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hands or tentacles? help needed
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tmock
Posts: 143
Joined: Jan. 23 2005
From: New York, New York
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RE: hands or tentacles? help needed (in reply to Ailsa)
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Ailsa, don't give up! You're definitely not alone. Practices were always nerve-wracking for me because the teacher isn't just enjoying your music like it was a performance. He's evaluating and critiquing everything you do. Don't let it make you quit, though. See it as another challenge - to learn how to perform. Also, here is a little tip that I heard from a classical cellist and that has worked for me. Whenever you feel nervous about a performance or upset about how you played, pick up the guitar and play the simplest thing you possibly can (a really slow solea pulgar falseta, or some deep taranta chords, or something). Play that thing that every player has that makes their guitar sound especially good. Just keep playing that and without really thinking about anything - just enjoy the sound. Eventually the stress will go away and you'll remember that you really love the guitar and that you can actually make it sound quite nice! Then when you're totally at ease, circle back to the falsetas and techniques that are giving you trouble. I don't know, that may sound stupid, but it works for me. Hope it helps, Travis.
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Date Jul. 25 2007 22:22:57
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Florian
Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia
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RE: hands or tentacles? help needed (in reply to PacoPaella)
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quote:
(lets call it the Nino de Pura effect ), Ouch SO what you are saying is stay away from technically challenging pieces (even if you acctualy like them and is the kind of music u wish to play) unless you can play em perfect the first time ? play something you are not that much into for the sake of beeing right and approved ? quote:
Since i really dislike the trend of playing fast and difficult for the sake of showing off technique Yeah none of the flamenco guitarists we look up to do that lol beeing a performer IS beeing a show off, flamenco guitar is about showing off unique flamenco technique as much as it is telling a musical story.. If you dont wanna show off u got no bussines playing in front of people cause noone pays money to see you do something they can do or to see you beeing shy. and yeah what a shock you wont be able to do something technically challenging right the way it sounds on the cd the first 200 or 300 times u try, i gues i better stop and go play a beginner piece i can play but it does nothing for my enjoyment ... or i could keep practicing this challenging piece better and slower and keep working at it until i get it ???? hmm what to do .. what will make me happyer and get me closer towards playing the kind of music i love playing ? People like paco , gerardo , tomatito , vicente inspire us, theyr music inspire us why is it showing off asspiring to play like them ? however wrong we do it ?. we are also fans. u call it showing off, i say trying to play the music u love and most of the time for the reason you got into flamenco guitar, because 70 % of people here didnt get into flamenco guitar because they heard a perfectly played beginner flamenco piece and were inspired. most of the time is the Pacos, and Tomatitos impressive technical pieces that inspire us and stand out. its up to you to find the smartest way to get there, and change paths if you are not making progress, but progress dosent just happen naturally, u will sound like crap for a long time probably..and you will have to step out of your confort zone... so what.., id rather sound like crap for years on the way to beeing the guitarist i wanna be and play the music i love to play rather than spending one day beeing the guitarist i dont wanna be and play music i dont like, I am not a program , i reserve the right to be wrong on my own terms. nothing wrong if you prefer less technicall pieces but to say that other that do is showing off is not exactly correct or fair either. last time i checked even Nino de Pura is a great flamenco guitarist respected by his peers, and also last time i cheked Every guitarist does picado, it is a certified flamenco technique. PacoPaella, i know that Nino remark was not directed at me indirectly ( i hope lol) so my post is not beeing defensive to myself. Just using "I" to describe another point of view... mine, i am very much on the other side of your view. Most of the time it is smart and practical to think with your head more than with your heart, but in this case they are wrong. This is Music, the art of teling a story trough a melody thinking with your heart and doing what you love cannot possibly be wrong, u cannot leave your heart out of this one. Trying to tell a story you dont yourself belive will always leave you uninspired and empthy...... even if you got a great technique or are beeing practical or recive a pat on the back here life is way to short to not be yourself for the sake of beeing right most times is the uncaculated risktakers that tell a more honest story that touches, than the calculated.. Lets call them ( the tape recorders) who play perfect, but u cannot connect with the guitarist, and no personality comes out. most important flamenco guitar technique, is the heart, weather you like simple or technically complicated guitar pieces. Many should start there, make sure you dont compromise your taste, for beeing practical and smart.. no matter what technique will come. If you keep slowing it down and keep playing guitar your technique does get better. BE the happiest, worst guitarist in the world !!!..rather than the empthy , unsatified best player play pieces you love not pieces you can its music its not financial planing
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Date Jul. 28 2007 4:11:27
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Ailsa
Posts: 2277
Joined: Apr. 17 2007
From: South East England
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RE: hands or tentacles? help needed (in reply to Florian)
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Hey Flo, Well I wouldn't want to start an argument with you honey (or anyone - don't generally do arguing - waste of time/energy/life etc) but I do sort of see where Paco is coming from. I spent a long time looking for a guitar teacher and met quite a few. What decided me was hearing a teaching recording from a particular teacher. He was playing a simple bit of tientos - nothing clever - and it was so clean, so perfect it took my breath away. And I thought, 'That is it! That is how I want to play!' But it was nothing fancy (though of course he can do all the clever stuff, and make it look like it's just a walk in the park ). Ironically, when I went for my first lesson and tried to explain what I wanted to achieve I'm not sure he understood! But that's art for you - can't explain everything in words. What I would say though is that there are many ways to show off. I'm a terrible show off (whaddya mean, you'd noticed? ) but what I want to show off at the moment is just some simple, beautiful, clean playing. But look, we do agree about this..... quote:
ORIGINAL: Florian doing what you love cannot possibly be wrong, u cannot leave your heart out of this one. Trying to tell a story you dont yourself belive will always leave you uninspired and empthy life is way to short to not be yourself for the sake of beeing right BE the happiest, worst guitarist in the world !!!..rather than the empthy , unsatified best player Woah you are one seriously deep dude!! I'm impressed. And I agree absolutely. No offence meant Flo. A x
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Date Jul. 28 2007 9:24:29
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Florian
Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia
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RE: hands or tentacles? help needed (in reply to Ailsa)
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No offence taken at all Alisa, this is no argument, its a discussion, i can also see where Paco is coming from however ... the point i was trying to make is, if that is what you like wonderfull.. but some like others. just because its different dosent make em show offs. Some have just as much right to not like Paco Pena as you do to not like EL Viejin for example. I might not necesarely want to play what your teacher played, I might like to play something i heard on a cd, it might be more technically chalenging and it might take me longher to get it clean and play it as the cd, but i will be very happy knowing i am acctualy working on playing something i enjoy, i dont know if I enjoy beeing labeled a show off because of it. point is I get inspired by music not by level of music i can play at, i might fail 500 attempts (obviously you going to fail , otherwise you would be EL Viejin) but when i get closer to it wow !! what a feeling and regardless what anyone tryes to tell you, if you want it bad enough, practice long enough, and practice it slow, absoluteley anything is achivable for anybody. its a waiste of time, to stop and do something else eazyer, still dosent help, thats just a quic fix so that next week you can get your approval here, but the problem still remains, you havent learned or worked on the falseta you love. and again i realise that he might not have necesarely called me a show off, but still , it is calling someone a show off for exactly the same reasons and i just dont think its fair.
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Date Jul. 28 2007 9:55:21
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