexibility_and_legato
Assignments Week Two
First exercise: https://youtu.be/B53r9aRax44
Second exercise: https://youtu.be/CIWz9DZQFQ4
Third exercise: https://youtu.be/CGEyEbwx6UQ
Fourth exercise: https://youtu.be/XAdOVEPx5Lc
Fifth exercise: https://youtu.be/dm9dW9WTXLU
Scores
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Exercise 1
I had to work on getting the thumb back in place quickly.
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
I need to work on lifting LH fingers to avoid string noise.
I am also beginning to work on Exercises 4 and 6. I might not be able to post a video of them this week as I am still learning them.
This is a very helpful challenge. (The updated scores were posted after I made these videos.)
Martha Kreipke
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Borbála Seres Thank you. I am looking forward to it,
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Borbála Seres hi Martha,
I am not sure that I can make an extra video about this question but let's speak about it on zoom in on Saturday.
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Borbála Seres
Here is my video for Exercise 6. I am trying to put it all together here: legato, synchronization, rubato, dynamics and clear tone. I had previously worked on this piece for bass stopping and that was what my ears had always listened for. Now I am listening for a lot more - and hearing all the areas where I still need work.
I am looking forward to the zoom session on Saturday. Thank you for all your excellent guidance.
PS - After I posted the above video, I made one more recording and I think I made a small improvement in flow. There is some background home noise. There is definitely an advantage to making multiple recordings.
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Neil Macmillan Thank you, Neil. I appreciate the encouragement!
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Martha Kreipke hi Martha,
Thank you for your video of exercise 6.
I can see how much you worked on the legato synchronity flexibility everything. Great job!
You could make it even nicer if you would try to highlight the top Melody. It means that it should sound a bit louder than the others to be able to hear the nice and singing main Melody on the top. That is really difficult and delicate issue to emphasize only one voice and go back with the accompaniment. I would recommend to you to make it first a bit easier to play only the top notes with complete legato that you can focus on it on the sound on the volume on the tonecolor, on the musical formulation. Basically all the music ideas first only with the melody.
Then you can add the rest of the notes to build up the whole story. And pay attention that you are following only the melody line while you are playing all the voices. That is crucial, so guide your focus on the melody while listening yourself during the playing.
If you wish for a bit nicer tone I mean a bit rounder, softer, then you should try to place your hand a bit higher, closer to the top of the hole of the guitar.
The release point the ritardandos were super nice!. Thank you, great job!
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Borbála Seres oh I forgot, indeed the second version with the background voices was musically more fluently. You are right. But I liked both versions
Thank you
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Borbála Seres
First of all, thank you for the zoom check-in session. I really enjoyed it, and feel more confident that it is okay to be an adult and make my own musical decisions.
Here is Exercise 6 one more time. I worked on bringing out the melody line and I think it is coming along. I can see from this video that I need to work on my left elbow and hand position.
Now on to the Week 2 lessons!
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Martha Kreipke dear Martha,
I was very happy to see you all on zoom in session. You all had wonderful and important questions, and I hope I could help you with them.
About your video, that is a very good observation, your elbow is sometimes a bit too high, actually only when you are going to the first position. Just remember try to relax your elbow always use the gravitation. In one more thing your left hand wrist could be also a bit more straight let's say. But actually the good position for the wrist is coming with the relax position of the elbow. You can use a mirror to control it because then you will have a much more clear picture about your posture and hand positions.
I am happy that I gave you courage to experiment with your own musical ideas that is so important!
About your musical interpretation of exercise 6. You see? That's it! Beautiful really nice job what you did with the melody line on the top! You could highlight it really very good! That's our job almost always not always but almost. And I think you just had to direct your attention to the right thing. You started to listen to yourself!
In my opinion it could be a bit even more free with the timing, I mean acc, rit, but this way is also nice. I think you could enjoy it even more if you would allow yourself more flexibility more rubato.
Excellent job thank you!
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Hi Borbála, Thanks for running this lesson.
Exercise 1 - This was tough and I struggled playing the notes evenly especially accelerando. I also found that I'm inclined to add a crescendo or decrescendo as I speed up or slow down so that will take some work.
Exercises 4 and 6 - When I was recording these it felt like I was varying the tempo and dynamics to the point of being melodramatic, but when I played them back, it didn't sound like much variation at all. Maybe I need to be more dramatic for it to come across.
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Steve Price hello Steve, I'm glad to be here again.
Thank you for the videos.
Exercise 1
I found your video really nice it was also gradually. If you feel that you have problems with it I would recommend to imagine it always before the execution, how you want to do it. That helps a lot. And you can of course experiment with different kind of level of rit. and acc .
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Borbála Seres exercise 2
It was really really nice. Your synchron is almost perfect. If I'm not wrong please check your right hand finger your thumb, it seemed to me that you are touching almost always the strings just a bit earlier than it should come. I'm not sure about it because sometimes the video and the sound are not in complete sync. So maybe I am wrong . But I hear a very tiny noise like you would plant all the time. If you were doing planting then please pay attention that for legato we can never use planting. Not in such a case when we have notes after another in this "scale way". You always have to come from the air!
Nice job!
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Borbála Seres exercise 3
Great job!
I have the feeling that you completely have this synchronic feeling for your alternated strokes.
If you would like to have a bit softer tonequality, then come a bit higher with your right hand. you should find a comfortable place on the top of the hole of the guitar. It will become more dolce.
Thank you
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Steve Price exercise 4
Beautiful.
It seems that this attitude was not too difficult for your level so I'm glad that you didn't have to struggle with the technique.
Everything what you were doing musically was very nice but if you didn't find it enough dramatic I would recommend to exaggerate everything what you were doing . Basically everything was there but you were right. It could have been even more free. The thing is we always have to exaggerate, over-do everything what we are doing musically, otherwise the listener will not be able to hear the same way how we wanted them to hear. At least three times more as we think it would be enough. Actually we are like theater actors, we have to show everything more as we think it would be natural to have an effect on the listener.
In your case I would try to focus also a bit more on the tonequality. You could achieve a much nicer tone color if you would come as I said a bit higher with your right arm.
Thank you
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Borbála Seres exercise 6
I would say exactly the same then I said to your exercise four. Just for fun try to come out from your comfort zone with timing. And you will see, that you will enjoy it even much more. Listen to yourself and try to be free and enjoy the musical flow!
have fun!
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Borbála Seres Thank you for this extremely valuable feedback. I really appreciate it.
You mentioned playing more over the soundhole which is something I have tried for the longest time, but as soon as I start concentrating on something else, my right hand drifts back towards the bridge which seems to be where it naturally falls when I hold the guitar. Rick Lord mentioned something similar so I know this is outside of the scope of these lessons, but if you had any insight on this, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks again for the thoughtful thorough response.
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Steve Price dear Steve,
I understand your problem it's really difficult to find a good and comfortable posture for the guitar and still have everything at the right place to be able to play with the best technique. I would recommend to experiment with different postures. Use a mirror for controlling it. It can be that the guitar body is to high and that's why your hand cannot achieve the guitar whole. If I'm not wrong you are playing with a guitar lift. With guitar lift you have many possibilities so just try to find the best way for both hands. It can be also the problem if the guitar body goes too much to the left side and then of course you're right arm cannot play at the hole. You try to put the guitar hole more close to your body middle let's say core maybe that could help you for your right arm. But we can discuss about it a bit more on zoom in if you want. Is difficult to say it would be better to see your whole position from a bit more distance and then I could tell you maybe better suggestion.
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Hi Borbála,
I am grateful for the chance to work with you on this essential area of guitar technique. I've attached two videos (Exercises 1 - 3) and (Exercises 5 & 7). Still need a bit more time with these to get more gradual evenness in the execution of accelerando/ritardando phrases but it's coming along. Just the kind of exercises I've needed.
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Rick Lord Nicely executed in all cases.
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Rick Lord Hi Rick. Always a pleasure to hear you play!
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Neil Macmillan Thanks Neil. I appreciate the deliberate approach you are taking in your video. Good work.
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Martha Kreipke Hi Martha - great to connect with you here. Happy Rubato!
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Rick Lord hi Rick,
I am glad to that you signed up for this two weeks intensive with me.
Thank you for the videos!
Exercise 1
That was really perfect all three ways. I assume that you are on a much higher level then the others. So if you feel this d major chord too easy you could experiment with some different pattern for the right hand or also different chords for the left hand to make it a bit more challenging. But I'm not pushing you just in case that you felt it a bit too simple.
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Rick Lord exercise 2
Your p finger legato was perfect. I enjoyed that you put extra effort to formulate it musically too.
Thank you
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Borbála Seres exercise 3
It was really nice.
I am not sure if you would really need these kind of exercises (as you said), because I don't find any problem with your legato at all. And Never feel sorry or unsatisfied if you accidentally play some mistakes because the bottom line should be always to play the music not the perfect technique. Enjoy it!
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Rick Lord exercise 5
I liked your version of this carcassi a lot. It was nice gradual and free musically. Only one thing. The character of the peak point in measure 8 with that E chord was a slightly different from my version but I liked it too. With that tonecolour change of yours (metalico) it became really very powerful instead of being very dramatic (which was my intention here, but of course I never said it on the video,and our topic was not the character now,but the time flexibility). I'm very glad that you added your own ideas to the peace!!!
Maybe one thing more, same place E major chord, after emphasizing that chord you should to try to make gradually rit. instead of waiting too much before you start the bass line EDCB. That could have a bit more gradual effect on the musical material on the relaxing of the phrase .
Great job thank you!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
