Phrasing for Classical Guitar Students: Noad Ex29 - Rob MacKillop 

Good to know, so, many thanks for your comment. The guitar needs more poets, not more gymnasts. Best wishes, Rob.

Good to know, Wallace. Best wishes for the next 55 years! Rob

Cheers, MariUS! Glad you liked it!

Cheers, Drew!

Good! 🙂

Well there you go! Now keep on going 🙂

Thanks. Will do. Donations accepted - see link below video.

Cheers, Rob. It is something that is not discussed enough, but as you say is incredibly important. My contention is that complete beginners can be taught the basic principles of it from the outset. No need to wait until you are a virtuoso first, as by then it is probably too late.

My pleasure. Phrasing is rarely discussed, but it can change a piece from sounding like a boring technical exercise to a beautiful melody. Now think about phrasing with every piece you play. And good luck! Rob

Merci, aussie, Karine!

Good to know, Daniel. I don’t know of any student book that discusses phrasing in this way, mainly because it is difficult to write effectively about, yet it is clearly important. I’m glad you got something from the video. Best wishes for your musical journey!

Agreed, Harry!

And in classical ensembles, Chris. Classical-guitar players tend to be individualists who have not learned the instrument in the context of ensemble playing. So it’s not surprising they are not used listening outside themselves. The best education I ever had has been when accompanying singers or flute. I then had to figure out how to transfer that to solo guitar playing.

Cheers, Terry. Mine is the 4th edition - I use that instead of my 1st edition copy as most students buy it new today. Best wishes for your studies!

You’ve made my day, Paul, and it’s only 8.15!

Method books rarely discuss phrasing. Private lessons are the best way, but that can be expensive. I do teach students across the world, should you ever want to go that route. Nevertheless, best wishes for your progress!

Ah, my secret is out! The infamy!

Yes, Joe, the simpler the piece the less information we have to work with, which is why it is so beneficial to work at them this way. More advanced pieces have more to distract us with, so we think we are progressing, yet we might not be at all. Get the simple things right, then the complex things will be right too…eventually.

Teaching! 🙂 Book some Zoom lessons sometime. I have students from across the globe. See rmclassicalguitar.com/skype/

Thanks. Yes, I still teach via Zoom. Details on my website: rmClassicalGuitar dot com. I’d be happy to hear from thou. I aim to stop teaching in late 2025.

Many more, leading to real repertoire that professionals perform and record. You can buy it with or without sound files. I strongly recommend WITHOUT. As for de-emphasising bass notes, that is something you need to master. I have a hierarchy of importance: melody, bass, anything left over, unless of course the melody is in the bass, or it is a work of Renaissance polyphony, where everything is melody.

Thanks, Micha. You are a true gentleman!

Cheers, Kali! Just keep at it, and things will improve. But look closely at the music without guitar in hand, and see what you can discover about its phrases and contours, use your imagination as well as your analytical reasoning (4-bar phrases, for example). We can all improve as guitarists by putting our guitar away sometimes!

Cheers, Mikael!

Cheers, S/V.

No, just a regular traditional footstool on its maximum height. I’ve tried all the modern alternatives, but the footstool works best for me, and my body seems to have adapted to it…

Good to know, Edward! I’m very pleased you and your son will be discussing the ideas in this video! Best wishes, Rob

Hi Keith. All Cammeyer’s scores can be found in the library of the Ning Classic Banjo site - worth being a member. Lot’s of other stuff there too. Somebody called Keith just sent me a “coffee”. If that was you, many thanks!

@@RobMacKillop1 you're welcome Rob. I can't seem to find that one on there. I am a member already. Great site, it's brilliant having all the scores available.

@@WansbeckBikecam Okay. Can you give me your email address?

Sorry, Alan, but if your aim is to play to the average listener, then go ahead. I’m not playing for any level of listener. I’m focussed entirely on the music itself, trying to play it as best I hear it. I don’t expect my students to play it with good phrasing straight away, but I see no reason why the basic concepts cannot discussed early on. My demonstration was to show what could be done, and how I go about doing it. For most it is a revelation, and it has inspired some to try to find their own interpretation. If you first “learn technique” then “put the music in later on”, your technique will influence the outcome. There are too-many guitarists today (in my humble opinion) with great techniques but little concept of phrasing. I want technique to serve the interpretation, to arise out of the music, not the other way round. Another thing to keep in mind is that this is an overview video. With each private student I address their own skill level and capacity for learning. The video is just to inspire and debate. So I am happy you commented!

@@RobMacKillop1 and of course I’m no where near qualified to question you Rob ! My point really is interpretation can be taken to extreme s and for average amateur players like me (and I am very keen and passionate about classical guitar )pieces could take forever to learn , good tone , good legato , some clear dynamics, some clear colours , maybe emphasise few nice bits here and there , after that and especially trying to perform it under pressure my mind and hands can’t handle anymore …. Cause also trying to play error free which is very hard for ordinary joe soaps like me at tempo under pressure,

@@AlanMcCarthyguitar I completely understand, Alan, and sympathise. I well remember how difficult everything seems at first. Look, people don’t subscribe to me because I have a great technique, they come here because I have something else going on, something less definable than measurable technique. To a beginner I might sound virtuosic, but to an advanced player I am not. But many think I do have something else going for me. That is, I think, phrasing and tone, and a certain feel. I contend that these things CAN be understood and learned by beginners, but it does help if you are not scared to join in with the creative process. To unlock that, one simple exercise would be to play, for example, C Major scale, but just make up little melodies with it, and best of all try to sing what you play. I can’t sing for toffee, but I can more or less sing bits of the scale as I play. Play a short melody, just a few seconds long. Play it again this time varying dynamics, next time tone, next time rhythm. You can do it in the privacy of your own room when no one is listening, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Remember the sense of Play you had when you were a kid…rekindle that. Do it every day for a few minutes, and hopefully you will be able to relax more on the instrument, and learn the value of making your own decisions. I can honestly confess that I’ve never played a single piece of music without making mistakes, but as my focus is on expression and not 100% accuracy, people can accept what I do, and perhaps not notice. Some will notice, those who have placed accuracy before expression, but I’m not really playing for them. Well, that’s my approach, Alan, but you will find your own. Best wishes for your progress!

@@RobMacKillop1 very interesting again Rob , thank you for such in-depth replies,I will try that !!… your playing is captivating that’s for sure , gentle and charming, much like how you speak

Exactly, Alfred! Many of the exercises are very beautiful, yet we all rush to the Spanish Study (too hard for where it appears in the book) and then Malagueña, and then we reach the “real” music. If Tárrega had written Ex.29, we might have treated it with more care. So, get your Noad book off the shelf, and analyse those early exercises for phrasing - breathing spaces, notes to highlight with dynamics or tempo fluctuations, etc - and discover some miniature gems, and also discover the art of phrasing. Have fun! Rob

Luck you, William. To be honest, I’m not a great fan of his recordings, but he seemed a really nice guy, even emailing me shortly before his death to tell me how much he enjoyed one of my earliest videos. I don’t think I had an email from anyone before his, it was quite a surprise. I thanked him for getting me started. Too bad he left us too soon.

@@RobMacKillop1 Rob, I don't believe he recorded anything except his PBS series "Playing the Guitar." Somebody else recorded those exercises in from his books. That isn't him. Fred's own playing was round, clean, and projecting. I was inspired by it.

@@williamstanford7994 Wow, that’s very interesting! I never heard his recordings when I had his book - first or second edition - but heard the recordings that came with later editions, which I (wrongly) assumed were by him. I’m very pleased to learn that they were not! And not being an American, I never saw the PBS programs…Thanks for sharing that information, William!

Good to know, Jo jo. I suggest you take care of the finger pads by using hand cream on them two or three times a day, and tune down a semitone or tone for a month or three, just to allow the pads to get used to their new role. Congrats on taking the plunge!

@@RobMacKillop1 cheers for the tips rob! I’ll try that tomorrow. I’ve always loved no nail tone (particularly yours and Dominic miller) but always thought maybe you had already be an amazing player to pull it off. But just from a few hours tonight, I think I’ll prefer it and it’s definitely gonna improve my sound. It feels more relaxed to play too

@@jojo1492 Great. The last thing you want, though, is to develop calluses, so take care of them!

@@RobMacKillop1 duly noted. Cheers rob! 👍

Big decision to take but Rob creates such a beautiful sound using flesh I can understand why. Keeping ones nails in shape for guitar playing is very time consuming and as I have got older my nails have developed line faults that split very easy and sometime need the superglue teabag method to repair. My maintenance kit consists of various grade of files and Micromesh polishing cloths. DIY projects inevitably always lead to a damaged nail and the annoying wait for a broken nail to grow again. What a waste of time. John Williams wrote that he needs to file and maintain his nails every day to avoid breakage. Martin Taylor who plays steel strings with nails said that he was very fortunate to have nails of iron that needs very minimal maintenance.

Sure. When I’m teaching, we do both approaches. The student needs to know what good time keeping is, but they also need to learn how to - for want of a better word - bend time. My contention is that this CAN be taught very early on in a student’s development. The guitar is not just a tuned percussion instrument, it can sing too. But these days I hear more of the former than the latter, a situation I would like to change.