{"id":13858,"date":"2016-07-15T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T19:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarshed.foureyes.com\/?p=13858"},"modified":"2022-08-02T04:08:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T11:08:38","slug":"solving-problems-polish-troubleshoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/solving-problems-polish-troubleshoot\/","title":{"rendered":"Ace the Tricky Spots and Polish to Perfection (pt 3: Talk it Out)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"choreographyandtalkingthroughpost\">Tricky spots, thorny patches, problem spots, trouble-zones, hard parts. Whatever you call them, most classical guitar pieces have them.<\/p>\n<p>After you learn all the notes and get the piece to 85%, there are still the spots that just don\u2019t seem to gel at tempo.<\/p>\n<p>This article is part two of a series on working through these tricky spots and polishing guitar music.<br \/>\nAlso see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/polish-guitar-music-troubleshoot-tricky-spots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part One: First Things First<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/problem-solving-classical-guitar-polishing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part Two: The One Thing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This tactic involves zooming in on the action, choosing the best route, and narrating a way through the fog.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4aN-24kIma4?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autohide=1\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"movemovebymove\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Move Move by Move<\/h2>\n<p>As the brilliant musicians we are (yes, you too!) we create the illusion of flowing, effortless movement on the guitar. We float from one note to the next with ease and poise.<\/p>\n<p>But in fact, if you look more closely, each note or chord we play is made up of one or more separate moves, done one after the next.<\/p>\n<p>One way to ensure that we play with grace and flow is to become more conscious of these smaller moves. If you understand and get intentional about the \u201cchoreography\u201d of moving from one note to the next, you can plan the best way to play, and practice implementing that plan.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"plancktime\">Planck Time<\/h3>\n<p>Max Planck was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. \u201cPlanck Time\u201d splits each little fraction of time into even smaller bits of time. This way, you can look at an event frame by frame.<\/p>\n<p>We can think of the connection of one note to another in exactly the same way: frame by frame, move by move.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt is not the possession of truth, but the success which attends the seeking after it, that enriches the seeker and brings happiness to him.\u201d Max Planck<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"slowdown\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Slow Down<\/h2>\n<p>Of course, to observe, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/kaizen-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">plan<\/a> and practice moves at this \u201cframe by frame\u201d level, you have to slow down. You have to temporarily set the piece aside, and be satisfied and captivated by one note leading to the next, and all the steps involved.<br \/>\nIt helps if you isolate specific tricky spots for this type of work at first, so it seems manageable.<\/p>\n<p>However, going through an entire piece from memory at this excruciatingly slow pace is a marvelous test of your non-muscle memory (ie. how well you actually know the music).<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"evenslower\">Even Slower<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re like me, and most everyone else, you\u2019ll be tempted to hurry through this type of work and get to something else.<\/p>\n<p>The best players are almost always the slowest practicers (this is true). There is an old Buddhist saying that if you don\u2019t feel that you have time to meditate for 20 minutes, you should meditate for 2 hours.<\/p>\n<p>The same holds true for slow practice. If you have trouble playing slowly, you should practice twice as slowly.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"programmingtherobot\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Programming the Robot<\/h2>\n<p>The goal, of course, is to play through the tricky spots with ease and fluidity.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve slowed down and planned the full choreography (body, arms, hands, fingers), all that\u2019s left is to program your muscles and neurology to do it that way every time, automatically. We can call this \u201cprogramming the robot\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Practice at this stage involves going repeatedly through the planned actions, with absolute precision and consistency in every detail.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The goal, of course, is to play through the tricky spots with ease and fluidity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>After a few days, the movements become ingrained, and will \u201coverwrite\u201d any prior muscle habits that may have been goofing up the section.<\/p>\n<p>At that point, you can speed up while thinking the same thoughts and executing the same movements as you did at the slow tempo.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"narratetheaction\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Narrate the Action<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most helpful elements you can add to this process is your voice.<\/p>\n<p>Just as you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/learn-music-fast-intention-memorize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">learn best when teaching<\/a>, articulating (<strong>with real words<\/strong>) each movement speeds up the learning process massively.<\/p>\n<p>As you slow down and plan the choreography, narrate each frame of the action.<\/p>\n<h3>It may sound something like this:<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>&#8220;When I come to the sixth string G in the bass with my 2nd finger, my elbow moves slightly towards my body.<\/li>\n<li>My hand pivots on the 2nd finger while keeping the string pressed.<\/li>\n<li>My first finger contracts in preparation to move to the second string C.<\/li>\n<li>As my elbow reaches my body, I hover my left hand 1st finger over the second string C.<\/li>\n<li>As my right hand A finger plays through the second string and P plays the fifth string, my left hand 1st finger presses the second string C while my 2nd finger simultaneously lifts from the sixth string.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>No move is too small to articulate. The more detail, the better.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"useyourwords\">Use Your Words<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re like most people, you\u2019ll try to convince yourself that you\u2019re \u201cspeaking internally\u201d, or \u201csaying the words to yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>If this is you, I\u2019m afraid I have bad news: You\u2019re probably deceiving yourself.<\/p>\n<p>Most likely you\u2019re including phrases such as \u201c<em>then this<\/em>\u201d, or \u201c<em>over there<\/em>\u201d. These vague instructions that really say nothing defeat the point of the exercise. \u00a0And you may not even realize you&#8217;re using them.<\/p>\n<p>If you force yourself to actually speak the words aloud, you\u2019ll find that you notice a greater level of detail, and organize the information more logically. You put the choreography in chronological order, and separate complex movements into distinct components. \u00a0All good things.<\/p>\n<p>Just as when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/metronome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">counting rhythms<\/a>, there is amazing power in speaking aloud.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, this may not be easy at first. \u00a0In fact, it may be downright difficult. \u00a0So much the better. \u00a0If you have trouble narrating the action, the problem may be that you don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s happening. \u00a0Going through this exercise will be most wonderful and beneficial for you if you have the urge to resist it, or when you find it difficult.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"becomeyourownteacher\">Become Your Own Teacher<\/h3>\n<p>Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/5-common-misbeliefs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">benefit<\/a> of verbally articulating the choreography is that you can effectively become your own teacher.<\/p>\n<p>As you speak the movements, you take an outside and observational perspective. You \u201cfloat above\u201d the action, and narrate it.<\/p>\n<p>This gives you a puppet-master-like power to guide and direct your movements. You may notice mistakes or inefficiencies you would otherwise miss. And from this dispassionate vantage, you can avoid many of the emotional responses (like frustration) that might arise when working through problem\u00a0spots from \u201cin the trenches\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Taking this position of overseer and teacher can help bring what you know consciously into your subconscious habits. The end result is that you get better faster.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"recap:planyourchoreographyandtalkthroughtheissues\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Recap: Plan Your Choreography and Talk Through the\u00a0Problem Spots<\/h2>\n<p>To review, when dealing with tricky spots, one possible approach is to:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Slow down.<\/strong> Even slower.<\/li>\n<li>Notice and intentionally <strong>direct every little movement<\/strong> (from head to toe, shoulder to fingertip) from before the problem spot to just after.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Narrate the action aloud<\/strong>, move by move, using your speech and voice. Note every little action that has to take place, and speak it aloud as if describing it to someone who can&#8217;t see (and is very interested!).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve had a chance to give this a try, come back and leave a comment below sharing your experience! \u00a0We&#8217;d love to hear it.<\/p>\n<p>Other articles in this series:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/polish-guitar-music-troubleshoot-tricky-spots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part One: First Things First<br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/problem-solving-classical-guitar-polishing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part Two: The One Thing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tricky spots, thorny patches, problem spots, trouble-zones, hard parts. Whatever you call them, most classical guitar pieces have them. After you learn all the notes and get the piece to 85%, there are still the spots that just don\u2019t seem to gel at tempo. This article is part two of a series on working through these tricky spots and polishing &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/solving-problems-polish-troubleshoot\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13862,"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-13858","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>Polishing and Solving Classical Guitar Problem Spots<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover ways to practice guitar to dissolve your problem spots. Use these tricks to &quot;finish&quot; your pieces and get to performance level.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/solving-problems-polish-troubleshoot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ace the Tricky Spots and Polish to Perfection (pt 3: Talk it Out)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover ways to practice guitar to dissolve your problem spots. Use these tricks to &quot;finish&quot; your pieces and get to performance level.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/solving-problems-polish-troubleshoot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Classical Guitar Shed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClassicalGuitarShed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-15T19:00:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-02T11:08:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/choreography-thumbnail.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Allen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CLguitarshed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CLguitarshed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Allen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Polishing and Solving Classical Guitar Problem Spots","description":"Discover ways to practice guitar to dissolve your problem spots. 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