I started writing the piece a couple of weeks ago and initially it was just an improvisation, an exercise in melody development. But then it started growing under my fingers.

Tomorrow will shot a video for it and after small mixing will publish it.

Often, when I teach my students to compose their own music, I suggest them first to write something with an attitude of exercise. Because that’s how you learn to wrote tiny compositions first, express little by little your musical ideas (or learn to create musical ideas!). Before having in your head different complicated forms and having pressure that “you must write an entire complete piece or song” you just do “an exercise”, 4 bars, 8 bars or 16 bars long. In that case you are more relaxed and your mind is more creative and free from different restrictions! After you have written tens and tens of exercises like that, it will be more easy for you to approach various and more complex forms.

Stay tuned!

During that time few things happened: I wrote a set of “Pieces for Kids. Level I”, finished one of my older pieces called “A Tune”, which I was composing in 2015, but didn’t finish, went to a lecture of Patrick Zeoli (student of Abel Carlevaro) about the guitar technique.

Starting from September 2018 I decided to concentrate more on preparing students for different exams, competitions and concerts, which requires more planning, time and dedication. Beginners need to have a good foundation for their playing technique and there is not that much various and diverse basic pieces for guitar to play and to develop in a gradual way. So, I decided to write a set of pieces for my students that I thought would fill some technical gaps in their playing and would be fun to learn and play. Feels like it is my vocation and I like the results.

“A Tune” grew up to a musical form of a song from a one-bar motive. At the time, in 2015, I didn’t have enough knowledge to develop the piece organically: to vary the melody in different ways, to give it different moods and colors, building up the tension to culmination and keeping it all smooth, natural and interesting, maintain the style well. These days I know more about composition and able to solve larger scale of tasks.

Playing musical instrument requires a lot of brain work: how to move fingers, how to achieve greater coordination and cooperation between both hands, how to create better sound etc. Reading and listening to different professors of guitar from different generations is giving better understanding to what I do, how I do it and how to teach it to the others. In January 2019 I will give a lecture in Old Town College (where I currently teach composition and guitar), about the playing position of guitar (how to hold the instrument) based on Fernando Sor book on guitar technique.

In near future I would like to concentrate on finishing my older compositions, that left unfinished back then, on writing new set of “Pieces for Kids. Level II” and on practicing solo, as well as the guitar duo repertoire (The Jack Duo is planning to start giving concerts from February 2019!).

But behind a good performance stands much more, that a simple talent. Or notion “talent” is larger than most of the people used to think.

Working with many students of different age, preparing them for concerts and communicating with their parents (when dealing with younger ones), I noticed, that, in fact, there is a long list of points that lead to a good performance:

– Student’s own abilities to learn; the way s/he sees things and connection between them; how fast does s/he learn?

– How attentive, knowledgeable and qualified is a teacher?

– How much time s/he practices an instrument?

– How and what does family think and speak about her/his studies? How do they support their kid?

– How s/he likes her/his instrument (in general. And in detail: does student have a good quality instrument that has a good sound? Is it comfortable to play?)?

– What period of life s/he is passing? Has problems (at school; with classmates, friends, parents etc?

– Her/his mood at a certain moment: one day a child can perform well, another day not. It depends on many things.

– What goals or dreams s/he has about music? Why s/he want to play an instrument?

– How well s/he can discipline herself/himself in practicing.

Most common case, that I encounter is that some students come to me and are full of passion to learn how to play a guitar. They ask me to give them as much homework as possible, so that they can learn fast and a lot in a short period of time. Often they don’t have clear dreams or vision why they want to learn. But it is really important to have a clear vision who you want to be and at what level to play. Whether they think it is very easy to learn and have high expectations and at first difficulties quit or they simply don’t know which direction they want to go.

There are more things that make someone “more talented” that other. Myself I avoid putting any plates with such foggy notions. I see all my students talented – each one is her/his own way. Together we work on balancing strong and weak sides. In life, many things affect our success at a certain point in what we do. If this year you aren’t playing any instrument or think that you have no “talent”, then next year you might be “shaking the ground” with your song. Don’t let notions to limit you. Each one is gifted in something that has to do with music: rhythm, singing or composing. You just need to find a good teacher for the beginning and be ready to work for your dream.

Thanks to my students, when I teach or practice, I constantly think:

– what I do

– how I do

– why I do

They ask me many questions. Sometimes it takes me couple of days to answer, because some things that I learned long ago, became part of my nature and I don’t remember anymore why do I it this or that way.

A good teacher should always be aware of cause and effect. Why something is done in a way it is done? Is there another way to achieve same or even better results?

Students can be your best teachers They are your mirror and your spotter.

In that presentation I will try to show the importance of teaching composition to small kids and adults.

Looking back in history, when each player was also a composer, and learning from our predecessors is an access to a lot of joy when playing an instrument.

Most of the beginners, who came in my guitar class in September 2016, these days ask me regularly “when can we do our own piece? Please! Please!”

According to my program, a student, coming to a first lesson with me, is creating right away his/her own piece. So s/he approaches the instrument in a completely different from that how it is usually done on instrument lessons.

The important thing, in my opinion, is that a student learns how to play an instrument through his/her own vision, experiences and habits. Learning by discovering him/herself.

After couple of lessons I add other composers/pieces to the program, work more consistently on a technique and musicality.

The first experience with an instrument is crucial. That’s where the teacher can create a deep relation between a person and an instrument.