How to Go From Intermediate to Advanced on Classical Guitar

It takes time and effort to get to the intermediate level of classical guitar. But once there, how do we advance to higher levels?

To progress to more advanced guitar playing, different work is needed. What got us from beginner to intermediate will not get us to advanced.

Below, you’ll find insights and tips to elevate your playing to ever-higher levels of enjoyment and skill.

How You Got to Where You Are Now

Whether solo or with a teacher, we begin knowing nothing. From there, we build knowledge and skills.

It’s a great accomplishment to gain a degree of freedom and agility on the guitar. And if you’re at the intermediate level, you have certainly earned it. You’re no slouch!

So let’s look at what got you here.

Repetition

We often practice by repeating the same pieces or exercises. This repetition builds muscle memory and helps us improve.

Indeed, repetition is one of the chief ingredients of good guitar practice.

However, it can also lead to a plateau. When we do the same things over and over, our progress can stall.

Likewise, repetition cuts both ways. Bad habits are more deeply entrenched.

Following What Felt Natural

We use techniques and hand positions that feel comfortable, or “natural.”

Natural implies homeostasis. We feel comfortable because it is what we’ve already been doing.

This approach may be useful, especially when starting out. But it can also limit our growth. Sticking to what feels natural can prevent us from trying new methods that might be more efficient.

As a rule, feelings are fickle and unreliable.

Doing Your Best with Limited Information and Perspective

We work with the knowledge we have. As we begin in any field, including music, we have much to learn.

At each step, we work with limited knowledge and perspective.

As children, we make our way in the world as best we can. Then as we grow, we change perspectives and methods.

Likewise on guitar, we become used to working in certain ways. We use the practice methods and processes that we have become accustomed to. This is wonderful, but there may be others that are more useful in a given situation.

Ideally, we continue to expand and learn. And our practice evolves and reshapes itself. More on this below.

But first, what really runs the show?

AutoPilot: The Result of Our Past Training

Our minds love patterns. And anything we repeatedly do is identified as a pattern. When we perform a pattern often enough, our minds create shortcuts.

When we create a shortcut for an action, we no longer have to consciously think about it. The activity becomes automatic.

Walking, speaking, writing, tying our shoes, driving a car… most of our time is spent performing automatic actions.

We can call this our “autopilot.” The autopilot is a reflection of our past training. In guitar practice, we create several autopilots.

How We Use Our Hands and Body

Our hands and body move in ways we’ve trained them. These habits have become automatic.

The quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of these habits can vary wildly. As said above, we train our autopilot with limited information.

Over time, these ingrained habits can be hard to change. But advancing on guitar may mean retraining one or more autopilots.

How We Understand the Music We Play

We interpret and understand music based on what we’ve learned so far. Our musical understanding is shaped by past experiences. And these may not always be complete or correct.

This can lead to a narrow interpretation of pieces. We may have elements of music that we remain deaf or blind to.

We can look forward to expanding our musical awareness and discovering new possibilities for expression.

How We Practice

As intermediate players, our practice habits and routines may be quite set. These mental habits and methods need to evolve for us to advance.

If we continue practicing the same way, our progress will be limited.

As we adopt new practice methods and philosophies, we can approach problems in new ways. And this can help us avoid hitting a low ceiling.

Why We Hit a Ceiling and Progress No Further

We hit a ceiling (stopping point) because our current methods and understanding are limited.

Our habits keep us from trying new things or exploring different techniques. To progress, we need to change and improve our autopilots.

Here’s the snag: We may not recognize limited or faulty thinking because we assume everything is fine and complete. We may assume that if there were a better way, we would already know it.

In fact, the Dunning-Kruger Effect has shown that people of lower ability generally overestimate their competence. So the less we know, the less likely we are to realize it.

But there are ways forward. We can take a step back and thrust forward for the next rung up on the musical spiral.

The Way Forward: Reprogramming the AutoPilot

To advance beyond intermediate, we need to fill any gaps in knowledge and retrain any inefficient autopilots.

We can think of this as a software update or a spring cleaning.

Any past work will still advantage us. We are not starting over. Instead, we are pruning and culling. We keep what works and change what doesn’t.

But first, here are three tips to smooth the journey.

Tip #1: Release the Need to Be Right

We should let go of the need to always be correct. This mindset blocks learning and growth. Being open to mistakes and learning from them is essential.

Any defensiveness or justification will only slow us down and get in the way.

Check your ego at the door and come in ready to challenge anything you previously held as fact.

Tip #2: Learn to Pause, Evaluate, and Respond

Instead of playing automatically, we should pause and think about what we are doing.

Evaluate the playing and respond with adjustments. This helps us become more aware of our habits and make necessary changes.

Our current autopilots will try to take over. We have to shine a bright light on each element of our playing. But this can only happen if we…

Tip #3: Slow Down: Speed Keeps Us from Paying Attention

Speed creates the illusion of perfection. Slowing down allows us to bring heightened awareness to our playing.

We can listen more closely to rhythm, tone quality, and legato. We can separate the melody, bass, and accompaniment and listen to each in turn.

We can focus on accuracy and precision. We can stay mindful of tension habits, which may alert us to places for improvement.

Playing fast is a skill and needs to be practiced so we feel at home at high tempos. But playing fast all the time obscures valuable information.

Tip #4: Back to Basics

Returning to the basics can help us fix fundamental issues. Revisiting basic techniques and exercises builds a solid foundation. This foundation is key for advanced progress.

Bruce Lee famously said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

This speaks to the power of the basics.

The most advanced music is rendered simple when reduced to basic elements. The more masterful we are at basic movements and skills, the more graceful we will perform advanced music.

What are the basics? For each area of playing music, there are a few core actions or principles that apply to most situations. For example:

• Right-hand – form, positioning, and movements
• Left-hand – alignment, placement, movement
• Rhythm – legato, rubato, note placement
• Balance – hierarchy of dynamic levels, musical parts (melody etc.)
• Expression – continuation, dynamics patterns, direction, and arrival points
• Practice methods – memory, sight-reading, problem-solving, time and energy management

The Art of Subtraction in Classical Guitar Study

To get to the intermediate level, we added new knowledge and skills. We layered new concepts and methods onto the old.

To advance forward, it is more effective to subtract and refine. We can pare back and amplify fewer elements with greater versatility.

Cleaner Movements

Instead of learning more exercises, we can instead focus on cleaner movements. We can focus more on HOW we play rather than WHAT we play.

We can aim for smoother and more efficient movements. This reduces unnecessary effort and improves our playing. Cleaner movements lead to better control and less strain.

If our aim in practice is novelty and entertainment, we will resist this work.

To find joy in this work, it helps to get curious and listen as closely as possible. This work should be an end unto itself. It will also lead to more beautiful playing. But daily, it’s more enjoyable to embrace deep work for its own sake.

More Appropriate Effort

Using the right amount of effort prevents strain and increases control. We don’t need to press too hard or use excessive force. Finding the right balance is crucial.

Our autopilots will seek to apply our usual force. We have to stay alert and direct ourselves to keep muscle tension appropriate.

And it will take time and experimentation to discover what is appropriate.

Focusing on Root Causes

Identify and address the root causes of issues. This takes curiosity and patience.

We can see each challenge as a stepping stone forward. Instead of solving the problem for the current piece, we can seek the underlying weakness or habit that is causing this problem. Then solve it for good.

This approach solves problems more effectively than just dealing with symptoms. Understanding why a problem occurs helps us fix it at its source.

Over time, we gain a full toolbox of solutions for all sorts of problems. When we see similar issues in new pieces, we can make quick work of them.

What to Add to Progress on Classical Guitar

Subtracting is often more of a struggle to intermediate players than adding new knowledge. This is because we are used to adding, and not as used to subtracting.

But we do continue to add knowledge and skills as well in our pursuit of progress.

Here is what to add:

Musical Understanding

We can gain a deeper understanding of music theory and structure.

This aids in memorization and can affect the way we work. The theory, musical form, and historical performance practice create a more nuanced context for the music.

It also helps us to hear more of the music. This helps us play more expressively and accurately. Knowing the theory behind the music we play enriches our interpretation.

For ongoing study, we can learn more about non-guitar music as well. For example, Robert Greenberg’s many lectures on The Great Courses are entertaining and educational listens.

Deliberate Phrasing

Focus on phrasing and dynamics to bring out the emotion in the music. This makes our playing more engaging. Deliberate phrasing adds depth and nuance to our performance.

We mentioned Dunning-Kruger above, and it is in full effect in this area. Most guitarists believe they are competent interpreters of music. But this is a study. As with “natural,” our feelings can steer us wrong.

Instead, we can master dynamic and rhythmic patterns that occur in music. This is a wonderful new area of technique practice for many guitarists.

Then, we can learn where and why to use different patterns.

Here as much as anywhere, releasing the need to be right and opening to new ideas can take us far.

Bodily Awareness

Be aware of how your body moves and feels while playing. Good bodily use and relaxed movements prevent injury and improve performance.

Bodily awareness helps us play more comfortably and efficiently. The more aware we become of how we use ourselves, the better we’ll play.

This study can continue off the guitar as well. Throughout the day, we can explore and play with tension habits. We can release our palms while doing everyday tasks. We can experiment with releasing effort in, say, a shoulder or hip.

It can be an absolute joy to put attention to bodily use. We learn about ourselves and discover new ways to soften and feel good.

A Lifetime of Progress

When the great cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he still practiced in his 80s, he replied, “Because I think I’m getting better.”

Progress may not come as often or as noticeably as it did at the beginner or intermediate levels. But the work is gratifying in its own right.

We are apt to experience plateaus and breakthroughs. Some habits die hard and others require a germination period before bearing fruit. The daily work has to be worth the trouble.

And it is. Refining, questioning, experimenting–these are adventures that bring massive rewards to this lifelong personal study.