Diary of progress in relearning to play music

[frodo10]

Hello.  Why put this in the anything but piano board?  Because it does not involve piano.  But it does involve music and playing an instrument (the classical guitar) and some might find it interesting. Maybe none will be interested.  I plan to make 1 diary entry a month until success or I quit.  This is my entry for July.  Future diary posts will be much shorter than this introductory one.

My background: I’m age 66 male (will be 67 in a few days). I was studying classical guitar at University of Toronto for masters degree in guitar performance when ½ way thru, I stopped going to classes and went instead to the Library to study a used pre-calculus textbook that I bought at a Toronto book store.  I’m a retired actuary after 30 years of service.  I haven't touched a guitar for 42 years until now.

OA of hands: I tried to learn the piano but quit when I started to get osteoarthritis (OA) in my hands about maybe 10 years ago.  My mom had crippled hands from OA so I figured I was in store for the same.  But 10 years later, my OA is pretty much the same as it was 10 years ago.  It is pretty much limited to the DIP joint of my right index finger. I have a Heberden's node there which is a bony swelling that develop on the fingers as a result of osteoarthritis.

Classical guitar with OA:  I woke up about 3-4 weeks ago having had a dream about playing guitar.  I bought a guitar on line the next day.  Soon after playing about 30-60 minutes a day, my right index DIP joint was stiff and sore as it was when I went to bed on the night I took for the first time what is a miracle product for me – undenatured type 2 collagen.  The next morning my finger felt perfect and has felt perfect or close to perfect ever since.  Time will tell.  I also do physical therapy for my hands and take turmeric curcumin. I have additional things I can do if later my finger(s) become worse: 1) Collagen peptides that I can take in addition to the undenatured type 2 collagen, and 2) Voltaren topical gel.

Relearning after 42 years of not playing:  It was a weird sensation for the first couple days but things started coming back pretty quickly.  I practice 30-60 minutes a day and will gradually increase this to about 2 hours a day max. 

First step: pick 2 pieces to record and post.  I chose the 2 pieces that I post below and will hopefully post them here in about a year (if this thread isn’t removed by nils).  I have read thru and fingered these pieces and all looks great to me. 

2nd step:  How get your “chops’ in shape after 42 years?  I decided to start from scratch (I mean from scratch) and will be working on the following material to clean up my technique and remove all the weaknesses I had 42 years ago.  My brain is working better than ever by far and I can identify weaknesses that I was unable to 42 years ago. 

List of material I will be working from:
1)   Arron Shearer classical guitar technique volume 1 and 2 and Shearer Slur, ornament and reach exercises
2)   Scott Tennant “Pumping Nylon” book and DVD.  This book fills in many gaps that the Shearer book has.  Some of his ideas are game changing for me. Others are incompatible with Shearer.  I tend to agree with Shearer on most and Tennant does have some flawed ideas IMO.
3)   My own set of exercises

Fingernails used in playing guitar.  The biggest weakness I had was inability to get a beautiful tone from the guitar.  I was able to improve this somewhat when I studied with Norbert Kraft at University of Toronto.  Scott Tennant has game changing ideas here concerning nail shaping and use of heat to shape the fingernails.  For now though, I have decided to play without nails and cut fingernails to the shortest possible length so only flesh comes into contact with the strings.  This is new to me.  I always used nails in the past. Note: While Tarrega initially played with nails, he eventually adopted a flesh-only technique, which is associated with the "Tárrega school" of playing.  The Yamaha SLG2000NW silent guitar that I have shows every imperfection in sound so clearly.  Every squeak of the strings.  Fingernails that scrape against the wound bass strings of the guitar sound like hideous noise.  I am able to get a beautiful sound with flesh only and the first 2 pieces that I record will be played without fingernails.  Scott Tennant says you can get a beautiful sound without nails and the reason for nails is to get a louder sound.  Lute players play without nails.  Classical harp players play without nails.  Classical guitar greats Sor, and Tarrega played without nails.

Looking to do tempos close to these. 
 
Vals Venezolano No 3 Antonio Lauro

 
Bach Suite No. 3 In C Major 3. Courante – NOTE: This player struggles with this piece.  The reason IMO is he is relying on using first finger bars way too much.  This is extremely tiring to the hand and it shows in his playing.

 
HAPPY PRACTICING!