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Posts: 310
Joined: Jul. 16 2015
From: De camino a Sevilla
Speed and power
hey, i know, its flamenco we're talking about, but in the end it's still about the song
among current guitarists i really like Gerardo Núñez, Antonio Rey and Vicente Amigo, but I keep going back to one of them because of the music, not the playing
i don't care how fast or loud if it don't grab me by the heart
It is a mixture of the raw emotion of flamenco with the grace of theoretical study and precision of virtuosic instrument study. I think the most important thing is for a performer to empty their mind and listen 100% to their output; accepting all that they hear as the truth, but adjusting their touch as the feedback comes in. A crowd can sense a performer who is thinking, and it is an uneasy thing to observe. We are all latent telepaths probably, and as such should learn not to emit. Self composure is the single most untalked about issue in performance.
I have never heard a whole album of his, but with the little that I have heard from him, I am almost certain that Rafael Cortes could be missing in above list of musically inspiring players.
hey, i know, its flamenco we're talking about, but in the end it's still about the song
among current guitarists i really like Gerardo Núñez, Antonio Rey and Vicente Amigo, but I keep going back to one of them because of the music, not the playing
i don't care how fast or loud if it don't grab me by the heart
Yes, well they all have the common source of inspiration which is PACO DE LUCIA...and like many other in flamenco guitar world have failed to become him as hard as they tried, and discovered THEMSELVES.
And yet, to become the great artists they are, they had to practice their technique to death. You can only be truly musical when you have a reserve of technique for most of material you play. Being confident and comfortable, you then you start to see the tiny details and manipulate them. Your fingers at the service of your imagination and ear. If these players didn't have the technique they have they would be nowhere as musical as they are now playing these same compositions.
Yes, well they all have the common source of inspiration which is PACO DE LUCIA...and like many other in flamenco guitar world have failed to become him as hard as they tried, and discovered THEMSELVES.
Some of us here have put in many hours and have gone far down that road. Ricardo has shared his music and he is clearly a uniquely talented composer and performer.
Yes, well they all have the common source of inspiration which is PACO DE LUCIA...and like many other in flamenco guitar world have failed to become him as hard as they tried, and discovered THEMSELVES.
do you think you and I can discover ourselves?
well, the good news is, no matter where you go, there YOU are! Everyone is unique, but if you want to produce anything of merit you have to work at it. For musicians, it is important to record yourself so you can be a bit more objective about where you are at. When I record myself I ask 3 questions:
1. does it sound authentic? 2. Is it any good, or just mediocre? 3. Would I buy this and listen to it?
If you say YES to all .... then you have no where left to go and you probably are stuck where you are at and clueless. If you can perhaps get a yes or maybe to no. 1 you are doing good work. Paco de Lucia couldn't get past no. 2 and I think most greats keep working because they can't. Paco even admited to trashing music because it didn't get a no. 1....
I would say about the existential question of our 'selves' that ego has no place in music. Forget the self. The music has its own life and is not owned by whoever composed it, except in a legal sense.
Contrary to what I just said, we all have our own unique 'fingerprint', I think that is what you are getting at maybe. Take Vicente Amigo: 'his' Rondeña is stunning, but is just a rewrite of Paco's and stands on the shoulders of many others work. When I first heard it, I did not know flamenco and was stunned thinking he had done ALL the hard work. Still impressed with it, but not so much as I initially was. It is his 'fingerprint' that makes it stand out.
Absolutely. In music, similar to one´s voice or movement of body, everyone (above an early beginner state) appears to have his very own personality.
And it would be a shame to suppress it, even if not everyone´s overall signature is musically flattering.
Those masterclasses where established performers instruct about their personal interpretations are certainly of good sense. But the instructor will be an even better teacher if he also encourages his student´s personal strengths and expression.
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