Neuschwanstein Castle Performances, Germany 2011

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

As I sit on the train to my next performance and master class in Rimini, Italy , with the Alps slowly receding into rolling hills and fields, lakes with morning fog holding close, I’d like to capture some of my thoughts on my last week in the picturesque town of Fussen.

After days of rehearsals, program and musical revisions, and sound checks; after the post concert party, where we held toasts, hugged, and where I said goodbye to some who, sadly, I probably will never see again, soprano Janet Chvatal and I sat alone for a few minutes, and she reminded me why we were here.

Neuschwanstein Castle - up close for the first time!

Continue reading →

Posted in Stories Behind the Music | 13 Comments

Master Class – The ‘New’ Kritzer Technique

Posted on August 18, 2011 by

Technique is one subject that the serious classical guitar student must face sooner or later. Yet, as pedagogies go, the classical guitarist is generally weak on the subject. Although technical ideas abound regarding scales, slurs, and the like, the “how to” is often lacking in terms of teachable execution. Even harder to find is a technical approach that is based on the bio-mechanics of the human body. But here’s the good news; the movements required to play the classical guitarist’s repertoire can be reduced to just a few bio-mechanically appropriate forms. It seems as if the human body was designed to play the classical guitar.

The New Kritzer Technique class will be held on Saturday, September 24th, 2011, at 2 PM PDT. For cost and registration, please see below.

Class Content

The class will be focused on positioning and

'I' in the flexed position, 'M' extended position. Illustration by David Kritzer

movement principles, and how these apply to the classical guitarist’s technique. We’ll cover hand positions, sitting positions, and the following movement forms: alternation, string crossing, complex alternation, sympathetic motion, and compound motion. We’ll also cover the concepts of how best to produce finger movement, and my new concepts for finger positioning (flexed, neutral, extended, and hyper-extended), passive recoil response, as well as the active and passive finger role in sympathetic motion. Finally, you’ll learn how to integrate these movements into your repertoire. Continue reading →

Posted in Technique, Workshops | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Performance Anxiety Rehab (PAR) PODS

Posted on August 16, 2011 by

The popular informal performance gathering of PAR PODS begins again this fall on Wednesday, September 14th at 7 pm at St. Matthew Lutheran Church located on Canyon Road, east of Hwy 217 in Beaverton.

Those who have taken my Performance Anxiety Rehab Workshop (PAR) are familiar with the concepts that we work towards in these informal meetings. But you don’t need to be a seasoned veteran of PAR or even the stage. You don’t even need to be a guitarist, or a classical musician – just interested in understanding how to cure the affects of performance anxiety, or you just want to be an audience member, (musician or not!).You can feel free to attend and be guided by the group or just observe! (Performance space is limited though).

Charlie Performs


We’ll have a brief introduction, you’ll sign up for a slot and away we go. Those who are experienced will announce what Performance Directive they have been working on and what percentage of time they feel they achieved their objective in practice.

One of the most important aspects of the PAR PODS is the immediate feedback you get from your fellow members. If we are truly ‘in the zone’ we are inhibited from judging and so while we might be performing at a much higher level its often difficult to judge those results. It’s the other members who will be able to give you feedback regarding when you seemed to be ‘in the zone’ or not. This gives the player critical information as to whether they were as successful at achieving the performance goals in practice as they perceived.

So please contact me HERE if you want to attend and I’ll let you know if there is still space! Thanks to Ken Ewing, by the way, for setting this up. And Ken, there’s always space for you!

Posted in Guitar Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Integrating Technique into Repertoire

Posted on August 4, 2011 by

I have an embarrassing confession to make. A few years back, I was thinking of playing in a master class for Pepe Romero. I remember thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool if he saw my right hand and at least thought to himself, ‘Hey, this guy’s got it going on!’” I videotaped myself playing some repertoire, and to my shock, none of the principles I had learned in my technical work, aside from positioning, were evident. My movements were tight, negating the fluid affects of true alternation or sympathetic motion.

Yet I can easily replicate these movement forms in my technique. I have been teaching rules for alternation and sympathetic motion to all my students for decades, and we all exercise these movements in our technical work with scales and arpeggios. And since roughly 98% of the guitar’s repertoire is comprised of one of these two movement forms I assumed that simply mastering them in technical work would be enough to allow them to ‘roll over’ into repertoire.

Sadly, I found after decades, that these movements do not come to fruition in the sense of applying themselves to our repertoire! We must consciously and perhaps continually integrate the patterns into our repertoire if we want the benefits to manisfest in performance. This, as you can imagine, was quite a sobering realization. But, as I thought about it I realized that my performances were always less satisfying than I wanted with regards to technique. It seemed that my hand would tire, tighten and I would make mistakes that I knew I shouldn’t. At times on stage I would feel like my hands weren’t my own! But why? Well, I found two reasons. 1) These movement forms can’t exist when the distance the finger should travel is shortened and 2) the actual analysis of the movement forms must be notated and practiced into the repertoire.

Range of Motion

First, let’s talk about Range of Motion:  the distance the finger travels whenever it makes a stroke. A shortened range of motion is tight—the result of exerting the flexors and extensors almost simultaneously. As an analogy, think of driving your car with both the gas and break pedals held down. The tightness causes tension. But, when we perform, we want to be accurate.  Here is the big disconnect: accuracy is not attained by keeping your fingers close to the strings, but by employing a motion that exhausts the flexors which results in more motion inwards. Continue reading →

Posted in Guitar Tips, Technique | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Thoughts on Performance Anxiety

Posted on August 3, 2011 by

The following is a recent post on the DelCamp Classical Guitar Forum in response some threads on Performance Anxiety. This was a response to using beta blockers and other ideas for helping with PA. If you’d like to see the thread just go to the post at Nerves and Right Hand Shake. Seems there might be interest in another PAR Workshop this fall (moved up from next Spring). If you want to keep posted please SUBSCRIBE.

I’m not a big fan of beta-blockers. I dabbled in these for a while on a very small dose. I found (and others who admitted to have taken them), memory to be an issue. I was relaxed, maybe too relaxed and a little ‘numb’ and a bit forgetful. It was a funny trade-off; be relaxed but manifest a performer’s top fear: forgetting the music.

I think performance anxiety (nerves) and the physical manifestation of such can be dealt with two ways. Performance anxiety (and your good suggestions of breathing, letting go), etc. are best done in practice. Doing them just before a performance won’t be as effective as practicing these concepts into a piece, (if that is what you’re suggesting). I teach a Performance Anxiety Rehab Workshop and we’ve come up with a fun pneumonic: B.L.I.S.S. which stands for Breath, Listen/Let Go, Integrate*, Slow, SLOW. Continue reading →

Posted in Performing Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Getting More Out of Your Guitar Practice Time

Posted on August 2, 2011 by

Table of Contents for Getting More

  1. Getting More Out of Your Guitar Practice Time

In my 5 part series “Getting More,” you’ll learn how to get more from your practice time, lessons, performances, and even from your attendance of concerts and master classes.

Part 1-Getting More from your Practice

Do you find that you lack the time to practice? Perhaps you find that you’re missing more sessions than you’d like to admit. When you do practice, are you unsure of what you should practice, or even how to practice? Do you lack focus? Do you find yourself only getting so far with a piece before you lose interest and move on to something else? Do you have very little playable music to show for your practice time or for the years you’ve spent playing the guitar?

A well-thought-out practice schedule, one that you find yourself adhering to more consistently, will help eliminate these problems.

Consistency

The number one factor in using your practice time effectively is consistency. Consistent practice equals consistent playing. Yet, this is where most players fall short. If you find yourself missing more days than you’d like, then look to shorten your practice schedule. If you become more consistent, then even with a shorter practice time you’ll show improvement. Further, if you develop an organized practice plan, you’ll find that you actually need less time to practice, while making long-term improvement. Bottom line: organize your practice, and you can afford to shave time off. A shorter, more focused and organized practice, coupled with consistency, will give you fantastic results. Continue reading →

Posted in Guitar Tips, Practicing the Classical Guitar | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kritzer Performs in Germany, August 2011

Posted on July 11, 2011 by

Evening Music for the King

August 26, 27, 2011

Castle Neuschwanstein, Bavaria

Kritzer performs "Evening Music for the King"


The Castle Administration of Bavaria is presenting for its 3rd season- an exclusive concert in the Singers Hall in the castle Neuschwanstein on August 26th and 27th, 2011 in the heart of Bavaria. The castle was the dream home of King Ludwig II and the Singer’s Hall was built to host musical guest, composer Richard Wagner. This year Janet Marie Chvatal & Marc Gremm will welcome special guest, America’s premiere classical guitarist Scott Kritzer, who has performed with the Kronos Quartet and in solo concerts in Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall in London. Kritzer has toured and recorded extensively in Duo with Janet from 1994 – 2004 in the USA and Canada. Proceeds from ticket sales go to the “Children’s Cancer Help Fund” in Germany.

Tickets are available at the Allgäuer Newspaper. Telephone Number is in Germany (011.49) – 01805.132.132 or on the Website: www.allgaeuticket.de The concerts will be sold out – no tickets available at the door!

Posted in Concerts and Events | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nail Repair for the Classical Guitarist

Posted on July 1, 2011 by

Proper nail care is essential for the classical guitarist. Even the most careful player will, on occasion, need to replace or repair a nail due to a crack or breakage. I’m sure there are many ideas on this subject and this is limited to what I’ve found works for me. I’m interested in other solutions so let me know!

This video will demonstrate a couple of different solutions including the ping-pong ball replacement for a broken nail as well as how to fortify a cracked (but not broken) nail with either a ping-pong ball or toilet tissue and under which conditions these methods are appropriate. Hopefully with this information a cracked or broken nail won’t keep you from practicing or performing!

Enjoy and let me know your ideas!

Scott

Posted in Technique | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Classical Guitar Immersion 2012 – Performance Preparation, Corbett Oregon

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

Classical Guitar Immersion
Performance Preparation, 2012
with classical guitarist Scott Kritzer
Friday, June 15th-22nd, 2012
Menucha Retreat & Conference Center
Maximun Attendees: 12

What is Classical Guitar Immersion: Performance Preparation?

CGI 2011 Participants

It might be best to first explain what Classical Guitar Immersion isn’t. CGI is not like the common classical guitar festivals offering a week of master classes taught by different teachers. While these type of guitar events are useful in exposing oneself to a variety of teaching concepts (or what might be more appropriately termed ‘tips’), they require you to sift through information and determine what may or may not be useful. In addition, due to the fact that only a handful of players are directly exposed to these concepts as performers in the master classes (and usually for one class only), they do little to help you internalize an effective approach to learning.

Classical Guitar Immersion is a week-long event which immerses a small group of serious classical guitar students in three ways: First, CGI offers a comprehensive, consistent pedagogy for the classical guitar including technique, musicianship, practice techniques, practice plans, and performance skills. Secondly, the internalization of these skill sets comes from direct participation as a performer. Further, each CGI Performance-Prep participant prepares for an end-of-the-week performance, with one solo work and one ensemble work. This internalization process gives you a blueprint for practice, study and performance. You need not be an advanced player to participate. Beginning to advanced players are encouraged, with the only requirement being that you are a serious student of the classical guitar. Thirdly, all participants live together for one week at the Menucha Retreat & Conference Center; a 100 acre retreat located on the picturesque Columbia River Gorge.

The Classes

Master Classes

Mike and Scott in Master Class

Master Classes at CGI are similar in format to the traditional master class, but differ slightly. First, at CGI, everyone participates: there are no auditors, only performers. And secondly, each performer prepares one to three works, of which one or two will likely be chosen for the CGI Student Recital.

Performance Anxiety Rehab (PAR)

To better prepare the performer for the CGI Recital, the performer is introduced to effective performing tools that will help eliminate the effects of performance anxiety, allowing the player to play closer to his or her potential. In PAR, you also learn how to tap into the ‘natural’ ability, which we all possess. Continue reading →

Posted in Classical Guitar Immersion, Workshops | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Classical Guitar Immersion 2012 – Technique and Musicianship, Corbett Oregon

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

Classical Guitar Immersion 2012 – Technique & Musicianship
March 30th-April 6th, 2012
Menucha Retreat & Conference Center
Corbett, Oregon
Maximum Attendees: 15

What is Classical Guitar Immersion – Technique & Musicianship?

It might be best to first explain what Classical Guitar Immersion isn’t. CGI is not like the common classical guitar festivals offering a week of master classes taught by different teachers. While these type of guitar events are useful in exposing oneself to a variety of teaching concepts (or what might be more appropriately termed ‘tips’), they require you to sift through information and determine what may or may not be useful. In addition, due to the fact that only a handful of players are directly exposed to these concepts as performers in the master classes (and usually for one class only), they do little to help you internalize an effective approach to learning.

One of Menuch'a Many Views

Classical Guitar Immersion Technique & Musicianship is a week-long event which immerses a small group of serious classical guitar students in three ways: First, CGI offers a comprehensive, consistent pedagogy for the classical guitar including technique, how to read music, how to memorize music and musicianship. Secondly, the internalization of these skill sets comes from supplied repertoire and excerpts. This internalization process gives you a blueprint for technique practice, the integration of technique into repertoire and the most effective tools for learning and interpreting music. You need not be an advanced player to participate. Beginning to advanced players are encouraged, with the only requirement being that you are a serious student of the classical guitar. Thirdly, all participants live together for one week at the Menucha Retreat & Conference Center; a 100 acre retreat located on the picturesque Columbia River Gorge.

The Classes

Technique

Technique Class

The student will learn a comprehensive approach to classical guitar technique including the principles for positioning and movement, sitting and hand positions, two of the essential movement forms found in classical guitar repertoire that find their fruition in scales and arpeggios and the integration of these movement forms into repertoire. The student will not only leave CGI with a complete working knowledge of the classical guitar technique but a practice plan to help continue his or her development. Continue reading →

Posted in Classical Guitar Immersion | 1 Comment