Classical Guitar Immersion 2012 – Technique and Musicianship, Corbett Oregon

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.

How to Read, Memorize and Learn Music

One of the greatest debilitating factors in playing the guitar is how we learn music. A haphazard approach consisting of reading a work over and over, implementing mistakes and points of confusion, extents the time necessary to counter these problems in the form of months worth of practice. And often, under pressure, you return to your original mistake driven learning procedure.
By isolating, understanding and learning each musical component separately you will have a deep and effective knowledge of the work before you begin your practice. Then, a series of progressive practice techniques will be discussed which will help you further develop technically, musically and with memory skills.

Musicianship

At CGI – T & M we’ll learn how a piece of music works before we learn how to play it! Often this critical stage is overlooked until well after the piece is learned when fingerings are already set, ideas are formed, (often erroneously) and the piece is shaped by a lack of technical accuracy.
Applying the concepts of musicianship to the working of the melody, phrasing and form we’ll learn a formula for deciphering this information into a useful language that will better shape our ultimate performance, allowing us to express ourselves to the fullest level possible.

Supplemental Materials

The CGI – T & M participant will receive a series of exercises months prior to the event. These will be the exercises which we’ll apply our technique towards so they’re integration is important. Further, the student will be provided with repertoire and excerpts that will help give a broad range of application for the concepts we’ll be learning. Finally, the CGI-T & M student will be given a workbook on the materials covered in class.

Fireside Chats

One of the special parts of C-G-I is the immersion factor. All participants reside at Menucha and that gives way to chats around the fireplace, stories and informal instruction by me, others and possbily yourself. CGI consistently draws interesting people and I value your perspective on how the guitar works for you, or, sometimes doesn’t. How you’ve applied your life experiences to your quest in learning this tricky instrument. We share ideas here. That’s a big part of CGI and that’s partly where the immersion takes place.

Continued Learning

Once you leave CGI you can stay in touch with those you’ve made friendships and share your experiences on my forum (www.scottkritzer.com/forum). In addition I’ll be offering, as a part of CGI T & M, three quarterly conference calls so that I can continue to monitor your progress and answer any questions. There are also regular private lessons offered to remote students, Phase Learning as well as other educational opportunities. Go to www.scottkritzer.com for more information.

Schedule

It’s a packed schedule with lots of information but this information will make more sense if the student can immediately practice following a schedule. The schedule reflects shorter, concept driven practice sessions at the beginning of the week. Later, we transition into longer practice sessions that are necessary to assimilate the information learned during the week.

Most people arrive the morning to early afternoon of the first day. Airport pick-ups, and drop-offs, will be provided by our generous local students.

Friday, March 30th
1:00 pm Check-In
6:00 pm Site Orientation
7:00 – 8:00 pm Dinner
8:30-9:30 pm CGI Orientation

Saturday, March 31st
8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
9:30-11:30 am Principles of Positioning and Movement
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:30-3:30 pm Form & Phrase Analysis
4:00-5:30 pm Sitting, Hand Position
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
7:30-9:00 pm Anatomy of a Free Stroke
9:30-10:30 pm Fireside Chat

Sunday, April 1st
8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
9:30-11:00 am How to Read Music
11:00-11:30 am Practice
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:30-5:30 pm Alternation & String Crossing
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
7:30-9:30 pm Practice

Monday, April 2nd
8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
9:30-11:30 am Sympathetic & Compound Motion
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:30-5:30 pm How to Memorize Music
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
7:30-9:00 pm Practice

Tuesday, April 3rd
8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
9:30-11:00 am Right Hand Mapping, Excerpts I
11:00-11:30 am Practice
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:30-4:30 pm Right Hand Mapping, Repertoire I
5:00-5:30 pm Practice
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
7:30-9:00 pm Right Hand Mapping, Excerpts & Repertoire, Part II

Wednesday, April 4th
8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
9:30-11:00 am Technique Overview
11:00-11:30 am Practice
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:30-3:30 pm RH Mapping, Reading, Memorization, Excerpts
4:00-5:30 pm Practice
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
7:30-9:00 RH Mapping, Reading, Memorization, Repertoire

Thursday, April 5th
8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
9:30-11:30 am RH Mapping, Readhing, Memorization, Repertoire, Part II
11:00-11:30 am Practice
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:30-5:30 pm Practice
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
7:30-9:00 pm Review and Goals (Quartely Consultation Preview)
9:30-11:00 pm Fireside Chat

Friday, April 6th
8:00-9:00 am Breakfast
10:00 am Checkout
Schedule is subject to change

Menucha Retreat Center

Menucha Retreat Center is a 100-acre retreat center dating back from the 1920’s, just 20 minutes east of Portland, with magnificent groves of massive trees, expansive lawns, and spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge.

Menucha Meadow

The entire week will be devoted to the classical guitar. Gone will be the distractions created from deciding where to eat, carpooling, or when and where to practice (you’ll be able to practice any time of day or night). We’ll also have comfortable space for practicing as well as comfortable sleeping and dining accommodations. We will even have time to stroll the grounds, take a dip in the swimming pool, or play some tennis. And we’ll certainly make time to close the day in front of the outdoor fireplace, where we can reacquaint our friendships.

The Creevy Complex consists of three buildings in a quad area. Building A consists of a large classroom, three bathrooms, and a group kitchen to accommodate those midnight snacks (and where coffee is delivered every morning!) Living quarters are in buildings B, C which are comprised of four bedrooms, each with three beds and a private bath as well as a living room area. Those with special needs and those who have registered earliest will have a better chance of receiving a private room. (All other rooms will be double occupancy).

Sunset at Menucha

All meals will be taken at the retreat, 8:00 am, Noon, and 6:00 pm, with the exception of dinner on Friday, March 30th, which is at 7 pm. Food is served camp style. Vegan and vegetarian meals are available at an extra cost.

Entrance Requirements, Pricing and Registration Information

Entrance Requirements

• You are a serious student of the classical guitar
• You will take an assessment audition
• You are able to play two classical guitar pieces from memory
• You agree to attend for the entire week of March 30th-April 6th.
• You agree to reside at the Menucha Retreat for the full duration

Cost and Registration

$1675.00 per person (includes 7 days of double occupancy lodging, meals, all workshops). A limited number of individual consultations will be available at $80 per session, and should be scheduled as early as possible. Registration opens July 1st, 2011.

To register for CGI 2011 send a non-refundable fee of $365.00. Make check payable to:
Scott Kritzer
1235 SE Division, Ste 102
Portland, Oregon 97202-1055

Final payment for CGI 2012 is due by November 30th, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact Scott Kritzer.

Scott Kritzer

This entry was posted in Classical Guitar Immersion. Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Classical Guitar Immersion 2012 – Technique and Musicianship, Corbett Oregon

  1. Pingback: Master Class – The ‘New’ Kritzer Technique | Scott Kritzer