Art of Guitar Studio
Art of Guitar Studio
Art of Guitar Studio
Classical Guitar Repertoire Reading: Guardame las Vacas by Luis de Narvaez
Read up on Luis de Narvaez at his Wkipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_de_Narv%C3%A1ez This deservedly well-known work the first known written example of the musical form "variations on a theme." It's always been one of my favorite pieces! The theme upon...
Is Practicing Slowly Really the Fastest Way To Learn A Piece of Music?
I'm starting up a series of posts on how to become positively dangerous on the classical guitar. Much of what I talk about will apply not just to classical guitar, but to all styles of guitar playing and to musicianship, practice and mastery in general.I want to...
Classical Guitar Music: Simbi (Haitian Dance) by Frantz Casseus
Frantz Casseus (1915-1993) was a Haitian classical guitarist who move to New York City in 1946. Many of his pieces derived elements from the music of his homeland, including this gorgeous piece. His complete works have been edited by Mark Ribot and published by...
Classical Guitar Music: Matteo Carcassi, Etude No. 6–Allegretto Grazioso
Yes, I know that these "daily" classical guitar repertoire readings are not actually daily. Sue me. I do read through repertoire a lot, simply for the joy of it, the curiosity of it. As. result of spending so much time in my life eagerly "reading music," I've gotten...
Working Through the Waves
This is a Last Minute Concert Announcement for New Yorkers Are you musically adventurous? If you are in the New York area, and are into interesting, beautiful, creative music, go hear this concert at the historic Old Stone House in Brooklyn. There are two...
Classical Guitar Music: Moto Perpetuo by Jay Kauffman
Occasionally I'll be sneaking in some repertoire by yours truly, because yes, I am a composer who loves to compose. This one is part of a set of 5 short preludes, and I'm particularly proud of it. I set forth writing it as an exercise in pull-offs and hammer-ons...
Classical Guitar Music: A Rondo by Matteo Carcassi
Matteo Carcassi wrote a lot of charming little short pieces, and here is one that I've not heard many people play. It's so short that it's not even really a Rondo---the main theme only comes back one time. Its form is basically A-B-A. I found it in an obscure...
Classical Guitar Music: El Testament D’Amelia by Miguel LLobet
This is a famously beautiful arrangement of a Catalan folk song, by Romantic Era guitarist/composer Miguel Llobet. He wrote/arranged a set of 13 such songs, and this is probably the most famous one, frequently played as an encore. One of the most lovely special...
How Do You “Finish” Learning a Piece of Music?
Once you can play something well enough that it's fun to run through, the temptation is to stop practicing it and just play it over and over. Here is one method I use to keep myself focused on mastering repertoire up until the time it's actually ready to perform....
Announcing a New Online Course
This 6-part interactive pilot course is designed to help you break through limitations and master the best, fastest, and most musical ways to learn the pieces you most want to play. By joining the course and doing the work seriously, you will be getting two-plus months of carefully designed coursework on the most powerful ways I’ve found to transform your playing…
Classical Guitar Repertoire Reading: Guardame las Vacas by Luis de Narvaez
Read up on Luis de Narvaez at his Wkipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_de_Narv%C3%A1ez This deservedly well-known work the first known written example of the musical form "variations on a theme." It's always been one of my favorite pieces! The theme upon...
Is Practicing Slowly Really the Fastest Way To Learn A Piece of Music?
I'm starting up a series of posts on how to become positively dangerous on the classical guitar. Much of what I talk about will apply not just to classical guitar, but to all styles of guitar playing and to musicianship, practice and mastery in general.I want to...
Classical Guitar Music: Simbi (Haitian Dance) by Frantz Casseus
Frantz Casseus (1915-1993) was a Haitian classical guitarist who move to New York City in 1946. Many of his pieces derived elements from the music of his homeland, including this gorgeous piece. His complete works have been edited by Mark Ribot and published by...
Classical Guitar Music: Matteo Carcassi, Etude No. 6–Allegretto Grazioso
Yes, I know that these "daily" classical guitar repertoire readings are not actually daily. Sue me. I do read through repertoire a lot, simply for the joy of it, the curiosity of it. As. result of spending so much time in my life eagerly "reading music," I've gotten...
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Other Projects
Fingerprint: Guitar Solos
CD available for streaming and purchase at Bandcamp: Fingerprint is a musical tour of the world through the strings of Jay Kauffman’s guitar. It is a refreshingly original collection of music inspired by folk and popular idioms from around the globe. It features some...
Get 10 Free Video Lessons on Building the Perfect Practice Session
I’m Jay Kauffman, a guitarist, teacher, composer, and illustrator. My training is in classical guitar, and I studied performance at the Cincinnati Conservatory and the Juilliard School of Music. I recently moved to Tucson, Arizona, and am seeking to fill my teaching studio both locally and online. I love teaching guitar, all ages and levels. I teach all popular guitar styles (not jazz.) I also teach children and teens.
My highest goal in teaching is to create and hold a space of inspiration, support and challenge in service of your ongoing improvement.
- I offer several stand-alone online courses, including a technique course that is focused on embodied musicianship.
- This is my latest CD, of original classical guitar compositions illustrated by my own watercolors and accompanied by an evolving storyline.
- If you were brought to this site to find the scores for my Youtube recordings of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik or Rossini’s William Tell Overture, then click those links if you wish to go straight to them. Here is a full listing of my scores available, including published works.
- Another experiment of mine has been the creation of watercolor bookmarks–please check these out, since you just might love them. My hope, in a world full of screens, is to contribute eye-rest, and the human enjoyment of reading physical books.