By: Dr Matt Warnock
Chicago based guitarist Brad Conroy is part of a new generation of classical guitarists that grew up listening and studying rock music before making the switch over to classical music in college. Studying with some of the biggest names in the classical guitar world, including Dr. Brian Torosian, Denis Azabagic and Sergio Assad, Conroy has recently made a name for himself as an up and coming player on the Chicago guitar scene. With degrees from Northeastern Illinois and Roosevelt Universities, Conroy has concertized throughout the U.S., as well as been an adjudicator at classical guitar festivals and competitions, both of which showcase his diversity as a player and teacher.
While many guitarists who make the switch from electric to classical simply give up the instrument, Conroy had the foresight to realize that being able to play both could be very beneficial to his career. In keeping up his chops on both instruments, Conroy has been able to take advantage of many opportunities that players of one or the other wouldn’t have been able to do. As a result, he has been able to build a diverse career as a classical performer, rock musician, guitar pedagogue and studio musician, a diversity that not a lot of purely classical or rock guitarists could boast.
Currently on faculty at the Metropolis School of Performing Arts and the David Adler Music and Arts Center in Chicago, Conroy recently sat down with Guitar International Magazine to discuss his early exposure to the classical guitar, what it was like to study alongside some of the genres biggest names and how he has been able to take advantage of the internet to promote his career.
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Matt Warnock: How did you first become exposed to the classical guitar, and when did you realize that you wanted to pursue it as your career?
Brad Conroy: It wasn’t until my first year of college that I was introduced to the classical guitar. Up until then I was playing the piano and electric guitar. Like most teenagers, and people for that matter, I had no idea what classical guitar was. I had heard that it was a really hard style to play in, and that’s what first attracted me to the classical guitar.
After the first few lessons I became really inspired by the process and the discipline that was required, and eventually became familiar with the repertoire and fell in love with it as well. The moment I picked up a guitar I instantly knew this was the life I wanted to lead, and it was probably right after my first classical guitar lesson that I realized this was the discipline I wanted to follow.
Matt: Can you talk about some of the experiences, good and bad, that you had as an undergrad and graduate student in classical guitar? Does the modern day classical guitarist need school to be successful as a performer and teacher?
Brad: I really loved the atmosphere of music school, even though it was competitive and I had to sacrifice a lot of the things that college students normally do in order to spend enough time practicing and studying. College was also that time when I began to feel really good about applying myself fully to better understanding my instrument. Also, I made friends with other guitar students, some of whom are now my colleagues, and I’ve always felt that I learned just as much from them as I did from my private teachers.
Some of the worst experiences in undergrad were those very first performances. I remember learning a few Scarlatti sonatas, and other advanced repertoire, and being so excited to perform them. Then when it was time to take the stage my hands just didn’t want to cooperate. They would get cold and sweaty and I just wasn’t able to control my technique in the same way I could when there was no one around.
I remember being so down after a few of my early performances, to play and feel as if it was a complete train wreck is a devastating feeling. What was the point of all my efforts and long hours spent in the practice room just to crumble on stage? After time though, these experiences really helped me to grow and understand that the control comes from not only being over prepared, but the ability to quiet the mind and sustain focus from within.
I’m not sure you need school to become an incredible performer, but in the classical guitar world it truly helps. The music school curriculum gives students the time and tools they’ll need to make a career with the guitar. The classical guitar has a relatively small audience, and very few guitarists have made it solely as performers, so teaching is a great way to generate income. These days, in order to land a respectable teaching position that pays a livable wage, a college degree will most likely be required.
Matt: You studied under Dr. Brian Torosian at Northeastern Illinois University during your undergraduate years. What was it like working with a teacher like Brian, who has consistently produced some of the finest classical guitarists in the Midwest from his studio?
Brad: Working with Dr. Torosian was great and it was a case of meeting the right teacher at the right time for me. He is an incredible guitarist and a great role model, he really knows his stuff. Dr. Torosian pushed me to expect more from myself, inspired me to be scholarly about guitar and he always wanted me to tackle repertoire that was maybe a bit advanced for me at the time, but he did so in a positive way knowing that it would pay off in the long run.
He really helped me to develop my right hand technique, and he gave me many lessons on the history and theory behind the pieces. I remember working on the E major Bach lute suite with him and he would improvise on the chord changes Bach was using. Even though I didn’t fully understand what he was doing back then, I finally came to understand what he was trying to explain about harmonic progressions, and it’s really become one of the most important tools I use in my own improvising and composing.
Dr. Torosian is quite demanding of himself, and it’s no doubt that his attitude has been ingrained in me and been an enormous source of inspiration. I will always feel that he’s the ideal role model when it comes to understanding music and the guitar, he’s a true professor.
Matt: When you were pursuing your Masters degree at Roosevelt University you were able to study with Denis Azabagic and Sergio Assad. What were some of the biggest lessons you learned from studying alongside these world-class performers?
Brad: Studying with Denis Azabagic as my primary teacher in graduate school was absolutely incredible. Denis was all business, and he really knows how to get the most out of you. He was not only a big inspiration, but he really helped me to refine my technique and take it to the next level. Denis trained my left hand and taught me ways to play with an almost effortless technique.
When I learned a piece with Denis, I really learned how to play it. He would take me through it measure by measure, singling out all the little problems and then show me exactly how to execute every movement with precision and clarity. During a lesson with Denis he would cover everything from how to move my hand, how I should be fretting notes, pivoting fingers, mindset, and so much more.
Denis knows how to play with effortless precision, and he knows how to teach his students this concept. Lessons were very hard with Denis, he expected nothing less than my best and he pushed me for three years until I achieved it. Studying with Denis was a profound experience, and he gave me the tools I needed to tackle any repertoire on my own.
Studying with Sergio Assad was another incredible experience during my graduate studies. Having him listen to me play my pieces and giving me advice on how to be the conductor of my guitar was very inspirational. He truly has a gifted set of ears and understands phrasing and harmony like no one else I’ve met.
I remember asking Sergio how to improvise, and boy did I not know what I was getting myself into. He turned his back to me and asked me to fret any chord, so I played some random inversion of a G major chord and he could tell me just by listening what notes I was playing and on what string. He said this was how you learn to improvise, you learn to listen first.
Matt: What advice do you have for younger players who are thinking of going to school to study classical guitar?
Brad: If you are serious about going to college for classical guitar, I would suggest finding the teacher and program that works best for you. Do some research and aim to study with someone you not only admire as a player, but someone that also produces some fine students.
Also, be prepared to practice hours on end each day, and you must also be willing to give up certain aspects of your social life in order to make it happen for yourself. The classical guitar can be a lonely endeavor and the discipline required may be overwhelming for some. Make sure this is the style you love and the career you want to pursue.
Matt: As well as being an accomplished classical guitarist and educator you also perform regularly on electric guitar. How do you find a balance in your professional life between the two instruments?
Brad: It can be very hard to maintain both instruments and styles. In the early days it was one or the other. I used to hide my electric guitar so it wouldn’t distract me from my classical studies, but now they both seem to blend together. If you can play classical it is easy to move to the electric guitar, but not vice versa.
However, I’m in the process of preparing a program for a few recitals and it takes so much time to work on the entire program that I don’t have much time to rip around on the electric. Often I work on the instrument that has the next gig coming up. If you spend enough time studying both instruments you will get to a level where they begin to enhance and blend into each other in their own way.
Matt: Do you find that being able to play both electric and classical guitar has made it easier for you to survive as a professional musician in today’s overly competitive marketplace?
Brad: Without any doubt, being able to play both instruments doubles your chances for gigging opportunities. There are only so many gigs for a classical guitarist, and giving recitals doesn’t usually pay big bucks, especially when compared to the amount of practice that goes into preparing one.
With the electric guitar I have many gigs playing rock music on the bar circuit, pit gigs for theater productions, subbing with jobbing bands, and so on. Also, with recording opportunities it’s a definite foot in the door if they know you can handle just about anything they throw at you.
Matt: There are a number of videos on YouTube featuring you in various performance situations. Do you feel that using sites like this, as well as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, are a necessary fact for anybody who is looking to become a professional guitarist in the 21st century?
Brad: The internet is an incredible resource to promote your music and get your name out there. Websites like Myspace give performers the chance to have a free webpage and place to post info and music, these websites are a really handy place to refer people to.
YouTube is also an awesome resource, you can post performances and lessons which in turn brings your name and music to an extremely large and diverse audience. I think it’s almost mandatory for a twenty-first century guitarist to use at least one of these outlets in promoting their careers.
Matt: As well as being an active performer you are also a very busy guitar teacher throughout the Chicago area. If you had to give any advice to young players that are looking to develop teaching careers what would it be?
Brad: Get started early. I started teaching while I was in my second year of music school and it’s really benefitted me. When you teach someone, you’ll have to understand exactly what you’re doing. This is the only way to be able to properly communicate the information and concepts to the student. Through teaching you will learn about your own strengths and weaknesses, and if you get started early you should be able to establish a small portion of your method and teaching style by the time you graduate college.
I think some of the most important factors that go into being a good teacher are the ability to inspire the students, knowing how to play many styles at a high level, being entertaining, having patience, and being able to adapt to each student. Having a large and successful studio doesn’t happen over night, it might in fact take a few years of persistence before you have enough students to generate enough income. Keep with it and remember you can only build your career one student and gig at a time.
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Links
Sergio Assad: Manhã de Carnaval
