Be A Fulltime Musician

J. S. Bach's Birthday Bash: "Air on a G string" Classical Guitar Tutoria...

2017-03-25T06:09:00.001-07:00

Guitar Lesson "Classical Guitar Posture" Classical Guitar Tutorial

2017-02-27T10:58:00.001-08:00

John Williams "Schindler's List" Classical Guitar Tutorial#1 Note-By-Not...

2017-02-20T14:38:00.001-08:00

Matteo Carcassi "Etude No. 7, Op. 60" Classical Guitar Tutorial#1 Note-B...

2017-02-15T10:27:00.001-08:00

"Barcarola (Julia Florida)" Classical Guitar Tutorial#1 Agustin Barrios ...

2017-02-05T16:18:00.001-08:00

"Cavatina - The Deer Hunter" Classical Guitar Tutorial#2 Note-By-Note + ...

2017-01-27T10:25:00.001-08:00

Guitar Lesson "Lilium (Elfen Lied)" Classical Guitar Tutorial#2 Note-By-...

2017-01-26T09:07:00.001-08:00

"Cavatina - The Deer Hunter" Classical Guitar Tutorial#1 (Stanley Myers)...

2017-01-25T08:54:00.001-08:00

Guitar Lesson "Fantasie" Silvius Leopold Weiss Classical Guitar Tutorial...

2016-12-15T09:04:00.001-08:00

Guitar Lesson "Lilium (Elfen Lied)" Classical Guitar Tutorial Note-By-No...

2016-12-11T01:40:00.001-08:00

"Comptine d'un Autre été" from the movie 'Amélie' Classical Guitar Tutor...

2016-12-04T03:06:00.001-08:00

Guitar Lesson "Mauro Giuliani - 120 Exercises for the Right-Hand: 81 to ...

2016-11-29T18:09:00.001-08:00

Guitar Lesson "Mauro Giuliani - 120 Exercises for the Right-Hand: 71 to ...

2016-11-25T08:02:00.001-08:00

Guitar Lesson "Mauro Giuliani - 120 Exercises for the Right-Hand: 51 to ...

2016-11-06T01:17:00.001-08:00

Guitar Lesson "Gran Vals/Nokia Ringtone" Francisco Tárrega Classical Gui...

2016-11-05T01:27:00.001-07:00

Gnossienne No. 1 - Eric Satie "Guitar Tutorial In 4K!" [Note-By-Note; Fr...

2016-07-29T01:27:00.001-07:00

History

Erik Satie cuts an incredible path through the avante-garde French compositional style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is probably most well-known for his 'Gymnopédies' which somewhat coincidentally also are comprised of three pieces as are the Gnossiennes.

Performance notes:

Gnossienne No. 1 whilst a short and relatively easy piece does have some particular challenges. The constant use of acciaccatura to embellish the melody require constant attention and left-hand strength in the little finger.

Double-string hammer-ons near the end are rarely found in classical guitar transcriptions. These, combined with artificial harmonics do provide the guitarist with food for thought as do the pull-offs executed simultaneously with an artificial harmonic in the right-hand.

Conclusion:

Complete tablature is available for free to my YouTube subscribers and via download from my website. Paid versions that include wonderful extras such as:

Full notation AND complete tablature (combined or stand-alone)
Performance indications
All fingerings for the left hand including barres
Explanations and performance tips

Follow the link to my website to find the free and paid downloads:

Free and Paid PDF Files

So, if you wish to have a copy just subscribe to my channel and leave a comment or send me a message with your email address and I will happily send you my transcription. Be sure to watch my tutorials for the song and have the transcription beside you so that you can learn this wonderful song quickly and easily.

Let your fingers fly!

Bourrée In E-minor (BWV996) J. S. Bach 4K Guitar Tutorial [Note-By-Note;...

2016-07-21T22:05:00.001-07:00

History

Johann Sebastian Bach was known to the play the lute and it is widely believed this suite was composed for the lute, however this conflicts with the tuning of the lutes of the time which were often tuned to D-minor. At any rate the piece has found great favour amongst guitar players from many styles. Originally, it was the fifth movement of the Suite in E-minor BWV996 but it often played as a stand-alone piece in concerts and recitals.

Performance Notes:

The Bourrée in E-minor is a wonderful example of contrapuntal composition where 2 melodic lines are maintained for the majority of the piece. Therefore one of the most important technical and interpretative considerations is to keep the two lines separate yet balanced and melding their interplay into a unified collective.

this is based on a dance so place importance on keeping a strict tempo
allow the melody in the bass to have equal importance to the treble melody
understand the ornaments of the baroque period when playing the two trills at the end of each A and B section

Conclusion:

My full transcription including tablature and notation is available for free to my YouTube subscribers. So, if you wish to have a copy just subscribe to my channel and leave a comment or send me a message with your email address and I will happily send you my transcription. Be sure to watch my tutorials for the song and have the transcription beside you so that you can learn this wonderful song quickly and easily.

Let your fingers fly!

Prelude (BWV1007) - J. S. Bach 4K Guitar Tutorial#2 [Note-By-Note; Free...

2016-07-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

History

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a total of five suites for solo cello. Arguably, the most popular of the five is the first suite. Because it was played first in the suite, the Prelude featured here has gained the most popularity and has been transcribed for a dizzying array of instruments. Bach himself was known or thought to have transcribed if for the lute. Here I have transcribed it for the guitar.

Historically, this Prelude belongs to BWV1007 and is comprised of 6 movements:

1. Prelude

2. Allemande

3. Courante

4. Sarabande

5. Galanteries

6. Gigue

Performance Breakdown:

In this second of two guitar tutorials for the Prelude I will be covering everything from bar 22 to bar 44. You will see close up views of the left and right hands and be able to follow along with my tablature/sheet music if required. My lesson is very comprehensive and it is filmed using 4K resolution for an outstanding visual experience. In this Bach guitar lesson I have broken everything down and tried to come up with the easiest fingerings possible whilst retaining the essence of the piece.

In my tutorial I offer suggestions for performance and, as with many of my other instructional videos I provide tabs/notation combined with timing instructions in the 'Description' area of the YouTube video page. This feature will help you to quickly find any given set of 4 bars without the necessity to scroll through the video trying to find where you were before or a particular bar to learn.

Sustained bass notes where possible
Strict rhythm throughout
A constant tone with minimal shifting away from the normal right hand position

Here is a link to the second tutorial:

Tutorial 1

Conclusion:

Let your fingers fly!

Nocturne In E-flat major Op. 9, No. 2 Guitar Tutorial#1 Chopin In 4K [Fr...

2016-07-20T02:10:00.003-07:00

History

It was well-known that Frédéric Chopin was a somewhat eccentric composer and individual. Although born in Poland in 1810 he moved to Paris, France in 1831 after graduating from the Warsaw Conservatory and never returned to his homeland.
During his time in France he cultivated friendships with some of the most prominent composers of the time including Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, and the author George Sands.
The Nocturne on display here was probably written when Frédéric was around twenty years of age.

Performance Notes:

The Nocturne In E-flat major is without a doubt one of the most played and loved of Chopin's pieces. It is in Rounded Binary form (A, A , B, A, B, A) with the melody being given increasing intervallic leaps and ornamentation with each iteration. The waltz-like accompaniment in the left hand lends weight and character to the 12/8 time signature.

use rubato with effect but sparingly
hold chords wherever possible
play ornaments and embellishments with increasing complexity as the song progresses
exploit open strings if possible during position shifts

Conclusion:

Let your fingers fly!

Moonlight Sonata Guitar Tutorial#2 (Beethoven) In 4K [Note-By-Note; Free...

2016-07-20T00:29:00.002-07:00

History

The 'Moonlight Sonata' by Ludwig Van Beethoven is easily one of the world's most recognisable pieces of music. This work is also known as Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor or Quasi Una Fantasia from the Opus. 27, number two.

The name 'Moonlight Sonata' was originally given to the music several years after Beethoven's death by another Ludwig - Ludwig Rellstab, a known German poet and music critic.

This sonata makes a departure from the standard sonata form of the period in that it has a slow and solemn first movement. In Beethoven's time the usual form was fast-slow-fast.

Performance Notes

Because it was originally written for piano it poses a significant technical challenge for guitarists to convey the sustain and legato that is a trademark of this piece. As such some chords are quite difficult and movements must be carefully considered and rapid in order to retain continuity and flow.

Hold chords as long as possible
Move rapidly and deftly between chords
Keep the rhythm steady and pulsing

Here is a link to the first tutorial:

Tutorial 1

Conclusion:

Let your fingers fly!

Aroha Duo Promotional Trailer [Live In Shenzhen] 2016 4K!

2016-07-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

A Fun Promotional Trailer...

Here we are with our first promotional video (kind of) in four years! Has it really been that long? Our last promotional video was filmed in Dubai at the Ramee Rose Hotel in March of 2012. It seems like so long ago.

A couple of months ago we purchased a Panasonic G7 Lumix 4K camera. It's a great camera with heaps of functionality - it's sturdy, light, and importantly for us we can mount an external microphone on the top of the camera. However, none of our computers were up to the task for rendering 4K video. We tried with Josh's trusty 2011 Mac Mini and surprisingly it could render the footage because Josh had upgraded it with a Samsung EVO850Pro SSD and 16GB of RAM last year. Even with these upgrades it was taking 4 hours to render 12 minutes of footage and we had to edit using just sound because the video playback was stuttering ferociously. So, three weeks ago we bit the bullet and ordered a top of the line iMac 27" 5K Retina with all the upgrades including:

iMac 27" 5K Retina Specs:

i7 6700 cpu
R9 M395X gpu
16GB RAM (plus the included 8GB giving a total of 24GB)
1TB Flash drive
Final Cut Pro X

Filming & Footage

Armed with our new camera and computer combination we decided to film anything and everything including some special events at the hotel in which we are currently performing until the end of November 2016. All of the footage you see here was filmed at a wine & cheese event at the Eden Garden Bar located on the 16th floor of the Hilton Shenzhen Shekou Nanhai Hotel.

The lovely lady that you see with Soo in the video is May. She is the managing director of the wine brand that was being showcased at the event and is also a dear friend of ours.

Coming up...

Our next video will be a full promotional video for the Aroha Duo. It'll be about 6 to 7 minutes long and it will include snippets of several well-known songs and some awesome 'behind the scenes' footage to keep things interesting.

Stay posted, happy, healthy and wise!

Love from the Aroha Duo

The Aroha Duo On Facebook

Moonlight Sonata Guitar Tutorial#1 (Beethoven) [Note-By-Note; Free Tabs&...

2016-07-14T03:36:00.000-07:00

History

The 'Moonlight Sonata' by Ludwig Van Beethoven is easily one of the world's most recognisable pieces of music. This work is also known as Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor or Quasi Una Fantasia from the Opus. 27, number two.

The name 'Moonlight Sonata' was originally given to the music several years after Beethoven's death by another Ludwig - Ludwig Rellstab, a known German poet and music critic.

This sonata makes a departure from the standard sonata form of the period in that it has a slow and solemn first movement. In Beethoven's time the usual form was fast-slow-fast.

Performance Notes

Hold chords as long as possible
Move rapidly and deftly between chords
Keep the rhythm steady and pulsing

Here is a link to the second tutorial:

Tutorial 2

Conclusion:

Let your fingers fly!

Prelude Guitar Tutorial#1 4K! (BWV1007 Cello Suite) - J. S. Bach [Note-B...

2016-07-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

History

Historically, this Prelude belongs to BWV1007 and is comprised of 6 movements:

1. Prelude

2. Allemande

3. Courante

4. Sarabande

5. Galanteries

6. Gigue

Performance Breakdown:

In this first of two guitar tutorials for the Prelude you will see close up views of the left and right hands and be able to follow along with my tablature/sheet music if required. My lesson is very comprehensive and it is filmed using 4K resolution for an outstanding visual experience. In this Bach guitar lesson I have broken everything down and tried to come up with the easiest fingerings possible whilst retaining the essence of the piece.

In my tutorial I offer suggestions for performance and, as with many of my other instructional videos I provide tabs/notation combined with timing instructions in the 'Description' area of the YouTube video page. This feature will help you to quickly find any given set of 4 bars without the necessity to scroll through the video trying to find where you were before or a particular bar to learn.

Sustained bass notes where possible
Strict rhythm throughout
A constant tone with minimal shifting away from the normal right hand position

Here is a link to the second tutorial:

Tutorial 2

Conclusion:

Let your fingers fly!

Pathétique Guitar Tutorial#2 4K! (Beethoven) Piano Sonata No. 8 In C min...

2016-07-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

History

Taken from Beethoven's wonderful Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor 'Pathetique' or the second movement Adagio Cantabile is this wonderful transcription. It was written way back in 1788 and is generally known as Sonata Pathétique and is thought to be one of the few compositions actually named by the great composer himself although this theory has been largely debunked and the name is now attributed to the publisher of the work.

Originally the second movement was written in A-flat major and modulated through two episodes. The first episode is in the relative minor F and E-flat major. The second episode modulates to the tonic minor A-flat minor and then to E-major before returning to a more lively A-flat major with triplets and a brief coda.

For the transcription to guitar it is necessary to transpose the piece up by one semitone to C-sharp minor. If you really want to play it in the original key it is a fairly simple matter to tune the guitar down by a half-step.

Performance Tips:

This is the second of two tutorials for the adagio cantabile movement in this sonata. This piece is extremely expressive. Keeping the melody prominent is really important as is sustaining the melodic notes for as long as possible.

Tune down a 1/2 step if playing in the original key is desired
Remember that Beethoven was fond of legato
Use a light touch throughout except for the more strident episode in F
Pay careful attention to emphasises the melody without putting unnecessary emphasis on the underlying harmonic content

Here is the link to the first tutorial:

Tutorial No. 1

Conclusion:

My full transcription including tablature and notation is available for free to my Youtube subscribers. So, if you wish to have a copy just subscribe to my channel and leave a comment or send me a message with your email address and I will happily send you my transcription. Be sure to watch my tutorials for the song and have the transcription beside you so that you can learn this wonderful song quickly and easily.

Let your fingers fly!

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - J. S. Bach "4K Guitar Tutorial#2" [Note-By...

2016-07-07T00:59:00.002-07:00

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - J. S. Bach "4K Guitar Tutorial#2

The second of two lessons teaching you how to play this iconic piece of music by Bach. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring has become almost obligatory at wedding services throughout the world and is synonymous with non-secular music, hymns and services. The most famous recording for guitar is probably the internationally acclaimed guitarist Christopher Parkening.

In this second of two guitar tutorials for Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring I will cover every note from the second section after the temporary modulation. You will receive close up views of the left and right hands and be able to follow along with my tablature/sheet music if required. Great quality Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring guitar lessons are few and far between. My lesson is very comprehensive and it is filmed using 4K resolution for an outstanding visual experience.

Performance Breakdown:

In my tutorial I offer suggestions for performance and as with many of my other instructional videos I provide tabs/notation combined with timing instructions in the 'Description' area of the YouTube video page. This feature will help you to quickly find any given set of 4 bars without the necessity to scroll through the video trying to find where you were before or a particular bar to learn.
Sustained bass notes where possible
Strict rhythm throughout
A constant tone with minimal shifting away from the normal right hand position

Tutorial Number One:

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Tutorial#1

Conclusion:

Let your fingers fly!