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Posts: 441
Joined: Mar. 19 2009
From: San Francisco Bay Area
RE: do you have that feeling?!?!? (in reply to Haithamflamenco)
We play with the cards we have been dealt, strive within the circumstances of our lives and responsibilities, and measure our success against ourselves and by what we contribute.
I watched a biographical video of Paco de Lucia. Considering all that he put in to learning the guitar as a boy and as a young man, he deserves the proficiency and success that he has today.
RE: do you have that feeling?!?!? (in reply to Haithamflamenco)
Flamenco has somehow always been a competitive sport among guitarists. Perhaps someone else can explain why.
I have accepted I will never be truly great or perhaps even good, so my goal is simply to improve and to have the courage to express an emotion truly and as much as possible in compas.
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"I'm just a poor crazy man in love with his art." Santos Hernandez
RE: do you have that feeling?!?!? (in reply to Haithamflamenco)
Man I get that feeling all the time but then I keep practicing and a month later the son of a ***** doesn't seem so great (unless it's paco of course )
Harry - Maybe you're thinking about picado speed or something. I usually get jealous of people's funky groove, picado is too much work .
RE: do you have that feeling?!?!? (in reply to Haithamflamenco)
I agree with GuitarVlog. I think that talent is discussed far too much. It's very easy as someone that doesn't know anything about these talented kids/people to say "oh they're so talented" when we really have no clue how much effort was put into the music. I'm not saying everyone starts out being exactly equal but I think that 8+ hours of practice since you're 5 or 6 years old is hard to beat by anyone. I think we need recognize that these people often sacrifice a lot more than we think. Do you think Paco had a regular childhood? Do you think there are maybe some things we experienced that he missed out on? I think so. He seems to have turned out to be a very interesting person as a result but I think these are sacrifices nonetheless. I mean come on, he had serious responsibilities when he was 12 while most of us were kicking the ball around.
So to get back to the point. Flamenco and guitar are not the be all end all to me. They're very important and I put in a lot of work but I have never spent 12 hours in one day practicing. I put health, social life and education far above flamenco even though I adore it. So when I see a kid playing well, I think good for him. Guitar is a great interest/passion and if that kid likes playing guitar more than I liked kicking the ball around, he deserves all the success he will ever get.
Posts: 441
Joined: Mar. 19 2009
From: San Francisco Bay Area
RE: do you have that feeling?!?!? (in reply to NenadK)
quote:
ORIGINAL: NenadK It's very easy as someone that doesn't know anything about these talented kids/people to say "oh they're so talented" when we really have no clue how much effort was put into the music. I'm not saying everyone starts out being exactly equal but I think that 8+ hours of practice since you're 5 or 6 years old is hard to beat by anyone. I think we need recognize that these people often sacrifice a lot more than we think.
We should also remember that some people sacrifice and some people get a boost. In the case of Paco, it was a combination of both. He was pulled out of school early because his father could not afford it, but his father also encouraged him to practice the guitar. Paco said he practiced twelve hours a day as a child. Having started less than four years ago, I'm lucky if I can practice eight hours in a week!
Would Julian Bream have become a great classical guitarist were it not for his father who was a musician? He saw young Julian noodling with the guitar and immediately asked his son if he would like to learn to play the instrument. They then both signed-up for lessons with an excellent instructor.
When my daughter was in elementary school, she was the best pianist in her age range. Her friends and other parents said she was remarkably talented. Of course, we always encouraged her, asked the school director to pair her with the best and most enjoyable teachers, worked with the teachers to understand what was needed to help her improve, sat and listened attentively to her while she practiced, bought her a good student electronic piano with weighted keys, allowed her to select music that she would enjoy practicing, celebrated her successes and so on. Certainly she had the aptitude but nurture was as much in play as nature. Some parents just treated the teachers as baby-sitters and the piano lessons as something to keep the kids preoccupied.
And what about luck? Her first teacher happened to be a Julliard scholar on break for one year and an excellent instructor. Her second teacher was a Japanese girl working on her masters degree in piano and she had an incredible talent for connecting with children. Her third teacher was an immigrant from Russia with advanced degrees from an esteemed university. Each one kept her enthusiasm levels up.
The fourth teacher was uninspiring and eventually our daughter lost interest. There were no better teachers left as all the good ones had moved on. What if any of the first three could have stayed on for 3-4 more years? Might things have been different? I don't know. At least she left with advanced abilities and can play almost any piece by sight.
RE: do you have that feeling?!?!? (in reply to GuitarVlog)
Amen to both of you!
I agree that technical prowess should not be the end unto itself. I once read a quote by Mike Stern where he says that sometimes going to a museum and looking at paintings for a couple of hours is better than practicing.
But the truth is that some people are simply better than others, music comes more naturally to them. I can see that with my non-musician friends - some of them cannot even keep a beat while others can improvise quite well with the rhythm. The same goes for trained musicians - talent is very important, maybe not the ultimate decider (practice plays a huge role as well) but still significant.
For example - talent would play a large role in the desire of the beginner to continue. If he or she are having a hard time and seeing little result they would be more inclined to quit.
RE: do you have that feeling?!?!? (in reply to Harry)
quote:
so my goal is simply to improve and to have the courage to express an emotion truly and as much as possible in compas
Kind of how I feel.....I'm constantly reminding myself to stop comparing my playing to others...with all that competitive mind set stuff....although can be a good thing I suppose if you're pursuing a pro career as a guitarist...keeps you on your toes as it were...
But speaking as an enthusiastic amateur If I can really enjoy my playing without the distraction of all those thoughts of '....am I sounding good...what are those people thinking...etc etc...' then maybe the experience of playing music would be more fulfilling more of the time...and if others are listening maybe they will get something good out of the experience as well...
Just my two cents worth...but it's something I've often reflected on...
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