A Guitar Journey with Grade 8 Guitarist Ryan Lau

1. how young u start guitar and what inspired u?

11y/o. I found the instrument interesting and was curious abt it when seeing ppl play it.

2. is it difficult to progress from beginner to intermediate level and how u manage your practice routine?

I found it quite manageable progressing from beginner to an intermediate level as it was quite a progressive climb as I slowly gained various skills over the years. Initially, I was not very committed to the regular practice routine as didn’t focus much on Guitar, but gradually as I climbed the grades, I started placing more emphasis on practicing at least a few times a week. When nearing grading exams, I often put in much more effort into practicing.

3. how influential is your teacher and how he help you along the way of advancing to grade 8?

-He guides me step by step through the pieces I play and also helps me to improve various aspects of my guitar playing by helping to point out my mistakes and playing alongside with me. He teaches me how to improve both in the technical aspect and my musicality. Along the journey to grade 8, he helped me with my pieces by providing me with advices and feedback for my playing while also providing me with more studying and playing materials in order to better practice and prepare for the examination

4. who is your idol guitarist if any?

-Sungha Jung, Tommy Emmanuel, David Russell, Milos Karadaglic

5. how’s is your experience playing in the ensemble and has it helped you in maturing your musicianship?

Playing in an ensemble was a change of pace indeed, being much more different compared to the usual solo playing that I was used to. I was able to lead my Ensemble while at the same time also taking the opportunity to guide my peers using my knowledge of the instrument. Playing together with others has helped me to improve my rhythmic sense while being constantly challenged to hone my music knowledge as I guide my peers.

6. now u pass grade what is your next target and aspiration?

Perhaps to pursue a diploma in classical guitar. Aside from that, I have also picked up other types of guitar such as acoustic and electric guitars using the knowledge gained from my classical experience with the aim to also get better at these other forms of guitar.

7. what is your advice to students struggling in their guitar learning?

Start slow when learning music pieces and take the effort to listen to the listen piece at least a few times before playing the piece. It will be good to refer to a good audio track as reference when learning the piece. Try to aim to practice at least once a day (even 10minutes or so) and consistently practice part by part. Perhaps an important part may also be to find an artist or someone that you may look up to be as an inspiration to learn and motivate yourself to continue practicing and maybe even branch out to pick up other genres of music that may interest you.