Guitar practice
July 27th 2010 -
It’s been difficult getting the time to practice much lately, but it’s also been really enjoyable when I do. I’m spending most of my practice time doing exercises. It’s beginning to pay off. For years I’ve been avoiding rest stroke (where you strike the string such that the finger follows through and rests against the next lower string) ’cause my guitar tutor taught me free stroke, which is more generally applicable. But the exercises demand rest stroke, and after a good bit of embarrassment and ratcheting down the metronome, I’m now better at some exercises in rest stroke than in free stroke.
After the exercises this morning, I was playing a piece (one of the Sor studies) and I got to one of the sections I’d always had a bit of trouble with. And lo, playing the melody in rest stroke was easier and sounded nicer that free stroke. Still not perfect, but highly encouraging.
Lexifab Says:
July 28th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Obligatory current-shared-project hassle/reminder based on being too lazy to open my gmail browser.
Lexifab Says:
July 28th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
On the subject of musical instruments: at the moment, going back to teaching myself piano is the creative project that I idly think about doing instead of focusing on the creative project that I am doing. You always have to have a couple of those hanging over your head, simultaneous motivating and demotivating you.
Or is that just me?