Satie, Erik – Gymnopedie No. 1
Erik Satie (1866-1925) was a pianist and composer. He spent most of his life working as a pianist in cabarets in Paris. In his 50's, he came to wider acclaim. Renowned Impressionist composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy introduced the public to his music, bringing him fame. Debussy famously arranged the Gymnopedies (including this one) for full orchestra. Now, he is well-loved as the father of atmospheric music.
This piece, Gymnopedie No.1, was written around 1888 for piano. This arrangement for guitar is delicate and intimate. The melody is clear, and the harmony (chords) is interesting and unexpected.
There are challenges in playing this piece on the guitar. First, the slow tempo means that every note rings. This makes the piece feel exposed. There are also advanced harmonics in the later section.
This course goes step by step, note by note. We navigate each challenge in turn, so you can play Gymnopedie with the atmosphere and spirit the composer intended.
Includes:
15 VideosIncludes PDF Materials
Lifetime Access
Course Level: ADVANCED
This course is at the ADVANCED level. To play this piece well requires a solid foundation of classical guitar technique and experience learning from music notation (though TABs are included). The notes may be anywhere on the fretboard. The music is likely complex and physically challenging. There may be large stretches, bar (barre) chords, or other strenuous demands. Pieces at this level often take longer (several months up to a year or more) to master.
About CGS Courses
The courses you’ll find here on Classical Guitar Shed are among the most in-depth, detailed and high-quality classical guitar courses available anywhere. Each course explores a single guitar skill or piece of music. And each course features high-quality HD video with multiple camera angles, as well as one-of-a-kind custom learning materials. This means you always know exactly what’s going on.
Repertoire and skills are divided into small sections or concepts, and worked through one at a time. You’ll get suggestions on varied subjects, which may include:
- How to count and play any tricky rhythms
- How to polish difficult transitions
- How to phrase the music, when to swell or fade
- How to apply advanced phrasing techniques to make the music more beautiful
- How to practice so you learn the piece most quickly
- How to memorize the music more easily
- How to troubleshoot hard spots
- How to avoid common traps that slow players down
- How to make small changes that make big differences
- How to understand the composer’s intentions
- How to choose the right tone quality for each part
- How to make the melody sing
- How to make the rhythm more lively
- How to practice to increase your speed and precision
- How to maintain the piece after you learn it
- among others
When you purchase a CGS Course, you get lifetime access to all videos and materials. You also get full support and your questions get answered via on-page comment or email.
Note: Videos stream only and are not available for download.
Members of The Woodshed Program get full access to all Courses and Study Guides, as well as the complete program, for the life of their membership.
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Allen, your website and teaching methods are excellent. You have an easy going yet encouraging way of inspiring people to learn and practice their art. And you are always accessible to your students to personally answer questions. I appreciate ... that personal touch. The course on reading rhythm and playing higher up the neck I found particularly helpful. God bless you and many thanks.
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I practised your system for three days, and it solved the I-M alternation problem I had been struggling with since I undertook classical guitar three years ago. Many thanks!
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Hi, I’m Allen Mathews.
I started as a folk guitarist, then fell in love with classical guitar in my 20’s. Despite a lot of practice and schooling, I still couldn’t get my music to flow well. I struggled with excess tension. My music sounded forced. And my hands and body were often sore. I got frustrated, and couldn’t see the way forward. Then, over the next decade, I studied with two other stellar teachers – one focused on the technical movements, and one on the musical (he was a concert pianist). In time, I came to discover a new set of formulas and movements. These brought new life and vitality to my practice. Now I help guitarists find more comfort and flow in their music, so they play more beautifully.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Allen Mathews was recommended to me as somebody who could help me expand my guitar vocabulary. Allen started me on a really fun cycle of lessons and practice. He is a very good and very enthusiastic teacher, and I feel that I'm on the road to learning. I couldn't be more pleased with my experience.
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Those videos on practicing the piece were just awesome, Allen! I've always thought that learning songs might be something completely different than practicing exercises, but the way you teach it makes it much easier than I thought. I'm positive that joining the Woodshed has been the best investment I've ever done for learning the classical guitar. Thank you so much for these lessons.
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