2025-01-28
A short update. Guitar wise not much has happened recently. I had an unexpected two month hiatus of my weekend consolidation practice routine so I haven’t progressed at all with my consolidation items. It didn’t help that I had a very bad cold during the Christmas break. As the practice time has shrunk even more I narrowed my practice items to fit the available time. It still amazes me how something that feels incredible difficult the first time I try it with the guitar can reach a point where it starts to feel somewhat natural and almost automatic by just giving it enough time to engrain.
Asturias
I tried to record the first twenty-four bars in November, but I was not able to replicate the sound setting I got when I recorded the first twelve bars. Later I haven’t had a at least one hour time slot available for further testing and recording it. The good part of it has been that meanwhile I’ve become more fluent with the piece.
Habanera
It has not been the utmost priority, but I’ve been able to find some practice time for this fragment. Now that I’m playing the bass notes more accurately, I have to go back and repeat over and over the bar with the sixteenth notes using the metronome (or Guitar Pro) to improve the accuracy of the note duration and therefore the feeling.
Esperanza
This was supposed to be on hold, but I got a sudden impulse to start playing what I know so far along the Guitar Pro tab. Doing it has allowed me to memorize better section 1 and half of section 3 and improve with the duration of the notes by pushing myself to follow the tab at half speed rather than playing at the pace of my skills, accelerating where I’m fluent, slowing where I’m struggling.
Two songs for OM 28
I signed up for playing at OM 28 and I’ve started practicing two songs I want to play at it.
Planning for the future
I’ve realized that trying to learn how to loop to accompany the Hal Leonard exercises is something that can be skipped for now. It was not part of my original plan. I will try recording the accompaniment first and the melody after and if I’m not able to sync it, I’ll leave the melody only and move ahead.
Edit: I clarified that the hiatus was of the consolidation practice routine. I still managed to put some minutes of song practice on weekends.