 Ceramic by Matthew Rohde I cannot express how important it is to be surrounded by people who are like you and have similar goals to you. It’s so essential to talk and share moments with people who are amazing at what they do. It rubs off! Every time I have gone to a festival (to compete, to participate, or to play), I have always found that I learn something new. You never know when something is going to click! I am sitting right now in Ciudad de Mexico, after a performance that was not so great according to my taste and expectations… Usually, after a performance, I take the rest of the day off, as the mental strain usually wears me off totally. However, this time, I couldn’t stop thinking about what possibly went wrong with my sound and my lack of security on my right hand. I know for sure I don’t feel completely good about my right hand sound and technique, so I have been talking to a lot of people at festivals and everywhere else about their nails and their approach to the right hand technique. It was close to midnight and I was still practicing, when I decided… what if I just try to bring my right hand angle closer to the thumb? – this was suggested several times by my mentor, I had tried it several times, but couldn’t feel totally good about it. Then, at that moment, I remember something that a friend of mine told me in my latest festival in Dallas.. he said: “Since I am studying with my new professor, he’s been asking me to dig in more into the strings, and I love it!”. Two weeks later! It was 2 weeks later that I made a connection between the 2 and unlocked a small part of the puzzle. My sound improved drastically right away. Of course, it’s not perfect yet, but it’s a step in the right direction. Learning by osmosis is a concept that I am convinced is the secret of successful music studios around the world. Sharing experiences, and constantly collaborating towards a common goal. Just simply watching and listening to someone play or talk can give you the next hint that will allow you to achieve the next level. Never miss an opportunity to grow! Pay attention to your friends, appreciate their experiences, and listen to those who have walked your path… Enjoy listening to this Passacaglia as you read
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 Have you ever wondered why some teachers still tell you things that you already know? I have found myself in that situation pretty often lately. And while this is a sign that my knowledge is increasing, it’s also a sign that I am not doing something that I think I am doing. In other words, why does that teacher feel the necessity to tell me that one thing? Perhaps there is a deeper reason... I recently had the opportunity to attend two amazing concerts by 2 previous GFA winners (Guitar Foundation of America, one of the premier guitar competitions in the world), and I was astonished by how accomplished they were not only technically and musically, but also as artists. For context, I am currently pursuing my doctorate degree in guitar and I am currently at the height of my career in terms of knowledge acquisition and technical exploration on the instrument. I was fascinated by how these two guitarists were able to accomplish so much with an instrument that in my head is so full of obstacles. However, the conceited part of me did not see them as unearthly as I had in the past. I was able to follow their musical intentions, I was able to recognize their technical facility as they tackled technical hurdles, and most of all, I was able to see how they got to be where they are at the moment (some of the best guitarists in the world). I felt inspired by their performances because they made me realize how much it’s possible on the instrument, and how good it can get! I also felt enthused to realize that at this point in my life; I have gathered a lot of the necessary tools to accomplish a similar result… I drove home in a good mood, and super ready to start practicing and simulate that result. As soon as I arrived home from the concert, I picked up my guitar, and started playing some of my repertoire. Soon, I realized that the gap between me and them had suddenly widened so much more than I had anticipated. I sucked! And I tried and I tried, but I could not simulate a similar result. My lines were disconnected, I had strange accents all over the place, and most of all, I did not sound at all like I thought I did. I felt discouraged because even though I had that ideal in my head, and I knew the basic steps on how to get there, I was not able to do it… This was a great learning experience because I realized that most of the time when I play, I hear myself in first person, and this little moment when I started to listen in third person, I realized that knowing how something works, or how something can be done, does not automatically equal to being able to do or accomplish that final result. However, it’s a great first step, and I am glad that I have been brought back to earth and to reality so I can continue running and climbing this amazing road towards becoming a better musician and a better version of myself. Carlos Bedoya, 11/12/23 As always, enjoy some music while you read :)  I am in the middle of changing my technique (again). And all I can think about is just how hard it is to play the guitar! One of the issues I explored today is changing the angle of my attack on the right hand fingers, I can alter the sound drastically, by simply bringing the top joint of the finger forward a couple of millimeters, I change from a flesh/nail contact to simply nail contact. Of course, if I want a finger attack that starts with flesh and ends on nail (the ideal), I would have to change this finger angle which by consequence also alters the wrist position and eventually the position in which my arm touches the guitar border. This is also very important because this point of contact with my arm is the center of balance for the weight of my whole arm resting on the instrument. If this contact is too forward (close to the wrist), I would have to tense up my shoulder so that my forearm doesn’t fall backwards onto the back of the guitar, and I would have little balance for my hand. If the contact with the forearm is too backwards (close to the elbow), then the point of contact of the string with the finger is not optimal and I would have to bend my wrist considerably to get a good contact with the strings. All of this is then heightened by the fact that everybody has different arms and arms’ lengths, fingernail shapes, and finger lengths. Standardizing technique on the guitar seems like an impossible task. In any case, a simple issue on the guitar can create a butterfly effect that affects everything else. To add to that, nails grow daily, and therefore, the angle of attack changes constantly from day to day… How am I supposed to solidify a technique that has to change almost daily? Carlos Bedoya, 06/09/23 Enjoy Marcin Dylla's magnificent playing while you enjoy reading my struggles :) |
AuthorCarlos Bedoya is a classical guitarist from Colombia, living in the US. Archives
June 2024
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