Started Playing Again

[NGiorgio]

After a long absence from the classical guitar, back in February of 2001, I resumed playing on a serious, daily basis.

I would really like to go back to Feb. 2001 again, to correct some mistakes which I made. The worst of which was, trying to play too much, too quickly. I mean trying to practice for too long a time each day and playing material which was way out of reach for me at that stage of re-development.

There is much more that I can get into regarding my experience of "playing again" if any of you out there are interested. My mistakes could be your gain. My goal, was just to get back to the level of technique that I had, when I ceased playing. I'm pleased to say that my goal has been reached and surpassed. That is, along with my classical repertoire, I am now able to play some flamenco material which is totally new for me.

M.Stephenson, steve v and any other members who are or have experienced starting over again with the guitar, I would like to hear your comments, opinons and suggestions.

[M. Stephenson]

Here are my impressions from starting to play again after an 18 year break. I started again when some of the Steve Hackett classical guitar pieces became available from his website. I had grown very found of listening to the “Momentum” CD and really fell in love with “The Vigil”.

The music came with both notation and tab, so I proceeded to learn the song via the tab (mistake #1). Even though I had several years of classical guitar as a teenager, I could hardly play some of the chords. Slowly, my hand got stretched out again and I got to where I could play with the chords, albeit with a great deal of muscle tension (mistake #2).

I kept trying to play at full speed (mistake #3) and kept repeating the same mistakes, thinking that they would correct themselves (mistake #4). I could not even get an ‘easy’ version “Greensleeves” right.

Finally, one day a stumbled onto a Classical Guitar Forum at http://www.e-borneo.com/ab/cgforum.html and thru the discussions on the forum I began to see the error of my ways.

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I needed professional help as it is almost impossible to see ones own shortcomings and I was lucky enough to find an exceptionally talented guitarist named Aris Quiroga from Columbia South America here in Charlotte, NC. http://www.arisguitarist.com/

I found him thru Guitar Foundation of America http://www.guitarfoundation.org/database/teacherlinklist.asp

Thru his guidance I have been able to make great strides, especially with new pieces. Unfortunately, many bad habits are built into the muscle memory of the older pieces and I have been working hard to relearn many pieces. “The Vigil” is a prime example – I am just now getting to where I can play this piece properly and it has taken much effort to ingrain new muscle memory.

I have several real lessons to pass on to others in my situation:
Practice slowly and correctly. No matter how long it takes, make sure that you are being as accurate as you can. Practicing mistakes ingrains mistakes into the muscle memory.
Do not take tab at face value – the tab fingering is only as good as the technique of the person who tabbed it.
Experiment to find the optimum fingering. Efficient fingering is really hard to see by one’s self, but a small adjustment can make a huge difference. There is a Hackett piece that I was using 3rd finger to play a note and my instructor recommended that I use the 4th finger – it made a huge difference in making a smooth transition.
Chord changes are a dance and they need to feel that way. If you don’t feel as if you are dancing, then start looking for reasons why.
Relax Harder!!! Stay as relaxed as you possible can, your body will reward you with better playing.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

[NGiorgio]

M. Stephenson, we have had much in common in our quest of conquering the guitar, once more. I totally agree with all that you have stated. I do have a few things to add, more on that in a while.

In situations where common sense should prevail, human nature being what is, all to often, may not give us the patience to achieve our goals. I had some excellent music training. I was a good sight reader, studied classical and spent many years teaching. I should have known how to avoid some of the mistakes which you mentioned. Patience being so very important. Being relaxed is also such a key factor.

In addition to what M. Stephenson has stated so well, from his experience, I would like to add a few comments.

Returning to the guitar after many years, an easy playing instrument with a low action is also quite helpfull but often overlooked. I tried to play on my long scale, hard action Ramirez 1a, and very soon found out that was not going to work for me. Fortunately, I had an old Yairi cedar topped/cypress flamenco on which the bridge had come un-glued. Had it repaired, and with the easy flamenco action, I was able to get the left hand back on the road to recovery much easier. That also influenced me to pursue the Art of Flamenco, but that's another story.

Along with all of this, I think that another important factor is having a spouse or significant other who will encourage and support your endeavor. My wife has been and still is, very supportive. Aside from occasionally bursting into my practice room and interrupting me when I'm deep in concentration on the piece at hand, she appreciates what I've accomplished. She says that my mistresses are all made of wood and have six strings.

Also, we tend to overlook the basics. Scales, arpeggio and tremolo exercises are so important in order to develop your technique. I felt that because I was able to play certain pieces years ago, all I needed to do was to take out the music and it was all going to come back. Wrong. My mind knew what I wanted to do but the fingers did not want to cooperate. Very frustrating. A few times, I was almost ready to give up. I was working with a series of flamenco videos and books by Juan Martin. I was having a great deal of difficulty with some right hand techniques used in flamenco. At the end of the third tape, he says something like "keep practicing, it's worth it". He was correct.

I'm very glad that I stayed with it.

Patience, practice and perseverance.

[steve v]

I just started playing again after a 12-year break initially caused by extremely bad tendinitis in the left hand and severe elbow pain in both elbows. The tendinitis was so bad that I had completely lost control of the ring finger in slurs, and the elbow tenderness caused shooting pains in my arm merely by depressing a string at a fret. By way of background, I was studying for a Master of Fine Arts degree in guitar performance and teaching, and practicing and playing anywhere from four to eight or more hours a day. All this in addition to practicing law, so if you do the math, you'll see that I didn't sleep much during that period.

This journey back into playing has been both rewarding and frustrating. Frustrating because much of the first week back was spent in sessions that lasted no longer than 10, maybe 15 minutes, each, primarily concentrating on scales, because I felt like I had never held or played a guitar before. My left-hand fingers were constantly muffling adjacent strings, and my right hand had gone from something I could control and direct years ago just by thinking about the music to something that I was looking at time and time again, thinking "is my positioning correct? Are my fingers moving correctly?" And thinking about technique, rather than knowing the technique was there, was really strange in those first couple of weeks.

The technique is a long way from being completely back, but I've decided that the best way to bring it back is by going to the pieces I cut my teeth on, the ones that developed the technique in the first place. So I'm plowing in order through the twenty Sor studies fingered by Segovia (currently on number 7), the 12 Ponce preludes (currently satisfied with 1, 5, 6, and 7), the Villa Lobos preludes (so far only working on #3), a Bach sarabande, and the six Milan pavannes. I've also discovered a book of 20 etudes by Ernesto Garcia de Leon, which he specifically wrote to rehabilitate his right hand technique after he injured that hand and was unable to play for years. They're quite simple to play, yet most of them are extremely musical. My goal with each piece is not to play the notes, but to play the music, so I'm concentrating on being legato, working hard on being smooth and tension-free and on being expressive.

It's a long, slow journey, but I think I'm doing the right thing by not trying to jump back in close to where I once was. And I still look at some of the pieces I used to play and shake my head and wonder if I'm ever, ever going to get back there. There's only so much I can do in what frequently amounts to, at most, 45 minutes a day.

[NGiorgio]

Steve V.

I know the frustration that you speak of. I cannot imagine what it's like with the physical problems you describe. What type of treatment or therapy did you have which enabled you to return to the guitar?

It sounds as though you are on the right track. I wish that I had more patience with myself a few years ago and spent more time with the basics. I kind of jumped right into some of the material that was way over my head. As I mentioned, there were quite a few times when I thought that my goal was unreachable. Another mistake that I made was stretching out with too much material. I was working on maybe a dozen pieces when I should have been concentrating on half that many. In my haste, I was not giving each piece enough practice time.

Is the 45 minutes a day because of limited time, or is is all that you are able to do physically? Anyway, stay with it Steve, the gratification which comes later will make it worthwhile. If there was only one thing that I could say to you, in the way of advice, it would be to S L O W D O W N . When you think that you have slowed down enough, slow down some more. I really wish that I could have done that. What took me perhaps 30 months to achieve, probably could have been realized in 24 months. Can't go back to do it over but I will tell you that it was worth it for me. I am enjoying the playing very much now. Once that you get past the struggling stage, it becomes fun again. If you persevere, you will get there.

[steve v]

Ngiorgio,

Basically, the only thing that healed the tendinitis was time, rest and using an ergonomically correct keyboard and chair at work. I still felt twinges for four or five years, but they eventually subsided. Life, as in a wife, mortgage, kids and a career, intervened in the interim and the dreams of a career as a guitarist fell to the wayside. But I grew tired of thinking about these guitars in the closet, not being played, and the music gnawed at me, so I finally decided that I just had to make time for myself. I haven't really had any pains while playing so far, so the 45 minute reference isn't to a limitation from physical disability, but rather from the time constraints imposed by the other portions of my life.

As far as working on the problem you mentioned of working on too many pieces, I agree that it's better to focus on two or three at a time, spending the majority of practice time within each session, and spending the majority of sessions, on the working pieces, and then having one or two sessions a week devoted to playing through a good portion of the repertoire already under your fingers. That way, the repertoire stays fresh, while it's constantly expanded. Plus, I often found that the "final" musical ideas about a piece didn't come until long after I had learned it; it's like it gets put on a back shelf in your mind and your subconscious continues to think about the interpretation while your actively off doing other pieces.

[NGiorgio]

Steve V,

Glad to hear that the time limit is not imposed by pain. Sounds to me like you know how to make the most of your practice time. It may be a blessing in disguise that you don't have more time to practice. I work at home and it allowed me too much time for the guitar, which lead me into trying too hard, to recover the technique which was lost.

Now, I am able to do much more with a lot less time.

Care to share any details about the guitar(s) you own?

[steve v]

Ngiorgio,

Here's a list of the guitars I currently own:

1988 Miguel Rodgriguez, cedar/brazilian rosewood, 650 mm

1989 Manuel Contreras (the father, not the son) cedar/brazilian, double top (actually, it's a double bottom, but Contreras called it a double top), 650 mm

1988 Manuel Contreras spruce/brazilian, double top, 660 mm

2003 Ignacio Rozas spruce/indian, 650

2003 Texanos-Perez spruce/brazilian, 650, replica of an 1882 Torres

And I've got a 1987 Miguel Rodriguez spruce/honduran rosewood, also 650 mm, on the way to me on approval, with delivery scheduled for today. And if I end up liking it, then one or more of the guitars on that list will have to be sold. My wife will only put up with so much insanity, you know?

What instrument(s) are you currently playing?

[NGiorgio]

steve V

Wow. Nice collection.

I have a 1997 classical, spruce/indian 650, by Augustino LoPrinzi

1999 flamenco, spruce/koa 660, by John Price

2001 flamenco negra, cedar/indian 650, by Augustino LoPrinzi

2002 flamenco blanca 650, by G.V. Rubio

and 3 knock around instruments, 2 classicals, 1 flamenco

You can see the direction I'm taking.

I suppose you could call it insanity but as I remind my wife, it could be worse. For example, I used to play with Corvettes. Real ones, out on the racetrack.

Good luck with the new Rodriquez.

Keep practicing.

[steve v]

Ngiorgio,

Well, my wife actually calls it my disease, rather than my insanity, but guitar buying, in her eyes, is much better than some other "diseases" I could have, such as a roving eye.

Thanks for the encouragement. And you keep practicing, too.