Matthew Hutchinson - A New Voice in Classical Guitar

Lesson Canceled on Due to T-Storm

So far I've manage to learn the first three lines of exercise 23, and the first two lines of exercise 21. What I'm finding most challenging is figuring out the most effective finger positions for each chord progression, and then remembering a position once I've figured it out.

Perhaps I'll have the first four lines learned by next week! hehehe

No More Chord Diagrams

Tonight was a good, good, good lesson!

Last week, when he assigned me the two new arpeggios I'm currently studying, he suggested I draw chord diagrams like I have before, and study off of those if I wanted. That's all well and good, but I've found that chord diagrams are a lot like training wheels. They make a great visual reference when you're learning a new piece, but too much reliance on them can prevent you from really learning what the music is doing. So, I decided forego them. I want to know what the music is doing, not just how to play the song.

I was concerned that I'd gotten a little overzealous with my decision. As it turned out, when I told him why I didn't draw the diagrams, he was very pleasantly surprised. Apparently, I had actually demonstrated confidence in my skill, and initiative to try something new on my own terms. At least, that's what my wife tells me. Hehe...

We spent the lesson going over the first couple of lines of one of the two studies. The chord progression apparently follows what's referred to as a 1-4-5-1 pattern. It starts at E, continues with Am, climaxes with a B7 chord, and then ends with E again. I asked him, "And the significance of the 1-4-5-1 pattern is....?", and he suddenly broke into a Blues riff!

It was absolutely hilarious! We had such a good laugh from it! Here we are, learning an arpeggio study from a style of music that dates back a thousand years, and it's all basic theory that is just as easily adapted for Blues!

ROTFL!!

Unfortunately, I hadn't actually gotten very far with either piece before tonight's lesson (there is a lot going on in a single measure of music), but it was a hell of a lot of fun studying them together. Here's a picture of both studies - exercises 21 and 23. The pattern I was referring to above is in the first two lines of exercise 23:

Confused by Progress

It's been one full year since I began taking lessons, and I must admit I'm surprised I've lasted this long. Learning to play guitar is the most disciplined thing I've ever done, next to paying the damn bills.

Before taking private instruction, I was plagued by procrastination, always finding something else to do besides practice. Now, as the year's gone by, I've become compelled to practice, because I want so much to be a part of the magic of making music. I can feel it in my blood.

Now, I'm feeling a strange sense of confusion. Not in a bad way, mind you... just a general feeling of uncertainty. Have I progressed as much as I should have by now? The answer is: yes. I'm a far better player than I was a year ago, and I have a year's worth of study to prove it. I'm where I'm at because of the amount of time and effort I've put into practicing every day. If I want even better results, I need only question my methods, and how much time I spend practicing.

I spent most of last week focusing squarely on the arpeggio study I was having so much trouble with. My time an effort finally paid off, as I was able pull off a near flawless performance with my teacher playing along.

I've been assigned two new arpeggio studies to begin work on this week; one of which will present a new challenge while taking me up another step in my playing level: chord changes every three notes instead of every measure.

Here's to another year of progress!