Spot Practice on the Classical Guitar

Read the full lesson here: www.classicalg...
Teacher: David Belcher, Classical Guitar Corner Community Manager

[@thefirstamendment1791]

You guys always provide high quality instruction. Thank you so much for helping us to enjoy such a beautiful instrument…

[@zlatkosljivic454]

It feels good to sometimes be reminded of the importance of slow practice and spot practice. Thank you for taking the time to make a video like this, you have managed to motivate me to practice when I didn't feel like it. Cheers!

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Glad to hear it was helpful, Zlatko. Thanks for the comment.

[@donnaz6069]

This popped up in my KZbin feed this morning. I decided to watch it again; and as usual, I found new ideas for my current repertoire practice.. Thank you for these high quality videos packed with detailsd information to push our classical technique to the next level!

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Thank you, Donna and glad this video is still proving useful! Best wishes! -Dave B

[@idamehrnoush8833]

I like the conclusion - avoid playing through mistakes, using slow practice to identify problem spots and using spot practice to give the fingers the time they need to make quality repetitions, accurately, every time.

[@robertfantazo4751]

What I've learned in the first month or so in joining the academy, playing a peace properly, the most simplest of grade one or two levels are beautiful pieces of music when played properly.

[@joancheung_guitar]

Thank you, Dave! Slowing down is very difficult but indeed useful and practical for learning.

[@theguitarteacher]

You couldn't have explained it any better, David. Thank you! 🙂

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Thank you!

[@MegaStrijder]

Hi Dave, thanks for the info, great to listen to it again and again.

[@davebelcherguitar]

Glad you found it helpful, Joannes! Peace.

[@drdavid62]

Great instructional piece with important pointers to keep in mind over and over again during deliberate practice! We cant rush excellence. Thank you!

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Thanks for the nice comment, David! Hope this exercise is useful for you. Peace.

[@daizykoren2194]

Mr. Belcher, thank you for emphasizing the importance of slow and spot practice. Despite the frustration and demand that comes with serious guitar playing, It is really the only way to improve ones playing.

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Thanks for the nice comment, Arik.

[@AnaCarolinaGiollo]

how am I only discovering this channel now?? I'm binge watching everything when I actually should be practicing

[@solideogloria3057]

Dave your video is spot on! This is especially helpful for my current piece at CGCA.

[@ressalg]

For months I struggled with a particular passage that involved a position shift simultaneous with a fingering change. I slowly and painstakingingly practiced doing the fingering change while I was doing the shift, but, as you described, I couldn't even get it to sound smooth slowly on a consistent basis, despite weeks of effort. I don't remember what search phrases I used that brought me to this video, but somehow I found it. As soon as I applied the technique you describe at 3:10, I knew I had found the solution. I could feel the difference right away. Now, after a few months of spot practice, I can play it smoothly up to speed, pretty consistently. I have a lot more work to do before I'll have it where I want it, but I'm building on a solid foundation. So thank for your this video.

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Thank you so much for your nice feedback! It's great that you found the solution to some of your issues and it's fantastic to hear that you are improving!

[@amelia-nq3ew]

This video is so high definition i feel like its a message directly from god

[@Winelighter]

What crap

[@milanradulovic3915]

As a self-taught, usually I get some conclusions when I learn, and in this case, even before spot practice, is good to memorize or know the shape where fingers should go. Concentration is big part of playing...

[@lindatsardakas]

Thank you Dave. I agree - Classical Guitar Corner Academy is a great online school for guitar!

[@HeidiBWert]

This is a great video but I just wanted to mention this I love the picture that’s presented at the beginning of this video because the length of your beard is very hip and really accentuates your facial features!

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Haha, thanks Heidi! -Dave B

[@StevenBrener]

great advice! thanks

[@geoff3725]

A sincere thanks David.Excellent!. I needed that advice right this minute so will put it into practice forthwith.

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

You're most welcome, Geoff! Glad this fit with what you needed in your practice. Best wishes.

[@jimmiesasiwimon4142]

Thank you for sharing, really good advice and helpful to me.

[@DeutschlandGuy]

If I might add a "third technique" that I stumbled on myself to enhance the programming of successful "muscle memory" on difficult shifts, I go one step further than slow-practice and spot-practice. It goes something like this... When I feel like the spot-practice is getting me very close to where I want to be (including taking care to make sure the other fingers and thumb are coordinating with the shift), I then put on a sleep mask and repeat the sequence of movements "blind" (VERY slowly at "no tempo".) It's important to note... Go through David's spot-practice practice technique FIRST before moving on to "blind practice". The blind practice helps cement the muscle memory picked up in David's spot-practice exercise. I have found that simply closing one's eyes is not enough, as we are always temped to cheat and "take a peak" at our hands. Actually use a sleep mask. By actually blindfolding yourself, you will be forced to make the shifting movements (of all fingers involved) strictly by feel. It's my theory that our eyes can actually be a hindrance to our muscles "feeling" the guitar. If you think about it, we do not play our guitar with our eyes... Our eyes contribute in absolutely no way to the sound a guitar actually makes. We play by touch and feel. (Granted watching our hands can reveal some weaknesses such as the other fingers flying off in all kinds of strange directions when not being used... But once you spot those issues, put the mask back on and try to "feel" them remaining where they should be.) As David says, go VERY slowly... carefully feeling every nuance of your movements while blindfolded. You will be amazed at how much more quickly your muscle memory gets programmed by totally eliminating the "eyesight crutch". Once you can absolutely feel the movement in your fingers, slowly increase the speed from "no tempo" to a faster tempo. Once you get that far, take a step back up to David's "spot practice" again with your blindfold removed... then progress to the "slow practice" stage, gradually upping the temp (as David recommends) until the passage feels "like a part of you" at full tempo. Please note, this "blind practice" technique is my own invention... but I've had good luck with it as a supplement to David's aforementioned slow-practice and spot-practice techniques. I'm curious, David... What do you think of this "blind-practice" addition?

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Very interesting technique with the blindfold! I do think it can be important to get out of the habit of looking at the left hand, which can crane your neck and twist your spine and trains you to rely on your eyes to know where you're going, which makes playing in ensemble situations where you almost always need to be able to sightread quite tricky! So I do think this could be a useful addition to build up muscle memory, but it has other benefits that may be even more useful. Thanks for the comment!

[@jayatkins1014]

Very helpful advice. Thanks for posting, much appreciated

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Glad you found it helpful, Kerry! Thanks for the nice comment.

[@Krachuken]

Enjoyed your teaching ! You are amazing !

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Thanks, Kan!

[@bertaga41]

Excellent. Probably the most useful strategy of them all!

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Glad you found it useful, bertaga41! Thanks for the comment.

[@MarkInLA]

Not to sure making shift without the thumb is good. The thumb is used to sense the distances the hand goes by the very subtle widening and thinning of the neck and even its finish, or with no finish..It's can tell us where we are while reading the chart. But good stuff here, just the same. Thanks, M, Los Angeles

[@NathanRiversplatinumhitbeats]

thanks, what a great help!

[@genustinca5565]

Actual lesson starts at 2:42

[@timbaz1638]

Thank you Dave

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

You're welcome! Thanks for the comment, Isaac.

[@raulcalderonbird]

A great advise. Thank you.

[@myintthantun4680]

thanks

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Thank you!

[@zoemaltese7661]

Thank you.

[@robertfantazo4751]

Your Guitar sound is beautiful.

[@niazhannanwatercolors]

Great lessons sir..thanks🧡

[@woodysatyadarma4901]

Thank you so much

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Hi Woody, glad it was helpful! - Dave B

[@PedroSilva-nk6yl]

Very good explanation. Thanks.

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Glad it was helpful, Pedro! -Dave

[@RobertoMartinez-kv5tp]

✔good. Thank you.

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Glad you found it helpful, Roberto! Thanks for your nice comment. -Dave

[@t23355]

Very very helpful, thank you

[@BazzTriton]

GREAT

[@amerkayyal5807]

Pls...what if they were more than one note to focus on while you're shifting?

[@davehumphreys1725]

One question I have to ask is HOW ON EARTH CAN YOU PUT YOUR FIRST FINGER AT FRET 3 AND THE TIP OF YOUR PINKY AT FRET 7???? My fingers would need to be at least half an inch longer for me to make that stretch!! I can barely reach the 7th fret with the edge of my pinky, which is at full stretch! Needless to say the note sounds atrocious as I cant put enough pressure on the string with my finger at such an angle.

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Hi Dave, thanks for the great question. You'll notice when I make that stretch I lay my first finger down very flat and allow it to stretch out of position from the rest of my hand. We call this "pivot fingers" in our curriculum at CGC Academy. This allows my hand to be in fourth position, while my first finger stretches back to third position. You can do the same in the opposite way as well, keeping the hand in, say, third position and stretching the fourth finger out to a higher position, but in that case the pinky must be very flat. Best wishes!

[@juniper1135]

Can I use this for acoustic guitar with classical music

[@joellapaz6724]

What brand of strings for Classical guitar?

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Hi Joel, we recommend D'Addario strings, either EJ45 or 46, depending on which tension you prefer. Best wishes! - Dave B

[@robertfantazo4751]

When looking at the back of your neck, it's no surprise that I struggle playing the simplest pieces. The back of my neck looks like a baseball bat.

[@hafizmuizz7269]

I have very short fingers, classical is just too hard for my fingers hahah

[@ClassicalGuitarCorner]

Hi Hafiz, you can do it! Finger stretch can be developed with time and practice and there are many guitarists with very small hands who can make some crazy stretches. Stick with it! Best wishes!

[@BkburnsSMU]

Great Lesson..For the record, Your fingers do not have a mind of their own, nor do they contain muscles ;))

[@ney57e]

I didn't know Tom Segura was a classical guitarist.

[@Philrc]

obvious

[@grigoremarius8988]

You stretch...

[@gtrmusic69]

10 minute video that could have taken 30 seconds