Alexander Makay
classical & electric guitar
​composer & arranger
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​Technique vs musicality
 
Musicians have commonly quite different approaches in dealing with technical difficulties. But we have all in common that we need our technique to express the music.
 
I remember Armand Coeck once told me: ‘If you have a technical difficulty, make it even more difficult and practise this.  By time the original difficulty will become like a toy in your hands.’
Unfortunately, many difficulties are so difficult that there is no question about making it even worse! But after years I still like the idea of this statement, because difficulties are relative.
 
In all aspects of life we seek to exceed our limitations.
 
When I look at my own evolution as a guitar player, I see moments of fast improvement and periods – even years – of stagnation, although I always continued to practise. Unfortunately, practice itself is no guarantee for improvement.  How we practice is the clue. 
 
Some musicians deal with technique when there is some difficulty appearing in a certain piece of music. Others deal with technique as a given in itself.
I have followed both paths. When I was younger, I began the day by doing technical exercises – mostly right hand formulae: arpeggios, picados, razgueados, repetition of fingers,...  There was no music at all when doing this.
But after this robot-like practice I didn’t care any more about technique for the rest of the day and I only played music.  When a technical problem occurred I didn’t care to much about it and I hoped it would be solved next day. 
 
But growing older, I discovered the real value of SLOW practice. Not at all robot-like, fully engaged with your mind. When I mean slow practice, I don’t mean lazy playing, but slower than slow in full concentration. In first instance, it is like climbing on a steep rock in slow motion; it’s tiring and boring. But your finger movements are in great control and risk of making mistakes is small. I believe anyone can improve his/her technique by practising that way; we don’t need any special talent to do so.
 
At the end of the day I believe there is no dogma in how to deal with technique: there can be moments in your life you have to focus on it, but other moments you can let it free.
 
But one thing is sure: the stronger our technique is, the freer we are in expressing our musicality.
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