General Music Chat

I'm in my mid teens and have been playing/learning music for the majority of my life. Started off with keyboard, then progressed to classical guitar and learned drums for a brief period. I've also studied musical theory up to grade 5 and have taken music as a subject in school. Guitar has been my staple instrument and I've been playing it for six years now with lessons throughout. I had one teacher for 4 years who I had through a music school.

I studied classical guitar with the teacher and took grade exams and was given loads of opportunities to perform and be praised, and then for some reason decided to change to electric guitar which initially liked ( and I did well in, but I disliked the exam set up in the electric syllabus as it was repetitive and generic). I reverted back to classical guitar with the teacher but it was hard to transition back to actually reading guitar music despite my stave reading being very good.

Then the teacher went to study abroad and as I was moving to a private school my parents felt the music school was far too expensive so I ended up getting a teacher at home for nine months as I needed one for the practical component of my music state exam.

Whilst the teacher was a good player, it was terrible for my own grasp of classical guitar as I as just given fingerings similar to tab for complicated pieces and occasionally told how to execute techniques used in the pieces.
My sight reading on guitar deteriorated to a horrific extent and became practically non existent despite my musically being very good. I also became very nervous performing as I fell out of the habit.

That teacher finished with me at the end of the school year to go abroad and I joined another music school . This teacher is quite good and my sight reading has improved dramatically and I feel my technique is back to a similar standard as before . I'm practising on a daily basis and doing very well according to my teacher but I'm still lacking the structure of any exams or performances. I feel performances really help my confidence and motivate me and exams are good for a goal orientated person like me. I know it takes time for a teacher to gauge where you're at but I'm just left feeling rather frustrated when I'm putting the work in. The school appears kinda soulless aswell.

I've also had this burning desire to learn the trumpet as I have a great interest in jazz music but I'd also love to be able to play a more sociable instrument and eventually join an orchestra etc. Back to the classical guitar though, does anyone have any advice as to how I can progress further? There's a few conservatories where I live who offer part time tuition and was wondering should I try work towards getting up to a standard good enough to audition next year?. I can envision myself losing interest otherwise and would appreciate anyone's thoughts.
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I'm surprised you have attended music classes/schools where performances are not part of the agenda. Just start going to auditions. You may not do well at the first couple of them, but it will get easier as you keep doing them. You're young, but it looks like you may have your mind set on Berklee or Juilard or some place once you get out of high/private school, so just keep going for it.

I've also had this burning desire to learn the trumpet as I have a great interest in jazz music but I'd also love to be able to play a more sociable instrument and eventually join an orchestra etc.

i don't have anything to offer on the other stuff, but on this score ("score"...see whut i did there????) ....if you're interested in pursuing jazz.....why NOT do that on w the instr that you've spent and devoted a lot of time to being able to get around on.

it can only deepen and inform the rest of your gtr playing....and uh......oh yeah, playing jazz on GUITAR????

it's $hit-ton of fun. just being able to comp hip chords is why that as much as i love horns and would love to play...if you told me i'd have to NOT play gtr....uh, uh. the whole world of harmony that we can explore w polyphony.....oh yeah...i LOVE THAT!

thanks for sharing your bit. interesting conversation fodder. and welcome to BM. hope you stick around to talk music.

It's a great big awesome world out there so go explore it some. Wanna dip your toes in the jazz pool? Go for it. One thing I find is true with all music styles, you gotta "want it" to dig in deep enough and develop your skills to the point of making satisfying music.

No go get after it!