Resolve, learn and progress.

In my classical guitar lessons here in Manchester there are some elements of my students’ playing that crop up over and over again. Finding obstacles, as such, is good because it helps us to resolve, learn and progress.

Probably one of the most frequently occurring problems that I see in new students is the lack of right hand technique. This is arguably the most important element in playing the guitar as this allows a player to have subtle control over tone, volume and speed. Many people who are unable to play with a punchy sound are unaware that just a few small adjustments to the way they pluck a string can make a huge difference, and the results can quickly be impressive!

I began teaching a new student a couple of weeks ago, and my first job was to give her some exercises to help her use her right hand fingers more efficiently. Her first week was a bit challenging for her as everything felt new and strange, but two weeks on and she is already noticing an improvement in her sound and is really enjoying her new found tone!
Admittedly she had to take a few steps backwards in order to take leaps forward, but that’s not unusual and now I’m pleased to say her hard work is paying off with dividends.

It’s amazing that in such a short space of time fine tuning these sorts of issues whilst teaching classical guitar really helps my students to play well.