{"id":13522,"date":"2016-06-24T09:00:49","date_gmt":"2016-06-24T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarshed.foureyes.com\/?p=13522"},"modified":"2024-10-30T05:11:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T12:11:55","slug":"polish-guitar-music-troubleshoot-tricky-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/polish-guitar-music-troubleshoot-tricky-spots\/","title":{"rendered":"Ace the Tricky Spots and Polish to Perfection (pt 1: First Things First)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Ever learned a tune, and gotten it most of the way, but couldn\u2019t quite seem to get that last bit of polishing so it was fully \u201cdone\u201d?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The skills and methods that help you initially learn a piece won&#8217;t get you through that last ~10%.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">To fully polish a tune, you need to solve all the little problems, find your way through the tricky spots, and smooth out all the wrinkles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This lesson is the first in a series that will help you build the skills and learn the tools to take your music that last little bit.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"centerc\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Rh1R5d9rVc?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autohide=1\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"whatisatrickyspot\" style=\"text-align: center;\">What is a \u201cTricky Spot\u201d?<\/h2>\n<p>A \u201ctricky spot\u201d is that part of your music that is more difficult or troublesome than the rest.<\/p>\n<p>These are often marked by the need to slow down. If you can play most of a tune at one tempo, but slow down when you get to a certain spot, you\u2019ve just encountered a tricky spot.<\/p>\n<p>A spot can be tricky for any number of reasons, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A difficult stretch<\/li>\n<li>Unfamiliar notes<\/li>\n<li>An awkward chord shape<\/li>\n<li>High strength demands<\/li>\n<li>or the most common: some unknown reason<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"firstthingsfirst\" style=\"text-align: center;\">First Things First<\/h2>\n<p>Before we get into acing the tricky spots, troubleshooting, and <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/practice-tips-polish-guitar-pieces\/\">problem-solving<\/a>, it\u2019s best to first double-check to make sure you\u2019ve covered the basics.<\/p>\n<p>A story: My neighbor recently had car troubles. He started to pull out of the driveway, and his car just died. \u00a0When I arrived home he had the hood open and was trying to figure out what it could be. When I suggested he check to make sure there was gas in it, he bristled. But in fact, that was the problem. It was so basic he dismissed it, but he could have saved an hour or two by first checking the usual suspects (the basics).<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"thebigquestion:doyouknowthemusic\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The Big Question: Do You Know the Music?<\/h2>\n<p>The first question to ask when encountering a tricky spot is, \u201cDo I know this music?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This seems so obvious, but we&#8217;re all fallible human beings. Instead of assuming you\u2019ve done everything correctly, first pause and reflect on these basic questions:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Do you know the notes<\/strong> on the page?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do you know <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/3-steps-change-fingerings\/\">what fingers<\/a><\/strong> should be playing those notes, in both hands?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Simple questions, yes. \u00a0But often, like gas in the car, easily overlooked.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"dontjustsight-readittodeath\">Don\u2019t Just Sight-read It to Death<\/h3>\n<p>Many beginners mistake <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/sight-reading-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sight-reading<\/a> music for learning music.<\/p>\n<p>The thought goes something like, \u201c<em>If I play this enough times, I\u2019ll learn it!<\/em>\u201d But it doesn\u2019t work that way.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the least efficient and most problem-prone way of learning music is to \u201csight-read it to death\u201d (I have a friend who likes use this phrase).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>If you find that you\u2019re doing this, stop it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>To actually learn a tune, you need to identify issues, work out fingerings, observe hand movements, and more.<\/p>\n<p>When you sight-read, especially as a beginner, virtually all your attention is on getting the next note. You\u2019re not actually learning much.<\/p>\n<p>This is the roughly the same as trying to learn a new language by reading aloud from a book over and over. Just making the sounds doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re learning much.<\/p>\n<p>If you find that you\u2019re doing this, stop it.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, try a system such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/how-to-learn-classical-guitar-pieces\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">7-step process<\/a> of learning pieces, or any other.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"theroleoftechnique\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The Role of Technique<\/h2>\n<p>Technique is how you use your hands. And to play classical guitar, there are certain motions that consistently allow you to make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/classical-guitar-tone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">good sounds<\/a>, and use your muscles <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/basics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">efficiently<\/a>. \u00a0To practice technique, we generally use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/practicing-scales-on-the-classical-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scales<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/how-to-learn-classical-guitar-arpeggios-right-hand-technique\/\">arpeggios<\/a> (finger-picking patterns), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/slurs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">exercises<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re playing classical guitar music, a particular fingering in one or both hands may be required.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re experiencing tricky spots in your music, take a moment to assess how you\u2019re using your hands. If you have a general strategy of how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/how-to-hold-a-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hold the guitar<\/a> and move your fingers, Great! The problem may still be in this realm, but at least you\u2019re playing intentionally and have something to work with.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you\u2019re just \u201cwinging it\u201d and playing with whichever finger happens to play the note this time around, it may be that the music is just too complex for your current abilities.<\/p>\n<p>In that case, put the piece on hold and spend some time working on your technique. There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/mistakes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">common mistakes<\/a> that rookie classical guitarists make. \u00a0 Avoiding these and mastering the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/basics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">basics<\/a> are the first steps towards playing beautifully.<\/p>\n<p>(Both absolute beginners and experienced players in other styles benefit greatly from working on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/arpeggios\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">arpeggio technique<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"youcantbuildonbadplaying\">\u201cYou Can\u2019t Build on Bad Playing\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>A teacher of mine used to like to say, \u201c<em>You can\u2019t build on bad playing<\/em>.\u201d And he was right.<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t make a world-class dish with inferior ingredients, or build a house to last the ages with rotted wood.<\/p>\n<p>This doesn\u2019t mean you have to practice 12 hours a day or dedicate your entire life to playing guitar.<\/p>\n<p>What it does mean is that being intentional about how you play (your technique) allows you to move forward and grow from one piece of music to the next. \u00a0You don&#8217;t get it all in a day. \u00a0Instead, it&#8217;s a constant act of refinement and incremental improvement. \u00a0Baby steps.<\/p>\n<p>Unless you commit to caring about the \u201chow\u201d you play (as opposed to just the notes, the \u201cwhat\u201d), your music will never sound great. You can still enjoy it, and have good times playing tunes. \u00a0But you shouldn\u2019t assume it will sound any better in five years unless you invest some time in the quality of your abilities.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"summary\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Summary<\/h2>\n<p>To quickly recap:<\/p>\n<p>If you sense that something\u2019s amiss in a tune you\u2019re working on, first make sure you know the notes and fingerings.<\/p>\n<p>And steadily working towards better use of your hands (your technique) will ensure that you\u2019re advancing constantly as a guitarist, and avoiding some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/mistakes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">common mistakes<\/a> beginning classical guitarists make.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Ready for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/problem-solving-classical-guitar-polishing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Next Article in this series? Onward to The One Thing!<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever learned a tune, and gotten it most of the way, but couldn\u2019t quite seem to get that last bit of polishing so it was fully \u201cdone\u201d? The skills and methods that help you initially learn a piece won&#8217;t get you through that last ~10%. To fully polish a tune, you need to solve all the little problems, find your &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/polish-guitar-music-troubleshoot-tricky-spots\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434,3,20],"tags":[347,315,369,314],"class_list":["post-13522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-content-parent","category-phrasing","category-practicing","tag-learning-pieces","tag-polishing","tag-practice-methods","tag-problem-solving"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Polish Classical Guitar Tricky Spots: (Part 1)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Take your guitar tunes that last 10% with this series on troubleshooting tricky spots and polishing your pieces to performance level. 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