Fredric Chopin on the Beauty of the Classical Guitar

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

“Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, save perhaps two.”

Fredric Chopin

While the origin of this quote is dubious at best, it’s still a good one. Whether the great pianist/composer actually said it or not, it still rings true.

But we may sometimes forget how beautiful the guitar sounds. We may get distracted by:

all the thoughts about our practice
what we “should” be doing, or able to do
all the fine details in our pieces
what we want vs. what we have
and on and on and on.

There’s so much surrounding our guitar practices, that it’s easy to forget to actually listen.

The guitar IS beautiful. It’s personal. It’s tactile. It’s intimate. It’s sensual.

Now and then, when we re-discover guitar as if for the first time, we may be surprised or taken aback.

Like people who work in beautiful places who forget to look around, we may sometimes forget to hear.

When we do take a moment of appreciation, we are reminded why we do all this work. We reconnect with the payoff of striking a string, with the satisfaction of making a sound.

And accurate listening is one of the habits that set the best musicians apart from the amateurs. But we don’t have to play for decades to master this. We just have to remember to listen. And listen without prejudice or expectation. To listen honestly. Over and over again.

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.

I came on board three months ago and I’m loving it more than ever. I have maintained my practice pattern. I’m sticking wholeheartedly with the program as written. That makes it easy to see what I NEED to work on rather than just playing the shiny places I’ve gone beyond…..I’ve learned to focus 100% on what I’m doing that very minute….I’m developing strength in my left hand...I spend time with the videos in the evenings and always find something more to help me. I’m not looking for info anywhere else. Everything I need is right here in The Woodshed. You say “Jump” and I say “How high.” I’m so grateful I found you. You speak in a language I understand.

~ Gloria Mader

-Gloria Mader

I am a 61 year old physician, reconnecting with the classical guitar after a hiatus of nearly 40 years. After a couple of weeks [in the program], I’m now producing a much clearer, yet somehow more mellow and beautiful sound. It was really good to feel it happening in my hand, and that it felt more comfortable and somehow “right”, compared to the way I had played before (“curved picking”). The fog started to lift and I found that I was remembering more, and it felt great (also a bit of a relief!), giving me confidence to keep going. Thank you for making your course available - your love of music and the guitar shines through the teaching. I am very happy I found and registered with CGS.

~ Brian Davey

-Brian Davey