Thanks for watching! What are you working on right now? What do you find beautiful in it? Please consider to support my work on Patreon! Every Patron gets 3 points hotter, it's a good deal considering that the summer is right around the corner. www.patreon.com/beatrixguitar

Beatrix: "I can't magically make you a better musician." Me: "I'm out."

I found this a worthwhile reminder. Don't worry about technical virtuosity (though that's nice!) impressing others, etc. Focus on how you (whatever your skills) can bring out the unique virtues inherent in the song or composition you have chosen. That's as true for rock as for classical. Thanks.

I play a steel string, mostly blues and classic rock and so most often look at YT channels very different from yours. And over there I often read comments by ham-fisted shredders like, Oh this piece is SO easy. That piece is SO easy… Sure, it’s easy to put your finger on the frets and pluck the right notes but not so easy to evoke the mood and nuance of a beautiful guitar piece. Thank you for the reminder. It’s music, not acrobatics. We do it right when we take our listeners on a journey.

After I graduated from Peabody Conservatory I made my living playing classical guitar in restaurants and hotels. I wrote my own arrangements and wrote books for Mel Bay on guitar arranging. I had about three hours of memorized music. Let end by saying that the most popular piece I played by far was Romanza.

Spanish Romance is such a great piece cos it has so much room for expression. Exactly the things you talked about. Dynamics, tempo, attack, all can change the feel so dramatically. And it's such an "ahhhh" moment when you hit the major section I mostly play blues these days which i love for the same reason. The relatively simple structure of the blues leaves so much room for expression

Beatrix lookin like she's about to drop a Dark Souls guide.

You mean I need to buy more pedals?

Subscribed. Awesome topic Beatrix! In my educational and performance experience I've learned that it's not how accurately I play the notes that matters, but how much I love, nurture and take care of each of the notes I'm playing that elevates the listeners experience. Using the specific word, "beautiful" will be a new element to my approach. Thank you!

I specially enjoy that you did this video with on of my favourite pieces to perform. Fantastic ideas! I was struck by how similar our approaches to this piece are!. Thanks for the video.

Thank you Beatrix!❤❤❤

Quality material never heard of before. Bravo and many thanks for sharing.

WOW. I enjoy your videos of playing classical guitar as well as your teaching. Thank you.

What a fantastic video! Great ideas and motivation!! I just found this video today and I will continue to watch! Thanks!

It's a task, but I'm working on a piece called "Smoke on the water".

I’m choosing to work on the song “Valentine” by Fiona Apple on piano. I love the song because it expresses the loneliness and frustration that comes from loving someone so deeply and struggling to move on while they’re seemingly unaffected.

A BEAUTIFUL and important video. Thank you, Beatrix.

Hi! Years ago as a newsletter publisher I bought a large book called '1001 things to know about publishing newsletters'. I diligently started working through it and by tip #32 I realised I probably new as much if not more than the author. But... I wasn't using what I knew and the book taught me to look at the subject in a completely different way, and I benefitted enormously from reading it. This, I think, is what your video is about. It is very helpful. Thank you. And, I agree Spanish romance is a beautiful piece of music mostly played rather badly. That's its biggest problem. I think you're great and I've joined your Patreon membership and I'll support you going forward. Keep up the good work. Thank you for sharing it.

This is a great idea! I'll give this a try, thanks!

Great little idea and mini-lesson to promote the development of musicality.

BEATRIX YOU HAVE THE JUICE ! GREAT EXPLAIN ! OBRIGADO.

Hey, no complaints. That was definitely worth my time. Thanks.

I think this is a great idea! It made me start thinking right away about stuff I’m playing. It’s sometimes not easy to say what it is that I like about a song or even if I actually like it 😂

I actually refused to learn this song, beyond the opening line, for over 40 years because it was so much of a cliche when I first started. I now play it because I choose to, not because "oh, you're a guitarist, do you know...?". I sort of regret not learning it for myself all those years ago and just not admitting it to people 😂

Great lesson! Very insightful, not obvious yet highly practical and necessary. Btw. I love your hair and eyes. You're beautiful

I dont play guitar, I play piano, but I stumbled upon your channel after hearing Evocacion on another channel. Right away, I noticed your approach was similar to mine. I've never had piano lessons, but I taught myself by reading a beginner book till I got to page of a song my older brother was playing, which I really liked. So, for many years I have picked out simple beautiful, melodic pieces, and memorized them. Now, I constantly work on making them sound as beautiful as possible. This lesson of yours epitomizes my approach because I only pick songs that I absolutely love to begin with. Thanks for not being just a typical KZfaqr.

This is amazing- I am about to teach one of my young students Romanza today, but now I will incorporate your suggestions! Thank you. And you're right; even the "snobs" who look down on the piece secretly like it. The guitarist Milos took a lot of flak for performing it.

This is good stuff, and I can see how much you love the classical pieces you play. I'm a rock-funk-blues-jazz cat, but this sort of stuff makes sense in any genre, really. It's also something that becomes second nature in time, but one first needs to be aware of it, and that's where your lesson brings value to guitar students (which we all are and continue to be...) I suppose the next step is discovering how to use this great advice (i.e. picking the right tone, mood, tempo, dynamic etc.) and expressing it through one's personal-style features (i.e. that sort of finger slide, this sort of pull-off, that vibrato, this skin-or-nail-against-string effect etc. It never ends, really, does it? 😁 But what you teach here is amazingly useful and your video really does what it promises 🙏🎸

Gran vals will be the piece I'll try this on, thanks a bunch, great video for someone like me who just started classical guitar

What an amazing coincidence! I am currently learning the Spanish Romance. I am battling with pace, in the sense of whether to play it slow or fast. It seems harder to play in the middle speeds with the emotional poignancy I want. If I play too slow or too fast, it's not there at all. Love your channel.✌️

Great advice! I really appreciate it.

How to play better: ask yourself 1. What do I like about this piece? 2. How do I bring this feature out?

Wonderful discussion of musicality....thank you for this video

Very good advice thank you.

Very interesting! This one of those moments when I realize "Oh, so that's what I've been doing subconsciously." I play bass in a progressive stoner band. In one of our song, the main riff is in 4/4, 16th notes, four groups of 3 and one group 4. In a certain part of the song, I just continue playing the groups of three, while our guitarist play the original riff. This creates shifting accents between the guitar and bass. Watching this video, it came to me, that I subconsciously use my pick in a different way in that part. I subconsciously wanted to accentuate that accent shift, by making my accents more pronounced through a different picking technique. A truly powerful way to think about music. Thank you for sharing!

Good clip - good advice - good luck - well done

That piece was the first piece I learned for classical guitar. I had been playing almost exclusively rock and metal up until then, and while I'm not a classical player per se, I did appreciate how much it made me work on my finger-style playing. I still play that piece, along with some Bach and Leo Brower from time to time. You have a very good interpretation of that piece. Your playing is quite full and expressive. Of course, it probably helps that you're using a much higher quality guitar than I am with my thirty-plus year old Yamaha classical :)

❤ great teaching!

You got my attention with the title of this video, Ms. Beatrix.

Thank you you're great.....

Great insight! Subscribing to you now!

Thanks for this very intelligent and instructive video !

" personnal musicality " it's the most important...thx😊

Hi Beatrix, thanks for this interesting idea. I've been working daily on "Rainy Etude" by Tatiana Stachak, one of my new favorites thanks to your recent video. One of the things I love is the flow of the dynamics, from soft to loud and then quickly back to soft, and the texture contrast between tasto (over the soundhole) and ponticello (near the bridge)- all of this reminds me of the variations in rain falling on the roof, soft to loud, light to hard. Following your advice, I tried playing but emphasizing the variations MUCH more than I was used to playing... I mean really, really soft to begin, very loud in the middle of a phrase, tailing back softly quickly, like a thundershower coming and going. I liked the effect very much! I think it's giving me a new musical dimension! I'm going to play the piece for some friends at our guitar jam this Friday, see what they notice! THANK YOU!

You are an inspiration...

Wow. This video did not disappoint! Thanks so much. I would add more to it though. Not just What is "beautiful" about this piece of music. What is "inspiring, energetic, kick-ass, sad, virtuous, powerful" Things like that resonate with me. And I'll definitely use this technique in my performances. :-)))

Great advice. As you say, it can work for any instrument. I'm working on Schubert's Impromptu in C minor, Opus 90. Love the contrast between the very ominous opening and its funeral march rhythm and the more lyrical and tender second theme, and especially the way the two contrasting moods infect one another over the course of the piece, fear of death and love of life overlapping without either one winning out in the end. So I'm thinking about how to maximize the impact of each mood separately and especially how to play the final bits that are mostly in major in such a way as to make the listener feel that the minor is still hanging around waiting to appear again, even after the final C major chords.

Thanks!

Inspiring way to think about making music. Occasionally I believe I do this, but I'm probably not making myself aware of it enough. There is one piece, where I do find myself constantly refining how I express it: Capricho Arabe. Not only because it's difficult (for me) to get just right, but also because I feel like it gives me so much freedom. Funnily enough, playing closer to the bridge expresses harshness to me and I usually tend to pair that with minor sections, while I prefer the soft tones for happy parts. But I totally see how the bright tone can also express liveliness now. Just goes to show how subjective music really is for everyone and that's wonderful. I'm entirely self-taught so most people think that means my "hard skills" or music theory would be lacking. Ironically I find myself struggling a lot more with concepts like these, as they were never brought to my attention before. Perhaps I just suck at both tbh. Most online teachers focus on simply assimilating the pros and I probably get caught not really thinking about what I WANT from music enough. Thanks for that reminder :)

Nice video.. Thanks!

I usually just roll my eyes when I see title of the video similar to this one. But, since I like your channel, I gave it a shot. And well, I must admit, I really like this advice. Anything that brings some new perspective to my playing is more than welcome and you've achieved that. So, thank you, and thank you also for sharing your positive energy. I wish you all the best! 😉👍

B, thank you for the inspiration.

I have always been drawn more to classical because of this very lesson. Being able to create emotion in the music you play. I love Spanish music particularly.

I love it!

Thx this is very helpfull 💐💐💐

Hi Beatrix, hope your good. Now the thing is........ I was in the mood for some classical guitar & I found your channel. I'm now in the process of getting a "Classical" Guitar. So.......What am I working on 🤔 ? Studying & Learning all about the Classical Guitar. What do I like about this 🤔 ? Well there is so many wonderful pieces of music to choose as my 1st to play. On top of this, are the Composer's, both from the past & the Present. All of it , has captured me Beatrix and I am taking my 1st steps. Thank you for inspiring me 🙏🤗😁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Thank you for sharing your valuable music knowledge 🙏 you are an amazing musician. Also, you have extremely beautiful eyes.

Ohh I'm in love

I asked my guitar what it thinks and it said it likes the simplicity that supports the soaring melody allowing expressive glissando, vibratos to highlight the high points allowing rubato/ lingering on those notes milking them for emotion. When the middle section double sharp comes it is an interweaving of climbing and falling leading to a grand crescendo/ diminuendo. My score shows AABBA song form so tonal variations dolce/ metallico give variety to the repetitions. The voice of my guitar comes through showing just how much resonance the instrument generates with melody and arpeggiated accompaniment. These things are the hall mark of the trite interpretations less skilled players like me evoke.

Great advice. Coming at this from the mandolin world. Right now I'm trying to work up a decent version of El Condor Pasa (adapted by Paul Simon into If I Could). The second part where Art Garfunkel does a soaring high tenor is challenging to interpret instrumentally. I'm trying to just apply full rich chord forms for that part...its a work in progress...

Very good advice! Love the humor and how was the big mac? ❤

I've done this for a long time with bachs air . Just the main melody as a single line the expression is a never ending learning process year after year . Working on the flow and feeling of the ups and and downs of the notes. If its just a scale with no life quit playing -energy can be a ------master that lol.... Slow isn't always easier. To each his or her own and own pace... play on .❤

great,

I immediately subscribed

Starting off playing for the 50th time in my life, first place I thought to start is the channel that gives me information, and a solid butterfly crush XD!!!

I was introduced to this concept through a KZfaq video by Scott Paul Johnson. After watching the video, I had to ask: Why doesn't everyone teach this?

Oho... really to think about it. Till date, I used to think about songs or music pieces as a whole. Now, it got changed forever.

Hello, I practise Spanish Romance, but I don't success. I play guitar for years but I do what I can. I will try to get emotions into this piece of music with the help of your advices. Thanks

A totally appropriate little for this video. I am confidant that if we were able to sit with Tarrega whilst he he was contemplating his compositions such as Adelita or Lagrima, He would have spoken of a story in his mind. An emotion or a fond memory would have shaped, molded and set an orientation to the first notes and phrases to his piece. The technical aspects of the composition would have been secondary considerations. The whole point of performing a piece of music, especially music that is romantic in nature, is to hypnotize your audience, Is it not? To move them into a place where their emotions and memories come to the fore. If the performer is not clear on the emotional substance of the music he or she is playing, what does the audience have to rest on. Are they even going to remember the piece you performed? They (your audience) need more than a display of your competence or technical ability. It pays great dividends to remind oneself that your music is fundamentally a story, and how this is expressed can have great emotional effect or none at all. I'm sure that composers of music film sound tracks, understand this concept quite well. Many great perfumers have initiated there creations by writing a story or drawing a picture of a setting or situation, so to create a fantasy, in order to set an orientation for the fragrance they intent to make. This is like guiding light by which their success can be measured in the end. In my view, one of the best compliments for any piece that I play is when, (by off chance) I hear the listener whistling a phrase or two to himself at a later time. One last ting to mention is, a guitar teacher I had many years ago suggested that, when learning a new piece of music, start by learning the section or phrase that I found most appealing or attractive as this would set the groundwork for the expressiveness of the rest of the piece.

Good useful video Beatrix. Enjoy the Big Mac :)

I'm learning "Bang your head by quiet riot" I love that line, I got a mouth like an Alligator.

I have a piece I wrote for my late wife several years ago. I've not been able to write suitable lyrics for the composition, and it has never worked as an instrumental. I'll try to work with the modulation and see if that helps. Thank you

I missed the premier!! T_T

I'm allergic to commitment, but I'll give it a shot since you demanded so nicely :D

I think your students are very lucky people indeed.

To get good there're lifetime conditions to respect: 1/Technique et hand calisthenics weekly practice. 2/ Update the repertory by revising it and learning pieces you like. 3/ learning theory to understand music and build a strong knowledge. 4/ just play and have fun by improvising, experimenting and explore different musical languages genre and style. 5/ USE A METRONOME.

You could always make up some lyrics that match the sentiment of the feeling you're trying to convey with that melody. That would make it easier to play with convincing phrasing and dynamics.

2 Prelude's by F. Tarrega, building a good arrangement. Both are DMaj, just different tempos.

Ah the upper melody, whilst beautiful, it's the Bass line that must boom. 😁

When I look at you- by Miley Cyrus. I just love the song as your video, the strong chorus is my favorite part of the song 🎶 ❤️

OK, I admit it! 😁

Very nice video. I love your accent, it’s so cute ☺️ ✌🏽

Hi. I'm new here. Actually you got me with the title. I'm working on a harp piece and ten bars are not going well. Today I was asking myself about the dynamics and what pianissimo means to the harp as this ten bar section begins as now the harp is solo: is it scared, or lonely without the clarinet and how can I better show that, and how does it feel when the clarinet returns (and a crescendo occurs). So your discussion takes me further on my journey. Thank you. I have also just started learning guitar so I will definitely ask questions about the music there too - even though I still get lost on the strings and frets. Yes, I agree the guitar is more nuanced or I am better able to hear/ create the nuance

Music is about feeling. Be aware of how music makes you feel, and try to ensure that your audience becomes aware of this

The first song I ever wanted to play is perfect; stairway to heaven.

Right hand movement is one of my weaknesses i try to get a hold of soon. Maybe this video is a sign, that i should play Romanza more and try it out for myself. Allthough i guess my probleme is more with changing right hand position fluently back and forth during a line. Its what i noticed watching professionals do quite a lot, that i struggle with and so i avoided it till now with exeptional dedication. 🥴

5:59 I learned these words watching Little Einsteins with my kids!

It's pretty windy in here, talks a blue streak!

I’ve been playing Snowflight by Andrew York and I find I don’t like his interpretation of his own piece. He plays it really fast and doesn’t vary the tempo at all. I like to be a little more expressive with the phrases with a little variation in tempo and dynamics. It makes me think of the way snow actually falls and drifts. Enjoyed your video.

I have discovered that my feeling for a piece of music matters a great deal in my ability to learn to play it. I am very surprised by what I have learned to play by focusing on learning music that I really love. After learning basics I can focus on technical details that fill out the piece. I’m a beginner and do not read music or know music theory.

Listen to Vincente Gomez play this piece, vocals as well in a film called " Blood in the Sand" ....not the usual boring way that so many people do.....plus he plays two Flamenco pieces.....fabulous...just watch, listen and enjoy!

I really enjoy your channel and I was wondering what was the name of the $600 guitar when you did the comparison with the $6000 guitar? and Thank You.

Nice, I agree with your approach. Is big mac food? I didn’t know it. Jó. Olt, köszi!

Thanks really useful, however for your video, I don’t see that much beauty on that piece, whenever I have played it to people they think it’s beautiful but I don’t find it that moving, because I have been played and practiced the soul out of the piece, it feels like an exercise. It is the same with any piece even if I think it’s beautiful to begin with. The soul goes from it after a while. The only piece that doesn’t bore me after a while in terms of classical guitar repertoire is Villa Lobos prelude no 1. Not sure why but with that piece there are so many ways you can express it. However with ‘romansa’ I can’t invent beauty out of it for personal expression.

So basically… learn interpretation. Studying that now.

❤❤❤❤❤

Robert Johnson became a virtuoso after a mysterious man retuned his guitar at the cross roads at midnight. In return he had to give up his soul at 27. So if I'm going to have to make any promises in return for virtuosity the deal is off.

❤❤❤❤❤❤

By the way, I am going to pick and relate to the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven

Hi Beatrix, do you offer a tab for that romance or maybe you can confirm that some publicly available tab for this romance is legit? I'm asking because there are so many wrong tabs nowadays I understand you play music score with notes, not tab, so you must know the proper way. Edit: I found a tab on capotastomusic and immediately stuck at bar #9