Gettind back into Classical.

[leadfootdriver]

I'm tired of the high douche rate of rock musicians...

 

Have a look at this.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLnbRvinWVk

[Crazy Fingers]

Beautiful performance! However, the "douche" factor knows no boundries and exists in the classical world too!

[Gifthorse]

Nice Leadfoot. Too bad you never wanted to get together and jam back in MI, we could have perhaps done some cool stuff.

 

 

[leadfootdriver]

No question. However; I think it's safe to say that the Classical world is a bit more High Brow. Knowing what I know now, I could have had a Doctorate degree at this point.

 

I've wasted a lot of time hanging with people in bands that play in bars that are trying to Make It. Lets face it. The rock wotld is full of low character dirtbags with mental, and substance abuse problems. At least in the Classical people are more civilized to say the least.

 

 

 

[Larryz]

Beautiful performance! However, the "douche" factor knows no boundries and exists in the classical world too!

 

+1, although there may be a bigger percentage in the Rock world...

[Gruupi]

Part of the reason I play almost all classical these days is that it a solo endeavor. It is a pain to put together a band and it's always a compromise. You end up playing music you don't like 50% of the time. Personalities and their problems are frustrating as well.

 

I really like playing classical, I was beginning to get bored with rock anyway, but as I got older it became harder to find people to commit to a band. I don't care about making money or even much about being popular so it was easy to just make the switch, I had always dabbled in classical anyway.

 

As far as personalities in classical, yeah there are some good and bad ones, but the difference is that you aren't relying on anyone else in making your musical decisions. You get people argueing about technique and different styles to the point of splintering an already small community into cliques and factions, but again I don't care, I am playing music I like and the only limitation is my own talent and hard work.

 

If you like the music then go for it. It sure is nice not to have to deal with "rock stars", drug addicts, and bar owners. I do miss the feeling you get when a band really clicks, but that doesn't happen enough. I also really don't miss the volume wars. Anything with drums is just too loud if you want to experience subtleties in your tone and playing. Drums and bass were drowning out 90% of the things I was trying to do. Acoustic instruments allow for much more freedom in manipulating the tone, electrics are always compressed. It's nice to not have to rely on effects and equipment for your tone.

 

If you are considering a carreer in classical you are in for a rough road, there are tons of great players and almost no market. You would have to be a really good player and bring something unique to the table, as well as have a good stage presence, along with good marketing skills.

 

 

[leadfootdriver]

Great post. YOu know what I'm talking about. As far as a carreer in Classical, it might be a little late in the game for that. If I had a few degrees, it might be a different situation.

 

But I totally agree with it being a solo endevor. I'm pretty good on electric, but I know that to pull off Classical convincingly, it takes more musicallity than wanking some tired shred licks, and banging some distorted open chords.

 

I just miss it really. I put in a lot of time in it, and I think it's a waste to not continue it.

[Gruupi]

Lots of shredders turn to classical because of the physical challenges, and many learn to play quite well. You don't need a degree, there a some basic techniques to learn but you can get those these days from a decent teacher or even from DVD's. The right hand will be a real challenge, and getting a tone from your fingernails will be a lifelong pursuit. A knowledge of music theory helps but it really isn't that complicated, just a basic knowledge of harmony.

 

You are right about musicality, again playing solo acoustic really frees you up, there are so many tonal and dynamic variations available on a well built classical guitar. It is not about licks, even though there are some impressive things in the context of alot of the music.

 

As far as pulling classical off conviningly, you shouldn't have to think about that. You don't have to learn every single technique and play every piece, just go for the things you like and can do well. Don't let others decide what you want to play. It's never too late, there will be lots of hard work, but within a few years you could be a very good player. Even at the beginning, since you already can play music, you should be able to quickly learn some nice pieces.

 

There are a couple of HotLicks videos (DVD's) of William Kannengiser where he really expains the fundemental techniques, I wish I had had those at the start.

 

With the internet it's pretty easy to find resources. And not to take away from the Guitar Player forums, there is a site called Delcamp that has a really good forum on classical along with lots of music and videos. You have to post like 40 times to gain access to everything but it is well worth the effort.

[simpleman3441]

It is tough holding a band together in rock. My bassist and I have a great working relationship and have gone through 3 drummers and numerous singers. It is definitely a tough genre in that regard. I find it's easier in rock to not let the d-bags get in the way of my enjoying music, though. As a classical student, I found it hard to enjoy playing. For recitals you sit under a spotlight and people stare at you and wait for your mistakes so that they can point them out to make themselves feel better. I could almost feel their pretentious eyes like daggers in my hands and from their comments after it was easy to see they were unimpressed. But then your touch is a bit better than mine was! lol Anyhow, I'm just sayin I find it easier to play music for my own enjoyment when I don't feel like my crowd is just full of critics. Most people I know just want to have a beer and listen to some tunes, man!

[Jasco]

It is tough holding a band together in rock.

 

I think it's not that difficult to hold a band together, no matter what the style. Here's the little secret: Pay them.

 

Be professional and turn it into a part time job. With the economy the way it is now, ain't no one quitting any job.

 

 

[Eric Iverson]

I'm thinking of getting a decent inexpensive classical and taking up where I left off with classical lessons back in 1985.

 

I never got that good at it, but it helped a great deal with reading and right hand technique - but playing with nails on steel strings never worked for me!

 

I've been watching Julian Bream on You Tube - not just his classical performances, but excerpts from master classes, playing "Nuages" with Stephane Grapelli and a jam with Ali Akbar Khan, the great sarod player associated with Ravi Shankar. Great stuff that even guitarists not primarily into classical music could enjoy. Jazz guitarists love Julian, in part because of his jazz background - though his classical performance are legit!

 

Actually any great classical musician can teach all of us things about tone and phrasing and shaping a piece, even if they are not a guitarist.

 

 

[Steve-O58]

I've always loved finger-style playing, but have never been very good at it, so a little over a year ago I started classical lessons. I found a wonderful teacher, an older retired guy that had been teaching full time for 30+ years and still does a few lessons on the side. He set me on the right track, corrected a few of my bad habits, and helped me improve my sight reading, which was also one of my goals. But more importantly, every time I get a little anal about technique or whatever - way too often - his usual response is to nod his head and say, "yeah, that's important, but having fun while you're playing is pretty important too!"

[simpleman3441]

I studied with Steve Aron at the University of Akron in Ohio. I don't know that I'll ever study with a better teacher and I regret not having found an appreciation for classical guitar while I was studying with him. Not having fun kept me from taking full advantage of his experience with the instrument.

 

Another jazz-classical guitarist to check out is Adam Rogers. He did a master class at Akron while I was in the jazz program. Very interesting ideas on playing techniques and guitar set-ups. His approach (in brief) was to keep a higher action on his electric in order to take advantage of the dynamic techniques he learned through classical. Good stuff. Nice guy. Still plays both genres, I think. Check him out if you're so inclined.