# Guitarist wanting to learn everything!



## JoshuaCollins

Hello everybody, first post here and all.

I am mostly a contemporary/jazz guy who plays Guitar (a bit of classical, too) mainly in addition to dabbling in Bass, Drums, basic Piano skills and inebriated karaoke standard Vocals. Recently, I have recently realised that I would love to go on later in life and teach music in University, write books, compositions and even learn to conduct. I'm sure you could guess the rest. Pretty big and lofty dreams for someone who was originally a death-metal guitarist, hey? In essence, like to learn as much as I can whether that would composing, arranging, conducting, you name it. I just don't really have the foggiest where to start other than indulge myself into the works of many composers, study their scores and such.

I'm looking into learning Classical Piano whilst I am at Uni in London, but I have no idea what I'm potentially getting myself into. What can you fine ladies and mostly gentlemen here recommend? Anything would be appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## hreichgott

You got bit by the classical music bug! Hooray! Now what?

There are many directions you could take from here, but I'd suggest listening to a ton of classical music, any assortment of composers you like. Movie music, video game music, and pieces written by pop musicians that got called "classical" because they are played on the piano do not count. Try to listen to an assortment of stuff from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, early 20th century, and late 20th to 21st century if possible as the styles vary a lot over time. If you don't feel like you know very many composers, start with Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, and Pärt, all good representatives of each of those periods (though the late 20th-early 21st is so diverse that no one composer can really "represent" it!), and then branch out from there.

Then, get to know (by listening and by playing) the classical literature for your best instrument (guitar). Learn who the most important classical composers for the guitar are, and start learning to play pieces from different time periods. Yes, every music student must take at least a little bit of piano, but getting to know a new style of music on a new instrument is a whole lot of new all at once. And experiencing music as a player is essential to composing, arranging, and conducting.

If your interest extends to even more genres besides contemporary, jazz, death metal and classical (wow!) then basically the same advice probably holds for getting to know another new genre... listen to a ton of music, starting with a few representative "greats" from each period, however that genre defines its own periods, and then start learning to play some of the music on your best instrument.


----------

