u/FlummoxedGaoler

I’m going on a multiday desert trip with another person, and I was trying to figure out what we’d only need one of between the two of us.

I thought about it, though, it seems like gear is pared down pretty far as is, and leaving something behind would generally be a negligible weight/space savings and create a major headache if something *did* go wrong with a shared item and we had no backup.

There’s also the matter of if we need to split up for some reason, one of us would be missing something we thought was important enough to bring along.

Some tools and maybe a stove came to mind, but even then it seemed like having a backup would be best, since tools can get misplaced or break, and you’re not having your post-ride Mac & Cheese healing potion at camp if you have no stove. Shelter would be an easy one, but I prefer solo accommodations, so we’re each bringing our own.

Is there anything super obvious I’m missing that you make sure to take only one of if you’re with a group?

TL;DR - Is classical guitar learning/playing culture generally fun and exploratory, or judgmental and hierarchical with a “stuffy conservatory” vibe? What’s your experience?

I’ve been taking cello lessons for years now, but have decided that I want to play true polyphony. I’ve been exploring my options, and for the sheer versatility and richness of the guitar, I think that’s the direction I need to go.

I know the value of lessons, but I’m honestly a bit scared. Even though nothing overtly mean or aggressive or dismissive was ever leveled against me, I always got a strange sense that I was part of a long chain of classical-culture-induced trauma that was being slowly placed onto me. Maybe it’s just my take, but I’d say that cello and classical music in general comes with some baggage related to the competitive nature of auditions, the game of thrones that surrounds chairs, and a hyper-focus on perfectionism and accompanying anxiety. There is a sense of hierarchy, a constant low-grade tension.

The Conservatory Curse makes its way into lessons, I think. I got a sense that I was now shackled to my instrument. It was now a second job, and my job is to be a Good Student. Fun is permitted only once you have completed Book 3 of the Approved Curriculum, and by the way, scales are your new fun. I was to diligently practice and improve between lessons, and if arrived without having made adequate progress, there was a quiet sense of disappointment.

This is a little exaggerated, but not by much. And honestly, my teachers were really great and we got along fine. But there was always just this faint hint of doom I’d occasionally catch a whiff of that made things feel off, like I must seek approval. It caused a lot of anxiety that I didn’t really notice until an injury forced me to quit playing for a while. With lessons off the table, I felt like I could breathe again and was able to allow myself to be honest about my desire for a polyphonic instrument and to get away from that sense of judgement.

Contrast this, by the way, with fiddle lessons, and it was totally different. It was real work and demanded attention, a good ear, and practice, but it felt more collaborative with substantially less pressure. It was fun and exploratory, and far more casual despite the high degree of expertise my teacher has.

All of this is leads to my question, which is, what kind of learning culture is most prevalent in classical guitar? I took a handful of college class like 20 years ago, and the teacher was quite severe. On YouTube, I watched a master class with one guy, and a performance review with another, and I felt that same wave of prove-your-worth anxiety well up due to the tone of the lesson. I fear classical guitar may be subject to the same joy-crushing, serious culture of other classical traditions. What is your experience?

Hopefully this doesn’t ruffle any feathers, but…

TL;DR - Is lute learning/playing culture generally fun and exploratory, or judgmental and hierarchical with a “stuffy conservatory” vibe? What’s your experience?

Long version:

I’m coming off of cello (and fiddle to a much lesser degree) after deciding that proper polyphony is the way for me, and am interested in the 7-8 course lute at some point (though I’m currently going through Samantha Muir’s book on classical ukulele and really enjoying it). But I‘ve got a bit of “musically induced trauma” from cello that I’m trying to avoid.

Something I noticed in cello lessons and culture in general was a strong “stuffy conservatory” feel, and an unpleasant baggage that seemed to come with learning a classical instrument. It was like I was there to prove my worth as a student every time, rather than explore and grow. I was happy to play, and happy to hammer fundamentals, but there was always a sort of judgmental vibe that generated anxiety, even though nothing scary or weird was explicitly leveled against me. I got the sense that this highly evaluative, SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT, style is a sort of a trauma that is traditional to pass down to students (kind of joking, but also kind of not). My teacher was never cruel and was patient and nice, but there was always this formal vibe, and feeling that I needed to prove that I deserved to be at a lesson I was paying to be at. That my life should revolve around coming maximally prepared for our next lesson. I get that every teacher wants their student to succeed, but there was… something else there beneath the surface, even with multiple teachers.

Contrast that with fiddle, which was so much different. There was a sort of “we’re in this together, let’s make music and have a good time” feeling in lessons, even though, by all accounts, I was learning from the single best fiddle player in my region. Learning by ear and playing folk music has some pretty intense challenges, but it was *fun* and made me want to pick up the fiddle and practice for enjoyment, versus picking up the cello almost like it was a second job (even though I enjoyed playing).

Granted, this is very much teacher based, I’m sure, and can go good or bad depending on what you get, but there’s no denying a difference in culture. Lute seems like it could go either way. One the one hand, there are a lot of folk songs and the community is small, and that must surely come with a lot of enthusiasm and love of the instrument and music. On the other hand, a lot of people are probably coming from classical guitar backgrounds and I fear that bring that same conservatory vibe, especially if Historically Informed Playing comes into the picture as an aggressive enforcer or cudgel rather than as a fascinating enhancement and goal, and I fear that it may be more “earn, and know, your place” hierarchy and approach versus the more exploratory, enjoyable vibe that exists in, say, fiddle and ukulele, even when approached with the goal of acquiring and growing genuine expertise.

Where does lute stand? Do you notice a difference compared to the culture of your other musical background (if applicable)?