{"id":27630,"date":"2017-10-31T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T17:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarshed.foureyes.com\/?p=27630"},"modified":"2022-10-01T01:57:47","modified_gmt":"2022-10-01T08:57:47","slug":"tq-archimedes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/tq-archimedes\/","title":{"rendered":"Archimedes and the Art of Leverage on Guitar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday Quotes are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Find more here<\/a>. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

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Give me a lever long enough and I’ll move the world.
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Archimedes<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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In the Great Northwest U.S., logging is a major industry.<\/p>\n

In the old days (and still, in some places) loggers used the rivers to move hundreds and thousands of limbless trees downstream to the ports.<\/p>\n

But sometimes, the logs piled up and jammed. And while the beavers may have marveled in admiration, the loggers had to get things back flowing.<\/p>\n

Usually, there was just one log, known as the “King Pin”, that, when released, would free all the other logs.<\/p>\n

Working on the log-jams further back was pointless. Wasted work.<\/p>\n

But a small amount of time and energy directed at the King Pin would set things right in no time.<\/p>\n

This is a prime example of leverage: applying pressure at the most strategic point to get the biggest results with the least effort.<\/p>\n

In classical guitar…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

…we also have King Pins. And we can leverage these to get the biggest long-term results in the least time.<\/p>\n

It can be tempting to “work the logs further back” because the problems are often more attractive. These problems feel more advanced and are good for the ego. But they’re often unnecessary. In fact, many wouldn’t even be problems if we focused on the “King Pin”.<\/p>\n

So what are the “King Pins” in classical guitar? Here are a few:<\/p>\n