JONNY MOSS GUITAR
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GUITAR BASICS BLOG

Playing a piece: interpretation

27/3/2018

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What should we strive to convey when we are playing a piece of music? A good place to start would be to be sympathetic to the composer's original intentions. Ultimately though, the music should be about communication and we should aim to move the listener in some way.

In this video the example I use is 'Angel's Chant' by Bertrand Groeger.

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Practising a piece 2: melody

20/3/2018

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The melodic line, the tune, is what we remember about a piece of music - locating and separating it out from the harmony and bass in a guitar score can be a challenge, but essential.

Once the rhythm has been established, we must isolate the melody and if the music is played without making connections between the notes of the melody, the music will lack form and coherence.


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Practising a piece: isolating problem passages

17/3/2018

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Our time is precious and ideally we need to perfect a piece without wasting any time. This video looks at a very useful way to approach problem passages.

The examples are sections from 'Un Día De Noviembre' by Leo Brouwer. 

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Practising rules...

14/3/2018

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"...more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules!"

The teaching of the guitar is what goes on in practise sessions, not only during lessons, in a way you have to be able to teach yourself. So, hopefully these tips will help with what to focus on for speedy development and to help see the bigger picture.

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Stopping open bass notes ringing

10/3/2018

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To avoid bass lines becoming muddy it is useful to be able to stop an open string ringing beyond its written value. This simple technique should help.

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Arpeggiating chords using pima

6/3/2018

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Sometimes it is not possible to arpeggiate a chord using the thumb, for example where the notes of the chord are on the 6th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings. Here it makes sense to use the thumb and fingers.

​This video explains how to develop a strong and smooth arpeggiated chord. As usual, there is no quick fix, slow and steady is the way to go over a long period of time.
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Playing chords with the thumb

3/3/2018

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It's easy to take for granted playing a chord with the thumb, it's so simple, what could go wrong? But usually in classical pieces the melody note will be on the top string when playing a chord, which has some technical implications - hopefully this video will help. Controlling the weight and pressure of the thumb on the strings is difficult though, so persevere!

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    Guitar Basics


    Over the years I've developed techniques and picked up some gems from influential teachers such as Craig Ogden, Manus Noble and Gary Ryan that can make playing so much more pleasurable, snippets that can help make the seemingly unachievable, achievable. 

    My general approach to good technique is one based on relaxed posture and focused effort. The reason we work on technique is to allow the music to be freed from the score and expressed by the guitarist with ease and confidence.

    Lots of students have asked if I could record the exercises we regularly use and this blog is the result.

    Blog introduction can be read here.

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  • Introduction
  • Book a lesson
  • Videos
  • Online lessons
  • Guitar Basics Blog
  • Music Workshops
  • ABOUT ME