Contrary to what others would have you believe, learning the classical guitar isn’t easy.
If you want to play the instrument well, you must be prepared to invest the necessary time and effort to practice. If you’re not willing or able to commit 1-hour of practice a day, you may want to reconsider picking up the instrument.
Keep in mind that you will not necessarily become a better guitarist simply by attending lessons alone. If you are expecting to achieve results simply by attending lessons, then you will quickly plateau. Progress cannot be made in the absence of practice.
After all, the teachers’ primary role is to teach the student how to teach himself/herself. The teacher acts as a guide for the student. Navigating the daunting, unfamiliar landscape of classical guitar territory is difficult for a beginner.
An experienced teacher not only knows the terrain well, he has travelled it many times with different students. He knows the stumbling blocks, the shortcuts and the best path to take. It is important to realize that the teacher is only a guide. He is not a coolie who will carry you to your destination.
He can only point the way and clear a path for you. To reach the destination, you have to traverse the territory.
Playing is guitar is a lot of fun. What many fail to realize is that learning to play the guitar, is decidedly less so. The same is true for all musical instruments.
Learning to play the guitar requires a lot of patience and perseverance. But once you do learn to play the guitar, you will find that it is one of the most rewarding skills you will ever develop.
The most common stumbling block that hinders beginners is learning to read music.
Learning to read and interpret music is an awesome skill that is difficult to learn. Unlike other forms of communication, musical notation is pure in fidelity. Words and visual art can easily lose its intrinsic value as society changes.
The meanings of words can change. The values of societies will evolve. The carefully crafted words of a writer can lose its poignancy. Revolutionary visual designs that were once cutting-edge slowly become standard. For example, a shocking, nude painting created in the 1800s may seem tame in modern society.
If you’re looking for a more academic example, then look no further than Shakespeare. Though Shakespeare’s works are currently regarded as modern-day classics, during his time, his works had more in common with popular-culture than elite-culture.
Instrumental music is virtually free of all these limitations. Music has been described as the purest form of communication and understandably so. Music notation presents us with a high fidelity means of reproducing an idea, as intended by the composer or arranger.
When you read a piece written by Sor, Carulli or Tarrega, it’s almost as if the composer had personally written a letter to you. The creation of such music is like launching an ‘intellectual-javelin’ through time, space, and culture.
It’s quite amazing when you think about it; for a Chinese, Singaporean guitarist to connect with a Spanish composer who died a century ago. Yet the composer can communicate with the performer, with a high degree of fidelity, across the ages, across continents and even from beyond the grave.
Learning to read music is one of the most difficult technical milestones to conquer, when one starts to learn how to play the classical guitar. But it is one of the most worthwhile musical-investments you’ll ever make.
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