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Posts: 2007
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
Antonio Rey
If you ever have an opportunity to see this artist please do so. His musicianship and playing are at the very highest level. I saw his concert in Berkeley last night and it was astounding. Today he gave a master class, it was truly something special in that he offered advice and exercises that applied to all levels of players. There is no doubt that he stands at the level of the best of the best. His playing and compositions sit next to the legends of flamenco guitar. My friend flew up from LA and felt the same way. We were pinching ourselves, unable to believe what we had seen. I don't think there is any doubt that his career will flourish. To have seen him play what he did in a small room is a memory I'll cherish until I'm long gone. It's hard to imagine anyone can play better than he did last night.
I realize it's all subjective, but he's absolutely my favorite player. Love his compositions, technical abilities, and the soul he infuses into all of his playing.
I had to leave for the East Coast the day before the concert, but my girlfriend went. She said Antonio was "very fast and clean". She is hard to impress because she's seen them all play, but apparently Antonio's concert stood out in that respect.
Absolutely love this dude. His compositions are tasteful, melodic, harmonically interesting, original, you name it. Impeccable technique and very soulful playing. Loved his playing since I came across his first album back in, what, 2008 or so?
A member of the foro, who is himself a very advanced player, sent me a pm asking me to share some of the stuff Antonio taught at the workshop.
After listening to each of us play, and no doubt finding all of our technique wanting, he offered tips for us to improve. He went through every technique and showed ways to improve. He said you have to develop all of the techniques to at least an acceptable level.
For arpeggio, he said accent different fingers-IOW practice accenting the a finger, then the middle, then the index, thus developing more control. He learned this from Gerardo, and said it changed his life.
For picado, the same-accent i, then later, m during scales played all over the neck. Practice starting the scale with both. Avoid practicing with too much force, which could lead to injury. He was asked how he can practice so many hours without injuring himself, and again, he said he doesn't practice with a lot of force. Although he played tons of amazing picados during the concert with out so much as breaking a sweat, he said he reserves the moments of force for when they are needed.
For tremelo, play soft and even. Avoid the horse gallop often heard when people play too hard, which he said was horrible. He played examples by Paco and Sabicas to illustrate the proper way.
For pulgar, use different attacks to create different colors. With nail to create more of a treble tone, with the meat alone to create a softer sound. He flawlessly played passages by Paco and VA to illustrate.
For rasquedo, which he said was deserving of special attention, practice all the patterns with and without flicking.
And finally , in composing, lead with the melody, then the rhythm, then the harmony.
My friend remarked that if he had the ability to play what Antonio played in the concert, to put out that much emotion, energy, and passion, he'd be laid up for a month. I said I'd need a blood transfusion.
These are all good points. I always mention these in my masterclasses. The one I've never heard was the composing advice, but then again, I don't compose.
What he said about saving the force for only the special occasions works very well when you have the luxury of being amplified. When you play acoustically, you need to project more to be heard.
I have one of Ethan's guitars for sale, and this weekend a foro member came to my house to check it out. He liked it but decided it wasn't quite what he was looking for.
So I let my friend from LA use it for the workshop instead of the beater he'd brought, and Antonio played it for a few minutes. My friend leaned over and asked "Who sounds better playing it?" We had a quick laugh. Antonio seemed to really like the guitar, said it was a really good guitar, and of course, he sounded amazing playing it. In fact he checked out a few of our guitars. I'm not sure if he owned the conde he used for the workshop, but it wasn't the guitar he played in the concert, which I think was a Reyes. Maybe someone else knows for sure. Really doesn't matter what the guitar he plays is, the sound is in the fingers.
But what an opertunity to see Rey and have a masterclass with a world class player. Regarding picado, I find relaxing to be one of the hardest things to do when trying to play faster and I often hurt my left thumb from squeezing the neck so hard.
I was at Antonio's workshop in Jerez two years ago and for me it was also the most outstanding master class I've ever attended. Four full mornings with the guy playing right in front of us, I'll never forget it. Sounds like something trivial but I was speechless and in denial of being there the whole time!
The lessons were exactly like you described them Mark, exact same guidelines and advice. He kept saying that if we did those exercices properly every single day it would change our lives and would refer to the exercises as "comida para las manos"! And can't forget his mention on the importance of making love! Apart from that he was also really open to our questions and told us some great stories. On the last day he also heard every single one of us improvise over a rumba pattern and gave everyone advice on it. We were also lucky enough that he played his new Zapateado (Ídolo) just for us before his album came out and ever playing it live in concert. To top it all when he left on the third day he even did a full throttle pull on his Mercedes SLK right in front of us, wheels spining and all hahaha!
I liked the master class and meeting the guy so much that I ended up staying for two more days just to attend his concert. It was well worth it, best guitar concert I've ever been to.
On later years I learned that he doesn't have the best reputation, but as a guitarist he really is the best one out there today. The master class is expensive but well worth it, I couldn't recommend it more.
My friend remarked that if he had the ability to play what Antonio played in the concert, to put out that much emotion, energy, and passion, he'd be laid up for a month. I said I'd need a blood transfusion.
Mark, I have a project with a friend of mine to start a business of 100% pure gitano blood transfusions. Should I let you know when we have it up and running?
HAHA, no man I hate needles. It's great that you had the same experience. The class was 35.00 I doubt it will ever happen again. I think the next time he comes, he will play a much larger hall. I was gratified to see the top guitarists in the area all at the concert. It was very emotional hearing him play the way he did. Two days later and it's hard to think about much else.
quote:
ORIGINAL: FredGuitarraOle
quote:
My friend remarked that if he had the ability to play what Antonio played in the concert, to put out that much emotion, energy, and passion, he'd be laid up for a month. I said I'd need a blood transfusion.
Mark, I have a project with a friend of mine to start a business of 100% pure gitano blood transfusions. Should I let you know when we have it up and running?
I liked the master class and meeting the guy so much that I ended up staying for two more days just to attend his concert. It was well worth it, best guitar concert I've ever been to.
I was at this concert, completely agree. I was really shrugging to go to a guitar solo concert at the time but so glad I did, it was incredible.
And can't forget his mention on the importance of making love!
Really? What did he say if I may ask?
Just that. As he was detailing some of his advice, like the ones Mark mentioned, he said something along the lines of: "All this I'm telling you is great advice, but just as important is making sweet love". Can't argue with that. Everybody laughed and nodded in agreement and Antonio continued the class.
Nice, I was wondering how that went. Thanks for sharing!
That Ethan sure makes great guitars, no question. Whoever takes that guitar from you Mark will be a lucky man, I'm sure Antonio made it really sing.
Too bad my stay in San Fran was brief though, I would have loved to have gone to the concert. Great to hear it was impressive, even Grisha's girlfriend took notice :p
One last thing-he was asked how his nails hold up and he said he uses Quimica Alemana, which is a nail polish and hardener. It's on Amazon. I picked some up and it's a thick polish, so for those who don't like acrylic because it's too thick, this product is a great alternative in that is provides some strength and protection without the stiffness of acrylic.
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