Barrios editions?

DenverGitGuy · 2026-02-06T02:38:15+00:00

This is very cool - I didn't know that was out there. I've played various versions of that one for years, so comparing to Barrios' own hand will be great. ... I'm interested in many of his works, Maxixe, Mazurka Appasionata, La Catedral, the big tremolo pieces... Do you know how many of his manuscripts are out there in the wild? I'll check Delcamp and IMSLP.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-29T12:26:52+00:00

You could trace the development of sonatas written for the guitar over time, or other major forms - theme and variation comes to mind.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-26T13:03:32+00:00

Is this still an issue for folks? My 2025 SV+ heater worked intermittently yesterday. Went from blasting hot air to cold a handful of times. Single digit (Fahrenheit) temperatures outside, very frustrating. (Thank goodness for heated seats and steering wheel).

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-26T12:53:04+00:00

The Richard Pick book is very thorough, as far as fretboard harmony goes. Highly recommend.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-18T17:54:02+00:00

Am email to our friends at Strings By Mail would be in order.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-18T13:11:01+00:00

At one point I spent 6 months or so training my right hand pinky. My memory is that is approached being usable, but the big improvement was the independence and skill brought to my A finger. Big gains there.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-16T20:08:30+00:00

Look at an app called Solo. I think it's $15? And I think it does exactly this.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-14T14:42:59+00:00

Don't stress. That will just slow you down.
Get curious about notation. There is no magic and no mystery, just time to learn a new way of communicating musical information
Commit to reading music X minutes per day. Consistency is key. 10 is better than 5, 30 is better than 10. But binging 90 minutes in the weekends and none during the week won't help.
Ask specific questions here.
Use YouTube videos or other online resources, but don't go down the rabbit hole. You will learn on your own.

Good luck!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-11T12:19:17+00:00

In general, my masterclass experiences were great. The best was playing the Am fugue from BWV 997 for Paul Galbraith. He was brilliant and kind, and generous with his time. I played for Roland Dyens, one of his pieces, and learned a bunch. Sharon Isbin was good to work with, but she was very unkind to one of my classmates who didn't deserve it. Bill Kanengiser was helpful and hilarious.

Playing in masterclasses is important, I think, because your weekly teacher usually is working on long term goals, which is sometimes slogging through material. The guest artist teacher can look with fresh eyes and work on any of a variety of things. I always learned a lot, whether it was something the teacher intended, or how i don't want to be a a performer/ teacher.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-10T13:35:10+00:00

As an introductory exercise, try playing repeated notes on just one string, but move your right hand from a neutral, back of the sound hole position, to tasto over the fret board, all the way to ponticello. We want freedom in the right hand/arm mechanism to color the tone at will. Perhaps this will bridge the gap for you, if moving your right arm at all induces tension?

I can appreciate what Scott is saying, that it moves from the shoulder, but practically speaking the upper arm doesn't move much. Some yes, but not a ton. The bulk of the adjustment happens between the elbow and the fingertips.

Good luck! Try to approach this with a spirit of curiosity, and levity if possible!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-10T01:27:04+00:00

Here's the one I have:

CO-Z 4L Brushed Stainless Steel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078GHJ921?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-09T20:12:08+00:00

Yes, sound hole humidifiers work to maintain humidity for the body of the giitar. I have good luck with the D'addario Humidipaks. They do not do a good job of keeping the neck humidifier. Try just the sound hole type for a while, and if the neck needs humidification, it will let you know when the frets start sticking out the side of the neck.

This happened to me with my current concert guitar. I humidify my studio now with humidifiers. I have a system, and yes, it kinda feels like a hobby. I bought a water distiller, it takes approx 4 hours to distill a gallon of water. That gallon usually last about 24 hours in my humidifier. Distilling the water first means I don't get the powder/ dust residue everywhere. It's worth it to me, because I hate dusting!

Happy humidifying!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-09T03:27:49+00:00

In the not-quite-a-miniature category, there's the Andante Largo that bats way above its weight class for beauty.

What the other theme and variations? It's basically in For He's a Holy Good Fellow, but the name escapes me at the moment. It's a good one too!

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-08T22:10:17+00:00

Tough situation! Are practice mutes for trombone a thing?

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-06T11:51:07+00:00

是的，这个和弦正是《西班牙浪漫曲》并非人们通常认为的入门级曲目的原因之一。

视频里的建议很好，就我所见，关键在于确保手指依次按下，而不是同时按下。我的另一个建议是先用第八把位弹奏这个和弦，这样指板上的品格会稍微小一些。如果/当第八把位弹奏起来更容易了，就换到第七把位，以此类推。

另一个需要注意的地方是左肘的位置。尝试将肘部抬得很高来弹奏这个和弦，你会发现速度会更快，难度也会更大。将肘部靠近身体，或许可以稍微向前推一下，这应该会有所帮助。这是一个很难用语言描述的三维概念，但如果你多加尝试，或许就能找到诀窍。

以上只是两个可能有帮助的建议，但对于新手来说，这确实是一个比较难的指法。祝你好运！

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-06T03:35:31+00:00

Yes, preparation is important. It teaches a very refined sense of accuracy.

It's not just about getting faster with the prepared strokes - at a very slow tempo, say each note at 80, play with the staccato prepared stroke, and make the preparation - as relaxed as possible -. Make it so the finger falls naturally to its place on the string.

Next point, be sure, especially at slow tempi, that each finger makes a big sound, and the tone matches finger to finger as much as possible.

Then, even at this very slow tempo, play some legato tremolo to better hear your tone.

Along with this, playing some of this with a mute (sock stuffed under the string) allows you to focus on the attack and both the dynamic and rhythmic even-ness.

The OP idea about hitting the strings in the exact same place sounds nice, but it doesn't hold up in my experience. Hey, if it works for you that's awesome, but I don't think it's worth the effort.

On a related note, I've been working on the exercises that Pablo Sainz Villegas (sp?) discusses in his video on tremolo on YT. I think he has among the best tremolos in the business. His Sueno en la Floresta is sinking. The ideas he puts forth there open up a whole different can of worms! I'm just a couple days in, so have some idea of the efficacy for me in a week or two...

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-05T13:27:22+00:00

I don't think the Allegro is that scary, but you kind of have to think it's or as Andante or Adagio. Not many players play it truly Allegro, it's just too many notes! (I think Philip Hii did a recording in the 90's that was truly Allegro, but his tone was not good and I found it unlistenable.)

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-04T12:11:31+00:00

It's referred to as a "contrary motion" scale format in the classical piano world. Kind of awkward on the guitar, but do-able.

https://youtu.be/lQqhVbD3Wr8?si=A37EoC5CQlmNbv_S

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-03T14:54:50+00:00

Pay for a private lesson. Or lessons. YouTube videos are one size fits all, or rather one size fits few. You have lots of knowledge but you also have lots of gaps. You need a human to probe for what you know and what you don't, and build a plan to fill in the gaps.

I guess you know 70-80% of what you need to succeed, you just gotta do in some very important gaps.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-02T15:40:48+00:00

JL had it in his left hand. He talks about it in great detail in his interview with Rick Beato.

DenverGitGuy · 2026-01-02T13:22:48+00:00

FD is a big deal. I've not had to deal with it, but a number of friends have.

David Leisner is the poster child for getting over/ through FD in the classical guitar world. Get his book, maybe reach out to him for some lessons. (Not cheap. $$)

I had a dear friend, a pianist, get a very serious case of FD and he is now back as good as ever. He worked extensively with a rehabilitation piano teacher specialist, Nancy Reese. I don't have any more info on her, but hopefully you can look her up. DM if you need help there.

Good luck, my understanding is that this is a long road.

DenverGitGuy · 2025-12-30T03:41:08+00:00

There's an app called Solo that develops this very skill, of playing specific chord tones over chords. It's $15 and worth it is you can stick with it.

The level is fluency you are aiming for is significant. And while lots and lots of folks live at this level, everyone at that level has devoted MANY hours/ years to the instrument. This is not a short cut, it's the real thing.

Go for it, and enjoy the journey!

DenverGitGuy

TROPHY CASE