Life By Guitar

This podcast is a reading of the article "Why Do I Make Mistakes? How Can I Correct Them" by Constantin Von Sternberg. It was published in The Etude magazine in May 1923. It is written with the piano in mind but applies just as much to the learning of guitar. You may need to listen to it a couple of times to hear all that the author is trying to convey. Enjoy.

Sor finished his explanations in his method by summarizing some general maxims. They are presented here with a few clarifying thoughts and opinions.

Today we discuss the three main methods for memorizing. Also, we'll read an interesting article from 1919 on memorization that still has power today.

Join me as I revisit the beginnings of my time in music school. I find out that I am not the normal type usually found in a concert choir or a music major. My first guitar is procured and I recount the performance that created much anxiety throughout the rest of my playing. But I finally conclude that the classical guitar is where I am meant to be.

Sight-reading is an integral part of learning new music. This episode begins by discussing the reasons every guitarist should enhance their sight-reading skills. Then, we will delve into the barriers faced idiomatically while sight-reading on the guitar. Finally, we will discuss practical methods based on the research to improve your sight-reading. All references and citations can be found at: charlestonclassicalguitar.org/life-by-guitar/

Being a guitar teacher was never in my life plan for life. As a matter of fact, it was the furthest thing from my dreams. But it is the road I have traveled for almost 20 years. It's not a usual path, but hopefully a useful one in the end.

Ever wonder how to develop a practice routine or build better habits on the guitar successfully? This episode will try to help you out using evidence-based science to point the way. Stick around to the end to learn about pushing through limbic friction. Citations in today's episode: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/automatic-you/201601/is-how-make-yourself-do-what-you-need-do https://www.nirandfar.com/your-new-years-resolution-is-bound-to/ https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414293 https://jamesclear.com/new-habit https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540252/ https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/11/career-lab-habits https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-making-and-breaking-habits/ https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/easy-or-hard-tasks-first https://dictionary.apa.org/automaticity https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22572-serotonin

The repertoire for the guitar is endless. Most guitarists, including professionals, give little thought to the process of learning a piece of music. But, if frustration and slow progress are to be lessened, then there needs to be an understanding of how to prepare to learn a piece of music.

Most guitarists never think about fatigue or recovery when playing the guitar. Today is the day we do.