Strength, Accuracy and Knowledge for the Guitarist

Yes, I missed an entire month...

But for a very good reason.  For the past two years I have been compiling and collating, composing and decomposing my magnum opus -- a comprehensive guitar method.  This was both daunting and easy.  Why easy? I utilized many of the handouts and crib sheets I had been using with my students over the past twenty six years.  Why hard?  I had to organize and attach them so that there is now a logical progression geared towards the greatest number of students.  That, my friends, is why you have not seen exercises and technique sessions here for the past six weeks--I was busy.  BUSY!

All the effort has paid off with a delightfully well-balanced book entitled 'Classic Guitar Method: A comprehensive method designed to take the student from novice to recitalist'.  Is this the only method book you'll ever need?  Well, each student has different needs, but I believe that when taken with the supplemental repertoire listed in the back of the book--and coupled with the insight and correction of a reputable teacher, this method will have the student following the correct path to the recital stage.  In a nutshell, most likely.

Now in one volume, much of what the novice classical guitarist will need to know to lead him or her to the recital stage. From proper instrument care and maintenance to the necessary technical skills, musical mind-set, and the standard repertoire—all is exposed and explored with enough detail and insight that the student will wish to keep this book handy years to come as a ready reference source.

With the aid of a good teacher, the student will rapidly progress through The Classic Guitar Method attaining technical proficiency and musical eloquence.

The Purpose of this Method

             During the course of teaching guitar over the past twenty six years, I have often noted that no single method book contains all the information I wish my students to have readily available to them on a continuous basis.  It has not been uncommon for me to assign as many as three methods to a new student—all good, by the way, but not one of them being all inclusive.  This is not an unusual circumstance, and one I should have anticipated in my teaching experience as I distinctly remember Albert Valdés-Blain (10 April 1921—30 January 2002)  assigning me a mind-numbing ten books at my first lesson, seven of them methods or collections of studies.

I consider myself a disciple of Valdés-Blain.  I met him in 1974, though, of course, I had heard of him by reputation. Lawrence Silvestro, the guitar teacher who had brought me along to that point at which I was ready to undertake a study of the classical guitar at the college level, well, he had admonished me when he'd heard with whom I would be studying. With much the same advice as Mary had given the servants at the marriage feast at Cana, Mr. Silvestro told me "Whatever he tells you to do, just do it!"  So I did.

When I decided that the time was right for me to create a new method—one that would include all the necessary technical and musical disciplines to lead the serious student from neophyte hobbyist to burgeoning recitalist—I resisted the urge to call the Method something like ‘Maestro Valdés-Blain’s School of Guitar’ as this would imply that my method would accurately reflect his system of instruction and musical nurturing.  While I do follow his precepts fairly consistently and faithfully, my method reflects his impartation to me and me alone.  I did not intimately observe his method with other students and what I did witness leads me to presume that he tailored his approach to each individual, within logical constraints, no doubt.  No less importantly, I had also modified my teaching methods to my own personality and style of instruction over the years.  In short, this method echoes the classical approach of a well-known and much-loved pedagogue and student of Segovia, but is filtered through and expanded by a respectful devotee.

Is my method all-inclusive?  In light of what I wrote previously, possibly not. It should be very close though! No method will be absolutely all-encompassing for every student.  A good instructor will direct the student to studies and pieces that focus in on the student’s particular weak areas.   Aside from this, there is the legal ramification that any composition penned in the Twentieth Century is, of course, protected by copyright and while I can not include any such item here for this reason, I do direct the student to exemplary editions of milestone modern music.  All the performance pieces and many of the studies are public domain.  In the case of studies by Fernando Sor, Ferdinando Carulli, Mauro Giuliani, Napoleon Coste and the other classic masters, I have included my editions of some of their works.  I then direct the student to complete editions from which these gems are drawn.  The student can then choose to acquire these for further study.

What my method does is expose the student to the technical disciplines required to effectively perform on the instrument and give enough basic recital repertoire that when the method is completed, the guitarist will be able to perform a recital of approximately forty-five minutes in length. I have included many tips and explanations that should shed light on the correct process of attempting to solve problems.  Teach a student a solution and he has one problem solved.  Teach a student to be a problem-solver and he or she is on the road to mastering the instrument.

Included in this book are sections on the correct interpretation of lute tablature in its varieties. Why?  The lute enjoys one of the largest repertoires of any instrument ancient or modern. Much of this lute music remains untranscribed for the guitar, its modern descendant.  The guitarist will want to mine this wealth of material for fresh program pieces. 

Many students have asked me to recount the development of the guitar as the instrument we know today.  So few people know exactly what a classical guitar even is: “Children’s guitars have nylon strings while real guitars have steel strings.”  Little do those who make this ridiculously  false statement realize that some of the priciest, most desired instruments on the planet are nylon-strung classical guitars, so this book includes a section on history as well as instrument care. 

Music is hard work.  Mastering an instrument is an endeavor that requires more years than a lifetime can possibly ever contain.  With that said, many will then ask ‘why bother?’  It’s a fair question and if you ask it, maybe playing an instrument is more a hobby for you and less a vocation.  For those who begin their journey by considering it a vocation, it becomes an obsession; a passionate one that can never be fully satisfied.  If you are fervent about playing the classical guitar—and playing it well—then this book, my method, may be the one book you need to make it all happen.  Practice is critical, critical listening is, well, critical. An awareness of musicality is more than vital—music is what it is all about and unless the performer can impart an emotion to humanity-at-large, then why bother? 

Indeed, it can be stated that music is the most spiritual of all the arts.  It is more fleeting than sand painting as once the sound has been produced, it is over and gone except for the image it leaves on the human heart.  Recordings are wonderful, but they can never hope to capture the veracity of a genuine, intimate live performance.   The guitar is arguably the most intimate of all instruments; you must hug it to make music with it! Its relatively small voice requires the listener to draw close to the performer.  This double dose of intimacy makes the guitar an incredibly personal and articulate voice for an artist.

I wish you great success with music.  Music will feed your soul in a way that nothing else can.  I wish you equal success with the guitar. Attaining mastery of an instrument is a long road—a road with many rewards and more than its fair share of frustration.  A good tutorial method will help you avoid some frustrations and work through others. There are poor paths and rough roads to be found. This method of mine, should you decide to let it, will put you on the right road, but this road doesn’t end when you close this book. Welcome to the road you will travel for the rest of your life!

 The Table of Contents