Hey everyone-
The reason I haven't posted for awhile is because I was in California at Alex de Grassi's Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop. Wow! It was quite an experience. Heard lots of great music and met some fantastic musicians- Alex even gave us a private concert one evening. :0)
Fingerstyle guitar is one of my favorite styles, and Alex de Grassi is one of my favorite guitarists, so you can imagine how excited I was to be there. Here's a picture of me playing one of my original compositions for him, (Alex has his back to the camera)...
The reason I haven't posted for awhile is because I was in California at Alex de Grassi's Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop. Wow! It was quite an experience. Heard lots of great music and met some fantastic musicians- Alex even gave us a private concert one evening. :0)
Fingerstyle guitar is one of my favorite styles, and Alex de Grassi is one of my favorite guitarists, so you can imagine how excited I was to be there. Here's a picture of me playing one of my original compositions for him, (Alex has his back to the camera)...
I was really nervous ... and made some mistakes, but Alex was so easy going and just asked me to play it again. Then he gave me his comments and suggestions.
He's very cool and made everyone feel like he was their personal friend. We even played croquet one afternoon- and guess what? I won!
In case you don't know, Alex is considered to be one of the finest fingerstyle guitar players of our time. He has won many awards, including a Grammy nomination, and has performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Telluride, Montreux Jazz Festival, Belfast International Festival and The Kennedy Center.
Here is a clip of Alex playing a compostion he wrote titled Western...
I purchased his educational DVD titled The Techniques & Arrangements of Alex De Grassi DVD and now I'm learning how to play Western. It will take some practice, but the DVD is very well done and Alex goes through the song slowly, one section at a time. The viewer has a close-up look at his fingers, so it's easy to see exactly what he's doing.
Here is a clip of Alex playing a compostion he wrote titled Western...
I purchased his educational DVD titled The Techniques & Arrangements of Alex De Grassi DVD and now I'm learning how to play Western. It will take some practice, but the DVD is very well done and Alex goes through the song slowly, one section at a time. The viewer has a close-up look at his fingers, so it's easy to see exactly what he's doing.
Alex De Grassi DVD
This DVD is not recomended for beginners. But, if you are extremely gifted and want to give it a try, then by all means do so. Afterall, one of the best guitar players in our group was a 14 year old who had only been playing for five years! So, I guess I've learned my lesson that when you're young and motivated, you can do practically anything. However, I'd add that he did have a slight advantage over the rest of us because his uncle is buddies with Alex and they occasionally perform together. Good mentors must make a difference.
Anyway, if you are a beginner and you would like to learn how to play this style, then I suggest you sign-up for some free lessons below...
Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
