Why I stopped Playing Classical Guitar
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- A personal video, detailing why the guitar videos have slowed, and why I stopped performing on the classical guitar. Watch this video in HD - • Why I Stopped Playing ...
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For me, the most enjoyable part of being a classical guitarist is playing at home alone.
lol
right, the same here and the pieces can be technical. so it is a challenge and at this time not a performance, and i am happy with that.
I just realized that this video ended up being uploaded in 480p... no idea why. I will be re-uploading it in 1080p (the proper resolution and audio quality). Apologies for the fuzzy resolution.
ua-cam.com/video/O9yyEVJvPXg/v-deo.html
hey david, since you like metal and you play classical, ever heard of the human abstract?
You said " heavy metal " ? you didn't drop classical guitar, you just dropped music, you became good in bla bla.....
David Stewart ... don't worry, your whining is lo-res also. Your expectations of an audience are just unrealistic.
Who cares?
1 exhaustive to be professional
2 not comparatively passionate about the music
3 not as diverse as jazz and metal
4 but can do all by oneself
David, agree 100%. To try to add something here, making a living performing any type of music is tough. Classical music that much tougher, and classical guitar in particular, tougher yet. There are so many excellent classical guitarists out there, and the demand for them so low, and the discipline/effort necessary to develop and maintain a set of performable repertoire so high, that lots of really good players eventually give up on it. You're not the first. . .you won't be the last. I know a guy who has a Master's degree in classical guitar performance. . .he's absolutely outstanding. . .after a decade of slogging, he completely gave up on public performance.
jgrossma The morals and values slumped bad in America.Classical does not represent sex and violence and racism..Classical represents class composure.
.
So happy to hear by the end that you're in a place creatively that you like again!
Thank you.
If you look over on the right ==>> There is a TED video by Marina Alexandra called "Classical guitar is not boring". Ignoring, for the moment, the merits of her position/argument, the very fact that a classical guitarist of her stature feels compelled to partake in a public exhibition intended to dispel the idea that classical guitar is boring says a great deal about the current dismal status of classical guitar as a popular musical form.
I am reminded of the constant stream of stuff I see from my band director friends (who I have lots of) declaring how music will make kids better at math, etc. etc. which is to acknowledge that the product isn't desired enough on its own to make it important in many places.
Yes I see what you mean it can be very boring and If you’re serious about playing classical guitar, for example it can take up to an hour sometimes to prepare your nails each day alone.
Thank you so much for this video. My cousin who was a professional singer was diagnosed with cancer (she has passed away now, this has been a few years ago). She was undergoing chemo which was having an affect on her voice and her ability to travel. She told me about the toll it was taking on her (not being able to perform at her level) and I brushed it off...I told her she was so much more than that...she had family, friends and fans who loved her no matter what. She looked at me and said yes but I AM A SINGER. I didn't understand until I saw this video. I was too close to see than not being able to use her instrurment that gave her comfort, that she went to school learn to master, that she could pay her bills with....her identity...i just didn't really understand until now. So thank you. I'm late, but I think I understand.
My castle is obscured by a forest of conflicts. Thank you for reminding me it still there!
nice....I like the sentiment! You just needed something like, "A moat of fishes tears of indifference guards the entrance"...lol how is that?!
Me and my dad had an argument about this once, I really want to make it in the music world, so my dad says " If you want to make it big and get recognized, you got to play the music that the people love." I understood what he was saying, but I didn't want to force myself to play something that I didn't have the desire to play despite the amount of people in the audience. I would much rather be dirt poor and enjoy what I do than be rich and unhappy because I forced myself to do something that I didn't have the desire for in the first place. A good example of a man that has always stuck to his guns is Ritchie Blackmore. When Deep Purple were recording Stormbringer Ritchie hated the direction the band went, so he part ways with the band and formed Rainbow. In the mid 90s, he decided to go away with rock completely and decided to form a renaissance band with his wife Candace Night. He had more passion and desire to play renaissance music rather than rock and it paid off for him
Love Ritchie Blackmore, and Dio had the same feelings and approach. He never cared to change what he felt like doing and had continual success. There are more artists, like Ulver, which continue to change their sound. There's Ihsahn (another Norwegian and the vocalist for Emperor) who works as a school teacher during the year and plays live in the summer so he can do what wants to creatively. The guys from Darkthrone (damn these Norwegians) have day jobs (one of them at the post) because they don't like to tour and play live at all; they just like to record the music they are passionate about, and it comes out in their records. I know when I pick up a new record by any of these guys it's going to be something cool and unique and full of passion, even if it's not the record I really want to listen to at that moment.
David Stewart Yes!! It's the inspiration of the musician that makes the music great.
Great testimony on the music industry nowadays. You go to school, practice 5 hours a day , learn difficult pieces, only to find out that you end up playing three chords stuff. I made the decision 40 years ago to go to business school (after three years in a Music College) instead to make a living. It is the reality. Even at a family Christmas party, people do not realize how much preparation is involved to play a simple piece like Caprice Arabe, for ex. And the newer generation has even less education in music than mine, which make your performance even less gratifying. With time, I realize that you have more fun doing simple arrangements of known music, so the audience will love it.
So true. Non-players have no idea how much work goes into masterinq technique, and learning and preparing a piece to performance level.
Sad to hear this, although your flamenco and classical playlists are a phenomenal resource ! Please dont remove them, many thanks. Look forward to a potential come back one day.
I'll still me making guitar and music content, especially once my hearing is more restored. I will, for now, not be playing live classical guitar.
I vastly prefer my classical guitars over my steel string guitar. Playing a steel string guitar is like doing battle - you have to fight it. Classical guitars are warm, friendly, snuggly, peaceful. One can play anything on it. Also, the steel string guitar causes me pain all through my left hand - wrist, thumb, knuckles, etc. Classical guitars are painless.
I prefer my classical guitars too. I definitely prefer the tone, and feel like I have much more control over the tone as well.
Just the opposite for me. I feel at home with my steel stringer. I think it's because I didn't play nylon till much later in life, and the classical guitar still feels foreign to me after many years.
I actually started on steel string but went to Nylon early on. The amount of time I've spent on the classical exponentially greater, so my comfort level is just much higher with that machine.
BTW, a pick used on a nylon string guitar sounds amazing. It's not common, but if used, as one would expect, you get a much brighter, louder sound. It helps when playing songs originally played by a steel string guitar and trying to make it sound similar.
I feel the opposite, I feel like my classique guitar is boring, like just relaxing, and I am more like an active person, who has more energy to spend. So I prefer the electric guitar because is more fight!! It gives you power!
You convinced me! I just burned my Hermanos Conde de Faustino 1982 and smoked the ashes in a crack-pipe.
You should have sold it and bought actual crack.
David Stewart HAhahahaahhahAhaaa!
Totally understand you David since i've been in the same situation without the financial part. Took a 6 month break and the love for classical guitar came back. After the break I played for me and me only and chose the pieces to play and when to play them.
It's a shame the scene for talented musicians like you are getting smaller and smaller now days. I hope you keep playing a little so your technique doesn't fade away. That part is the hardest to get back.
I don't know about you,but Tarrega is never boring to play for me.
I haven't played the classical guitar in just over 30 years but late 2016 I had the money to buy myself a new very expensive Spanish classical guitar and I have been searching for a classical guitar teacher and now I have a broken leg all I want to do is learn to play and master the classical guitar and to please others and perhaps teach others the classical guitar for the love of it and nothing else I want to touch other peoples hearts with my talent and I hear what you are talking about but I am at place and time in my life where I have just truly found the lights of music coming back on in my life there is no other way to describe the experience but it seems that this is all that matters to me.
Praying for you and your family, David.
Thank you!
your art
is not about how many people
like your work
your art
is about
if your heart likes your work
if your soul likes your work
it's about how honest
you are with yourself
and you never
trade honesty
for relatability.
- Rupi Kaur
That is why I try to make "a living" or money (in this society) at web development/design, but try to make fun at music. As I tell my clients I'm a nerd by day and a musician by night. If someone gives me some money/value in trade for my "art", I'll take it. But I won't rely on it or expect a certain amount.
That is so true but only for a few.
Most people tend to want the adulations, approval, and admiration of others.
Why do some want to be just another French horn in the brass section while others are more Ted Nugenty [adjective]?
Some people want to just play to the birds in the yard from their front porch while others need an audience.
Music was a great love of mine. I taught myself to play the guitar and piano, and at one point dreamed of composing music even. But after getting married, and especially having kids and a very time consuming full time career, I slowly lost touch with that aspect of myself. I sometimes see it as similar to a family member passing away. Almost like something inside of you dies. So, I suppose I can relate in a different way.
It's cool that you bring up having passion for music. In the last year I decided to compose music in a genre I have only listened to for the last two years: Space Music.
Part of the reason for this is because I am burnt out from playing metal music. I hardly did any shows with two bands I joined and they both disbanded within a month's time.
Will I still write metal music? Yes. Now is a better time to do it for me than ever. But after recording music and discovering the power of synthesizers at the beginning of the year, my focus in music has shifted.
Sounds awesome. I ended up recording an ambient rock album, which was a great change of pace.
Dave I love the transparency. One of the best "guitar" videos I have seen. :-)
Thank you very much for the positive thoughts. I very much appreciate it. Happy playing.
Great topic and all your comments are so very true . After playing classical guitar for 45 yrs. it's become very difficult to pick up the guitar each day . I too am completely tired of the repertoire . Also playing professionally there is very little return for the time invested . Its true once the passion and sole is gone which for me left many years ago it becomes more difficult to continue . I think if I stopped tomorrow I don't think I would miss it which I thought I would never say 45 years ago . I've started started studying jazz which is a whole new world which i'm very excited about .
Thanks David for your time creating interesting and thoughtful videos .
+Neil Adamson thanks so much for watching and have fun with the next challenge!
I can sympathize with your feelings. I've spent the last 6 years of my life trying to learn something that many people can do infinitely better. Not only that, but I have physical limitations in my left hand that prevent me from playing the music I really want to play.
So as soon as I graduate from college, I'm going to stop all the grinding, and the practicing, to play what I enjoy playing. I love the classical guitar and always will, so I'm not going to let the classical guitar scene or a practice regiment destroy those feelings.
Wow bro, you make me want to do a video about my story. My musical journey has been uncompromised and at times I wonder if it was the right idea. I passed on a few opportunities because I was unwilling to compromise. Now I'm a Dad of 3 and 43 years old but I still see my castle out there. I do owe my career to music as I am an audio engineer for a major theater in LA and my talents have gotten me on some amazing adventures. I LOVE music made by a BAND! I write and produce songs solo but it never compares to multiple people putting their flavors into the pot. It gives the music a whole new life! When I produce a song by myself it never has the same energy as it does with a band, but I'm so sick of trying to get fools together! LOL I started learning classical to "do it by myself"(...I even play drums too!! haha) but what you say rings true. It truly is extremely hard to organize musicians, even great friends, to see the vision and stay a part of it...total grind. Anyway, I'm probably losing you and I'm rambling so let me say best of luck reaching your castle amigo! Salude!!
P.S. The band I'm currently in is called goCcal and were a reggae/ska band in So Cal. You would probably like our cover of "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden...Reggae?!!!?!?!
You can't second-guess every decision. Regret is mostly a signal to course-correct, and just to put things in perspective, Christopher Lee started recording Metal albums in his 90s.
And I actually saw Rush do a reggae version of their own song - working man. It was pretty cool.
Good video man, I just got into classical guitar and I’m doing it purely out of enjoyment, not a means for financial stability so I think the luxury of delving into a piece on my own terms and time will keep my love for it alive for a while. Metal will always be my favorite genre too \m/
Great Video man, I could throw down so many beers with you talking about this, suuuuuch relatable stuff...
but the overall concept of Blaze your own trail man. Such a good concept. Thank you for the video.
Thank you brother …
I feel like - I am speaking to myself during your speech …
Very comprehensive for me …
Nice one and thanks again - Man !! You are Real !!!!
Feels so right to hear your words - thanks so much for yr being and to explain that the castle is Real within me - and now I know that I will go towards it 🎼✨🤝👌🏻🙏🏻
Im glad to hear you didnt lose your hearing completely and that you were able to get it fixed. also that you didnt give up the guitar completely completely. i understand when you say it takes a piece of you to do it every night and mustard up passion when youre doing something so connected to yourself but that its also a literal job, not just a weekend thing for fun or extra cash. I wasnt surprised when you said you were a teacher, youre very good at explaining your points and articulating what your saying in all the videos
Extremely rewarding commentary ! Your candor and willingness to deal with topics that are usually inaccessible to many because they exist below the conscious level , or are to painful to embrace , is truly refreshing !
I stumbled across this while looking for some beginning classical guitar info. However, I have played professionally for over 30 yrs as a sideman for R&B groups and contemporary jazz.
It was helpful to hear someone speak about the emotional toll that occurs after years of reaching deeply within to satisfy the needs of an often fickle public demand , especially when the passion for the music you play is no longer there.
Please keep providing this type of honest and in depth discussion. I am sure many find it quite helpful.
Thank you !
Thanks so much for watching! I'm finding my experience quite common. I do have lots of classical guitar technique videos, by the way.
David, very good video. I couldn't stop watching. I turned away from professional playing not long after high school because I didn't want to travel. Now that I'm thinking about getting back into it it seems there's no market for it. It's not like the 1970's, when I could go anywhere and say "I play the guitar", and people would get excited and welcome me to play. These days when I tell them I play the guitar, I get a flat "that's nice" reaction and no invitation to play. I tend blame Pop and Rap for the death of the golden age of the guitar, but maybe that's not it.
Didn't stick around to find out why.....but glad you did.
“I just wanted that knowledge to exist.” BEAUTIFUL👍
Classical guitar is by far the hardest discipline in all of guitar. I've been playing for over 40 years and just started with classical a few years ago. Nothing compares 😁
Thank you so very much!
I loved hearing your story and I can relate to many of your experiences and feelings that you talked about here. I eventually, stopped playing gigs after 30 years of frustration and grinding toil for all those reasons that you mentioned as well as others. It almost completely killed my spirit and body. Then one day I had a revelation that I needed to make changes to about everything I did and had believed and accordingly did a completed over haul.
I went to a university and completed a Bachelor of Nursing degree and some post grad studies and then landed a top job at the local hospital. I love my new job.
I couldn't pick up my guitar for a long time as I too had become burnt out and hated everything about music and the entertainment industry. However, today I fell refreshed and have a new approach to music and love picking up an instrument and being creative. I might reinvent myself and do a self funded album soon in the singer/song writer mode and spend some extra money getting it mixed and mastered while developing musical skills at the same time.
Yes, I also noticed back in the mid 90's that the live music scene and especially guitar bands was becoming almost obsolete due to technological changes and societal changes and soon realized that the way popular music is made, delivered and recorded had been tipped upside down.
All the best to you.
+leonardoboy2 thanks for sharing your story. Live long and prosper.
Hey, I know this video's about a year old, so hope you're digging whatever you're doing lately. I was considering getting back into Spanish Classical and this video resonated with me, shaking off the nostalgia-goggles and reminding of all the reasons I stopped playing in college. Good on ya, brother, and hope you still enjoy playing for you if not anyone else.
This is really interesting. I play the drums and electric bass and I picked up a classical guitar today because I'm sick of needing other people to play music (not being able to play by myself). I also love the sound of classical guitar music but the reason I'm finally starting is I'm sick of other irresponsible musicians. I've been in four bands and they all ended with me quitting (the bands split because I was the only thing holding them together and pulling their dead weight) and then about two years of no playing for me because of how it all made me feel. I hope I do get to enjoy playing classical guitar by myself.
Some other things I don't mention in the video but deserve a bit of notice:
*-The classical guitar "scene" sucks* everywhere I've gone, mainly due to the people involved in it and the "culture" of classical guitar. I didn't include it because that's like saying you don't want to drive a corvette because you don't like other corvette drivers.
*-The flamenco scene is very negative*. There are a great many people who view it as a style that belongs to a certain race. Having people dismiss your playing because you aren't "Gitano" or you didn't come off the streets of southern Spain gets real old.
*-Classical guitar isn't classical* - It's a constructed term from the 20th century, and the idea that the form of guitar designed by Torres should be the only form of guitar for "classical" music is odd. It's a very backward-looking style, despite being a modern invention.
Maybe I'll think of others later.
I'm looking to buy an acoustic, for a specific reason. But i am very low
budget, due to disability, and have no idea which styles and strings to
get. I've been looking at an Epiphone Pro-1 Spanish w/ nylon, low
action, 2.06' nut. I have large fingers, when trying to learn before, my
neck was too narrow. So i would like to get a wide neck classical
style, with low action. But my genre of interest, is tough to compare
to. I am part of a group of charity pirate performers. I mostly do
improve comedy, and musical influence for Shanties. But finding a guitar
FOR Sea shanties, is difficult. I'm not sure which to get. It could be
considered "classical", but some has spanish flavor, speed, and
percussion; like a flamenco. I can't afford an official flamenco style
guitar, as the cheapest is 350+. I am caught in a tough place. So i am
posing this question to as many people as possible. Nylon vs Steel ?
Classical, Flamenco, or Spanish styled Classical ? I've seen a classical
with spruce tops, low action, and a wide nut. Which i would think,
would play closely to flamenco, but it is Nylon. I would still like some
freedom, for transposing, and producing my own improvisation tunes,
that are still close to spanish influence, but also folk/classical
styled shanty. Which aren't as fast, and rich. I like many modern
genres, but only intend to play acoustic variations for the practice of
the chords, but not to perform them.
I would say find a classical in your budget that has a sound you like. Install (or have a knowledgeable friend) install an 8 dollar top guard from strings by mail and then file down the bridgebone to the lower action you want for ease of play. Nylon string guitars sound great for pirate music and have a great flare to them for Irish music. The top guard will let you turn your guitar into a decent drum as well. Liam Clancy played a classical guitar and did great things with it.
David Stewart thanks for the info. no one else on youtube has replied. i was unaware top guards(golpeadors?) could be installed after manufacture. i greatly appreciate your help. hope to be playing soon.
Hi David, Thanks for sharing your experience. As someone in my 40's I can empathize with the regret of not having done what your heart really wanted/ wants to do. What I wanted to comment on, however, was the statement about the negativity in the flamenco scene. I don't know what the flamenco scene is in the States, so you are probably right about that. But in my experience, there is some truth about needing to be from the streets of Andalusia. That doesn't mean that you have to born and raised there. But, In my opinion, anyone who loves flamenco should spend some time there. Learn Spanish, make friends with the locals and let themselves naturally absorb the life style and mentality. It makes a subtle yet notable difference in one's feel for the music. It is kind of like some one wanting to play the old delta blues style of blues. If that is what really speaks to you, then you should spend sometime in the delta. Unfortunately there might be a racial barrier as to how well you might be able to integrate yourself into that society. But in flamenco, that barrier doesn't exist (unless you want to be accepted by the gypsy community). Andalusians, in my experience, are very welcoming people, and although most people are not into flamenco, it's presence is everywhere. Not being from Andalusia is not a hindrance to being accepted as a legitimate player. Feel is. And anyone can get that, just look at all of the Japanese who have moved there and are appreciated as good players, dancers and even singers.
And PS, I am not criticizing your playing, you play better than I do.
David Stewart yeah ditto on the flamenco race issue. I love to see people talk shit about Jesse Cook who arguably has done more than anyone for the music in the past 30years
Enjoyed what you said. To me the thing is that one must find his inner world, the treasures there and the person who you are seen from a spiritual perspective.The music which comes from the inside is the music from your soul. I like to step further then styles and speak of Inner World Music. Although I have a degree in Classical guitar, I enjoy so much styles. Richie Blackmore e.g.is still my favourite electrical guitarist, but I really enjoy, John Williams playing Barrios as well. The thing is: one must find his own way, style and not duplicate or limitate oneself. But as with everything, this is personal and everyone has his thoughts and feelings, nevertheless: liked your story!
Interesting talk, I'm in my 40ies too and had sorta similar "middle life" problems ( but with other occupation: programming ). You remined how important it is to stick to you passion. My other passions are painting and music. I never went to music school but tried to learn the theory by myself (stil battling it, but due to big time stops between the exercises it wasnt very effective, but still i know some basics). I can play guitar a bit (mostly chords). Now since i decided to dig it deeper and find out what i really like in music i descovered ambient guitar music ( too ) and jazz. I feel like i'm more into composing and recording/producing than into performing (no big deal since modern technology offers wide possibilities for doing that with very limited amount of money). I feel like i can do music even without hoping to make money out of it just for myself while doing some other day (or night) time job. Other passion of me is teaching ( no mater what ;)) so even if i for example know just a little about music i would gladly teach it to a person who knows even less than me but has this desire , this "fire in the eyes" for learning music. On my turn i would gladly pay money for a person who has expertise in music and teaching it to improove my skills and theoretical knowledge. And i think there not few other ppl like me around who want to learn music. So i suppose there is allways a way for musically educated ppl to make money out of it even without the need of performing it ( or am i wrong on that?). And I suppose that teaching (no mater what and especially through internet ) is "the next big deal" in the modern and future days and quite a market niche (or am i wrong again?). Btw i'm wondering if your hearing problems emerged due to music or is it just a coincidence?
I don't mean to be rude, and I'm genuinely interested as to why you no longer play classical guitar... but I don't have 45 minutes to spend finding out. Could you give a brief summary for those of us who have jobs to go to?
MissRandomwriter He became burned out after 10+ years of it, and while he had been playing guitar since he was a teenager, his original intent was to focus on playing Metal. However, he was unable to find collaborators that allowed him to play metal, as the technology for self production wasn’t quite there or available for him to pursue playing Metal without getting other live instrumentalists, and that’s why he got into Classical Guitar to begin with- because he could play it on his own (also without having to split the check). However, he didn’t feel that there was a lot of room for composing while being a classical guitarist, and he wanted to draw from his own creativity instead of playing the same sets year after year. So, mainly because it wasn’t exactly what he had always wanted to do all his life, he decided to focus more on writing- which had also been a passion of his since he was a teen, and that was something he could do that allowed him to be creative.
Thank you, David. I've been a fan of your videos for a number of years and finally watched this one and subscribed. I'm at a point in my life where I am really having to decide what I want to pursue. Your analogy with the castle resonates with my experiences.
Thats just life. You have to put passion in your work not to be mediocre! And you have to be happy with what you are doing to continue doing it.
Would you recommend learning classical guitar just to build skill if you want to be a contemporary artist?
Absolutely. Playing classical guitar has done wonders to how I naturally write and improvise "simpler" music. After learning so many classical pieces your brain starts to come up with chord progressions a lot differently without even realizing it.
Not sure why this video received so many dislikes. I found it informative. It's been a long path for you to find this wisdom, and for certain it's gonna help young and confused people. Thanks for sharing.
150 is not a lot of dislikes for me
I am glad you decided to start making videos.
I enjoyed your candor. You're in your 30s. I'm in my 70s and just beginning to understand what it takes to be a good guitar player. Took too long to have confidence in my ability to progress. I appreciate any words of wisdom. Thanks
Iv'e really been enjoying my guitar lately but I could never be a professional musician. Lots of unpleasant people and playing things I don't like or playing something I like so many times that I hate it doesn't appeal to me. I don't understand how some of those pros do it year after year.
Im first and foremost a jazz guitarist and metal player But am learning classical and flamenco, for the purpose of creativity and to see what boundaries I can push with the instrument. I’ve found that just being one type of player for anything is going to leave you exhausted. As soon as the idea of creativity and expression is lost, most people seem to wear out. That being said, everyone gets sick of doing the same thing for a long time, and the best thing to do is to either take a break(if possible) or to learn different elements such as: different genres, harmony, etc.
Interesting biopic in your experiences. I'm just enjoying trying to make a bit of music after about a 40 year layoff while I did the meal ticket thing... Recently bought a (cheap)uke and love the instrument! :)
I want to buy a classical guitar and want to play gaming and movie theme fingerstyle songs, do these sound good on classical? currently using steel string guitar.
I have inner cochlear generative disease my dad was stone deaf by the time he was 60 music is not so badly effected but not hearing people around me hurt but it am OK it now after being diagnosed back in late 2016 and yes it does have to be on your own terms this is something I know about you will figure it out you are gifted and you will find that with hearing loss all the lights will come back on again trust me I know everything changes with hearing loss.
I never liked Flamenco, but I like the improvisors that use it at times.
Have you thought about studying the partimento tradition? A lot of guitarists are rediscovering rennaisance- baroque- classical era improvisation.
I have a lot of experience with Baroque styles including improv, both on the baroque guitar and the baroque lute. My composition teacher also had expertise in that area.
I actually started a channel that is all improvisation (not baroque) - www.youtube.com/@Zulonline
Kind of fun starting from zero again.
This may not make you like guitar again IMMEDIATELY, but listen to solo guitar cover of Birdland by Steven King (not StePHen King), Out in the Cold by Ebony Ark, and Collide by Anarchy Club. In any order.
Then tell me what you thought about them.
EDIT: damn it, should have watched to the end.
I don't think classical repertoire is lacking variety at all. It actually goes way deeper than people think. I played jazz for years and got tired of standards. Talk about rehashed and boring. Then again I don't gig much so my point of view is slanted
I can totally relate to your experience with the classical guitar community. I always wanted to get more into classical guitar when I was younger and I was perpetually turned off by the dogmatic attitudes and approaches. Especially as I always enjoyed playing many different styles of music and different types of guitars and stringed instruments. I ended up doing composition and theory instead because of it and have only gotten back into playing a lot of classical now later in life.
Fortunately thanks to a lot more online resources now I was introduced to the whole world of lute, baroque guitar, early romantic guitar, and historical methods, etc. It was so refreshing to learn that there wasn't 'one technique', and that actually in the past it was perfectly acceptable to play guitars and similar instruments in many ways. I now play with the flesh of my fingers, sometimes off the right leg or sometimes with a strap, and using a more renaissance/baroque inspired technique with the hand coming in around the end of the guitar much more parallel to the strings and the thumb inside the hand. A technique which is ironically probably much closer to what Sor would have used then the 20th/21st century cult of 'classical guitar'.
I'm enjoying myself much more then I ever did in the past and trying to make up for lost time, but it's sad that the established world of classical guitar is so narrow minded, negative, and frankly small minded with their fixation on virtuosity and competition over musicality. Not to mention their elitist attitudes about instruments and so on.
Takes me 3 days to make a vid ...yep I know how you feel ..played Classical Guitar ..for many years ..gave up for 1 whole year ..you are a cool Flamenco Guitarist player :)
Some interesting points. But don't those same issues also apply to ANY classical instrument? Violinists, pianists, etc have a standard canon, and they play the same tunes their whole life. Is it simply of the quality of the guitar repertoire? In which case, what's needed is newer, better compositions.
Thanks for sharing your perspective, David. I do not consider this "navel gazing" as some have put it here. It think it is a good dose of reality. It's a beautiful instrument. Some players are outstanding and have lived quite well (Bream, Williams, Parkening), but the demands of maintaining proficiency, being on the road, etc, etc, etc make it very difficult for even very gifted musicians to get there and stay there. I don't have that level of talent, I didn't start early enough, and I wanted a family and to be able to do other things as well. I only wish I this had been available in 2004 when I picked up Classical Guitar for the second time. It would have saved me a lot of time, effort, money and heartache.
Congratulations on your success. Thanks for your time and effort.
I feel you I stopped playing because I wanted to make my own music but people are always can you play this can you play that....as opposed to being interested ( past the innicial critic of hey you are good but can you now play....) about what you created.
Yeah I feel you. Can't tell you how many times I've had people hear me play Rodrigo and approach me asking if I know Hotel California.
Lol, yes my father... "ok, great, ...now play dust in the wind" :))
anyway I understand him.. he likes it
once i argue with him.. later i thought.. that is bullshit.. if somebody has this wish to you .. why not. dont be closed minded.
I started playing on a Classical Guitar, only about 90 dollars. it had a really brittle sticker and it would just fall to bits if you ever strummed on it by accident. The fretboard was kinda big which made it hard to play most chords, the sound wasn’t that bad but it always made a buzzing noise even if I played a chord correctly. Now I own a new guitar, about 200 dollars with steel strings and great sound. I didn’t get really any callouses from playing the steel strings but I guess if your a beginner I suggest start on a nylon string so your fingers tips can tuff up.
Classical guitar is unforgiving. You can spend years mastering a scarlatti sonata on the guitar that could only take you a week on the piano. Every piano to classical guitar arrangement is a nightmare to play. And the palette of classical pieces to pick from is very small due to the limited range of the guitar. Stick to piano!
I started playing classical guitar at age 19 and majored in it in college. I played in restaurants for a number of years, but I ended up writing my own arrangements of pop tunes. The deal is this: if you start playing with a good teacher, you must start before the age of 12. If you start late, you will end up practicing all the time and not getting anywhere.
Thank you for sharing.
My instructor was trained by Juan Serrano... I wish you well in your endeavors.
Ignore my last question! Glad I found your channel man
Honestly man, I don't know how to explain it... We share a very very similar life. Played bass for 15+ years, did the whole band thing over and over, we may have met in Vegas at one point and wouldn't have known. Left Vegas with the same mentality man and fed up with playing bass and music and all the bs that came with it. Plus you're right, the well known business of music as we knew it, is completely gone. Anyways, after that I got into learning flamenco which helped reinvigorate that music flame again and helped get me into just enjoying that art of playing music. The patience and knowing that its not a bread ticket, but just that great feeling of growing into what music is and can be once you can focus.... It is very weird hearing my own thoughts being spoken vicariously through you. In any case, if you need any bass tracks laid down, I'd be up for it.
Thanks for watching and for sharing. I have some flamenco videos on the channel, by the way. Right now my focus is on composing, and I've had more fun with it in the last 6 months than the last 6 years, just shifting toward doing what I want and not what I think the market wants.
It's a shame. But if you can ignore what you see as an attitude, and just separate yourself from it, and accept there is not much of a "market" for thoughtful and creative new work, there is still much to love about contemporary guitar playing. Though perhaps not quite so bad, there are many fantastic harpists, and pianists, who are also sick of the requirement to play what is becoming a very tired repertoire. Unfortunately 90% of listeners simply do not have the curiosity or sophistication to listen to new material.
To become a high end player in any style takes so much time, commitment and passion and when you can't get paid properly for it, it can become very frustrating and disheartening. We do, of course, carry on as it's our passion but to keep practicing between 5 and 10 hours a day is not feasible when you have to go and do a day job. You can get a degree in law in a matter of years and get paid £50,000 a year but a lifetime's worth of work on an instrument to get paid £50 per night is totally insulting. Don't forget that fuel and equipment costs have to come out of that. As for his so called attitude, there isn't one it's just life kicking you in the nuts.
All guitar players get burned out at times. Welcome to earth. Take a break for a while. You play guitar because you love it, not because its a burden. If you eat prime rib every day it will burn you out. If you eat it a couple times a year, you will appreciate it much more. I love playing classical guitar. It is a great challenge to me, almost like putting together a 3000 piece puzzle. Once it is done you feel like you accomplished something beautiful. When I truly get tired of classical, Ill crack out the Les Paul for a while, but I always come back to classical. Mike
I did a 3000 piece jigsaw once, I liked it that much I framed it and hung it on my wall, it will last forever.
The repertoire may be limited,
but what most people play today doesn't cover the whole repertoire.....
i feel people dont go deep into it.
if i may ask,
who were the composers you played ?
My way around what I call "scheduled" music was to submerge myself in "unscheduled" music or free form. On a good night it is sheer magic. There are no limits, no rules, no form to follow. I have one rule: Let the music drive the direction. So with a good seed it is not impossible to create a beautiful piece of music no one (including myself) will ever hear again. I long ago gave up on getting paid. I know several high end artists who constantly struggle even though they are making the covers of the guitar rags and have a long history on stage.
I used to have a free jazz group that was incredible fun. We even got paid a time or two. And the struggle is real. I'm finding it's much more fulfilling to sell my time outside of music and focus my artistic endeavors on what is joyful and satisfying to myself.
I started playing when I was 12 years old and stopped for about 10 years between the age of 16 and 26. I started playing electric guitar and came back to classical again when I was 40 years old. Maybe your just going through my early phase. It will pass. You need variety , which is why I have quite a number of guitars of all different types.
Similar story than mine, thanks for sharing. I stopped playing metal due to a desire to experience other genres (and also having a full time dayjob), and even though I have enjoyed the trip, I find myself wanting to go back to metal. But I have not heard any recent metal that I'm attracted to. After Korn I think nothing I've heard has been good. If you have any recommendations that would inspire please share! To me Pantera, Metallica and a few others were and still are the highest of the best and haven't been able to find anything that comes close.
I'll do a top 20 metal albums video here soon. Those will be good places to start. It's hard for me to do recommendations based on Korn because I don't really like Nu Metal.
I like you guitar style you have an exceptional skill I am craving to learn to play the classical guitar all over again I really need a personal one on one teacher who will want to show me technique chords and to learn written music all over again I think I will be able to learn by ear all over again because I have part of clair de lune by Debussy from the melody point of view. When I started learning the guitar I learnt by ear before I learnt to read written music and now all that matters is to play the classical guitar again yes I understand hearing loss welcome to my club for me it is genetic from my Dad and I get what you are talking about you are not alone.
Hi David, there are only two kinds of music, the good one and the bad one. Jazz, classical, flamenco, pop, country, chinese, english, french, arabe, indian, etc. all these are ways of expression. No matter what is the expression you chose; what really matters are good taste, creativity, sensitivity, sincerity, and above all humour and positivity in your attitude, which will appear for sure in your body expression. You seem to have good intentions. Go on like this and good luck!
Thanks for the advice and inspiration
I need a microtonal guitar and I need to learn how to play it. :D
Hello David,
As was mentioned by someone else in a previous comment, I was unable after considerable searching to find a recording of your performances playing say one or two standard classical guitar pieces. I must have missed it. Would you please bes so kind as to provide us with a link to one of your performances?
Thanks in advance,
Jack
There's multiple issues with uploading my old recordings due to the US's IP law, youtube's content ID system, etc (Even Villa-Lobos I can't legally publish royalty-free until the 2030s). I could go back and record 19th century music, but I'm not that keen on it (having played it all way too much) and there is little point considering the huge amount of good recordings there are out there of it. I kind of skirted things back in the day as it was. You can check out this video if you like, which I did as a quick one-off to demonstrate a pickup system. I haven't gotten a strike for it (yet) -ua-cam.com/video/d0KbDNM4qt4/v-deo.html. Here's a recent short composition of mine for solo guitar - ua-cam.com/video/a28P-WHiRqs/v-deo.html
Besides, I'd rather look forward than backward. I might put up some older compositions of mine at some point, but I really don't want to interact with standard rep anymore as a player. But who knows - I might get bored at some point.
Dude, stupid question, but would you ever consider going to a crowded outdoor public area, pulling out your flamenco guitar, opening the case and just busking for dollars, playing whatever you wanna play? I'm new to guitar..... and as crazy as it sounds.... thats my dream lol.... sit around outside all day and just get paid doing that. #BUMLYFE
I think when you start using drugs, you stop playing classical guitar.
George 33 that or if you're not as.good as Esteban
My love for playing, and listening to classical guitar increased by about 10x after taking LSD.
Depends on the art, but for me, when art becomes a job, (for me it was painting) it will burn you out. I did art work professionally early on, but found out quickly that it was not for me as a profession, and I haven't painted or drawn since. I got burned out. I play guitar and have a passion for cooking. Many ask me why don't I open a restaurant or cook professionally. It's because I very much enjoy it and don't want to hate it. I have played guitar since I was 12 (42 now), and I don't know if guitar playing would burn me out, but I'm too old to find that out professionally lol.
I never understood how a band like Metallica could go out every night and play the same damn songs for 30 years and still keep the show fresh every single night they play, and be enthusiastic about it. While I get that it is their own music, but damn that's got to get old night after night after night. Even Joe Elliot of Def Leppard says "The thought of playing 'Photograph' dreads me to no end".
But he did say "When the chords start strumming, it just works. Every time."
I have a lot of interests and hobbies. If they were a job I'd hate it.
Ole!
Wow cool video! Your honesty was heart felt, and came from someone who is clearly a passionate artist with seasoned insight. A very rare perspective indeed :) and greatly appreciated on my end. Some of your trials definitely reflects some of my own, for I'm a musician as well, and have struggled to keep my head above water -but- I'll never stop doing my music, because its who I am, and to be blunt -I'm to crazy to do anything else heehee :-) Or perhaps a more delicate way to phrase that, would be to say: being a musician is who I was born to be, and my overwhelming passion and need to create meant I'v never really had a choice in the matter, I can't quit no matter how fucked up my life is ;) Oh and on a selfish note, I hope you don't ever quit either, because your far to interesting a person to compose anything less then compelling :) I like you, u seem super cool and I look forward to hearing your music someday. Who knows perhaps life's stage will have us jamming in that castle on the hill at some point :) Have a beautiful night Mr Stewart....
Take your Classical Guitar, and play, "Chandelier"! There are some amazing songs you can play on nylon! Put your own spin on it!
Oh man,this is true!! One great guitarrist give the advice to work it a flamenco teacher because of the technique...my idea is to adquire exercices to make my rotine of technique,I work the rasgueados,the picado,the tremolo(five beats),alzapua,the tumb...and keep the classic guitar because I love...now Im thinking to learn some flamenco music,some tangos to put the technique in context,not only in exercice....the problem is...more work!!!! One thing I read from you is about you playing Rodrigo music and someone ask for the hotel california......this is true David,people dont respect,dont have the education,the sensibility....and the most of the times they are rude....but im not going to leave my guitar because of this.Now,the love for the flamenco is growing...eheheheh
ambience: atmosphere, air, aura, climate, mood, feel, feeling, vibrations, echo, character, quality, complexion, impression, flavour, look, tone, tenor, spirit; setting, milieu, background, backdrop, frame, element; environment, conditions, circumstances, situation, context; vicinity, locality, habitat; informal vibes...
..after that ..if we still have the energy ..anything is possible ..maybe.
enjoyed both your chat and music. ta!
Understand you very well, David. Is there a place for improvisation in your life?
It's all over my newest record. I Like to have improvisational elements in music.
In terms of classical repertoire, have you not seen Emre Sabuncuoğlu’s stuff?
Metal will never die!
Metal will die when the sun is eaten, when Naglfar sets sail from the shore of corpses, and when the hooded one makes real the doom he has long foreseen.
the fretting hand sequence after the 1:06 mark I would title the spiders reckoning XD
Funny thing, it's a style of flamenco something called Taranta (disturbingly close to tarantula lol)
Thanks for the information. Now, I know I never want to become a professional musician. I just like knocking around on the guitar for fun and for me that's good enough. BTW your flamingo playing is fantastic.
Thanks! Have fun with your pursuits.
This is sad :(
To me it doesn't really matter what your views and opinions are right or wrong etc. People should have a right to express themselves without the negativity that I see in some of the comments below. My life is different from anyone else's and to view anyone's views as a negative and to be disregarded is wrong in my opinion. It is what you have lived and experienced and not what anyone else has. To negate your experiences is ridiculous since they are a fact of your life not anyone else's. Funny how people criticize something that they are not forced to watch at all is amazing! I can related to some of what you have said so I found it to be interesting. Being 69 I have lived a few years so I have been around awhile. In the long run it only matters how you choose to live your life and do the things you want to do as long it doesn't harm or disrespect another as far as I am concerned.
Classical guitar is tough. Had it been easy, it would not have been classical. It requires alot of time, efforts, and taste and passion to play and understand the classical music. Flamenco is also a very good art and not everybody can play it understand it. You can't say them bad. They are great for their own reason. There is a variety in it, but you have to explore them with your soulfulness, it is hard.
Of course you have on reason to leave it. I respect that. But classical or flamenco are not boring or repetitive, they are variety. It needs a passionate soul to understand them.. I am a beginner but I understand the disharmony forming into soulfulness. I don't perform for market, I play for myself. You seem like a good guitarist. Hope you will come to the realm of classical music.
well said!
Some people have to dig holes or weld iron for a living. If having to maybe have a shower, get a haircut, and
wear some decent clothes to get work in restaurants, at the very bottom of the list of venues, is somehow beneath you then carry on doing whatever else it is that you do to "pay the rent". If your sight reading isn't any good, well you'll have trouble, but if you can read at just a half decent level (Grade VI, say), which you should be able to do if you wish to be taken seriously as a musician anyway, by just buying a half a dozen M of the R books arranged for classical guitar (Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, The Beatles, et al) and you"ll get regular gigs's at say, three or four restaurants each week and do some teaching in the afternoons. That's what I do, I play in a jazz big band and a covers rock band and I'm always busy. Then again I make the adjustments, I don't expect my employers to. This was too much like a psych session with you the perpetual "Sad Sack".
If you go in looking like you do on this video, with this attitude seeping from your very pores, you'll never even get someone to let you try out one night for free to see whether the customers like it.
I'm sorry that you missed the memo mate but WE have to change ourselves to fit the world NOT the other way around. Surely that chip on your shoulder must get really difficult to carry all the time.
Play your "metal". The Classical Guitar World will survive just fine without you.
in reality you can not please a lot of people with music like classical guitar because it is not mainstream just like in art, you cannot please people with beautiful landscapes while many would just prefer seeing a banana peel nailed to a canvass, you can just enjoy it personally or please some good people with good taste. This is reality now in this digital age. It really sucks a to see dancing cat have millions of views while a classical guitar video you have made that took you 3 months to perfect would have a fraction of views of that cat video
ok here is my problem....i am in my late 40's and took care of my type 1 diabetic daughter for 23 yrs as a single parent and my elderly sick mom for the next 3 so now i dont have to take care of anyone and am trying to learn guitar cause for the first time in my life i have some time to do this for my soul. I have a passion for Flamenco and want to learn this,but am a beginner as far as guitar. Do i find a Flamenco guitar teacher or learn the basics and then learn Flamenco? what to do?
i also want to learn Flamenco well and teach it to 1 other person for free in my lifetime :)
A physical instructor will always provide the best feedback in person for a learner, particularly a beginner when it comes to technique. Be aware, though, that learning music is a self-learning experience. 90%+ of what you learn you learn through individual practice, not through instruction. I have another video on what to look for in an instructor; in short, find one that actually knows flamenco and actually knows how to read music. There are a lot of really bad instructors out there who have very little real knowledge of this stuff, so at the least make sure they read music and know classical technique.
Alternatively, I have a big backlog of beginning material on my channel and at davidvstewart.com if you want to take a more self-directed or free approach. Keep in mind a competent instructor usually charges 50 dollars an hour or more, and those costs can add up. Part of the mission of this channel is to provide means of learning that don't require massive ongoing costs from the student.
thank you Mr. Stewart,i find your advice great,i have always wanted to have free music programs for kids and low income people like a non profit or something because it should be for everyone to access,not just those with money,i HATE money by the way and think we need a whole new system that doesnt use it,but thats a whole other thing..... thanks for the words of wisdom. peace to you
.......J
There are economic systems that don't use money, but they are all tribal (so a no go for modern societies) or have horrific human consequences. Money is just the interchange between production and consumption and is amoral. I think it is much better to focus on people's actions rather than what medium they use to store value or to trade, though our particular monetary system has some profound problems.
For me, I dislike that our education system is either coercive and delivers no value (public education), or else expensive beyond the value of what is delivered (university systems). I want to provide an alternative that lets people learn at a low cost those things which they value themselves. I want to provide an alternative to getting suckered into a hundred thousand dollars plus in debt.
agreed,my thoughts exactly :)