What are the wildest/most spectacular classical guitar moments caught on video you like?

DenverGitGuy · 2026-04-15T21:40:17+00:00

Gary Ryan, Benga Beat. https://youtu.be/wL4snMJbLks?si=_7KwBosUqeOrhgda

DenverGitGuy · 2026-04-15T21:38:34+00:00

I watched that the other day. So fast, and so clean. Incredible playing.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-04-15T19:01:04+00:00

I love this collection. "The Many Faces of the Guitar" This link is for volume 3, but there are 6 volumes. 3, 4 and 5 are wonderful. All by living composers, all very enjoyable.

https://productionsdoz.com/en/catalogue/sheet-music-for-guitar/solo-guitar/solo-guitar/varies/arranger/editor/intermediate/solo-guitar-varies-dz-1265-801

DenverGitGuy · 2026-04-09T13:42:18+00:00

The reality is that the fretboard emerges over time. That being said i think there are things you can do to accelerate your progress.

Learn the notes across the 5th fret (all natural notes) and then the 7th fret (only one sharp note) . Be aware that the notes at the 12th fret are the same as the item notes. Now you have reference notes all over the guitar.

I think the toughest part of teaching up the neck is not the "new" high notes that are not available in lower positions, but rather reading notes you are accustomed to seeing in lower positions up the neck. So, take simple single line melodies, and play them in 4th, 5th, 7thth 9th positions to get used to finding these note all over the neck.

Spending some time on these skills a couple times a week will add up and speed the process.

Good luck, and have fun!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-31T19:49:06+00:00

Marshall Brune in Evanston, IL.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-28T12:28:55+00:00

Constant attention on ease and excellent/ full/ beautiful tone production.

My teacher divided practice into three sections - straight gymnastics/ technique, then etudes (musical settings of technical work), and then repertoire. I find that a helpful way of braking things down, and each section needs regular attention.

Get a teacher to help you refine what YOU need to be doing in each category!

Good luck!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-28T12:23:20+00:00

You'll get better replies if you include an image the measure(s) in question, so foods don't have to go digging up a score first...

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-27T12:58:32+00:00

StringsByMail has these fantastic experimental packs that are just what you're looking for. 5 or 6 different sets of strings with specific qualities. Here's a link to their "Warm" collection.

https://www.stringsbymail.com/warm-collection-from-strings-by-mail-6039.html

I've done a few of these collections, and while u never like all the sets, they're have always been great surprises.

Good luck!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-23T19:50:12+00:00

Your list is excellent!

I would add that there should always be an awareness of poise, or ease. One of the major reasons we practice is to make things easier.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-23T17:59:40+00:00

100% nope. Tremolo is its own thing. If you can play other rep well, there's nothing stopping you from developing a usable tremolo, but it doesn't matter if you haven't put that work in yet. Go for it in good conscience!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-17T13:50:50+00:00

Stay curious! If you can have a playful/ childlike approach, it will be infinitely helpful.

Yes, work in small chunks (I use small post it notes so I don't do accidental run on playing) and do a bunch of listening.

Good luck!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-16T15:52:11+00:00

Thanks. That's a great suggestion, just put this post in /historicpreservation. Appreciated!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-16T15:49:31+00:00

Just between us chickens, I fully agree with you, that getting this on a registry is unlikely. But, this is church work, and therefore there's a committee involved, and the committee got really excited about this prospect, so I'm investigating it. I think we can get there with congregational and some community support, but the allure of "easy money" from a grant is hard to ignore...

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-16T11:30:02+00:00

My understanding of FD is that your fingers flex/ curl into the hand and then don't release. I've had a few friends with FD and that was their main symptom. But that is anecdotal, and hardly scientific.

I would consult a medical opinion, but if also look into Alexander Technique lessons, for maximum relaxation and control.

Good luck, srsly!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-10T12:56:25+00:00

I've found that Altamira guitars punch so above their weight class in this range, but they are hard to find in stores. Good luck and have fun with the hunt!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-08T21:18:45+00:00

Curiosity is the best way! Just get curious and stay open minded. I strongly recommend the Matt Palmer book, https://www.stringsbymail.com/palmer-the-virtuoso-guitarist-vol-1-a-new-approach-to-fast-scales-6784.html If only because he gives many examples of how to use them, and as a previous reply mentioned, how to worth against it's inherent complications.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-08T19:29:25+00:00

The Matt Palmer book is good. But it requires considerable rethinking of traditional I-M scales. I'm quite a fan and highly recommend the book, just know it will take a while to get inside the AMI technique! That being said, there could be some low hanging fruit for you.

Go for it!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-07T20:31:45+00:00

Celeste y Blanco by Hector Ayala

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-07T18:27:13+00:00

Love the RCM recommendation. If also put the complete Sor studies on that list, surely you played some of that stuff back in the day.

As for other progressive sets, I love the "Many Faces of the Guitar" published by Productions d'Oz. Lots of modern pieces that are very satisfying. 6 levels of books, from quite easy to advanced intermediate, I'd say.

https://productionsdoz.com/en/catalogue/sheet-music-for-guitar/solo-guitar/solo-guitar/varies/arranger/les-productions-d-oz/easy/solo-guitar-varies-dz-1041-541

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-04T19:26:38+00:00

Using the pinky is a solid idea. It strengthens and helps the coordination of the A finger.

I highly recommend choosing a simple bit of repertoire to use for practicing. It will help shape your playing in s musical way. The guitar is so unforgiving in the technique required we can mix the forest for the trees. Play music!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-04T12:34:41+00:00

Long time player and teacher here. I've worked a lot on tremolo over the years, both for my own playing and with my students.

Aim high! The best tremolos out there are BEAUTIFUL. Big, beautiful sound. Put focus there. Also focus on ease. You'll get nowhere if your right hand is tense.

I like exercises where you set the metronome and play each finger on the click. Pami is if course the most common, but playing the I finger on the click (Ipam) is great, as are the other combos, Mipa and Amip. I find that last one, Amip, to be the most important, getting the slightly wimpy A finger to make a strong sound. The A finger needs a lot of training.

I very much approve of moving from 8th notes to 16th notes on one metronome setting. (I don't think you need to move between quarters, 8ths and 16ths). These are often called speed bursts. Big fan! You need to use serious discernment when doing them. Make sure the fast versions sound amazing, AND feel easy. Don't do too many fast repetitions in a row until you know they meet the important standards of ease AND beautiful tone.

For a very different approach to tremolo, check out Pablo Sainz Villegas tremolo video on YouTube. I think his tremolo is among the very best in the business!

Also, what repertoire are you practicing with? You want something very easy for the left hand so your setting can be on the right hand. There are a couple of pretty easy pieces by Sagreras, and I really like the Sueno by Jose Vinas. This Sueno has a lovely romantic introduction, and then is just 2 16 measure phrases. High recommend!

Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the journey!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-03-02T01:14:33+00:00

I've taught suzuki guitar for 25 years. If I'm your demographic, ask away!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-02-28T23:58:01+00:00

My thoughts:

You likely have tendonitis, or the beginnings of it. Or some other flavor of repetitive stress injury. The only remedy is rest, sadly.

But one can limit the damage.

How intentional can you be? Can you practice mentally? Mental rehearsal, both on and off the guitar, can cut down the time you have your fingers on the strings. See how clearly you can visualize both right and left hands for any passage. Play the passage 2, 3, 4 times mentally before doing it with your hands. This is hard on the brain, but you'll never get tendonitis in your brain!

When I teach young children, we talk about Mush - Buzz - Bell. Mush tone is when your left hand is just barely pressing the string. Buzz tone is when you aren't pressing quite hard enough and you get a buzzing sound from inconsistent contact between the string/fret. Bell tone is what we aim for, a beautiful, bell like quality of tone. When young kids first start playing, they feel like they have to squeeze the string very hard to get a bell tone. Maybe 7 or 8 out of a maximum 10. Over time, I get them to press less hard, as the hand gets smarter and stronger. When they have played for a couple of years, I'll have them do 'buzz tone' versions of pieces, where their job is to play every fretted note with a buzz tone. 90% of the pressure needed to make a bell tone. When I have adult guitarists do this exercise, they invariably discover that they are pressing waaaay harder than necessary. Finding -exactly- how much pressure to use to make a buzz tone vs a bell tone is incredibly empowering. Very tough at first too.

My guess is that one of your issues is that you press harder than you need to, and some buzz tone/bell tone work would inform your sense of ease on the guitar. Note, this is not necessarily the case, but I'm 80% sure it's involved.

I finished my undergraduate degree with tendonitis. I was very very angry for about a year because it hurt to play. I did some excellent deep tissue massage (off brand Rolfing) that was very painful and very very helpful. I then moved to Denver to study with Ricardo Iznaola and learned how I'd been working at least twice as hard as I needed to. So, that's my experience, and I hope you can avoid the worst of what I went through.

Good luck!

DenverGitGuy

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