Rachel

"I have played guitar for more than six months. First I played violin. I thought the fingering (left hand) was too hard for the violin, so I wanted to learn guitar.

"Sometimes I have fun doing some songs, like 'Donkey Dance', and sometimes Mr Luse plays jokes on me. Mr Luse is a very good teacher to me.

"I like feeling like I am getting better and better all the time, and sometimes not.

"I can't think of anything I don't like about the guitar. Sometimes I don't like to practice when there are other fun things to do."

Nirad

My name is Nirad. I am 8 years old.

"I've played the guitar for one year. I like playing the guitar because it is very fun and I have a great teacher. Whenever I come for a lesson I always try to do very well. I like playing the guitar because when I play very well at guitar class I might get a tick or if I play with no wrong notes I might even get a star sticker. When there is a workshop I feel a little scared at the beginning but as I play I start to enjoy playing."

Matthew and his mother Cheng Kit
 
Matthew is 6 and has been playing guitar for 2 years. On this occassion he was accompanied in PIECE by his mother Cheng Kit, who played the teacher's part. This is the first time an adult has accompanied their son or daughter in a workshop.

Daniel

"I am Daniel. I am six years old. I have studied guitar for one and a half years. The guitar is my favourite instrument. It feels very delightful to play the guitar. I take it seriously. So I practice and practice and practice so that I can become a great guitarist like Mr. Luse. Thanks to Mr Luse I might become a very good guitar player."

Jason

"I'm fourteen years old and I've been playing the guitar for almost a year now. Last Christmas my parents bought a guitar and lessons for me and ever since then I've really enjoyed playing. Although I don't always practice daily, after about nine months of the Method, I'm trying harder to practice more often and longer. I've tried playing the piano, trumpet, French horn and even a little violin but I think guitar has been the most fun to play."

Ravi

"My first summer of tennis camp I had a counselor named Aaron. He had an electric guitar: shiny blue, a white pick board and a metal whammy bar. Whenever I could, I spent time with him listening to his songs and he even taught me some chords. When I got back to Singapore, I craved guitar lessons. Finally my mother set me up with Mr. Luse. After a few months I started arguing with my mother that I wanted to play electric, not classical. My mother, father and Mr. Luse continued to push me in classical guitar. When we moved to K.L., I joined a jazz band and bought an electric with the money I had saved throughout the years. An agreement was made that I could continue the electric if I continued the classical. I continued with both. Whenever I met an electric guitarist, my mother or father would ask them the same question, "Did you ever play classical?" The answer would be, "Oh I wish I did." or "Yes, and it helped me so much." Then I would get that look from my parents saying: see what I mean. I soon branched from the electric to acoustic. I am now playing classical, electric and acoustic and enjoying all of them very much."
 

Some words from Ravi's mother, Nini:

"Our son, Ravi, was at tennis camp when he was around eight years old. One of the teenage counselors, Aaron, had an electric guitar and inspired Ravi to become a great electric guitar player in a rock band. When Ravi told us of his desire to learn guitar, we were in full support as we feel the guitar is an ideal instrument- it can be played alone or in a group and it can be easily transported from place to place.

"However, our support was not exactly what Ravi had in mind. We wanted Ravi to have a sound base to build on so we insisted that Ravi begin with classical guitar. We insisted that classical guitar would give him a sound base for playing (God forbid) rock on an electric guitar. We insisted that Ravi study under Robert Luse, who was focused in teaching for the sake of developing a musician, rather than on the 'business' of teaching.

"Forever dangling the electric guitar as a carrot, we managed to get Ravi to study under Robert Luse in Singapore for about two years. We then moved to Malaysia and tried to get our new guitar teacher to follow the Luse Method books. This proved challenging but frequent trips to Singapore for extra lessons with Robert kept Ravi’s technique in check- even with the electric guitar he was allowed now to buy and play. In Malaysia, Ravi joined the jazz band in school and played his electric guitar.

"When Ravi was thirteen, we moved to Germany. Here, Munich International School, where Ravi goes, has a classical guitarist named Antonio Koudele who gives private lessons to students. When Ravi started to study under this musician, Antonio Koudele indicated that Ravi’s technique was truly fine. Thank you Robert!!!

"Today, although Ravi studies with Mr Koudele in Germany, he travels to Singapore whenever possible (once or twice a year) for a few hours of lessons with Mr Luse. In our last trip to Singapore, Ravi felt his lessons with Robert Luse were a gift. Today, he has an electric guitar and a classical guitar in his room. Ravi picks up his classical guitar almost daily, whether it is to play classical or soft pop music. We feel we have been successful because Ravi loves playing his classical guitar, enjoys progressing on the guitar, and gets consistent pleasure from this instrument."

Nate

"When I was younger, I played Violin. I stopped studying because my teacher had to go to college. When she came back, I had already been studying guitar for more than a year and a half. Fortunately she wasn't like Yoda saying, "O finish your training you must." So back to the story, I was going through life without an instrument, but then my good friend Indran, whom I had met when I first came to Singapore, told me he had been learning guitar before I came here. His parents showed us the address of the teacher and his phone number. They said he was a brilliant guitar player (one thing that I learnt immediately when I started learning). We called him up and arranged our first lesson.

" It was always recommended by Mr Luse that the parent take the first guitar lesson, so my dad decided to do so. He liked the first lesson so much, that he decided to stay with guitar.

"When we arrived for my first lesson, I heard from my father that Mr Luse (our guitar teacher), had asked to be in the 2 floor housing area of his HDB so that he could have one floor for guitar and one for himself and his family.

"My first lesson was a blast! I'm sure all you kids out there who are reading this think, "Oh look! There's a rock guitar player! Oh, he's so cool!" and that you have fantasies of being a rock guitarist, but from what I've heard, rock guitar is easier. Classical is what we play, and it is harder, but a lot more rewarding than rock guitar. Mr Luse told me this once, "We (Classical Guitarists) can learn what they (Rock Guitarists) play, but they can't learn what we play." What he meant by that, was that classical guitarists would have a very easy time learning rock guitar, but it would be like trying to lift up a 200 ton anvil with your bare hands for rock guitarists to learn classical.

"There is a rule in my house that if you have an instrument you must play it for half an hour along with all your homework before you can play or go to the Internet etc. There are times when I wish I didn't have to play guitar, but as I got more into the method, I put more work into practising because the pieces actually sounded professional. It has been a great experience for me to learn guitar.

"Mr Luse has been a wonderful teacher for me, his lessons are always enjoyable, as he can always make someone laugh with his jokes! I'd say that My Luse has a wonderful method (and sense of humour), and is probably one of the best guitar players ever in my opinion! He has workshops which are like mini performances where all his students pick 1-2 pieces (or if they are really lucky they can pick 3) to show everyone how good they are by playing them for all the parents and people who wish to see! Unfortunately, I will be moving back to the U.S. so I won't be able to learn guitar from Mr Luse anymore, expect for the times where I get lucky and we get to come back to Singapore for summer vacation, then I will be able to have some more lessons. On the whole, learning with Mr Luse has been a very rewarding experience for me and I envy those people who will be able to finish their training with Mr Luse before moving away."
 

Nate's father, Todd, has this to say:

"I started taking guitar lessons from Mr. Luse almost by accident. Before a child starts taking lessons with Mr. Luse's method, he asks one of his parents take the first two lessons. After the first two lessons I was hooked and have continued for the last 2 and 1/2 years.

"Looking back I can see my continuation in guitar was not just an accident. I signed up my oldest son (and now my daughter also) for lessons because, deep down, I wished I had learned that instrument when I was young. It's portable, very expressive and capable of creating many different kinds of moods. OK, I admit it, its a mid-life crisis kind of a thing.

"The Luse method is appropriate for any beginner in the guitar. It is very pedagocical. There are clear skills to be learned and mastered at every level before progressing onward. But the method is not just about learning to play notes. Perhaps one of the more unique things about the method (and the teacher) is the emphasis on the expressive qualities of the guitar. Staccato, damping, metric accents, crescendo, etc. are introduced very early so that it becomes a normal part of playing.

"I have found that my middle-aged interest in guitar is not unique. Many of my friends and colleagues have purchased guitars and instructional videos hoping to learn to play. It seems to be almost a gimmick. In general, the videos are able to emphasize a few disjointed aspects or techniques. The student may learn some simple chords or songs and then get really frustrated he can't sound like Jimmi Hendrix in a couple of weeks.

"As adults sometimes we become impatient and expect immediate results. Good results take time and effort. The Luse method is able to take you further than most of us will have to time to go. About 1/4 or 1/3 of the way through the intermediate books I find a fair amount of satisfaction in what I am already able to play. My interest level is still high and although I am too old to become a Segovia, hope to progress much further.

"I travel quite a bit and bring my guitar with me when I am on the road. It gives me something interesting and constructive to do when I get back to the hotel - and keeps me out of trouble. Just bringing it along can usually catalyze some interesting conversations.

"When I am back at home I have some musical ability in common with my kids and enjoy playing simple guitar duets or ad-libbing it with the piano players in the house. My youngest son (just turned four) watches us play and is now always asking me for his own guitar lessons."

Peter

"I am Peter, 11 years old. I have played the guitar for 5 years.

     "Why did I start playing guitar?

"When I was young, I always listened to guitar music, soon I got interested and decided to play.

     "Having trouble getting nails?

"It is not easy to grow nails, they are still soft and break easily.

     "Any difficulties playing?

"It's hard at first but slowly I got used to playing guitar.

     "Performances?

"At performances I am very nervous, but Mr Luse said that being a little nervous is good for you. Especially the time I played at school...

"I had to bring my guitar and check and prepare many days before. The night before I played I was nervous like hell. But the performance turned out well!! After a few years I got used to performances.

     "Is playing guitar fun?

"Well, when I started it was not easy. But after 1 or 2 years it became more fun to play."

Arthur

"Many of us, young adolescents, desire the 'heavy metal' and pop kind of music. To be honest, I do so, too. But if we come to think about it, does it make us feel relaxed?

To me, the only thing that does so is the classical guitar, not to mention the computer games and such... I have been studying this fine instrument for just over five years. Mr Luse has taught me according to his method, which proves to be very useful. For example, he has taught me to place my right hand in a triangular position, which gives me more power for less energy used. However, most of the time, I require Mr Luse's reminder to engage in the proper position. It has become quite irritating as up to now, I still require the 'guru's' reminder. But I suppose if I put my heart and mind into it, I'll get it sooner or later.

I am currently on volume 2 part 2 and volume 3 part 1. I prefer volume 2 as I prefer the method of playing there - rest stroke.

This has been and will be a very good experience for me."

Cheers,

Arthur, 13

Benjamin

"I am Benjamin Rajiv Thevathasan, known to many as either Ben or Rajiv. At present, I'm 14. I have been studying guitar for 8 years now.

"As an adolescent, my raging hormones, dictate my preferences in several areas of my life, including music. Classical music currently does not appeal to my tastes. Hopefully, with time, this will change.

"Nevertheless, under the watchful eye of My Luse, I hope to become a highly competent guitarist with a genuine interest in the music I produce."

Nandi

I am Nandi, 16 years old. I have played the guitar for almost 6 years. I started playing guitar through signing up at my school, but I had commercial lessons before that as well. Unfortunately what I had learnt through those lessons was incorrect and I had to spend the next six months unlearning what I had learnt. There are a variety of guitar styles played at my school, from pop to rock and jazz, but I chose to play classical and have continued to do so ever since. The classical guitar is definitely the hardest style of guitar to learn, but it gives me a good foundation to grow upon and allows me to another style later, if I wish to."

Cheng Kit

"Having had a long musical background in piano and violin, I enjoy the new challenges and repertoire of the classical guitar. The music, which has strong roots in Spain and Italy, is very different from the piano pieces I was familiar with. A new world of melody was opened to me. However, mastering the technique is harder than I had anticipated. Playing the guitar requires strong fingers (no pain no gain!), getting used to playing with nails and developing an ear for the nuances of the stringed instrument.

"Playing in guitar workshops twice a year is great fun. Never mind the nerves and shaky fingers before getting up on stage. It is getting together with fellow students for tea and chit-chat afterwards that I always enjoy. That is the culture of music and sense of community that was lacking in my younger musical days. Also my sons and I always enjoy the opportunity to play duets together.

"As a mature student it is not always easy to make time to practice. But the mellow sounds of the guitar at the end of a busy day make it all worthwhile." Cheng Kit 30-something working mum

Yan Er (photo courtesy of his father)

I used to learn guitar from a commercial school for one year plus. I felt that although lesson was fun because I was taught many familiar songs (pop and classical), the technical and musical aspects of playing the guitar was taught at a minimal level. I feel lucky and fortunate that I only played without using any proper technique for only quite some time. I feel even more lucky and fortunate to have Mr Luse as my teacher because it is taught in detail both technically and musically. I had to relearn the guitar but I enjoy every moment of it because I fell that now I am really learning how to play on the classical guitar.

Performers Continued...

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