I knew what I wanted to explain, but I needed 20 years away from teaching, and the time to study how to express it in my own words, in a simple and understandable way. To appreciate music from another perspective, to play without thinking, to flow like a fish in water, and to expect nothing in return—nothing.
After all that time, I learned to explain it in a very simple way, and it’s never too late to embrace it.
The “way” of explaining it:
It’s not the same to have good technique as it is to make music.
I like to teach how to master the guitar in a simple way, based on what I consider truly essential.
How did I arrive at "this way" of explaining things so that you sound more fluid when you play? I learned it from a musician with no technique and no theory—zero theory. He only knew what “major” and “minor” were; he didn’t know what 5ths or 3rds were, and he couldn’t read a chord chart. Yet he played entirely by ear with remarkable harmonic complexity. Learning from him was like learning from a blind person: no sheet music, no explanations. He didn’t analyze anything; he simply flowed with elegance—great elegance. And without meaning to, he was showing me what’s essential, what’s truly necessary: the way music should be understood. The best way he considered. He couldn’t explain it; he just did it. A true genius.
I had studied many books, but I had never seen that way of thinking—because it wasn’t a “method”; it was pure flow. I wish someone had taught me that from the beginning, but it would’ve been impossible to explain in that state.
Today I "can" explain how to move chords in any key as if they were pieces on a board, and create melodies while accompanying yourself, flowing in the moment like someone walking naturally through a new city—but on the guitar, with your eyes closed. Literally.
That person was Jorge Pasquali, a hidden genius in Buenos Aires. A heavyweight musician. Surrounded by deep respect and silent admiration from his peers. Full of musical stories that only true geniuses collect—from Art Blakey to Vinicius de Moraes.
When we got together, we didn’t rehearse: we simply played new music, like two painters meeting to paint. Many times I tried to find a way to communicate with him to understand certain things, and the attempts were often even comical. There are no books on that.
He had a motto: “If you know something, you should pass it on.”
His passing left me with that commitment to myself. The dilemma was how to explain it clearly and simply, blended with my own knowledge.
I had taught since I was very young, but I abandoned that old way of teaching, and stopped giving lessons entirely. I focused solely on studying "how to explain" this—and it’s not something you find on the internet.
That’s why my classes are exclusively in person (I can’t explain this through a camera).
Clarification: In my classes, I don’t teach scales or theory, because all of that is already available to everyone, even if people often learn it in a disorganized way.
What I can do is explain how to use those tools and what to do in different situations you may encounter when playing.
The Art of Playing Alone
by German Herlein
I knew what I wanted to explain, but I needed many years to pass before I could polish how to express it in my own words, in a simple and understandable way. It's a concept so simple that even professional musicians often overlook it for decades, and it's never too late to incorporate it.
When I started playing with certain musicians, I learned to close my eyes, turning my consciousness toward them, and simply listening to and accompanying them, as if I were walking with them—without thinking about the audience. I needed to focus solely on the music. While glances and subtle cues are useful for dialogue, for what I’m about to explain, none of that is necessary, because you are alone.
I’ve seen great guitarists and musicians around the world doing very difficult things, but when it came to sitting alone, with no other musician to accompany them, they often avoided it. Some guitarists struggle to sing a song using only their two hands, as a pianist might. We tend to hesitate when we find ourselves in a situation we consider extreme—like performing outside of a set repertoire, with no accompanying musicians, and creating something new, never played before, both melodically and harmonically. No tricks, no rudiments, just something simple, without hesitation, and leaving room for an authentic melody—a song that blooms right in that moment.
I learned to do it naturally, and a great musician started leaving me alone, understanding that it was flowing effortlessly. I began to study it, driven by the need to explain it to certain students, and observing great musicians who, despite having little and crude technique, could achieve this because of their strong musical cognitive ability. But not everyone is born with that gift. For some, theory clouds their ability to focus on the flow of music; they overthink, and musicality loses its emotion.
Without giving a second thought to where the note is going visually, and without intending anything specific for others to hear. Personally, I believe you should play for yourself. From a guitarist's point of view, think about the melody and the chords in dialogue—not necessarily a chord-melody technically speaking.
Let’s imagine you’re performing live in a theater. You don’t have a repertoire memorized, your musicians have left the stage, and you are alone. The lights are on you, the theater is full, and there’s no alternative but to compose in the moment. You begin to reproduce sequences you never imagined, beyond any prior theoretical knowledge. You force yourself to play a melody you’ve never practiced or played, within a harmony that you choose.
Without straining your ear, it’s an exercise—creating a melody accompanied by chords, memorizing them, then playing the chorus, repeating both again. Now you have to memorize them, but with nuance, variation, volume changes, adding a bridge, and returning to that part... all while keeping a steady rhythm, as if you’re walking at the same time. Don’t think about musical references or people you admire—just be yourself for the simple pleasure of it. It takes practice, but the joy of instant creation is unmatched by any other sensation you can experience in life.
Eventually, you become able to do all this without thinking, simply flowing. You take that moment of solitude and let the magic happen.
Without underestimating the technical level, I believe the depth with which you transmit the music is more sincere when you forget, in a way, about the instrument you’re using. The instrument can limit us and physically pigeonhole us. But when you find the magic in yourself, you might realize something new that you didn’t know was there.
I didn’t learn this by studying it, but by doing it. I didn’t discover anything new, but I discovered myself next to a genius.
Thank you for reading this far and understanding that certain great things in life are achieved through practice and simplicity.
(lessons only Chile)
📧 gerherlein@gmail.com / 📧 @german.hrn
___ Spanish and English-speaking inquiries only ___
Lovely performance! The atmosphere that the harmonic structure sets up is so deliciously French in its aroma. Very lovely.
(Steve Vai)
A compliment neither elevates nor diminishes who you are; it merely reveals a glimpse of how another sees you—and in that reflection, there is "always" room to grow.
German Herlein was born in Argentina and has been living in Chile since 2016, after having lived in several European cities and spending long periods in California.
Playing for years with genius Jorge Pasquali (Vinicius de Moraes, Ed Motta, Joâo Bosco), sharing stage with drummer Manu Katché (Sting, Peter Gabriel), and toured with his teacher Rick Zunigar (Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Freddie Hubbard).
He translated masterclasses from Rick Zunigar, John Stowell, Mike Stern, Scott Henderson, John Scofield, among others.
In 2007, he won first place worldwide in the Yamaha Guitar competition, acquiring Mike Stern’s guitar
Musicians featured on his YouTube channel:
Jivan Gasparyan Jr., Manu Katché, Yuji Nakagawa, Rick Zunigar, Jorge Pasquali, Tore Brunborg, Andreas Bernitt, Josh Doughty, Daniel Pellegrini, Juanjo Hermida, Federico Siksnys, Raman Kalyan, Seb Morgan, Manuel Fraga, Sepideh Vahidi, John Stowell, Ronan Skillen, and many others.