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Showing posts from September, 2021

Instructional Videos #1

  Dear guitarists,   A lot of your comments are turned off, so we can make comments here! (Comment below).   Cleo: https://youtu.be/LMwRzMnJut0 Faith: https://youtu.be/JhyoHuccrBw Miles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpmXU2UWLMk   Kayden: https://youtu.be/5salfrLu-zM Junior: https://youtu.be/WhKeTtNgYdo Mia: https://youtu.be/jPz7xCN-W5E      

Blog #4 - Instrument Maintenance

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  Maintenance of the Classical Guitar   Nice things require good care. People, houses, cars, and musical instruments are some of the things that we must take care of every day. Just as you would not treat a person badly, or neglect your car (you have to get regular oil changes!), you must also take care of your guitar properly to keep it from drying out, cracking, getting scratched, and generally sounding bad.  Your classical guitar could last for 3 years or 30...you decide by treating it accordingly! Choose one of these important questions and answer it in a comment below. Try not to answer the same question as someone else. And don't forget to reply to at least 2 other students' comments! QUESTIONS: What's the best temperature for my instrument? What humidity does my guitar like? How do I control humidity? Do I need a chamois ("shammy")? How can I travel with my guitar? (How do I make sure it is safe when I travel?) How often should I change my strings? How do

Blog #3 Tablature vs. Notation

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Tablature vs. Notation   Originally--even before the guitar was invented--lute music was written in a style of notation called "tablature." Tablature shows you which string and fret to play, rather than which pitch to play. It's kind of a "cheat sheet" to music. Some tablature has rhythmic notation (like the example above). Notice the number of lines (above...4 lines, below...6). And there are no clefs. The lines are strings on the instrument. Here is a modern publication of old tablature, written for a 6-stringed instrument: Eventually, tablature evolved to a modern version for guitar with 6 lines, one for each string. There are no rhythms - just numbers showing which string and fret to play.  Here's a C major scale in tablature (TAB):   Here's the beginning of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters": QUESTION: What are the benefits of tablature? Is it better/superior to standard musical notation? What are the drawbacks/negatives? Which do yo