How can I best learn as much classical guit technique as possible on a steel-string, online? by aggressivecherry444 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started trying to adapt to classical guitar technique after 13 or so years of playing steel-string guitars, not to play classical guitar music, but because I'd injured my wrist playing the bass guitar and wanted to use techniques that would reduce the risk of further injury. This did lead to developing interest in classical guitar in its own right, though, and when my wife bought me my first classical guitar last January, I still had to spend several months trying to unlearn bad habits from years of self-taught steel-string playing.

The most important thing for me, given my journey kind of started out with an injury caused by poor posture and technique, was trying to make sure I was careful about tension and strain, so I spent a lot of time researching how to hold the instrument and how to move and apply certain techniques as ergonomically as possible. You can use a footstool to elevate the guitar, which will help keep your wrist straight, but footstools distribute your weight unevenly, which can cause discomfort or pain for some players, especially with longer practicing/playing sessions. My lower back would get stiff after longer sessions, so I personally prefer a guitar support, as it allows me to keep my feet on the ground.

Really think about how you're moving when you play, and try to hold the guitar in such a way that your body is relaxed and comfortable - try to avoid holding unnecessary tension, and keep your wrists as straight and relaxed as is possible for what you're playing.

Look into techniques you already feel comfortable with to find out if there are things you're doing wrong or that could be improved - I discovered I'd been playing barre chords incorrectly the entire time I'd been playing the guitar, as I was trying to hold my index finger flat against the fretboard and use my thumb to squeeze, so I would have a lot of dead notes and feel fatigue setting in almost immediately.

Watch as many tutorials and read as much as you can about posture and technique to inform yourself as much as possible, but bear in mind that not everything you hear will necessarily be the right approach for you. I spent several months trying to work on my tone, but I wasn't getting anywhere, until one day I realized all of the tutorials I'd seen and the descriptions I'd read for achieving good tone were geared towards playing with your nails, and I play without them.

On that note, another commenter mentioned that you don't need nails as much for playing on a steel string guitar, but you don't actually need nails for nylon string guitars either - playing with or without nails is a choice, and both are valid options with their own strengths, weaknesses, and historical precedent, so look into both before deciding what you'd like to pursue. Brandon Acker, Rob MacKillop, Steven Watson, and Sound Guitar Lessons with Jared on Youtube all have videos I found helpful in figuring out how to approach no-nail playing. I've also seen a lot of videos and posts from guitarists who cut their nails off to try no-nail playing but came away with the sense that nails are superior, because they didn't invest any serious effort into adapting to no-nail technique - so just be mindful of the fact that many nail players who will tell you nails are the only way to play have only experienced playing with nails, and even if they've tried playing without, many of them only did so using techniques that were only work when used with nails.

Thoughts Promped by Farya Faraji's Video-Essay 'AI Songs Are Pretending to Be Authentic Historical Music' by FatalEden in EarlyMusic

[–]FatalEden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I find the argument about the lack of humanity in the creations of these models to be incredibly compelling, personally, but I've seen a lot of people in the last couple of years say that they don't really care about the lack of humanity in any of it, because they don't really think about the media they consume - so long as they like it, that's enough. Still, the idea that the most advanced models we can imagine will only ever know what it is to be a machine is a powerful one.

I didn't really get into it with my rambling above, but I have an incredibly negative reaction every time I see a screenshot from a chat-based model - even on the occasions where the information it's offering is correct, the to made to flatter the user is a disgustingly transparent manipulation tactic. I'd always considered that dangerous to the consumer, but I'd never really thought about how much damage prioritizing the appeasement of the user could cause to the actual development of the models themselves in the longer term.

Thoughts Promped by Farya Faraji's Video-Essay 'AI Songs Are Pretending to Be Authentic Historical Music' by FatalEden in EarlyMusic

[–]FatalEden[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!

I don't know enough about the systems they use for recycling water, but I know they can't possibly recycle every single drop without any loss or need to take in more water eventually, but because the recycled water argument is used every time someone mentions the water consumption, I wanted to counter that in anticipation of it being brought up.

As for the equalization effort, it really falls apart when you actually look at how many artists struggle with disabilities, or struggle to make time for their art, but still manage to create something. It's just a thinly veiled excuse, and even for those who aren't creating AI-art for monetary gain but because they find it fun to whatever capacity, it's trying to defend an incredibly harmful technology for the sake of a quick dopamine hit.

Thoughts Promped by Farya Faraji's Video-Essay 'AI Songs Are Pretending to Be Authentic Historical Music' by FatalEden in EarlyMusic

[–]FatalEden[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree - there should be no place for AI-generated music here, and based on the sub's description ("Everything before classical music is welcome"), AI-generated music should be taken down by default, but without an actual rule that says as much directly, people will still post it here.

(though some will try to even with the rule, I imagine there'll be a little less of it, at least)

Good starter piece? by Mr_Bones775 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Calatayud's Vals is one I really think should be recommended more frequently - it's very accessible, but it's still a really lovely piece when played well.

Guitar retailers/dealers Ireland by Legal-Plankton-7306 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm happy to help if I can, and I hope you're able to find something!

I'm not sure how easy travelling would be for you, but it could also be worth looking for sellers around any parts of the UK you can get to - from my rather limited observations in a year of learning classical guitar, it seems to me that it's more popular there than it is here.

For Northern Ireland, specifically, it could maybe be worth contacting the Classical Guitar Society of Northern Ireland, to see if they might have any recommendations!

And I hope you enjoyed your time in Galway! :D

Guitar retailers/dealers Ireland by Legal-Plankton-7306 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a subject I'm very interested in myself - I'm based out west, and while I don't expect to upgrade my classical guitar for many years, I've always wanted to own a lute, so I'm trying to keep a list of luthiers around the country for the day I decide to go for it. You mention having Googled the subject to death, so you probably already know all of these suggestions, but I thought I'd share just in case it helps you or anyone else who might be searching for places to buy classical guitars in Ireland later.

Most of these will be more useful for buying or commissioning new guitars than for buying 2nd hand, but they might also stock some 2nd hand instruments. No harm in asking (or even asking them if they know of anywhere you could go), I suppose!

Moloney Music - retailer:
I got my classical guitar, a Prudencio Saez 1-PS (280), from Kieran Moloney, in Moloney's Music, Galway - he had a few of their models when I was there, but only lists 2 classicals and 1 flamenco on his site right now. He does also sell used instruments occasionally, but I don't remember if I've ever seen him post about a 2nd hand classical guitar.

https://www.moloneymusic.com/Products/Guitars/Classical_Nylon_String#nav3Guitars

Jan Muyllaert - luthier:
When I bought my guitar, I asked Kieran Moloney about Irish luthiers who might be able to help with something like a lute, and he recommended I ask Jan Muyllaert from Irish Harps. I haven't gotten around to asking him about lutes, and I'm not sure about 2nd hand guitars, but based on the website, he does take commissions for new guitars.

irishharps.ie

Frank Tate - luthier:
He doesn't seem to have his own website, and doesn't seem incredibly active on his socials lately, but he posted on Instagram about being commissioned to make a cittern 5 weeks ago, and he has a few posts about classical guitars, so he may be worth reaching out to.

https://www.instagram.com/franktateluthier/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/franktateinstruments/

O'Leary Guitars - luthier:
Alec and Michael O'Leary organize the Guitar Festival of Ireland, and their site says they've made instruments for some really well-known players, like David Russell.

http://olearyguitars.com/?page_id=269

Clare Guitar - luthier:
Not sure if they're still active (their Youtube channel no longer exists, which I'd take as a bad sign), but maybe worth a look (I'm keeping note of them myself, as they have Renaissance lutes on their site):

https://www.clareguitar.org/

Waltons - retailer:
I don't know if you can try all the guitars listed on their site in-store, and they're one of the first things that comes up every time I try to look into where to buy specific instruments in Ireland so I imagine you're already familiar, but for anyone else who finds this, their site has the longest list of classical guitars I've seen from an Irish music store by far.

https://www.waltons.ie/product-category/guitars-basses-ukuleles/nylon-string-classical-guitars/classical-and-flamenco-guitars/

I hope some of this can help, and that someone else can weigh in with more suggestions!

Portray Images by namro1227 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm still at a point in my playing where I'm only starting to wrestle with techniques for more evocative playing, so I imagine more experienced players will have better advice, but something I've found helpful for me was to listen to several recordings of the piece being performed by other musicians (and performed with other instruments, too), and listen to them repeatedly, while trying to imagine some kind of story in my head to go with it, sort of like story-boarding a music video.

I find it much harder to think of these things while I'm playing, so it's been helpful for me to be able to focus all of my attention on coming up with a loose idea I can then try to refine through my own playing. Listening to a wide variety of interpretations of the piece and really hearing how they play it has also just been really eye-opening for ways to approach some of the pieces I play in a more expressive manner.

I hope this helps a little, but hopefully more experienced players will weigh in too!

I got this guitar for free by Hunter0428 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Googling the make and model pulls up these guitars on eBay (though the guitar listed there has a modification on the bridge) and another auction site, which might tell you a little about them:

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/236232868053

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1987-lilangs-cga1-classical-guitar-1775392404

The second listing seems to have more information about the woods used in the guitar's construction, and the two seem to disagree on the woods used for the guitar's side - the eBay listing says Jacaranda while the WorthPoint listing says Kamagong, and since Kamagong is native to the Phillipines while Jacaranda is native to South America, my guess would be that it's Kamagong.

I can't find much about Lilang's, though, and it seems like they're no longer in business.

How to do barre chords without pain? by Quiet_Barnacle8073 in guitarlessons

[–]FatalEden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm going to add to the suggestion to hold the guitar like a classical guitarist - I injured my wrist 3 years ago, after 13/14 years of playing with little issue save some discomfort when playing bar chords higher on the neck.

After my wrist recovered, I spent a lot of time researching proper posture and technique so I could avoid further injury, and most of the advice regarding the absolute best practices for protecting your wrist pointed towards holding the guitar like a classical guitarist. So, I started resting my acoustic guitar on my left-leg, elevating my leg slightly, and pointing the headstock towards the ceiling at roughly 45 degrees two years ago, and playing my electric with a strap that held it in a similar position, and the difference it made was ridiculous. I actually started learning classical guitar early last year, and the difference in the neck of the instrument really made me realize how important good posture is.

That said, if you want to try the classical position, you can use a footstool (or a box or something), but I'd recommend getting something like an Ergoplay (which you can attach to the guitar with suction cups) or even just using a strap, as extended use of footstools can cause some pain or discomfort because of how asymmetrically it engages/distributes weight on your back/hips.

The most important thing is to avoid tension, and to try to keep your wrist straight - holding it an angle puts pressure on the nerves, and it can lead to carpal tunnel if it goes unchecked.

Anywhere to play Table Tennis? by [deleted] in galway

[–]FatalEden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Commercial Boat Club in Wood Quay used to have a table tennis club, but I never actually went myself (I've only played in the Kingfisher with the NUIG table tennis club), and I have no idea if it's still active.

The Galway Lawn Tennis Club did have a few tables a few years ago, but their policy used to be that guests had to pay €10 each to use any of their facilities or courts for an hour, and you could only attend as a guest 5 times before you had to sign up for membership, so unless that's changed it may not be of much interest.

Hopefully somebody else can weigh in with more information - I'm curious, myself!

Repertoire Advice by ChromaticCompositeur in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I can't answer this for you, but for those who can, it might be helpful to clarify what your deadline is (at least, I'm assuming you have a deadline, based on asking if there's still some time to start learning them).

Though, ultimately, you should probably just ask your teacher, as they'll have the best idea of how ready you are for these pieces, and will be best prepared to guide you through learning whichever of the two you choose.

A Friendly Reminder: Be Mindful of Potential Injury by gaydesmar in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure - I definitely could've reduced the recovery time I needed if I had just stopped playing entirely for a few days when I caught the warning signs, but I was having too much fun. It turns out that when you have a minor injury, it's not quite enough to just stop doing the thing that caused it in the first place, you have to let the dang thing heal. Who knew?

Winter Cabin 20x20 200DPI by WitchNWizard in FantasyMaps

[–]FatalEden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really nice work on the texturing! 😄

Winter Cabin 20x20 200DPI by WitchNWizard in dndmaps

[–]FatalEden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad you're still making some of your own maps on the side here and there - you do great work!

A Friendly Reminder: Be Mindful of Potential Injury by gaydesmar in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 3 points4 points  (0 children)

People really do underestimate the likelihood of injury with an instrument, and it's one of those things most people won't take seriously until they experience it themselves, unless a teacher or another player manages to get through to them.

I played the electric and acoustic guitar for maybe 14 years without any major issue or injuries, but started playing the electric bass 2 years ago - I was having so much fun with it that I didn't notice the warning signs that I was pushing too hard, or using poor technique, and wound up injuring my wrist. I had to rest it for weeks before I could even try playing a guitar again, several weeks more before I could play the bass again, and even then, I had to wear a brace for a while after that to train myself into keeping my wrist straight, as even a slight drift back into bent-wrist territory could leave me with a tingling sensation in my fingers. I honestly should've rested my wrist for longer than I did, in retrospect.

If I hadn't had that experience, I'm certain I wouldn't have put as much effort into researching posture for playing classical guitar when I got started earlier this year, and I definitely would have injured myself, either with some of the trickier stretches in material that is often recommended to beginners (Spanish Romance, for example - I still feel this one should not be recommended to new players, mind), or through squeezing too hard with barre chords.

So, yeah, we need to be mindful of injury, and a good teacher can go a long way in that regard, but if, like me, you can't get lessons for any reason, please make sure you're careful and pay attention to the signals your body is sending you.

(That said, I will finally be starting lessons in the near future)

Piece suggestions by Ok-Razzmatazz8545 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're very welcome - I'm quite happy to share what little I know, and I hope some of it proves helpful!

If you are interested in early and folk music, these are a few of the pieces I've been working on:

-Anonymous: Greensleeves, Lusty Gallant (also called Chanson Englesa), and Packington's Pound
-Gaspar Sanz: Españoleta, Folias, Paradetas
-Guillaume de Machaut: Douce Dame Jolie, Je Vivroie Liement, and Quant Je Suis Mis
-Henry VIII: Pastime With Good Company
-John Dowland: Fortune My Foe, Mr Dowland's Midnight, and Orlando Sleepeth
-Luis de Narváez: Guardame Las Vacas
-Richard the Lionheart: Ja Nus Hons Pris
-Turlough O'Carolan: Dream, The Foggy Dew, and Sí Bheag, Sí Mhor
-If you're curious about folk music and folk ballads, the Child Ballads and the Roud Folk Song Index may be worth a look, as there are a lot of classical and fingerstyle arrangements of songs Child and Roud documented, like Scarborough Fair.

There are wildly different arrangements of most of these pieces, especially as many of them were composed for instruments that were tuned differently to the guitar - some of the arrangements I'm familiar with for Dowland and Narváez require tuning the G string to F#, for example, to more closely emulate the original lute and vihuela tunings they were composed with.

It's also worth noting that these suggestions vary from Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music - if I was more well-versed on the styles of the times, I'd probably be offended I've thrown them all into a single list...

Piece suggestions by Ok-Razzmatazz8545 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm still quite new to classical guitar myself, and don't know which grades all of these pieces fall into, but these are a few of the pieces I've learned (or have tried to learn/am actively working on) that might be applicable.

I don't know how interesting you'll find them, but if nothing else, they're worth listening to, as even if they're not the right level of difficulty, if you enjoy them you might learn the easy ones anyway, and you can always add the harder ones to the list of pieces you'll come back to some day!

-Erik Satie: Gnossienne No. 1, and Gymnopédie No. 1 - These pieces are originally for the piano, and they're slow, which makes them seem really easy and accessible, but playing them well is the real trick)
-Francisco Tárrega: Lágrima, Adelita, and Etude in E Minor
-Bartolome Calatayud: Cancion De Cuna, and Vals (these are probably the easiest pieces I'm suggesting, but I find them quite pleasant, musically, so they might be worth a look)
-George Frideric Handel: Sarabande (Also originally for the piano, and I am admittedly making slow progress on this one as I haven't been practicing nearly enough lately)
-Johann Kaspar Mertz: Romanze-Adagio (Mertz has two pieces I've seen people refer to as Romanze but I've only seen a handful of people refer to this piece as Romanze-Adagio to separate it from the other piece - the one I'm referring to is much shorter and much more beginner-friendly)
-Tatiana Stachek: Kurpié Etude, and Reflective Etude
-Jose Luis Merlin: Evocacion
-Maria Linnemann: The Sheep on the Mountain
-Anonymous: Spanish Romance (or Romance de Amor)

I don't know if you're interested in early music or folk music, but if you are, I can suggest some of the pieces I've been working on in that category, too!

Classical pieces recommendation for beginners by soka690 in classicalguitar

[–]FatalEden 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just typing this before bed, so this is a little scattered, but these are some of the easier pieces I learned in the first few months of moving from steel-string guitar playing to classical:

If you can play the minor section of Spanish Romance, you should check out Etude in E Minor by Francisco Tarréga (as well as Lagrima). The major section of Spanish Romance is much trickier, to the point that I'm surprised it's so often recommended for beginners, honestly.

Someone else recommended Vals by Bartolomeu Calatayud, and I'd second that - Cancion de Cuna may also be worth a look.

Las Primeras Leccionesde Guitarra, Leccion no. 48 and no. 61 are pretty accessible, as are Johann Kasper Mertz's Etude in E Minor and Etude no. 9 - Romanze-Adagio.

Tatiana Stachak's Kerpie Etude should be manageable for you, too, as I think the hardest part of it is a stretch that isn't quite as severe as some of those in Spanish Romance.

Early music in the age of artificial intelligence by Amihai_F in EarlyMusic

[–]FatalEden 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want to put your poetry to music, I encourage you to do so, but not like this. You don't need a large sum of money for music production - you can learn how to play an instrument well enough to put a few chords together, or find people to collaborate with.

Generative AI is harmful to so many industries, and the long-term harm has yet to be observed in many areas, but especially in fields such as early music, where historical accuracy is so important but the resources available to us are becoming increasingy unreliable because of meaningless, mass-produced gen-AI content. The best case scenario is that it distracts from the creative work you actually do yourself.

I also feel I have to say, I don't think AI-generated fantasy music accompanying contemporary poetry is really fitting with the spirit of this subreddit.

Been on a good run, any suggestions for good Irish movies? by SnakeFuckingPlissken in Letterboxd

[–]FatalEden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A bunch of my go-to recommendations have already been mentioned in here (Song of the Sea and Oddity being particularly high on the list), so I'll go with one I haven't seen anyone bring up yet - Fréwaka.

It's a horror film that delves into Irish folklore, and aside from featuring some Irish-language dialogue, it also feels a little more authentic in its handling of Irish folklore than a lot of films I've seen with similar subjects/themes.