Edward Gibbon on Sailing Through Guitar Practice

[Tuesday Quotes are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Find more here. Enjoy!]

“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.”
Edward Gibbon

Question: How do high-level guitarists make everything look easy?

Answer: They do what is necessary, and don’t do what is not.

Over time, we learn to navigate the twists and turns that arise in our music. We collect practice methods and ways to solve problems.

We gain experience with the most common challenges. This way, when we come to a tricky spot in a piece of music, it’s not new. We’ve seen it before.

We discover how much tension is useful, and how much is not. We learn to stretch without injury and leap without fear.

This does not mean that music is not hard to play. A piece of music can still push a player to the edge of her abilities. But there’s a framework in place to manage the obstacles.

And before we reach this high level, where our quiver is jam-packed with tools and tricks? We collect them. We use each piece not as an end unto itself, but as a step in a longer journey.

To rise to higher levels, we deepen into the basics. We become intimately aware of the variations on the basics. We practice using our formulas and methods. And we experiment using these in new situations.

The hardest piece in the world is still played one note at a time. And the challenges lay in moving from one note to the next.

Leadership coach Dusan Djukich says, “If there is no solution, there is no problem.”

In our practice, our task is to find solutions and execute them with consistent reliability. It is to notice where we are going wrong and to set it right.

Both music and practice happen in a single moment – the present one. The better attention and intention we bring to the moments of our practice, the better our music.

Hi, I’m Allen Mathews.

I started as a folk guitarist, then fell in love with classical guitar in my 20’s. Despite a lot of practice and schooling, I still couldn’t get my music to flow well. I struggled with excess tension. My music sounded forced. And my hands and body were often sore. I got frustrated, and couldn’t see the way forward. Then, over the next decade, I studied with two other stellar teachers – one focused on the technical movements, and one on the musical (he was a concert pianist). In time, I came to discover a new set of formulas and movements. These brought new life and vitality to my practice. Now I help guitarists find more comfort and flow in their music, so they play more beautifully.
Click here for a sample formula.

After more than a year as a member, I remain impressed with the Woodshed, song courses, Tuesday quotes, weekly lessons, and the CGS community. Without my membership, I think my enthusiasm for learning classical guitar would have faded long ago. Instead, I am enjoying the process as I make steady progress in my playing.

~ Steve Dosh

-Steve Dosh

Hi Allen,
Greetings from the UK. I would like to thank you for providing such an excellent resource. The effort and skill which has gone into creating this program is very evident. I started classical guitar a year or so ago with a teacher but was unable to commit to same time regular slots each week.

The Woodshed Program was exactly what I was looking for. I have found the site very intuitive and well structured and have taken your advice and started from the very beginning of the program whilst still practising some of the pieces I was already working on. It is clear that I will benefit greatly from these early technical studies. There were clearly weaknesses and gaps in my knowledge even though I am still at an early stage. Once again many thanks for the program and very best wishes.

~ Rodger Paylor

-Rodger Paylor