Tag: Sheet Music

  • Consistency > Motivation

    Consistency > Motivation

    I’ve heard so many times, “It’s so hard to practice, often I just don’t feel like it. How can I keep motivated?”

    And they’re right. Especially now that the days are getting shorter and grey, it’s sometimes hard to find motivation. But IMHO we don’t need any motivation. All we need is consistency.

    Motivation comes and goes. And some days I don’t feel motivated at all. That’s why I’m trying not to rely on it.

    I just stick to the plan. I just “show up”, sit down, and practice what’s on my list. If I feel motivated, that’s awesome. But if I’m not motivated, it doesn’t matter. I just stick to the plan. I know that I will benefit. I know that i will enjoy it somehow. I know it will enable me to play the things I love.

    If you can make it a habit (through consistency), you don’t need any motivation at all!

    It’s ok if you don’t feel motivated to practice guitar, just do it anyway! Preferably at the same time every day.

    But that’s enough ranting for today *ggg*

    ​

    Here’s another gem from my upcoming book, The Anthology of Baroque Violin for Guitar. This is the 1st movement Allegro of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Strings in D minor, RV 127.

    You can download the transcription in standard notation and tablature, along with the audio files, here:
    ​https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zw6USQdUAr9QnFJfuTTI-aKXgt_mnfx2/view?usp=sharing

    Happy practicing!

    PS – Have you checked my latest book, “TCHA-KA TCHA – Understand and Master Rhythm on Guitar through Vocalizing”? It’s a proven method that has helped hundreds of my students finally make rhythm easy. ​Click here to check it out​!

  • Back in the Groove & have you heard of Telemann?

    I’m back from Southern Italy, and boy I had needed this vacation!

    We had rented a renovated, hundreds-year-old stone farmhouse in an olive grove. Very simple, the only luxuries being a nice swimming pool, a fridge, and a Bialetti coffee maker. It was wonderful. It’s incredible how little you actually need to be happy.

    So here I’m back in autumnal Vienna, with recharged batteries, and full of good ideas. And the solution to get rid of all the clutter in my house 😀

    At the moment I’m working on an Anthology of Baroque Violin for Guitar together with a friend, and I love all the great music I’m allowed to discover.

    For example, have you heard of Georg Philipp Telemann?

    Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) was considered the best German composer of the time, even better than his friends Friedrich Haendel and Johann Sebastian Bach. He was particularly close friends with Bach, who made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son; Telemann on the other side often sent commissioned works that he did not want to do himself to Bach.

    Apart from two piano lessons, Telemann was completely self-taught, and wrote more than 3600 composition, making him one of the most prolific composers of all time. He later fell into obscurity, partly because allegedly Beethoven preferred Bach and repeatedly bad-mouthed Telemann.

    Here is the 1. Movement Adagio/Allegro of Telemann’s Violin Concerto in D major, TWV 51:D10

    You can download the transcription in standard notation and tablature, along with the audio files, here:
    ​https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YtVSMUguXWkTTZ1qDO5zzyONAt48TAY6/view?usp=sharing

    ​

    Happy practicing!

  • We’re already halfway through summer, let’s play some Vivaldi

    It’s hard to believe that we’re already halfway through summer. I hope you’re finding time to enjoy these warm days while they last.

    After the launch of TCHA-KA TCHA things have settled down a bit, and I want to thank everyone for the fantastic feedback I’ve received so far!

    Now I’m enjoying the summer. Here in Vienna, July was unusually cool – actually, it was more like a typical July from the past :D. It’s been really nice not to have to run the air conditioning at full blast all the time. And sitting outside in the evening with a light sweater on is actually kind of cozy.

    For my next project, I’m working with a friend and mentor to transcribe famous Baroque violin pieces for the guitar.

    Here, for example, is the 3rd movement, Allegro, from Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Strings in C minor, RV118.
    Download the PDF with the score in standard notation and tablature, along with the MIDI-generated audio files, here:
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QmvVTtM5hkfD3sgp-fXYzXzu6Y4H5qOI/view?usp=sharing​

    Happy practicing!

  • Good Things Take Time

    I just realized it’s been over a year since I wrote my last post. Perhaps you can relate to this situation: you miss a deadline and feel bad about it, then you miss another one, and before you know it, you start to forget about it—or rather, repress it. It’s funny because I genuinely enjoy writing these posts and reading and responding to the replies.

    Anyway, I promise to do better in the future! 😀

    ​As a little gift, I’ve transcribed the third movement, Allegro, of Antonio Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in Bb major RV 381 for you. Written around 1710, it’s a lovely piece in 12/8, played mainly in the first and third positions.

    Download the PDF with the score in standard notation and tablature, along with the MIDI-generated audio files, here:
    ​https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bJkc4T7hDDq3TxiKCpy0hFI3IrY2TkPf/view?usp=sharing​

    ​
    Over the past year, I have been busy writing my new book on how to understand rhythm on guitar through vocalizing. The writing is done, the cover and artwork are in the works, and I’m almost finished recording all 481 audio examples.

    If the stars align and everything goes smoothly, I hope to publish it by the end of this month!

    Happy practicing!

  • Happy Easter

    Spring’s in full swing, and this morning, I even found a chocolate bunny in my garden.

    This time, I have a nice little musical piece to share with you.

    It’s one of Niccolo Paganini’s 43 Ghiribizzi (also known as fantasies) for guitar.

    Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) was not only a famous virtuoso violinist but also ano utstanding guitarist and composer of numerous works for guitar.

    ​You can download the PDF with the score in standard notation and tablature, along with the MIDI-generated audio files, from the link below:
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xmXan7wvJBaxVpMuwZykZodmDxEvF6cA/view?usp=sharing

    Happy practicing!