Well, I don’t mean to be too dramatic with the title, perhaps we can just say fun… and not so fun.

Last night I had an absolute blast conducting a workshop at the New York Classical Guitar Society. I presented some of my research that I have been doing on the topic of sight reading and I was really happy with how it went. I really enjoyed meeting the guitarists at the society, made some new friends and even bumped into some old ones!

Today, however, is a different story. Part of my studies for the doctoral program require ‘comprehensive exams’ which involve writing three substantial essays over the course of a weekend. As you can see, by the sheer fact that I am writing on my website, its tough to get the ball rolling.

One of the questions is a discussion on how classical guitar performance practice has been influenced by other plucked instruments int he guitar’s lineage (vihuela, lute, baroque guitar etc.). Another question is a comparison of the writings of Claude Debussy and his compositions. The third, well its a little complex, but let’s just say its going to involve a lot of books, a lot of scores and an hourly dose of caffeine.

If you want to send me messages to help me procrastinate I would be grateful

See you on Monday,

Simon