Comments on: Teaching Philosophy by Adam del Monte

By: G

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:05:25 +0000

Daniel,
You shouldn’t hold your age against someone else. Your age anxiety is not Adam’s fault. Also, when you divide the fee throughout the day and free-lancing method of earning a living, you will realize that what is charged is not expensive. On your side, what you learn in a master lesson carries over to other aspects of your playing. It further shows how fair the price that you provide is. Even though you praise maestro Adam’s article, you ignore his call to avoid the narrow view of linear learning. It seeems you want to cut corners by holding the masters responsible for your anxiety. That’s unreasonable. You criticize the American method, yet that is precisely what you want – “fast and easy”. Art is not a quick training session to be certified in something. It is a process. A long one. Slow like a beautiful flower that begins its journey deep in the earth as a seed far removed from the sunny spring where everyone goes ooh and ahhh over the radiant colors and petals. But it is in winter, in the darkness of the ground where the flower begins to be nurtured by the gardener, and it will not emerge until it gets through the stage of being a seed. The gardener knows this and goes about his business understanding the process – which means time and yes, money. You seem to want spring flowers without the duties of fall and winter. There is a reason why great artists are wonderful to hear, because they have tapped into a hard to reach place in space and in the heart through hours upon hours of study, discipline and paying for lessons and the things Federico alludes to. That’s the winter and fall of their flower. I assume you don’t complain about a neurosurgeon charging lots of money for his work because I’m sure you recognize the complexity and fortitude and long years of study to be in that position. A flamenco master is no exception. It’s costly, physically and financially. So why should you get a break for their hard earned craft and your lack of perspective? Gardeners don’t get fast and easy flowers – they slowly cultivate them through hardship and stress; thus they earn their aroma and fragrance in the spring. You are no exception to this law at 25yrs or 60yrs old. I do think your death anxiety will seep into whatever music you are involved with – short cut or not. That’s unfair to you. This stuff is not bought or given, it’s cultivated. That isn’t fair either, but that’s what makes it so special. If you don’t get the gheist of maestro Adam’s message, then maybe you should be charged an expensive amount for wasting a teacher’s time and for insulting his knowledge and experience. But if you do get it, then you will begin to find the value and beauty of the hard to reach flower because you will tap into your very life of 25yrs or 60 yrs of age. Cultivate…

By: Federico

Federico — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Dan:
you would pay 250-500 dollars and hour for a lawyer, so why is 60 dollars so much to pay a guitarist that’s any good? The good guitarist had to also pay to take lessons, plus air fair, plus living expensive for years in Spain to be a good Flamenco guitarist. The guitarist certainly had to spend more time in study as well as suffered more for his art than a lawyer. Yet you think after all thoses years he isn’t worth it!
You’re right 60 is kind of old to learn to play professionally.
Federico

By: daniel j apppel

daniel j apppel — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:32:56 +0000

Ok, so then, how do i learn this thing called Flamenco guitar properly, you seem to give great advice, but I am 60 years old or young and cannot play flamenco guitar style, I spoke with Paco Arroyo today per phone and he says he is the answer, as he teaches private in Glendale, and i believe you play together at a venue, right, he says private is the only real way to go and that internet, books, cd’s, dvd’s will not make it happen……private, private, private, he says and its costs $60 an hour……..wow………….and that it would take 5-6 years once a week lessons to be able to play like a flamenco pro…but I am 60 man, and I want to play like a pro sooner, but who can afford to take lesson everyday at $60 per hour……which he says would get me to pro level maybe in less than 2 years….so really what is the answer…….how much are your classes, are they private, or per internet and how much does it cost and where do I get your info…..etc……Pasadena City College has a once a week 3 hour group class starting Aug. 9. and the instructor is supposed to be well educated in flamenco guitar, he studied with Dennis Kostner, who was a student of Sabicas…..in New York……..All I want to do is learn from the right guy, but you all want a arm and leg to teach it…why……….is that……..how much do you charge…….and why can’t you make the learning process faster and easier…..why so much mystery about all of this flamenco guitar learning and playing………how about a weekly clinic for idiots like me….so we can learn quickly and economically……..and not end up broke at the end of the process………..maybe you can call me and get me on the right path to make my fingers work quickly and correctly and take away the agony of not being able to play……..thanks….I am almost sure that i am not the only one who has these feelings of frustration and desire to get to the chase!!!!……..and not beat around the bush…………as it seems all of you……..or at most of you flamenco greats seem to make it a big mystery and just want to milk everybody bank accounts and still the student perhaps does not learn until he has paid out a ton of money to the instructor………..and the instructors are perhaps still financially broke as well………something is wrong with the system of teaching music hear in America……….why do you make it so difficult to learn and so costly and most of the time the student still learns next to nothing……..and has spent all his money to no avail……….Sincerely Spoken………..so can you make a difference in my life and make it happen as I am 60 years old and not going to live forever