'The Scale' from The Guitar Gymnasium - Robin Hill

Some time ago I wrote a post on 'The Arpeggio' and promised to follow up with one about scales.

So here it is!

Scales are a vital part of any practice session and should be treated with respect.

As Andres Segovia once said,

'The practice of scales enables one to solve a greater number of technical problems in a shorter time than the study of any other exercise.'

Below are the first two pages of Chapter 2 of The Guitar Gymnasium.

The entire chapter consists of 16 pages of explanations and guidance, the occasional inspiring quote, 13 original exercises and a few old favourites.

The original exercises have been designed by Robin to achieve many things.
Some are excellent warm-up and stamina building exercises, others concentrate on avoiding awkward string crossings by examining technique.

You can click on the image to enlarge if required.







Throughout the chapter Robin reiterates that the printed fingering in any book is not sacred. Usually there are a number of alternatives and one shouldn't be afraid to experiment.

He finishes the chapter with the demanding scale workout by Nicolo Paganini, 'Moto Perpetuo', which he has transposed from C major to A major and fingered to facilitate fluency and velocity.

As Robin says at the end of the chapter....'Good Luck'

'The Arpeggio' from 'The Guitar Gymnasium'

Robin is frequently asked how he maintains speed, accuracy and fluency for prolonged periods whilst playing the guitar.
Although this may not be what aspiring performers want to hear, one of the answers lies in, 'The Arpeggio'.
The Arpeggio is a basic technique which is encountered in nearly every piece and is an excellent and essential technical exercise.

Even after more than 40 + years as a performer Robin will still practise arpeggios on a regular basis.

Chapter 1 of Robin Hill's, 'The Guitar Gymnasium' focuses solely on the arpeggio and contains 18 pages of explanations, advice, quotes and original exercises.

Today I have decided to show you the first two pages as an example of the approach Robin uses.

Click on the image to enlarge if required.







As Robin says later in the chapter, 'These exercises should be taken at a slow (60bpm) tempo initially gradually increasing the tempo. Practise with a metronome is recommended (but not all the time). The exercises should be played with fluency and technical command, accuracy is paramount.'

Good luck and keep checking in as next we will look at the tricky area of, 'The Scale'....

'Performance and Practice' from 'The Guitar Gymnasium'

For many years Robin carried around a notebook, and whenever he came across a quote that he found inspiring and/or thought-provoking he wrote it down.  

Eventually, he wrote, 'The Guitar Gymnasium - A Mental and Physical Workout, Designed to Develop Flawless Technique,' (Mel Bay) and incorporated many of these quotes. 

Whilst the book is aimed at guitarists, there is a whole chapter dedicated to Performance and Practice. This section covers the many psychological factors inherent in the performance of music, but could equally apply to artists of all areas. 

The following is an extract from. 'The Guitar Gymnasium'. 

Performance and Practice A Collection of Thoughts 

 I firmly believe that attaining the balance between self-confidence and self-doubt is one of the artist's most important challenges: 

  'It constantly remains a source of disappointment to me that my drawings are not yet what I want them to be, the difficulties are indeed numerous and great, and cannot be overcome at once. To make progress is a kind of miner's work; it doesn't advance as quickly as one would like, and others also expect, but as one stands before such a task, the basic necessities are patience and faithfulness. In fact, I do not think much about the difficulties, because if one thought about them too much one would get stunned or disturbed.' 

                                                                                                                 Vincent Van Gogh (letter to Theo) 

 If Vincent had not felt like this about his work it would have, indeed, been a surprise. This sense of striving and self-dissatisfaction provide the essential impetus to spur the artist to further and higher achievements. Eventually, as we all know, he did get the balance wrong, he did become stunned and disturbed, and the world lost one of it's greatest artists. We all have encountered his antithesis where small talent is buoyed up by outrageous conceit. 

'The superior man is distressed by his want of ability'                                              Confucius 551-479 BC 

Confucius points out the paradox which propels high-achievers forward toward greater heights. '

The eternal problem for the performer is the settling of his own mental equilibrium, the striking of a happy mean between conceit, self-confidence and a sober valuation of his worth.' 

'Let us remember when we witness an artist on the platform radiating the most sublime self-assurance that in reality, he may be extremely modest and nervous, that he has donned a cloak of self-complacency to disguise his fright. For my part I am aware, when acknowledging applause, that I wear my warmest smile when I know that I have played badly; the smile helps me to walk off the stage and masks my fury. A bad performance haunts an artist for days and days and the memory of it is only erased by a good one. The most vigilant self-criticism is of course necessary. but the time comes when the artist must tell himself he is good or he will go under. It is a fight.' 

                                                                                                                    Gerald Moore (Am I too Loud?) 

 This quote, by the accompanist, Gerald Moore, perfectly encapsulates the dilemma. 

'Something like a nervous dread often takes possession of me while I am on stage in the presence of a large audience....one can only imagine how painful this sensation maybe....this sense of uncertainty has often inflicted upon me tortures only to be compared with the Inquisition, while the public listening to me imagines that I am perfectly calm.' 

                                                                                                                                           Anton Rubinstein 

'The guitar is very curious, I always say the guitar behaves unpredictably because of the influence of its feminine curves. (Sorry - I know this is politically incorrect - but it's what the man said!) When I go to the concert I am always nervous; then when I begin the concert I am ready to cancel it; but when I have finished the concert, I would like to begin again.' 

                                                                                                                                               Andres Segovia 

And you thought you had problems! 

I find these quotations both inspiring and comforting. It is surprising to many people to learn that great artists and performers were and are assailed by these feelings of dread and self-doubt. One of the factors which define their greatness is how they react to these doubts. If they are completely banished complacency flourishes and a powerful motivator is lost, but if this doubt gains the upper hand then confidence and further progress will be severely impeded. The trick is to get the balance right. This state of equilibrium is difficult to attain and difficult to maintain, requiring almost constant adjustment. The secret of success is how we react to failure. There is no doubt that a realistic belief in oneself provides a potent impetus to successful performance and vice versa. 

In my experience of concert giving over some twenty-five years, I have found that no matter how pleased (rarely) or disappointed (frequently) I am concerning the performance it is, objectively, never as good or as bad as perceived. As a member of an audience, I also note that what communicates, above all, is the spirit of the performance and not the fine detail. Obviously one has to aim for technical perfection, but for a performer to be convinced a whole concert was appalling because there were a few slips is clearly wrong. 

In fact, I remember a very memorable recital at the Wigmore Hall at which I was present and which I very much enjoyed, it was also repertoire with which I was largely familiar. I was convinced the performance was note-perfect as well as truly inspiring and musical. When, months later, I heard the concert broadcast 0n BBC Radio 3, I was amazed to hear a few obvious errors but found I had been correct about the event being truly musical and inspiring. This experience taught me a valuable lesson - If the inspiration and spirit of the music, and say 85-95% accuracy, are present, then that concert is a great success and an uplifting event for the audience (of whom maybe 1-3% will have noticed the errors) and, if the other necessary factors were present, this will not have marred their enjoyment of the concert as a whole. 

 

Music Practice Tips - Classical Guitar

Today is a very special post by the man himself - Robin Hill!

It was originally written as a guest blog for the Australian violinist Ben Clapton, back in 2007.

Enjoy!



Music Practice Tips – Classical Guitar

By Robin Hill

When approached by Ben, to write a guest blog spot on ‘practice tips’ for the classical guitar, I wondered where to start.
Having written an entire book, ‘The Guitar Gymnasium, A Mental and Physical Workout, Designed to Develop Flawless Technique,’ published by Mel Bay, it seemed a difficult task to summarise into an article.
Most of my thinking on these matters has been precipitated by the ‘front line’ experiences of concertising, recording, broadcasting and teaching, and a life long passion for the classical guitar, and music in general.

Outstanding performance on any musical instrument can only be achieved through hard and painstaking work. The musician who excels above his colleagues is, generally, the one who has taken more pains.
Regular practice is essential, with technical work of high priority, and whilst students may not want to hear this, there is no escape from scales and arpeggios!

One of the most basic and important principles in guitar technique is economy of movement, not only of both hands, but, of any part of the body involved in the production of the note.
It’s worth investing in a full length, movable, mirror, as I watch myself playing frequently, not out of vanity, but to constantly check positioning and posture.
For practice, I’ll break it down into sections, and start with the arpeggio.

The Arpeggio.

The right hand should remain completely stable with the knuckles immobile and parallel to the strings. The fingers themselves move in a minimal way, pressing, rather than hitting the string.
Initially you can practice this silently by touching the string but without producing any sound.
This helps to establish playing ‘from the string’ and using the minimum amount of movement.
Silent practice should be accompanied by ‘hearing’ the notes mentally, and thus, reinforcing the inner ear.
In fact it is always good practice to ‘hear’ notes in one’s mind a split second before playing them.

Initially the arpeggio should be practiced slowly, gradually increasing the tempo, and the use of a metronome is recommended, but not all the time.
Fluency, technical command and accuracy are paramount.
Variety in practice is important, try to surprise your fingers with new challenges and studies, but always practice attentively. Be aware of the deadly routine of wading, without concentration, through studies and exercises.



The Scale.

There are many different methods of playing scales on the guitar. As a general rule, if alternating between i and m, it is undesirable to cross strings using mi when ascending and im when descending. Whilst not always possible to avoid, it should be seriously considered. So, the guitarist must learn a flexible approach to scale playing, using inventive fingering to avoid undesirable crossings.
It should be remembered, that printed fingering is never sacred, there are usually viable alternatives.
During scale playing the same principles of economy of movement and right and left hand stability apply.
I have also found that practice with the backs of the nails i.e. movement in the opposite direction to the normal stroke, is extremely beneficial. It’s a similar effect to practising rasgueados and leads to improving the right hand’s ‘feel good’ factor.
When practising major and minor scales try playing along with the metronome (on the offbeat) and also using various rhythms.

So regular technical exercises are essential. But one doesn’t need to have an instrument in one’s hands to practise, particularly in the field of memorization.
I personally derive a great deal of benefit from not only ‘playing’ a piece mentally, and hearing the sound and timbre of the notes, but also in imagining a successful concert scenario.
Even when practising with the instrument I feel it is an intellectual rather than a physical exercise.

The temptation to play a piece up to tempo should be resisted, as unless the technical and musical foundations have been laid we will not gain mastery over the music.
The repetition of, ‘hit and miss’ renditions, only serves to ingrain bad habits further.
Difficult passages must be played slowly, with phrasing and musical expression, to prevent the bad habits developing.

One never arrives at the point when one can say, ‘I can now play,’ it’s a lifetimes work for anyone, whoever they are, and one’s ideals are often subtly changing.
I am frequently asked how much practice should be done each day, but it is, of course, quality and not quantity that is paramount.
Generally I practice no more than one hour at a time, but it is a pointless exercise, unless concentration and attention are maintained.
Over an average day I would practise at least five hours, about half the time on technical work, and the other half on musical aspects (learning new repertoire, maintaining established repertoire etc.)

I strongly recommend reading and re-reading every possible tutor and manual on playing and technique. Not just for the guitar, but different instruments, particularly the violin and piano, as there are very often common principles to playing any instrument.
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of going to hear and see as many first class players as possible, of any instrument, as this is one of the most exciting and inspirational ways to learn.
But it is also important not to forget one’s original inspirations and to refer back to them often. They are, after all, the reason you play, and generally, you will still find them inspiring.
Listen and luxuriate in your favourite recordings and let them fuel your enthusiasm. Although there are now many fine players of the guitar worldwide, it is still, unfortunately, rare to get the chance to see and hear them. If you do get the chance, make sure you take it and hear them live, it’s worth a million CDs.

Also play with other musicians. The guitar combines particularly well with the violin, the voice, the flute, the mandolin, the recorder, the oboe and with all manner of small chamber ensembles. This will open you up to the full musical picture and not just ‘your’ part, increasing your appreciation and pleasure on the way.

Much of the information I have discussed today, has come from my book, which also has all the technical exercises, I work through each day.
I will also be going into more detail about practice and performance over on my blog in the next few weeks and months.
But for now, many thanks to Ben for the invitation, and, happy practising!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Woody Allen

The film, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', which was written and directed by Woody Allen, won a Golden Globe Award in 2008.
Now, Penelope Cruz has been nominated for an Oscar, as best supporting actress.

The film is about two young American women, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) who spend a summer in Spain, and meet the flamboyant artist, Juan Antonio, (Javier Bardem).
Penelope Cruz plays the beautiful, yet insane, ex-wife of Javier Bardem.

But the reason I am discussing 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' here, is the music.

The title song, 'Barcelona', which was written and recorded by 'Giulia y los Tellarini', (at the time a little known Spanish band), were shocked when approached by Woody Allen's team.
Rumour has it that the girlfriend of one of the band members sent a copy of their CD to Allen's hotel.
On hearing it, Allen realised it was just the sound he wanted, and attempted to make contact.
After initial attempts to reach the band though MySpace, (they thought it was a joke), eventually a deal was done.

But it is the soundtrack to the rest of the film which particularly interests me.
Paco de Lucia performs, 'Entre Dos Aguas', Juan Serrano plays, 'Gorrion' and 'Entre Olas'.
Those two performers alone are enough to make me want to see the film, but with interpretations of 'El Noi de la Mare' (Trad. Arr. Llobet), 'Granada' (Isaac Albeniz) and 'Asturias' (Isaac Albeniz) it seems hard to resist.

You can of course hear Robin's version of some of these tracks on 'Virtuoso'.

A film set in Spain should incorporate this fabulous music.
I know of at least one guitarist that will be watching simply to hear the guitar being played in a major film!

Hill at Home and the Nigel Kennedy Effect

Robin is home, albeit for only three days.
As he is playing twice in this short time, we are in for a busy weekend.
However, there has been time for him to catch up with all that has been occurring at home in his absence.
One thing in particular caught his attention.
The violin.

Twitter friends will know that son number two has started to learn the violin.
We are in the very early stages, (thank goodness for mutes), but, he is coming on in leaps and bounds.

One thing Robin has always encouraged in his students, and in fact mentions in, 'The Guitar Gymnasium', is to watch and learn from other musicians. Whatever the instrument.
To see a virtuoso performance is a great inspiration and worth a million CDs.

So, Robin was keen to see how our 5 year old had progressed after watching the recording of Nigel Kennedy at The Proms the other day. This is the post I ran about it at the time, 'Nigel Kennedy Proms 2008 - Monocle Poppin' Innit?'

I must say Robin was impressed.
Sound quality and bow control and were all greatly improved.
Enthusiasm and imagination were enhanced with new compositions called, 'Always Love Your Monkey', and 'Land of the Winds', rather atonal and a bit 'far out' for me, but none the less, a musical experience.
This progress was backed up by his teachers words at the end of his last lesson, "More Nigel Kennedy please!"

So yes, at any age, it is so important to go and see musicians play, if possible live, but as we found, just as important to watch on the television if you get the chance.

Preparing For A Concert - 'The Guitar Gymnasium' Way

Guitar students, and also members of audiences, often ask Robin how he prepares specifically for a concert.
So I have taken a small extract from his book, 'The Guitar Gymnasium', to offer you a little insight.

"For the week preceding the concert, I play through the programme in it's entirety at least once, and often twice, a day. I isolate particularly difficult sections and practise them slowly, sometimes changing the fingering if I find a better one, and, as usual, I practice an array of technical exercises.
It is very important, during practice, to be aware of any bodily tensions, however slight, which will, under the strain of live performance, be magnified at least tenfold. If one identifies and addresses them in the practice room, they are less likely to surface in the concert hall."

There's a whole chapter on 'Performance and Practice' so this is just a little taster.
It is however particularly relevant this week.
Robin is preparing for another trip away and is currently rehearsing three different 45 minute programmes.
As you can imagine, this requires an awful lot of time and patience, if you are going to play through all the programmes at least once, if not twice, a day.
Consequently our days are pretty long at the moment and his fingers are working very hard indeed.
Not to mention his brain, as, Robin performs entirely from memory.

For anyone interested in reading more of 'The Guitar Gymnasium', then check out the LINKS section where you can order it from the UK, USA, or direct from the publishers, Mel Bay.