{"id":21383,"date":"2017-05-26T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2017-05-26T17:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarshed.foureyes.com\/?p=21383"},"modified":"2025-01-28T01:53:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T09:53:41","slug":"no-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/no-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Play Classical Guitar With No Mistakes, Flawlessly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to play a piece of music with absolutely no mistakes?<\/p>\n<p>We practice and practice, and there always seems to be some slip of the finger, buzzed note, memory slip, or any of a million other little things that can go wrong.<\/p>\n<p>So the logical question is \u201cHow can I play with no mistakes?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>But this may be the wrong question to ask.<\/p>\n<p class=\"centerc\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_YToN-XExBw?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autohide=1\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Number One Reason \u201cNo Mistakes\u201d is a Bad Goal<\/h2>\n<p>While we all want to play with no mistakes, to have this as the primary goal is generally a bad idea.<\/p>\n<p>The main reason this is a bad idea is that one mistake renders a performance a complete failure. The point of success is nothing short of perfection.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>With this goal, success means nothing short of perfection.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/eliminate-confusion\/\">Also, focusing on mistakes leads to mistakes<\/a>. At best, this goal leads to overly cautious playing. At worst, it fills us with despair and feelings of lack and futility.<\/p>\n<p>And what constitutes a mistake, anyway?<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">What is a \u201cMistake\u201d?<\/h2>\n<p>The notion of \u201cmistake\u201d is often very vague.<\/p>\n<p>When you first learn a tune as a beginner, a mistake may be a wrong note. <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/how-to-avoid-mistakes-playing-guitar-pieces\/\">Or it may mean that you have to stop and start over<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As you progress, your expectations rise. You want not only right notes, but the right rhythm. And a specific tone quality for each note. Then a particular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/balance-ratios\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">phrasing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And as you become a more mature musician, your notions of musical communication changes. Your understanding of music theory and harmonic structure deepen. Your use of rhythmic nuance becomes more sophisticated.<\/p>\n<p>And on and on and on, forever.<\/p>\n<h3>Note Perfect and Perfectly Boring<\/h3>\n<p>Many players focus all their attention on playing the written notes in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/metronome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">metronomic<\/a> rhythm, with a consistent tone quality.<\/p>\n<p>And indeed, this is a great starting point. We all want to be able to do this for the music we play.<\/p>\n<p>But this, in itself, leads to boring music.<\/p>\n<p>After the initial impression of cleanliness wears off, the music feels flat and lifeless. We can hear that the player has great technical ability, yet we don\u2019t feel anything. And as listeners, that\u2019s really all that matters.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Music is Made Up of Details<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to the obvious broad, surface goals of \u201cright notes, right time\u201d, music exists in the small moments.<\/p>\n<p>Music is how one note connects to the next, and how those notes fit within a larger phrase, section or entire piece.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/fine-details-classical-guitar-polish-perfect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">small details<\/a>, and how we handle them, that makes the difference between boring and compelling, flat and meaningful.<\/p>\n<p>So if the ultimate goal is personal connection through music (instead of \u201cno mistakes\u201d), then the path to reach that goal is paved in small details.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Gauge Success on Specific Terms<\/h2>\n<p>As we progress musically, we constantly add complexity and nuance to every musical element in a piece of music.<\/p>\n<p>As the saying goes, \u201cWhen you know better, you do better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So given our current place in our own musical journey, we can gauge success based on our current aspirations. With time and experience, these evolve and layer onto each other.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a recipe for failure to compare your work as a beginner or intermediate player to that of an advanced player.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, create specific <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sportpsychologytoday.com\/youth-sports-psychology\/letting-go-of-errors-and-mistakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">goals<\/a> based on small details.<\/p>\n<h3>Notes\/Memory<\/h3>\n<p>One of the first and most obvious goals is that of playing the notes on the page.<\/p>\n<p>The next step beyond this is playing from memory, while keeping in rhythm and playing the right notes.<\/p>\n<p>But even these can be broken into smaller sections, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/simplify\">simplified<\/a> to lower the bar to success.<\/p>\n<h3>Execution<\/h3>\n<p>At first, just getting the note to sound is a glowing triumph. As time goes on, we may get more detailed with what constitutes success.<\/p>\n<p>Some areas to gauge success based on execution are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Finger Placement<\/li>\n<li>Form and Positioning<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/arpeggios\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Right Hand Technique<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/classical-guitar-tone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tone Quality<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can have success in one but not another. This still counts as a success, while simultaneously pointing to something you can improve.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>You can have success in one but not another. This still counts as a success, while simultaneously pointing to something you can improve.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The important part is that we acknowledge what\u2019s working and what isn\u2019t. If we fail to notice the specifics, we\u2019re not evaluating critically. We\u2019re just fussing.<\/p>\n<h3>Musical Ideas<\/h3>\n<p>As we progress musically, we\u2019ll demand more of each note. Instead of simply sounding, we\u2019ll want each note to be expressive and intentional.<\/p>\n<p>This creates massive grey areas. If all we aspire to is \u201cright notes, right time\u201d, we have a very clear win\/lose line. Once we have greater musical intentions, the pass\/fail line changes for each note, each voice, each phrase, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>Some musical goals for any phrase or section:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Swells and Fades<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/legato-guitar-synchronize-the-hands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Smooth and Connected<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/chord-balance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Balanced Musical Voices<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Rhythmic Clarity<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/longline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Long line<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Personal Understanding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now, we could judge a particular swell or fade a failure if it didn\u2019t swell or fade as much as we wanted. We could have better balance, more rhythmic clarity, or more connected notes.<\/p>\n<p>All that said, simply trying to play more musically is it\u2019s own success. You\u2019re more likely to play musically, and create a rewarding experience for a listener.<\/p>\n<p>Even if we miss a note or have a memory slip, we\u2019ll still offer a deeply human experience. And listeners will forgive a lot if we deliver on what matters.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">It Will Always Be Somewhere In Between<\/h2>\n<p>We will always make \u201cmistakes\u201d. Every time. Count on it. If we don\u2019t make any mistakes, we\u2019re playing it too safe and need to dig deeper.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We will always make \u201cmistakes\u201d. Every time. Count on it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And by the same token, we\u2019ll always have successes as well. There will always be something we did well.<\/p>\n<p>The trick to constructive criticism is to first acknowledge what is working and celebrate that. Then acknowledge what isn\u2019t, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/practice-technique-clean-guitar-playing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make a plan to improve on it<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to play a piece of music with absolutely no mistakes? We practice and practice, and there always seems to be some slip of the finger, buzzed note, memory slip, or any of a million other little things that can go wrong. So the logical question is \u201cHow can I play with no &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/no-mistakes\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21386,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,434,3],"tags":[54,315],"class_list":["post-21383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-main-content-parent","category-phrasing","tag-mindset","tag-polishing"],"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>Want to Play Guitar Without Making Any Mistakes? Here&#039;s How<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Frustrated by mistakes in your classical guitar pieces? 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