What is the best way to learn a new piece on classical guitar?

Question: What is the best way to learn a new piece on classical guitar?

Answer Summary: There are many variables involved in learning a new piece such as understanding the composition itself, the guitar techniques involved, and the comprehension and skill level of the player. Regardless, there are a few steps you can easily follow: research the main musical elements; practice the elements separately and then assemble; practice the sections evenly; examine the techniques involved and practice separately. Lets explore all the variables to get a more clear picture of how to approach a new work.

Research the main musical elements

Before trying to play all the notes in a piece the first thing I try to decide is: what will be my musical priorities and how will I approach the piece? Here are some leading questions:

• Is there a main melodic line to play on its own?
• What will the balance of the different voices be?
• Will the accompaniment be super soft?
• Are there dynamics or articulations involved that need attention?
• Is there counterpoint? Is there more than one independent line to bring out?
• Who was the composer and what does their music sound like?
• Is there research on the piece and composer I can study?
• Period Music – What musical era is the work from and how does that era prioritize different musical elements, concepts, and expressive musicality?
• What guitar techniques are involved and do they need extra practice?
• Are there recordings of the piece I can listen to as well as other music from the era and geographic region (guitar or non-guitar listening)?
• Etc. an endless list.

Practice the elements separately and assemble

This can be anything from a listening examination to a music theory analysis. Or it might just be you deciding what you believe are the musical priorities. In a common Classical era work the above questions might result in some predictable practice methods. A melodic piece with a melody, bass, and accompaniment is a common texture which we can practice in the below order:

1. Practice the melody on it’s own until the phrasing and legato is at a high quality level. You might also sing the melody to really understand it musically.
2. Decide the texture and dynamic balance: bring out the melody the most, then the bass voice, and soften the inner accompaniment.
3. Play the notes together very slowly but try to retain the quality of the individually practiced voices.
4. Raise the tempo gradually while retaining the quality level.

Don’t forget: While practicing in the above way, I might also pick a small phrase and experiment with it at a faster tempo to understand the technique requirements. In other words, take a small section and try to simulate what the end result will feel like. This can help us to understand how long it will take to prepare the work and avoid musical choices that only apply to slow practice tempos.

Examine the techniques involved

Some pieces will require a unique technique element that might need to be practiced separately. Ideally you would already be maintaining most guitar technique in a daily routine but that is not always the case and unique situations often occur.

A common example would be a tremolo piece. Maybe you would add extra tremolo exercises to your technique routine to give it a boost. Or a thick counterpoint piece might require you to add extra finger independence exercises. In unique cases you might turn a portion of the work itself into a technique exercise to master a specific situation that is unique to the piece.

Practice the phrases and sections equally

From the first moment you start practicing a new piece, consider assembling the whole piece somewhat evenly and slowly. Do not practice from start to finish or measure to measure.

Phrasing: Consider practicing phrases one at a time so that you are combining your technique and muscle memory with the musicality. You don’t want to develop technique hiccups in the middle of a musical phrase.

Sections: Isolate the most difficult sections and practice those more until you can play the entire work at a very slow tempo. You don’t want to get really good at the first half of the piece while the second half is weak. Consider the big picture by evening out your ability to play all sections slowly and evenly.

Some practice methods to avoid

• Avoid practicing measure to measure. This can result in muscle memory that is not connected to the phrasing and musicality of the work. It’s too arbitrary, instead, pick a musical destination to play up to. One phrase at a time is better than a random measure to measure approach.
• Do not practice from start to finish. Prioritize your work by understanding which sections need more work than others.
• Do not exclusively use or avoid the metronome. I always check my pieces with a metronome to make sure I actually know how to play the rhythms accurately. This is done throughout my practice development of the work. However, in order to play with musicality that sounds natural I also will practice without the metronome. Some pieces, such as those with lots of rubato, do not benefit from metronome practice. But I still check my rhythms and tempo maintence by using it on occasion.

Decide on the timeline

There are short term projects and longterm projects in music practice. When I practice a longterm piece I don’t even play it with all the notes for many weeks. I’ll start with selected musical elements, or experiment with small phrases. I’ll listen to others play the work, read and do research on the work and composer. Anything to start digesting the work without the difficulty of playing all the notes. Once I start practicing the whole piece I will have lots of insights into how to approach it and what I want the end result to look like.

Additional Topics and Lessons

• Practicing and Refining Musical Textures
• Presenting and Interpreting
• Lesson on Practicing
• Practicing & Reaching Higher Levels
• Feel Stuck When Practicing
• Practicing with a Metronome
• Playing Musically on Classical Guitar 

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