Q&A Lesson: Feeling Stuck when Practicing Music (and other tips for classical guitar). Thanks to all my patrons and supporters who submitted questions. If you enjoyed this lesson please consider supporting the site.
Question & Answer Times
- 00:00 – Intro Advice
- 1:34 – Surpassing competent playing and the quality gap
- 8:48 – How much time to complete a book?
- 10:43 – A technique hang-up, Practicing vs Playing
- 13:43 – Accuracy and tension.
- 17:35 – Stretches for Beginners
- 20:22 – Practicing: Balancing Multiple Pieces
- 25:01 – Having Multiple Teachers and Disagreements
Other Links Mentioned in the Video
- Ira Glass on the Gap Between Good Taste and Work
- Benefits of a Well-Rounded Technique Routine
- How to Organize your Practice Sessions
Here’s the YouTube link if you want to watch the video there.
Thank you, Bradford!
Thank you!
If you are the Donna who asked the question about how long to complete a book, I’d like to share that I have been playing for almost 6 years and am working on grade 3 level repertoire. I am slowly but very steadily making progress that I feel great about. But I still work on pieces in both Method books. Sometimes when I’m feeling really clumsy or tired, I will simply play my way through Method Book 1 as carefully as I can. Bradford has emphasized the importance of playing the simplest things in the highest-quality way. Even open string exercises can be played like a professional. When I go back to the method books, I see how far I have come but sometimes I’ve had to admit that I have avoided mastering something that I should not have skipped. So I guess I’m saying, don’t stress and feel like you have to rush through a book, and trust that as long as you keep playing, you will keep making progress. At some point you will really surprise yourself.
Yes, I did ask the question. Thanks for your feedback, I found it very helpful.
Great answer, I work very much like that.