The title of this course refers to the fact that when you are learning a new skill, 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts. The key then is to spend as much time on that 20%. With an art form like classical guitar there aren't any shortcuts, but the problem is that too many people take that to mean that you should struggle and not make progress for a long time. Something I see in lessons is that certain bad habits get reinforced, so that even with lots of practice time there isn't much improvement.
This course is laser-focused on the skills that are essential to being a good classical guitarist. These skills aren't flashy, in fact if you are executing them correctly your audience probably won't be aware of what's going on. And that's what you want, since you want people to focus on the music, that's what people mean when they make the distinction between someone who is a guitar player and someone who is a musician.
That sounds pretty good, but how do you do that? It's essential to spend the limited time and energy you have for guitar practicing in the best way. To that end, you'll focus on techniques and concepts that have 3 key characteristics:
- Common among the best players- what do the best classical guitar performers consistently do that sets them apart from amateur players? What makes "good" players good?
- Uncommonly taught- There's probably several reasons for this. The best players have often been playing so long that they aren't even aware of what they are doing. Also, guitar teachers (including yours truly) sometimes assume that if students just play the notes of a particular piece or study, they'll have no choice but to build their skills. You'll make much faster progress if you build your skills from the beginning.
- Doable by anyone- It doesn't matter if you have small (or large) hands, or if you feel like have any particular flexibility or aptitude for playing fast or big stretches. You don't have to have a music conservatory background, as long as you have some experience playing guitar, then you'll be good to go.
That being said, this course isn't meant for absolute beginners. As long as you have some basic experience playing guitar and plucking the strings with your right-hand fingers, you are going to find a lot of good stuff to work on this course. There are over a dozen short study pieces written specifically for this course that will help you build your technique in 3 key areas: right hand technique, left hand technique, and transitions.
At the end of the course you'll be able to apply everything you've learned by playing the "Minuet in G" by J.S. Bach. As always you'll have lifetime access to the lesson videos as well as downloadable PDF files of the study pieces and the Minuet written in both standard notes and guitar tablature.
There's a great quote by Abraham Lincoln, "If you give me 6 hours to chop down a tree, I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." Your technique is your axe and this course will help you sharpen it so that you can make the most progress. The longer I teach classical guitar lessons, the more convinced that anyone can play the classical guitar well. If you are serious about becoming a good classical player, then you'll really enjoy working through the lessons, learning the study pieces, and becoming a better musician.
This is a video lesson-based course, with each lesson video lasting about 10 minutes and showing the hands from a variety of angles. The heart of the course is a set of 13 original classical guitar study pieces, as well as the Minuet in G by J.S.Bach. Each study includes a downloadable PDF file of the sheet music written in both standard notation and guitar tablature, and once you enroll you'll have lifetime access to the lesson videos.
