How do I learn to swing?

[Robertkoa]

IMO it's all about the upbeats. You can be behind as anything on the beat, but your upbeats have to pop.

Not sure but I seem to have the advantage of being able to accent upstroke or downstrokes equally so syncopation is much easier..those were things I worked on long ago so me ' learning' to swing was more like an advanced Flamencist or someone.

I was playing triplets across three strings and doing many things the Rock Shredders were doing when they 'tapped' but picking each note so I have the vertical thing and then added 'swing'.

I have never heard a Country Player ' swing' like Benson...Martino...Norman Brown.

I definitely don't consider myself a Jazz Guitarist since I don't play Standards but was already Playing in a Steely Dan- ish type way but Harmonically/ Rhythmically I was using some of the Language and the 'swing ' phrasing on Solos fits great into the Harmonically Expanded R&B stuff I am working on.

I wrote a Blues long ago to Jam with UM Jazz Students....it is in 6/8 - did not notice that when I wrote it.That is probably straight ahead Jazz- voiced like a horn section on Guitar.

Where I differ from *Jazz Guitarists is my Rhythm Guitar parts are more aggressive usually- never liked distorted chords for myself.So I mean the Harmonic Rhythms are more aggressive than most Jazz Guitarists ( they don't care...they are playing what they want to hear..lol ).



There are people with good chops like Al DiMeola or
Paul Gilbert or John Petrucci who don't 'swing' like a Jazz Guitarist means.

Eddie Van Halen comes closer on tracks like ' Beat it ' - maybe that's why Metheny used to go see EVH- but Eddie does not 'swing' to my ears like Benson etc.

Again- ' swinging' is a Rhythmic feel...
If you are going to learn 'quarter note triplets ' you Practice THAT rhythm on a simple three note pattern
BEFORE you try to move it around.

The way EVH used to 'tap' triads V-i then V-i a step down then another step down...
I learned to do that picking every note over thousands of hours...and I did NOT start moving it around till I could nail one triad.
Wish I could have done it long ago but better late than never.

I don't recommend copying Solos note for note to ' learn' to swing.

Swing on 4 Notes first repetitively with a Metronome
or Simple drum beat Ireal etc.

Swing Chromatic Scale fragments or FRAGMENTS of a Solo ...eventually the Rhythmic Feel of 'Swing' or any Rhythm must be internally generated ...not copied athough 'copying' is good in the beginning.

Again Bossa Nova on one or two chords first before you tackle a chord melody with a Bossa Groove - right ?
Also Al DiMeola was state of the art in 1973 or whenever but many of us have caught up to that or very close and ripping Flamenco Scales is not going to cut it in 2017...Al doesn't swing but has good Time obviously .
Nor does Yngwie - but they both got rich Playing Guitar...long ago...I never listened to either of them much especially not Yngwie ..
but good chops and great at what they do - AND they created a ' Style'.
Van Halen almost swings on Beat It...

Now Benson different story no one can really play like that ...much easier to play like DiMeola or Yngwie than Benson lol.

Two of the best younger swingers are Moreno and Kriesburg ...
Moreno has a bit more snap but could be the Guitar ..Kriesburg is going for deep fat Tones not crispy ones.

If you can't swing on phrases that fall under your
OWN fingers easily or on non pitched phrases it will even be harder on Charlie Parker licks lol.

It's like Travis Picking- you learn travis picking on a G chord ....or a C chord ....hours and hours..THEN you move it around to other chords.

You don't start on Chet Atkins - who Travis Picked and added a Melody on Top...
Or Tommy Emmanuel - very difficult even for advanced Fingerstylists - so not good to copy unless you have serious chops and brain to separate your picking hand into 2 independent Rhythms at once.
Take the pitch out. Play easy stuff that lies under your fingers..
I listened to Benson for * inspiration but didn't try to copy his licks while simultaneously learning to swing and juggle...lol.

*Always liked Benson since long ago...never ocurred to me to Swing though until this year..

It is a great way to Chromaticize phrases over Chords ..even in R&B Fusion...

[ragman1]

I still say that this is one of those issues that ought to be approached via the backdoor, as it were. If someone finds difficulty with swinging their notes, why?

But we don't ask that. All that happens is that tons of well-meaning people offer up their solutions and formulas and the poor schoolboy expends so much effort trying to copy them or put them into practice. Takes a long time usually and at the end of it...

But first ask why. Is it that the player has no sense of rhythm? That he's rhythmically handicapped in some way? If he is, is it irreparable? I doubt it because he's already doing guitar and music.

Is it that he's trying to copy solos that are too difficult and his fingers get tied up in knots? There's got to be a reason unless he's just innately useless at rhythm, which I doubt. It might be that, but I doubt it otherwise he probably wouldn't be attracted to this kind of music. I mean, I suppose there are tone-deaf singers who resolutely carry on singing but surely not many!

So he ought to start at the simplest level. Once he knows he can swing, and it's not that hard, then that block is overcome and he can work from there.

[christianm77]

Not sure but I seem to have the advantage of being able to accent upstroke or downstrokes equally so syncopation is much easier..those were things I worked on long ago so me ' learning' to swing was more like an advanced Flamencist or someone.

- This definitely helps.
- An alternative and time honoured approach is to hit every note with a downstroke including the upbeats, Charlie Christian style. That's totally practical for sensible tempos when playing 1/8 notes.
- Another is to pick the upbeat and slur onto the beat.

Whatever technique you emply, a player should have a go at practicing a scale and being able to accent the upbeats. This won't make you swing (it's too simple) - but it will help if you have never practiced this sort of thing.

I don't recommend copying Solos note for note to ' learn' to swing.

Why not? Do you have experiences that suggest this is not a good idea?

There is a considerable history of players doing exactly this within jazz - such as Wes and Charlie Parker.

There is less a tradition of using the metronome - this is more recent and arguably coincides with the era where musicians have stopped swinging in the traditional way.

[christianm77]

I still say that this is one of those issues that ought to be approached via the backdoor, as it were. If someone finds difficulty with swinging their notes, why?

But we don't ask that. All that happens is that tons of well-meaning people offer up their solutions and formulas and the poor schoolboy expends so much effort trying to copy them or put them into practice. Takes a long time usually and at the end of it...

But first ask why. Is it that the player has no sense of rhythm? That he's rhythmically handicapped in some way? If he is, is it irreparable? I doubt it because he's already doing guitar and music.

Is it that he's trying to copy solos that are too difficult and his fingers get tied up in knots? There's got to be a reason unless he's just innately useless at rhythm, which I doubt. It might be that, but I doubt it otherwise he probably wouldn't be attracted to this kind of music. I mean, I suppose there are tone-deaf singers who resolutely carry on singing but surely not many!

So he ought to start at the simplest level. Once he knows he can swing, and it's not that hard, then that block is overcome and he can work from there.

Well, it may help to break it down.

1) Can the student scat sing a rhythmic phrase that swings?
2) Can the student play a phrase on the instrument that swings?

Neither
basic rhythmic problems - work om subdivisions etc
lack of vocabulary - aural exposure to jazz, rhythmic concept
tempo not comfortable yet - more practice at that tempo until it is.

1) only
technical issues on the instrument - work on technique
pitch choices prioritised over rhythm - work on making pitch choices more intuitive, work on prioritising rhythm over pitch for a while

Can you think of any others?

In either

[christianm77]

I agree, but I've definitely overdone this myself (over-accented offbeat eights). I think the secret is trying to get as smooth/even a line as possible while sonically accounting for the bass/drums in the overall mix.

I'm not talking about accenting upbeats. I'm talking about learning to consistently place them between the beats.

[ragman1]

Can you think of any others?

There's a hundred different ways to see if I can get a basic swing feel. HE can do them himself! I mean, it's not rocket science.

But if he wants help there are all these posts and my little vid thing. Dead simple.

[matt.guitarteacher]

There's a hundred different ways to see if I can get the basic swing feel. HE can do them himself! I mean, it's not rocket science.

But if he wants help there are all these posts and my little vid thing. Dead simple.

yeah. It's just simple....

I don't know why so many great players and teachers talk so much about it with students???

....No. I don't think it's "simple". Rocket science isn't necessarily MORE complex in an apples to apples way. At least it's very quantifiable and concrete. Kind of like saying what Picasso or van Gogh did was simpler than rocket science. Ok? What's the point though? Most of us aren't swinging like the greats or painting like the greats...

Otherwise, every rocket scientist would swing.

[ragman1]

yeah. It's just simple....

Yes, it's not simple, but finding out whether you have a basic capacity is simple. The OP said he just couldn't do it, he was finding it very difficult. So let's find out first if he has the basic capacity, the basic feel of it, then that can be improved on.

[Robertkoa]

IMO it's all about the upbeats. You can be behind as anything on the beat, but your upbeats have to pop.

Well...to me it's a Rhythm FIRST.
You are talking about stylistic things here.

I do not suggest a beginner could 'learn ' to swing by merely listening ...let's remember the OP here.

BUT - if you listen to Benson you will often hear chromatic passages articulated extremely clean and sharp and very evenly spaced AND uniform in volume - it is not some ' syncopated ' thing in Basic Form.

Listen to Pat Martino - not quite as sharp as Benson and a little further back in the Beat- but STILL very evenly spaced and rarely is any note louder than any other ( perhaps to a fault - sure he could spice it up more- but that's Style) but we are talking about the Rhythm of 'Swing' lead lines.

I can play quarter note triplets for you against a Metronome or Track .... and it's a Rhythm that's it - now I can make it POP more by accenting ( louder ) the First group of three Notes ( Primary Accent ) and the Second group of three Notes ( Secondary Accent ) and even SLIGHTLY rushing the second Group of 3 Notes and
pushing the beat slightly...but THAT is Stylistic and complexifies ( ?- lol) the Issue of what quarter note triplets are.

So you have the 'Hard Swing' of Benson - relax a little more in Articulation and back further in the Beat and you get Martino....
a little further Back and more Relaxed Swing ...maybe Metheny...and further back still...Metheny long ago when he was and had a more laid back 'swing'.

So ...I was am talking about the actual Rhythm...not a Stylistic thing.

Benson seemed to get a lot of his Time Feel and 'Swing' and even Funky Chording from Wes Montgomery...but his pick attack and sticking many more notes into his Phrases...he ends up a little more aggressive to my ears more forward in the beat.

But it's even spaced in basic form...really .

[christianm77]

Well...to me it's a Rhythm FIRST.
You are talking about stylistic things here.

Am I? Personally I think accurate placement of upbeats and where they sit is extremely important to all music, at least all groove based music. Swing upbeats, starting with the third triplet are important. That's probably where I would start. That's useful for playing music beyond just jazz.

After this is mastered at a slow tempo, it can become more intuitive and the student can leave the counting behind them. They can then start to straighten out their playing while still feeling the swing upbeat in their bodies.

Many mature swing feels are straight but laid back, which means they hit a swung upbeat even though the notes are played even.

A lot of people seem to have trouble understanding what I mean by this. But - basically it's about what is 'locked' - saying to someone 'play behind the beat' will mean that they simply drag unless they have some relationship to the prevailing tempo. The upbeat is where this 'lock' is, unless the player is playing quarter notes in which case these will be on the beat, not behind, at least to my ears.

Both PM and GB are examples of this IMO. It's not the downbeat that's significant in this case, it's the upbeat that does the swinging. The ride and bass are keeping the downbeats in place allowing the soloist to straighten out the eights while keeping the upbeats in place.

Also the exact placement of the upbeat can vary sometimes depending whether it's a rhythmic push or accented note (more swung) or a connecting eighth (straighter.) But getting the student to place all accented upbeats the same is a good idea.

Probably sounds more complicated than it is, but it's something you feel rather than intellectualise.

There's a good metronome exercise I was taught for this.

I do not suggest a beginner could 'learn ' to swing by merely listening ...let's remember the OP here.

BUT - if you listen to Benson you will often hear chromatic passages articulated extremely clean and sharp and very evenly spaced AND uniform in volume - it is not some ' syncopated ' thing in Basic Form.

Yes I agree this articulation very important. It's actually something I am working on heavily at the moment.

BTW in some ways it is tougher to articulate a syncopated rhythm of just a few notes at high tempos ala Bernstein, Jim Hall etc than spit out a long line of 8ths.

Listen to Pat Martino - not quite as sharp as Benson and a little further back in the Beat- but STILL very evenly spaced and rarely is any note louder than any other ( perhaps to a fault - sure he could spice it up more- but that's Style) but we are talking about the Rhythm of 'Swing' lead lines.

I can play quarter note triplets for you against a Metronome or Track .... and it's a Rhythm that's it - now I can make it POP more by accenting ( louder ) the First group of three Notes ( Primary Accent ) and the Second group of three Notes ( Secondary Accent ) and even SLIGHTLY rushing the second Group of 3 Notes and
pushing the beat slightly...but THAT is Stylistic and complexifies ( ?- lol) the Issue of what quarter note triplets are.

So you have the 'Hard Swing' of Benson - relax a little more in Articulation and back further in the Beat and you get Martino....
a little further Back and more Relaxed Swing ...maybe Metheny...and further back still...Metheny long ago when he was and had a more laid back 'swing'.

So ...I was am talking about the actual Rhythm...not a Stylistic thing.

Benson seemed to get a lot of his Time Feel and 'Swing' and even Funky Chording from Wes Montgomery...but his pick attack and sticking many more notes into his Phrases...he ends up a little more aggressive to my ears more forward in the beat.

But it's even spaced in basic form...really .

You are talking about the inequality of the swing - Martino has *always* been pretty straight (but behind so he catches the swing) rather like Raney, I'm not hugely knowledgible about GB. To my limited knowledge, Benson is more dotted but can modify this if he chooses. Again the downbeat position is malleable, but the upbeats have to lock with the tempo and rhythm section. I haven't sat down and analysed it (probably won't) but I wonder if you'll see much difference between the position of Martino's upbeats and Benson's.

I would say Martino is a player who will swing pushes more than connecting 8ths against the ride quarter pulse. But this risks getting too nerdy and scientific.

The important thing is that you know where the swung and straight upbeats sit, and can nail them consistently along with the downbeats where required at all tempos.

This will make one easier to play with.

Anyway, perhaps you could help the thread by recording some demonstrations of the stuff you are talking about, seems interesting and I'd like to hear it.

[mr. beaumont]

it's something you feel rather than intellectualise.
.

Goodness yes.

We should have a rule that nobody's allowed to talk about rhythm without providing a musical example

[ragman1]

We should have a rule that nobody's allowed to talk about rhythm without providing a musical example

I did, above

[mr. beaumont]

I did, above

Did see those, much appreciated.

I suppose I meant even go a step further--record a video yourself, talk a bit, play more.

[lammie200]

Besides working on breathing, I also suggest practicing standing up with your guitar using a strap. You will be forced to use your entire body to play. Sometimes sitting down and playing can just become an exercise in finger mechanics. Often times I think that is it harder to feel the music if I am just sitting and playing as opposed to standing.

[ragman1]

Did see those, much appreciated.

I suppose I meant even go a step further--record a video yourself, talk a bit, play more.

I could, but I don't think that would add to it. Anyway, that's more Christian's bag :-)

Besides, where's the OP after all this? He started a thread on Donna Lee. 14 replies and no response. This one's gone to 41 replies and no response. Why are we bothering?

[Hep To The Jive]

Besides, where's the OP after all this? He started a thread on Donna Lee. 14 replies and no response. This one's gone to 41 replies and no response. Why are we bothering?

Maybe he has learned how to swing?

[christianm77]

@Robertkoa Couldn't find your most recent post, but basically I spend a little time listening to Benson today at half speed, and I think you are right. Bensons upbeats are pretty straight at up tempos although he can swing them when he wants to. Thanks for drawing attention to this...

Why does it sound so good when Benson plays straight on swing that way and why, paradoxically, does it swing so hard?

Who knows :-)

[Robertkoa]

@Robertkoa Couldn't find your most recent post, but basically I spend a little time listening to Benson today at half speed, and I think you are right. Bensons upbeats are pretty straight at up tempos although he can swing them when he wants to. Thanks for drawing attention to this...

Why does it sound so good when Benson plays straight on swing that way and why, paradoxically, does it swing so hard?

Who knows :-)

Well the OP has disappeared and now is 'swinging' like a ________er JUST from reading this Thread.

Swinging is an evenly spaced Rhythm against the Beat at it's core :
The people who swing 'the hardest' or ' best' is very subjective BUT the even- ness is the BASIS .
A really time sensitive Player should be able to slightly push ( rush very slightly ) or lag the beat very slightly or lay chords for example ..directly on the( 1)
if desired ( like on a Midi Track, Dance,R&B etc.).

So I hear different Jazz Players generally have a 'default' time position in their Swing .

So listen to Benson and he will be evenly spaced and more Forward in the Beat.

Listen to Martino and he will be evenly spaced but slightly further back in the beat.

Listen to Metheny and he will be further back than Martino when he swings.

So IF you had a Rhythm Track and recorded Benson Soloing on Track 1 Martino on Track 2 and Metheny on Track 3 on an uptempo piece.

To get Martino more like Benson you would move his entire Track forward in time and there would still be timbral differences etc. but now Martino would sound a bit closer ..more urgent ..to Benson.

Then Metheny ..you would need to move him forward in Time even more.

So I am saying 'swing is a Rhythm - it is a 'range' of time but accenting the third note and this or that are Stylistic Things...the Core Rhythm is the "Thing".
Some people don't 'hear' it or feel it and can't do it.

I'm pretty sure if I tried to play some Indian Rhythm in 11/4 with McLaughlin I would have the speed but would be completely lost where the Beats are...

If you know how to program Midi Drums there are ways to get high hat patterns and percussion parts to 'Swing' and they do- I don't think they sound as good as real Musicians because there ARE subtleties which so far the Machines have not gotten.

Haha. Benson does swing really hard- I think even Heavy Metal Players would like him ..he has that Jazz Sophistication but the rawness of Blues, R&B, Church etc.
Brecker had that too .

[pingu]

Learn to swing ... ?

Dance around the house to the
Count Basie Mr Atomic album

Gotta get it in your soul innit

[R Neil]

Well the OP has disappeared and now is 'swinging' like a ________er JUST from reading this Thread.

Swinging is an evenly spaced Rhythm against the Beat at it's core :
The people who swing 'the harderst' or ' best' is very subjective BUT the even- ness is the BASIS .
A really time sensitive Player should be able to slightly push ( rush very slightly ) or lag the beat very slightly or lay chords for example ..directly on the( 1)
if desired ( like on a Midi Track, Dance,R&B etc.).

So I hear different Jazz Players generally have a 'default' time position in their Swing .

So listen to Benson and he will be evenly spaced and more Forward in the Beat.

Listen to Martino and he will be evenly spaced but slightly further back in the beat.

Listen to Metheny and he will be further back than Martino when he swings.

So IF you had a Rhythm Track and recorded Benson Soloing on Track 1 Martino on Track 2 and Metheny on Track 3 on an uptempo piece.

To get Martino more like Benson you would move his entire Track forward in time and there would still be timbral differences etc. but now Martino would sound a bit closer ..more urgent ..to Benson.

Then Metheny ..you would need to move him forward in Time even more.

So I am saying 'swing is a Rhythm - it is a 'range' of time but accenting the third note and this or that are Stylistic Things...the Core Rhythm is the "Thing".
Some people don't 'hear' it or feel it and can't do it.

I'm pretty sure if I tried to play some Indian Rhythm in 11/4 with McLaughlin I would have the speed but would be completely lost where the Beats are...

If you know how to program Midi Drums there are ways to get high hat patterns and percussion parts to 'Swing' and they do- I don't think they sound as good as real Musicians because there ARE subtleties which so far the Machines have not gotten.

For me, one of the hardest parts of making a real "swing" is that *swing* is at the core a *relationship* to the Beat. And to get it right, it takes tremendous precision of The Beat ... and your pattern of off-beat. Both ... simultaneously.

That was the heart of my early difficulty in a rock band, being a "free" player, but always getting the sound at the precisely right time. And not the beginning of my stroke, or the beginning of the attack of the pic ... but the sound itself. I struggled to get the *heard* sound at precisely the right moment. My drummer had Many Words with me about this. The bass player just glared. Just making the main beat sound at precisely the right moment is a struggle for so many of us.

Now ... establish a precise Beat, and just as precisely, play *off* that beat. Right!

I realized over time many people are like me, we know when we start the stroke, and think of that as keeping on The Beat. But as we're *starting* the stroke on the beat, the sound is after ... and late.

Instead, one has to learn to play by the full arrival of the sound, not the physical initiation of making the sound.

You have to be able to do that precisely, without even thinking about it most of the time at least.

THEN ... you have to learn the feel of the delay for the full arrival of sound for it to start to swing. Which is just as precise as The Beat has to be.

Patting your head while rubbing the stomach in a circle while hopping on the left leg is easy ... swing ... ain't.

Until ... it just, um ... swings.

Stumbling fingers still need love ...

[R Neil]

Another example. I took 5 years of classical voice recently. My voice teacher about took my head off over timing. I was precise, just ... precisely WRONG.

Take the word "stand" ... I would start to make the opening S sound precisely on the beat.

NO! NO! NO!

That "s", even the connected "t", are simply part of the attack, the sound is the "a", the vowel. The full "a" sound must bloom precisely on the beat, the attack must precede the vowel and be gone.

It's not supposed to be heard as "St (a ...)nd", but as "(st)A .... (nd)".

That sounded like a weird idea, until she recorded me singing a phrase then her singing the same phrase.

Listening, hers was right, mine wrong. And I still need to remember to "sing" that tiny amount before the beat ... to actually land on the beat.

To swing takes having some sounds that land precisely on the beat so others can be heard to land just as precisely *off* that beat.

And the many suggestions on here to record with something sounding a precise beat are spot on. You have to keep a precise Beat, and play both precisely on and precisely off, both easily and naturally, before you really can just ... swing.

Someday, perhaps ... I'll master that myself. There are those blissful moments that keep me trying, you know ... sigh. Intellectually understanding something and physically doing it *consistently*, always, not being the same thing.

Stumbling fingers still need love ...

[Robertkoa]

Another example. I took 5 years of classical voice recently. My voice teacher about took my head off over timing. I was precise, just ... precisely WRONG.

Take the word "stand" ... I would start to make the opening S sound precisely on the beat.

NO! NO! NO!

That "s", even the connected "t", are simply part of the attack, the sound is the "a", the vowel. The full "a" sound must bloom precisely on the beat, the attack must precede the vowel and be gone.

It's not supposed to be heard as "St (a ...)nd", but as "(st)A .... (nd)".

That sounded like a weird idea, until she recorded me singing a phrase then her singing the same phrase.

Listening, hers was right, mine wrong. And I still need to remember to "sing" that tiny amount before the beat ... to actually land on the beat.

To swing takes having some sounds that land precisely on the beat so others can be heard to land just as precisely *off* that beat.

And the many suggestions on here to record with something sounding a precise beat are spot on. You have to keep a precise Beat, and play both precisely on and precisely off, both easily and naturally, before you really can just ... swing.

Someday, perhaps ... I'll master that myself. There are those blissful moments that keep me trying, you know ... sigh. Intellectually understanding something and physically doing it *consistently*, always, not being the same thing.

Stumbling fingers still need love ...

That's true...if I was recording a Singer on a Modern R&B track and the Chorus was
'Stay with me ....' the Primary Kick Drum on the Chorus would be quantized to the '1'
and it would be the 'Tay' or the 'ay' that would fall on the' 1' or be moved to it.
But I remember a Guy on this Forum who knew John Williams ( ! ) the great Classical Guitarist and he said he was showing John some Jazz and John could not swing and Obviously John Williams can start on the 1...so tricky for some.

But if that works or worked for you- that's what counts.

[R Neil]

That's true...if I was recording a Singer on a Modern R&B track and the Chorus was
'Stay with me ....' the Primary Kick Drum on the Chorus would be quantized to the '1'
and it would be the 'Tay' or the 'ay' that would fall on the' 1' or be moved to it.
But I remember a Guy on this Forum who knew John Williams ( ! ) the great Classical Guitarist and he said he was showing John some Jazz and John could not swing and Obviously John Williams can start on the 1...so tricky for some.

But if that works or worked for you- that's what counts.

I met my wife in music theory all those years ago. As a Music Ed student, her instrument was classical guitar. My first present to her was a boxed set of LP's by John Williams ... 7 guitar concertos.

When she opened it and put the first one the turntable we listened while looking at the album and cover art. That guitar head looked familiar so we got hers out to compare.

Yep ... Hernández y Aguado. Same two Spanish gentlemen that built hers. That was an impressive first present ....

Stumbling fingers still need love ...

[Robertkoa]

I met my wife in music theory all those years ago. As a Music Ed student, her instrument was classical guitar. My first present to her was a boxed set of LP's by John Williams ... 7 guitar concertos.

When she opened it and put the first one the turntable we listened while looking at the album and cover art. That guitar head looked familiar so we got hers out to compare.

Yep ... Hernández y Aguado. Same two Spanish gentlemen that built hers. That was an impressive first present ....

Stumbling fingers still need love ...

Wow- that must be an awesome sounding Guitar.

Williams has some beautiful Tones and pretty effortless no matter what he plays...

[R Neil]

Wow- that must be an awesome sounding Guitar.

Williams has some beautiful Tones and pretty effortless no matter what he plays...

It is. I had decent classical technique ... in a very basic manner ... and it sounds beautiful when I play it. However, the comments that the player makes a huge difference apply. That guitar is very beautiful under my touch.

Ethereal when Miriam touches a string.

And there is a big difference.

Her teacher had the same problem, her touch on that guitar was just ... more. Something.





Stumbling fingers still need love ...