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RE: Question for Grisha (in reply to flamencoguru)
Thank you for the info on Juan Miguel, Errol. I do like the sound of your guitar in both the Farruca and Impetu, as I like the playing. Very nice tremolo, very controlled and thoughtful playing. Do you also play much classical?
I must say that I really enjoy listening to audio and video files in the uploads section. Every person has something special, something his own. I like how all of you play from the heart, with love for the music. Thank you all!
Todd, I have never before seen flamenco played in that fascion: with the combination of pick and fingers. You do a really good job, and I would have never guessed you do that just by listening to your music. Very interesting.
Miguel, you are a very fine player. I liked your practice demonstration clip, that scale at the end was pretty fast I agree that it's very important to think when playing the scales and difficult passages in general. I'll post some of my ideas regarding this matter.
When your in Almeria you can fly up to Sweden and give me a lesson.
I think we all should notice how down to earth and nice both Todd and Grisha seems to be. Some players with Todd/Grishas knowledge and skills turn in to ASS***** or maybe i should say snobbs.
I wish you guy´s the best. Have you ever thought of recording a cd playing duos?? It would be great!!
Henrik
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This is hard stuff! Don't give up... And don't make it a race. Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.
btw ....and if u stop home in Russia ...come and teach me some too (i'm just a little by the west in Romania )
How is John Williams in person ? Excuse me to put so many questions ...but u do know some celebrities(in fact I just realised that I have lots of questions .... but i'm trying to moderate mysef...hopefully,this thread will be here for some time ).
Grisha, I would love if you posted some ideas on scales or technique in general. to me, fast scales are a treasured "effect" on the guitar, impressive in a similiar sense to tremolo or rasgueado, and their proper execution is a wonderful tool. Any thoughts on this from you would no doubt help me and many others here!
Thank you, Miguel. Well, to get better at scales you first have to have pieces in your repertoire that make an extensive use of them.
For short and fast scales I recommend practicing one-string bursts of 3-6 notes in length. Also, find an easy scale or two of less than 20 notes in length and try to play it as fast as you can thinking only of the first and last notes, disregarding the rest. For me the first scale from Entre dos Aguas and discending scale from G on the first string to the open E on the sixth string do the trick.
For extended scales I usually recommend Flight of the Bumblebee, Zarda de Monti (Paco's arrangement), and Giradilla from the Concierto Madrigal by Joaquin Rodrigo. I have made an arrangement of the Bumblebee, and can send a copy to whoever needs it. I will try to post a (very bad quality) sample of it in the uploads section.
I will post more on this subject later; now I have to go practice Ponce Concierto
I would love a transcription of the Bumblebee. By coincidence, my uncle in Hawaii was just yesterday telling me of a 16 year old Filipino kid he knew when he was in school (about 60 years ago!) who could play that piece and really blow people away.
Hey, Grisha, if you're still there somewhere after these few days....
1. Ditto to all the kudos on you, for you, about you.... And I hate you for being so young still!
2. Ditto to what Paco told you: If you really want to play flamenco - not just be a guitarist who plays flamenco peices exceptionally well, but really plays flamenco - you must go live in Spain for an extended period. It will have its ups and downs, for sure, but only in that way will you come to know flamenco inside - out. You will surprise yourself with what you will learn, and more than guitar for sure.... And to be there with friends like Paco... You cannot NOT go!
3. For what it's worth: I once had the privilege to tour with a great concert pianist and composer, Maestro Roger Machado (French pronunciation, please - he was a French citizen born of Spanish parents, so "Rogelio" at home). Machado was the finest piano accompanist of the Spanish dance of the Twentieth century, bar none. Amongst other places he trained at Fontainebleau and was one of the favorite students of Nadia Boulanger. Machado had an extremely precise ear and sense of rythm - completely "anal retentive", obsessive - pick your modifier. I give you all that as background for his credentials to critique other musicians. So.... The above comments about Segovia brought to mind a discussion I had with Machado while we were on the road, talking about classical guitarists. I mentioned Segovia, and Machado groaned. (I should add that Machado was a contemporary of Segovia, knew him as well as the who's who of artists of his day.) Machado told me that, in his opinion (and here I paraphrase), Segovia was incredibly arrogant and shouldn't be because he never played the pieces the way they were written. The anal retentive aspect of Machado made him extrremely respectful of the work of other composers, and he told me that music should always be played the way it was written. "If you want to play something differently, then write your own piece. But have enough respect for the composer to play it the way he wrote it. Segovia rarely does." I asked him which classical guitarist he thought was best in that regards, and without hesitation he said, "Narciso Yepes." (This discussion took place over 30 years ago.)
So consider it for what it's worth. People like Segovia were so famous, and being from another generation and now deceased, it is easy to stand in awe and thereby lose our critical capacities. So, from the mouth of an extremely worthy contemporary, Segovia may have been famous and accomplished a lot, but as a musician he wasn't tops. But don't repeat this to Chris Parkening, since Andres is a very revered figure for him, for understandable reasons - much like Machado was to me at that time in my life. But this might give you a fresher view of the classical guitar, maybe compare Yepes to Segovia and listen for distinctions, if that's to your tastes.
Saludos Pedoviejo
P.S. - "caza submarino" = snorkle or skin diving spear fishing. Paco loves to fish off of the Yucatan, on boat and under. He may have been referring to an old injury since on one of those expeditions he suffered a very severe wound to his hand. Scared the you-know-what out of him, but he recovered, of course. But such wounds never heal without a trace, so he probably has scar tissue ("cicatrices") that needs regular massaging and work to keep supple. No self-respecting classical guitarist would have taken such a risk - but that's "muy flamenco."
No disrespect to maestro Machado, but just listen to Yepes interpretation of Aranjuez. His timing is one of the worst I have heard. Definantly goes against what Machado was getting at. And Yepes tore into Paco's version of Aranjuez w/ rather harsh criticizm.
Barrueco has pretty good rhythm, and sticks to the composer more like what Machado would like. Still, he has this new "Nylon and Steel", which.... I mean a duet w/ Dimeola that Paco did before? Pretty gutsy, but not convincing.
The best classical guitarist I have heard in this respect is Jose Maria Gallardo. Totally amazing rhythmical feel and interpretation. He can probably play real flamenco too, he certainly knows the compas. But there is no mistaking his sound for a "flamenco" player, he has the proper "classical" sound.
The other Classical guitarist I like is Roland Dyens, but then again, he composes a lot of his own stuff.
No, no disrespect taken. Maestro Machado was a dear friend and mentor, but like I said, he could be quite anal retentive. He sat with the same quiet dignity and respect whether listening to a piece by de Falla or watching a porn flick. Art was, well.... as good as sex and vice versa. (Or was sex to be done with the same precision? I’ve forgotten. But there are two things standard metronomes are no good for, flamenco being the other.)
Yepes was of a similar mold, except the ebony baton was shoved a few more centimeters up his rectum. (Like stiff upper lip, except just a little stiffer.) His harsh criticism of Paco's rendition was born of a snobbish, look-down-your-nose attitude about flamenco which many Spaniards of his day and generation nurtured. Like Segovia, if he was to like it at all flamenco had to be scrubbed, polished, properly attired, and respectful of its "betters", and if it had to belch it must excuse itself from polite company, find an empty wash room, close and lock the door, and turn on both taps to full bore before blasting away. (Did I remember to say that he was a bit anal retentive?) Don’t forget, however, whatever your opinion of his rendition of Aranjuez, that Yepes recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, the most prestigious recording company label for classical music and certainly the finest in the days of vinyl. The Germans were probably per capita the most knowledgeable audience in the world when it came to classical music – very demanding, and demanding of precision.
It was, however, most amusing to see that other despiser of un-sanitized, in the buff flamenco, Segovia, take pot shots at Yepes, as well as that “Inglès,” Julian Bream, sniffing that “one cannot serve two masters” – a reference, if I remember correctly, to Yepes playing that umpteen-string, special made Ramirez and Bream playing both lute and guitar. If I also remember correctly, Segovia didn’t have anything nice to say about any other classical guitarist who hadn’t studied with him, except for those of the previous generation who were already safely dead.
In any event, Maestro Machado’s sense of rhythm was flawless – which was why he was the favored piano accompanist, in direct succession, for La Argentinita, Pilar Lopez and finally José Greco. I remember one rehearsal where José – politely – suggested that Maestro had not hit the beat properly (because Josè had missed that beat a few times). Maestro merely folded his arms and slowly shook his head with chin slightly raised. Argument over. And no guitarist who worked with him ever questioned either his authority or his compás, and that succession went from Carlos Montoya (yes, he actually played in compás in the old days) to Paco de Lucía and Ramón de Algeciras (early 60’s when Paco was 15) and even yours truly (in Maestro’s twilight days – better than not at all), with numerous guitarists in between.
And nothing to do with this discussion, but thinking of the above and the Concierto de Aranjuez made me remember a meal one evening while on the road with José, Nana Lorca (his leading lady and wife at the time) and Maestro. At some point in the conversation José was trying to remember a composer, and he turned to Nana: “Nana, what is that blind composer’s name? The one we had dinner with upstairs at Casa Botín that evening?” She reminded him. “Rodrigo! Yes, Rodrigo!” I asked myself if I would ever get to the place that someone of the status of Joaquin Rodrigo would just be “that blind composer” who I once had that nice dinner with at that famous restaurant. (José was perturbed at me because a year before – without any job offer or other assistance – he had told me to get the music to the Concierto de Aranjuez, and the Concierto para un Gentil Hombre, and learn them. Just in case he hired me again because he liked that to be in the repertoire, reduced to guitar and piano. And of course I hadn’t.)
Hello, everyone! I am back home (for a little while). Going back to Spain in 2 weeks Just wanted to say "hi". I will check back later because now I have to go. I wish you all the best!
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I agree that it's very important to think when playing the scales and difficult passages in general. I'll post some of my ideas regarding this matter. 
LOL 
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