Day 247: Wedding Ad / Estudio Brillante

It was warmer this morning, 45 degrees, but with that warmth comes rain. I am still burned out from the past week which was very hectic. So, I am not really enthused with this grey, damp morning.

The photo here is a new ad I created for plugging the wedding business.

Guitar practice was less than ideal this morning. The problem is that it is unfocused. I periodically notice how I reach a plateau, realize I have made progress in improving my guitar playing, but seem to be stuck on that plateau. That is how I have felt the past few days. Stubborn spots in some of the pieces I play do not seem to be improving. Other spots that I felt were mastered are in need of work again. It is this up and down, hill and dale experience. Some days I feel like I am a good player and know what I am doing. Then other days it seems like I can do nothing. I realize that we all have good days and bad days. When it comes to photography I am supremely confident in everything I do or have thrown at me. I am 100% aware of my strengths and weaknesses. But with the guitar, after all these years, I am still in search of that same awareness, that same level of confidence. If I had not let ten or more years go by neglecting my serious practice with the instrument, maybe I would be where I want to be.
I really need a gig, playing somewhere once or twice a week for two or three hours. That would force me to play through my repertoire. I need and desire to learn new pieces to expand my repertoire. However, as i learn new pieces I tend to ignore previously learned pieces. Yousee, one must doi regular practice on one's repertoire to keep it up. So there needs to be a balance betwen working on new and maintaining old. A regular gig would automatically take care of the repertoire maintenance.

There is a great guitar composition by Francisco Tarrega titled Estudio Brillante that I began working on in earnest about three years ago. When I started it, I knew it was a difficult piece, but until I got well into the study of it, I had no idea just how difficult it really is. Today I have the piece memorized and I can pretty much play it with out my hands, fingers, or arms getting fatigued. That was an achievement in itself. I have performed the piece quite a few times too. But, it is still most unsatisfactory. I still have problems with tempo, clarity of notes in some passages, and overall tone and interpretation.

The following two videos show Julian Bream playing the piece. The second shows me playing the piece earlier this year.