Mistakes

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Mistakes

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Georg

Posts: 405
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
From: Germany

Mistakes

It seems very quiet here today so let me ask you a question.

Do you think it is possible to play a decent piece without any mistakes (minor ones included)?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 13 2007 14:39:25

JBASHORUN

Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005

RE: Mistakes (in reply to Georg)

quote:

Do you think it is possible to play a decent piece without any mistakes (minor ones included)?

Ofcourse it is, Georg... you just have to keep practising. One of my teachers once told me a saying:

A GOOD guitarist practises until he gets it right. A GREAT guitarist practises until he never gets it wrong.

Obviously if you're anything like me, you hardly ever practise and always get it wrong!

Jb

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¡Si esto no está en compas, esto no es el Flamenco!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 13 2007 15:00:24

Georg

Posts: 405
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
From: Germany

RE: Mistakes (in reply to Georg)

You are right about my practicing

...

But this is a quote from Paco:"The truth is that I am very self critical, and once I record an album I rarely listen to it again. If I do, I start to see mistakes everywhere and I want to change it completely."

You can read the whole interview here:

http://www.flamenco-world.com/artists/pacodelucia/entrevista2.htm

Perhaps he means mistakes about composing. I don't know.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 13 2007 15:11:37

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: Mistakes (in reply to Georg)

of course paco hears flaws in his playing...even technical.
like any musician im sure he has a picture (sound) in his head how he would like it to be, and im sure he feels he could have done things diffrent. things can always improve. even for paco.

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This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

RON

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 13 2007 16:00:02

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: Mistakes (in reply to Georg)

I find I play best when I have a really strong idea of what I am tryng to achieve musically. If I feel that I understand the piece well enough that the listener can hear these intentions then I allow myself not to care too much about the odd missed note or fumble.

Since I started to try and play all of my excercises in compass and with a strong musical intent (no matter how unmusical the actual notes might be ) then I have noticed a tremendous change in my accuracy because the excercises then build a technique which is fit for purpose.

I try and get a balance between technical work and working on a piece since if you try and work a whole piece as a performance form say 100 to 240 for buleria you are really going to start to see it as a chore and the piece will go a little stale and you will start to listen for mistakes as you play ( looking back ) instead of trying to shape a phrase ( in the moment or slightly ahead ).

Still maybe you play a lot better than me but you asked for my two cents and I have a pocketful.

Regards
D.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 13 2007 21:29:28

John O.

Posts: 1723
Joined: Dec. 16 2005
From: Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany

RE: Mistakes (in reply to guitarbuddha)

There are big and little mistakes. Mistakes everyone hears and mistakes only the artist hears. I've seen Paco buzz a string and miss notes in a run live.

I of course strive for perfection but for most people that just isn't gonna happen. For me if I miss a note or play a wrong one and still go over it without losing my cool and most of the audience doesn't notice, it's not really a mistake. A mistake would be when the audience isn't able to enjoy my performance because it sounds like crap with too many mistakes or my fear of making a mistake makes them nervous.

_____________________________

Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 13 2007 23:11:02

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: Mistakes (in reply to Georg)

I agree John.
Another thing in the mix for live performance is forgiveness.
I once saw a really great and deeply musical brazilian guitarist play at a classical competition which I was at.
He played with really very few mistakes and his musical integrity was everything that I had been striving for in my paying.
But when he made a mistake (no matter how slight) his dissapointment in himself blew them out of proportion for us too and they were more memorable and more distressing than they need have been.
I do not how this happened but he communicated so well that he communicated his anxiety as well.

Were only human.

D.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 14 2007 2:17:35

ToddK

Posts: 2961
Joined: Dec. 6 2004

RE: Mistakes (in reply to Georg)

The key, is to practice at a pace at wich you can play perfectly.

As the saying goes "perfect practice".

To play perfectly, you have to practice playing perfectly.

It takes alot more patience and dedication than just "running through
stuff".

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 14 2007 15:52:06