gj Michelob -> RE: Tough times with the guitar (May 20 2010 7:35:40)
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I've been playing for 3 years, and I can play quite a lot of stuff and I've done a fair bit of performing. I think what has got me through that is that have some understanding of the music through also learning to dance and spending a lot of time in Spain and listening. But before this I had never played guitar so have no knowledge of technique and to be honest I still sometimes don't know where a note is on the fretboard without working it out! Ailsa, if I may, perhaps you should allow yourself some diversion from flamenco. Ricardo, Todd and Jason –to name a few- are awesome musicians, before they are formidable flamenco guitarists. I enjoyed Todd’s channel on youtube (before I even had a chance to exchange greetings on this and other blogs), particularly because he shows skillful versatility as he enjoys playing classical, blues and country music while winning the Tomatitio contest. Jason too has rock & roll and classical guitar to sharpen his nails with. And perhaps what we, the “gringos” of Flamenco cannot grasp of flamenco by not being Gitanos, Gypsies or Andalucian made, we compensate with the inevitable osmosis of our own culture and heritage into the music we choose to perform. Focusing solely on one style of music is inherently dangerous, particularly when –as it is your case- you missed the playful time with the guitar as a teenager, whether the Stratocaster noise or more soporific Bach’s partitas days. Nothing wrong with finding the same music a bit monotonous. My humble suggestion is that you should expand your repertory, your technical palette, your appreciation of any music you can play on those six nylon strings. On a personal note, after completing my entry for the Composition Challenge I realized how much I miss playing other music, yet how much studying Flamenco has helped me. As I wrote to Jim Opfer after submitting my composition “I now need to decide whether to really focus on Flamenco and hire a teacher or revert to the country music which inexorably sneaks into anything I play”. Have fun with the guitar, even if you should become a professional, follow the scent of fun… it will lead you to whatever is cooking inside of you.
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