Foro Flamenco


Posts Since Last Visit | Advanced Search | Home | Register | Login

Today's Posts | Inbox | Profile | Our Rules | Contact Admin | Log Out



Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

Update cookies preferences




RE: What makes a music "good"?   You are logged in as Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >>Discussions >>General >> Page: <<   <   1 [2] 3    >   >>
Login
Message<< Newer Topic  Older Topic >>
 
Pgh_flamenco

 

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Piwin

quote:

Strongly disagree. There's plenty of innovation to go around.


Can you provide links to performances of guitar music you consider innovative?

_____________________________

  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 5 2019 16:39:44
 
Piwin

Posts: 3566
Joined: Feb. 9 2016
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Pgh_flamenco

As far as I know you didn't hear this particular rhythmic vibe 20 years ago. Now it's everywhere and younger flamenco players are really into it:


_____________________________

"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 5 2019 21:49:31
 
Pgh_flamenco

 

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Piwin

quote:

As far as I know you didn't hear this particular rhythmic vibe 20 years ago. Now it's everywhere and younger flamenco players are really into it:


It’s always a joy to to hear Diego play, but I’m thinking of revolutionary - not evolutionary - progress.

_____________________________

  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 5 2019 22:02:07
 
Piwin

Posts: 3566
Joined: Feb. 9 2016
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Pgh_flamenco

We'd just get bogged down in a debate about what is revolutionary vs. gradual, etc. Pretty subjective in the end (it's pretty much all evolutionary in my book). Anyways, I don't want to derail the thread too much. I'm just excited about the future of guitar and I personally see plenty of reasons to be optimistic (maybe not about its commercial success, but as far as new ideas go, I'm optimistic). Cheers.

_____________________________

"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 5 2019 22:50:28
 
szvarga

 

Posts: 58
Joined: Mar. 11 2019
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Pgh_flamenco

quote:

Can you provide links to performances of guitar music you consider innovative?


If we talking about guitar music in general, the augmentation of rhythmic and polyphonic possibilities is happening right now by the percussive fingerstyle players like Andy McKee, Mike Dawes and others. Those guys are playing in a quite revolutionary way, i think.

I very much look forward to see somebody from the flamenco world, who brave enough to give a try to those techniques. THAT would be a revolution, for sure! :)

Sz
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 3:29:21
 
Ricardo

Posts: 15242
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Pgh_flamenco

quote:

When I read about Nino Miguel years ago it seemed that his importance was as a composer whose musical ideas influenced other musicians at the time - including PDL. He was also widely considered a virtuoso at a young age. The aspect of lost potential due to mental illness was yet another factor in the story. What a person of Nino Miguel’s caliber – and others like him - would have accomplished had he been unencumbered by illness is a timeless question which comes up often in various fields.


Ok, lots to unpack here off the topic, so forgive the following rant...or just skip this if you are a die hard Niño Miguel fan. We all know by now what “going viral” means. Back in early days of foro and youtube (2003-4 or so), it was not so well understood how a couple matches of verbal nonsense could spark up and catch on and spread like Wildfire and take over a gazillion people’s opinions. Well, I went back and found some postings of maybe 3 guys (including my friend flamencoguru) on foro, huge fans of Nino Miguel, based on these youtube comments on the bootleg videos and such that kept that ball going, and it was a frustrating review to read my comments and theirs. Even back then I was surprised because I had never read any such thing about the guy in the literature I had read about him, nor Faucher’s book of transcriptions. My own opinion was and still is, the guy was a PDL wannabe from the beginning. He was lucky to hangout with Paco and Camaron, and got to accompany camaron on occasion thanks to some gitano bootlegs I have seen, but honestly he doesn’t standout as an important figura due to a lack of work with important cantaores (baring a few fandangueros de huelva), unlike some other peers such as Enrique del Melchor. Enrique in particular I view as a very similar “PDL wannabe” who actually has a more refined technique. Both of these guys drew heavily on the innovations of PDL’s recordings El Duende flamenco, and Fuente y Caudal. Both are Gitano and have their family history etc, but musically speaking that’s all there really is to say about it. Neither of them evolved much further than that solo guitarwise. It doesn’t mean I don’t LOVE their playing and compositions, and even consider them UNDERRATED artists (until this recent Nino Miguel hype I referred too earlier). But this nonsense of Paco being scared of him or stealing his music has to just get squelched. To go further, I don’t feel his sad story of psychotic downfall at the height of his career a unique story either....it’s quite clear how substance abuse has been so pervasive and efficient at taking down so many great artists in this genre. The list is too big to even talk about, plus the obvious ease at which the evangelical culto had at taking a grip on the vulnerable gitano flamenco culture due to this issue is telling. The whole thing is depressing.

I try to be scientific about it, what is really going on by the music and the timeline. Niño Miguel has his place in history as the first to put together Montoya’s Rondeña with buleria compas, like chocolate and peanut butter, for posterity. Of course the idea has to be PDL’s Canastera, but still I have to give him that. I once thought he innovated the C# and D# flamenco keys as well, but alas those innovations belong to other players before him. (Velez and American David Serva respectively, as my very honest investigations have pointed to).

Regarding the need to include the history of the artist in question to evaluate his final product, I have no dissagreement...but you are totally missing the point I was making regarding the original poster’s frustrations with the ACTUAL topic at hand. He was trying to whittle away at the problem of what makes “us” prefer one artist over another. The problem I was pointing out was how difficult this actually is to do BECAUSE it’s not practical to remove all the history and context and such, hence my use of N. Miguel as an example.

_____________________________

CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 14:10:30
 
Ricardo

Posts: 15242
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to szvarga

quote:

Andy McKee, Mike Dawes and others


Guess you have never heard of Stanley Jordan or Edward Van Halen before?

Now if you had said THIS guy, ok, it’s understandable when folks don’t know this guy:



_____________________________

CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 14:18:28
 
jg7238

 

Posts: 2869
Joined: May 11 2009
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Ricardo

Brilliant!
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 15:20:51
 
Mark2

Posts: 1945
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to szvarga

Oh boy I hope not. All those guys banging on their steel string guitars as if they are drummers. Not my cup of tea and I hope flamencos don't start emulating them. Just my opinion. I recognize the talent but don't care for the music they make for the most part.


quote:

ORIGINAL: szvarga

quote:

Can you provide links to performances of guitar music you consider innovative?


If we talking about guitar music in general, the augmentation of rhythmic and polyphonic possibilities is happening right now by the percussive fingerstyle players like Andy McKee, Mike Dawes and others. Those guys are playing in a quite revolutionary way, i think.

I very much look forward to see somebody from the flamenco world, who brave enough to give a try to those techniques. THAT would be a revolution, for sure! :)

Sz
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 15:31:55
 
szvarga

 

Posts: 58
Joined: Mar. 11 2019
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Mark2

Not my musical world either. For me, that's too heavy on technique and too light on melody...

But the question was, why aren't any inventions on guitar playing? So, like it or not, there are inventions.

And why not? There was a time, when a tritone sub in a falseta was kinda blasphemous. And how far we are now from there...

And the attitude, to bring the percussive side of the guitar into focus, is not averse to flamenco, i feel... Hm?

Sz
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 17:02:30
 
szvarga

 

Posts: 58
Joined: Mar. 11 2019
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Ricardo

You guessed wrong.

Since guitar exists, there were always some folks, touching the fretboard with right hand fingers, one way or another. Like this folk. For me, what he is doing is just for the show, and not for the music (maybe, that's why he doesn't get famous. Well, more famous than his five minutes on TV...)

Tapping on guitar was born, when Eruption was recorded. No question about that.

But those percussive guys do something very different than just tapping and hitting. Something new. A new innovative sound on guitar. That was everything I wanted to say about them.

Sz
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 17:15:39
 
Piwin

Posts: 3566
Joined: Feb. 9 2016
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to szvarga

I find the influence of Michael Hedges and Pierre Bensousan more straightforward than Jordan or Van Halen. Sure, there's tapping involved, but that's about the extent of the connection. The innovation I see in players like Mike Dawes, compared to Hedges, is that they've taken the percussive aspect from a simple back beat to a fully fleshed-out rhythmic background, almost as if the point was to try to make it sound like there was a drum set playing along. There's innovation there alright. Whether it's revolutionary or whatever is pretty subjective IMHO, but they have brought something new to the fold.

About combining that style with flamenco, it doesn't seem like an easy fit to me. Besides, flamenco technique is already excellent for rhythm. All in all I think you'd lose more than you would gain in that kind of mix.

_____________________________

"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 6 2019 18:37:13
 
Ricardo

Posts: 15242
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to szvarga

quote:

But those percussive guys do something very different than just tapping and hitting. Something new.


It’s not different sorry.... it’s cheesy is what it is. As far as flamenco guitar innovations, whatever gets introduced that’s “new” has to function in cante accompanying context if it is to have lasting value. From the time montoya used his altered tuning to accompany singer right up to Vicente Amigo doing his modern things for Pele or Diego del Morao out in left field for solea, siguiriyas etc, they all have proven their innovations in context. So they are accepted and are options for successive generations to use or not based on taste. If some cheesy dork came into the fold tapping on the fingerboard and drumming on the body like that, it won’t be taken serious by singers and dismissed as a joke by aficionados.

Mike Dawes doing One for example.... even let’s pretend he could pull that off minus the over dubbed parts, it’s like an anemic vegetarian version of an amazing heavy metal tune.... all the power is gone. I remember hearing that song on radio thinking how the hell did they break through to mainstream with THIS?? Amazing triumph IMO. But here we are left with all the power stripped out.

How about a cantaor learn the letras in spanish and with strong voz afilla accompanied by a real tocaor with proper technique? It would be acoustic but all the darkness of the song and rhythmic power of the original would be restored.

_____________________________

CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 7 2019 11:58:17
 
henrym3483

Posts: 1584
Joined: Nov. 13 2005
From: Limerick,Ireland

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Ricardo

quote:

To go further, I don’t feel his sad story of psychotic downfall at the height of his career a unique story either....it’s quite clear how substance abuse has been so pervasive and efficient at taking down so many great artists in this genre. The list is too big to even talk about, plus the obvious ease at which the evangelical culto had at taking a grip on the vulnerable gitano flamenco culture due to this issue is telling. The whole thing is depressing.


As far as i'm aware, he suffered a nervous breakdown after a period of time during his military service. it's sad, but like a lot of artists stuff happens.

re the drugs, ive seen it destroy a lot of competent singers and artists in jerez and have a severe impact on their health. lots of people to blame, columbian cartels and spanish cartels seen in the series "farina" spring to mind as being the sources of the white poison and other narco nasties.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 7 2019 12:33:54
 
BarkellWH

Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to henrym3483

quote:

re the drugs, ive seen it destroy a lot of competent singers and artists in jerez and have a severe impact on their health. lots of people to blame, columbian cartels and spanish cartels seen in the series "farina" spring to mind as being the sources of the white poison and other narco nasties.


I respectfully disagree with the above quoted statement. The Colombian and Mexican cartels, for example, would not exist were it not for the huge demand for drugs in the United States. Demand drives supply, not the other way around. I remember many times over the last 30 years when the US made pronouncements condemning Colombia as the primary reason for drug addiction in the US. This was pure twaddle. We in the US, with our insatiable demand, are the primary reason drug addiction exists in the US.

I would not let flamenco artists and others off the hook by blaming Colombian and Spanish cartels either. The minute someone decides to try drugs, he is responsible for both the short-term and long-term effects, including addiction, that follow. That doesn't mean cartels and suppliers bear no responsibility, but those who begin taking drugs bear the primary responsibility for becoming ensnared in addiction.

Bill

_____________________________

And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."

--Rudyard Kipling
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 7 2019 15:13:51
 
henrym3483

Posts: 1584
Joined: Nov. 13 2005
From: Limerick,Ireland

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to BarkellWH

quote:

I respectfully disagree with the above quoted statement. The Colombian and Mexican cartels, for example, would not exist were it not for the huge demand for drugs in the United States. Demand drives supply, not the other way around. I remember many times over the last 30 years when the US made pronouncements condemning Colombia as the primary reason for drug addiction in the US. This was pure twaddle. We in the US, with our insatiable demand, are the primary reason drug addiction exists in the US.

I would not let flamenco artists and others off the hook by blaming Colombian and Spanish cartels either. The minute someone decides to try drugs, he is responsible for both the short-term and long-term effects, including addiction, that follow. That doesn't mean cartels and suppliers bear no responsibility, but those who begin taking drugs bear the primary responsibility for becoming ensnared in addiction.

Bill


We'll id respectfully disagree, drug dealers are "known" for creating a demand, yes, in some respects everyone is responsible for what they put into their bodies, but those people making 100's of millions of $$$ off the misery and death of others is not a business to be commended or condoned.

lets not forget the IRAN contra-scandal and other scandals which have rocked the political landscape involving drug running links to government agencies and bent officials, and are now more or less, forgotten.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 7 2019 15:30:30
 
BarkellWH

Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to henrym3483

quote:

We'll id respectfully disagree, drug dealers are "known" for creating a demand, yes, in some respects everyone is responsible for what they put into their bodies, but those people making 100's of millions of $$$ off the misery and death of others is not a business to be commended or condoned.

lets not forget the IRAN contra-scandal and other scandals which have rocked the political landscape involving drug running links to government agencies and bent officials, and are now more or less, forgotten.


By placing primary responsibility on drug users and the demand they create, I certainly did not suggest that "those people making 100's of millions of $$$ off the misery and death of others" are to be "commended or condoned." I simply stated that primary responsibility lies with the drug user and the demand he creates, although suppliers also bear part of the responsibility.

Regarding the Iran-Contra scandal, US involvement was an attempt to sell arms to Iran (while Iran was under an arms embargo) and use the proceeds to help finance the Contras in their operations against the Sandanista government in Nicaragua. It was illegal and several US government officials were indicted. The scandal itself had no connection to drugs. What you may be referring to is later evidence that the Contras were involved in drug-running to finance their operations, but that was apart from the Iran-Contra affair itself and had no US involvement.

Bill

_____________________________

And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."

--Rudyard Kipling
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 7 2019 16:24:35
 
szvarga

 

Posts: 58
Joined: Mar. 11 2019
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Ricardo

quote:

It’s not different sorry.... it’s cheesy is what it is. As far as flamenco guitar innovations, whatever gets introduced that’s “new” has to function in cante accompanying context if it is to have lasting value. From the time montoya used his altered tuning to accompany singer right up to Vicente Amigo doing his modern things for Pele or Diego del Morao out in left field for solea, siguiriyas etc, they all have proven their innovations in context. So they are accepted and are options for successive generations to use or not based on taste. If some cheesy dork came into the fold tapping on the fingerboard and drumming on the body like that, it won’t be taken serious by singers and dismissed as a joke by aficionados.

Mike Dawes doing One for example.... even let’s pretend he could pull that off minus the over dubbed parts, it’s like an anemic vegetarian version of an amazing heavy metal tune.... all the power is gone. I remember hearing that song on radio thinking how the hell did they break through to mainstream with THIS?? Amazing triumph IMO. But here we are left with all the power stripped out.

How about a cantaor learn the letras in spanish and with strong voz afilla accompanied by a real tocaor with proper technique? It would be acoustic but all the darkness of the song and rhythmic power of the original would be restored.


I absolutely can't go along with your points. All of them are too arrogant for me.

Those guys plays a kind of guitar music, which is clear, in time, has control over the technique, in a unique and innovative way. And you call them simply crap, because you can't imagine how it can works with flamenco cante? First, nobody said, it can work. Second, there is always a chance, to appear someone, who CAN imagine, what the crowd can not.
I myself don't like this kind of guitar music. I'm not the one who support them, to pay for a show, or a CD. But I support them wholeheartedly for their brave attitude to break new ground in guitar playing. And anyone else, in any genre of guitar music.

But call it a crap...?

You really miss the energy of one of the greatest power ballad of its time in a solo acoustic arrangement? That is total misunderstanding. If i want to feel again the energy of the original, I take my worn cassette tape of Justice, and I advise You the same. You know what? That was exactly the objection of the critics, when Liszt did his LvB symphony arrangements for solo piano. Where is the energy? Where are the colors? Simply nowhere.
Because those kind of solo arrangements are not for the imitation of the original qualities. Those are to extend the solo instrument boundaries. And as Liszt did his work to extend it on piano, Mr. Dawes did his work on guitar. And that work deserves respect in my view, regardless of the result fits my musical taste or not.

Sz
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 8 2019 17:42:14
 
mecmachin

 

Posts: 184
Joined: Aug. 7 2010
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to szvarga

" to extend the solo instrument boundaries "

not the best way to achieve what's asked for in the posts title.


mecmachin
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 8 2019 21:29:54
 
kitarist

Posts: 1731
Joined: Dec. 4 2012
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to szvarga

quote:

ORIGINAL: szvarga
But I support them wholeheartedly for their brave attitude to break new ground in guitar playing.


What is so brave about trying out things you think no one has done before (you are usually wrong that it hasn't been done, btw)?

Novelty (even if it actually is one) by itself has no inherent [artistic; aesthetic] value; the value comes from whether what you came up with is any good (and here we are back to what is good music).

This tendency of framing newness as inherently superior is annoying. "Breaking/extending boundaries"? No one put boundaries; you are not a hero or the 'better man' just because you are experimenting after stepping on the shoulders of giants.

I see tapping became a thing on the thread; Adam Fulara has been doing double-handed tapping for probably 20 years now. It blew me away when I discovered his grainy 2006 videos on youtube, around 2008. But now I am not sure it has a lot of staying power; to me it (the solo guitar especially; he does cool jazz stuff too now) quickly gets boring to listen to as the timbre and other characteristics of the sound are always the same due to the limitations of how it is derived. Except perhaps Bach; that seems to fit very well. See here:




I am sure Ricardo would have lots to say about your arguments, but it is funny how you started this thread looking for some objective measure of what is good music, and now are reduced to talking about tone of critique and of perceiving lack of respect - very subjective matters and nothing to do with the musical qualities.

BTW one can infer from your presentation that you think critiquing someone's music equals lack of respect for the work they put into coming up with it. That's very odd - seems you are suggesting that one cannot criticize anyone's music and only accolades are allowed. I.e. the very fact that it exists automatically makes it good. Are you sure we can discern what is good music by using that approach? Some enterprising individuals have certainly exploited that in the last 50+ years by demanding praise for any random mess presented as 'art'; including the absence of anything being presented as a novel something.

_____________________________

Konstantin
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 9 2019 6:13:36
 
szvarga

 

Posts: 58
Joined: Mar. 11 2019
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to kitarist

Yes, it seems this topic goes off for a while. Drug cartells (which isn't "good" for music, for sure ), Metallica arrangement, the evolution of tapping in hard rock...

Let me try to clear things a little. Those whole mess starts with this question:
quote:

Can you provide links to performances of guitar music you consider innovative?


And I simply showed something innovative.

If we talking about this way, is it innovative or not what I showed, it is criticism of what I said. But simply call it "cheesy" and a "joke" isn't criticism. And in particular not in my original context. It's simply a personal view (and for me, it's too arrogant. sorry...). Of course, we all have our personal different views. Ricardo's, as I understand it, what those guys do, is a crap. My view, that they deserves some respect for they tries. You have yours.
But what on earth has this got to do with the only thing I ever said about this: is it innovative or not?

quote:

not the best way to achieve what's asked for in the posts title.


I feel, maybe this question leads us back to on topic. Can innovation makes music good? I think it cannot, by itself. If innovation is for only to be innovative, it is selfish. As anything, which is there only for itself.
If one plays in a certain way, because one CAN play like that, sooner or later it gets bored. If one plays in a way, because the music needs it, the feeling wants to go there, it can make the music good.
As I see, innovation and experimenting with something new makes sense, when it is to add some new tool, to follow the need of the music.

Peace,

Sz
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 9 2019 8:22:15
 
Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3446
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to kitarist

Some classical tapping: skip to about 7:00 if you're not interested in the rest of the takeoff on guajiras.



RNJ
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 11 2019 20:59:52
 
kitarist

Posts: 1731
Joined: Dec. 4 2012
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Richard Jernigan

quote:

ORIGINAL: Richard Jernigan

Some classical tapping: skip to about 7:00 if you're not interested in the rest of the takeoff on guajiras.



RNJ


Ah, yes. It is from Pepe Romero's father's composition. Whenever one of the Romeros plays this on stage, they always first tell the story of how it is not Van Halen who came up with guitar tapping but Celedonio, their father/grandfather

_____________________________

Konstantin
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 11 2019 21:33:01
 
BarkellWH

Posts: 3467
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to kitarist

quote:

Ah, yes. It is from Pepe Romero's father's composition. Whenever one of the Romeros plays this on stage, they always first tell the story of how it is not Van Halen who came up with guitar tapping but Celedonio, their father/grandfather.


In 1972, in Phoenix, Arizona, it was my great good fortune to attend a concert by the Romeros: the father Celedonio, and the sons, Angel, Celin, and Pepe. And in 2010, Marta and I, along with a couple of friends, attended the annual New Year's Eve performance by the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, featuring Pepe Romero on the guitar. It was a lovely performance. What a gifted family of musicians!

Bill

_____________________________

And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."

--Rudyard Kipling
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 11 2019 21:49:22
 
kitarist

Posts: 1731
Joined: Dec. 4 2012
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to BarkellWH

quote:

ORIGINAL: BarkellWH

In 1972, in Phoenix, Arizona, it was my great good fortune to attend a concert by the Romeros: the father Celedonio, and the sons, Angel, Celin, and Pepe. And in 2010, Marta and I, along with a couple of friends, attended the annual New Year's Eve performance by the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, featuring Pepe Romero on the guitar.


Wow, so lucky! You saw the original Romero Quartet! Nowadays two of the sons (Celin and Pepe) and two grandsons (Celino and Lito) are it.

_____________________________

Konstantin
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 12 2019 5:19:33
 
Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3446
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to kitarist

The last time Pepe played here in Austin I said to him,”The first time I saw you was in San Antonio fifty years ago with your father and brothers. You played a Vivaldi concerto with the Symphony.”

“Yes,” Pepe replied,”with Victor Alessandro, a great friend of my father conducting.”

“As a quartet you played Tarrega’s Gran Jota, but each of you took a solo turn. It was virtuosic. Tonight the Gran Jota was just as virtuosic, but even more poetic.”

“Thank you.”

“You seem to enjoy performing so much.”

Pepe paused for a moment, then replied, “Yes...I do.”

I said what I had set out to say, “You take us along with you. You lift our spirits.”

He touched my shoulder lightly, smiled, and said, “It’s the music that lifts us, isn’t it?”

RNJ
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 12 2019 20:19:54
 
kitarist

Posts: 1731
Joined: Dec. 4 2012
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Richard Jernigan

Thank you, Richard. I've said it before, but I really appreciate your anecdotes and the storytelling skill with which you tell them.

_____________________________

Konstantin
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 12 2019 20:59:01
 
Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3446
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to kitarist

I ordered the newer edition of Pepe Romero's book "La Guitarra." It came in the mail yesterday. It contains technical and musical instruction, mainly classical, but with some flamenco as well, numerous exercises, many by Giuliani, some pieces to play including an alegrias by Pepe, and advice.

The section on performance begins,

"The principal problem that takes place during a public performance is that the performer finds himself imprisoned by his ego, which locks his thoughts in the difficulty of the work he is to perform and in the impact that the success or failure of his performance will have upon him."

He elaborates a little more on the impact of ego, then writes, "Music has nothing to do with any of these thoughts. Music is abstract, spiritual,and sensual.....In order to be transported by music, we must conquer the ego and stop negative thoughts before they take place."

Later he writes, "The ego will ask us if the piece will serve to demonstrate our technical facility. If we permit ourselves even the most minimal contemplation of this theme, we can be certain that any degree of energy spent in this consideration will be manifested and multiplied in the form of nerves and doubts when the piece is performed in front of an audience.....in the words of the great composer Giuseppe Verdi, 'Music is not to impress others, but to move them.' "

I would say that to think we should perform in public certainly requires a healthy ego, and to achieve the ability to do it requires determination as well. But Pepe's point is that we must be very careful how we employ that ego, and must avoid the ill effects of letting it run unchecked.

As Pepe said to me, "It's the music that lifts us, isn't it?"

RNJ
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 12 2019 21:44:28
 
Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3446
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to kitarist

Thanks, Konstantin. Growing up in Texas during at least part of every year, the two generations older than me were almost all story tellers. Some of them were really great at it.

I had to polish up my writing in my last job. In about 2 1/2 hours every week I had to put together a report telling what 250 people had been up to. I did it mainly by cutting, pasting and rewriting inputs from a couple of levels who reported to me. Some of the inputs were quite serviceable. Others bordered on functional illiteracy. Every week I had to call up certain people to find out what they were trying to report. They could always tell me, but they could seldom write it.

I didn't want my boss calling me up asking what the hell I was trying to say.

A few years of turning those inputs into legible prose as fast as I could type was instructive.

RNJ
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 12 2019 22:21:03
 
szvarga

 

Posts: 58
Joined: Mar. 11 2019
 

RE: What makes a music "good"? (in reply to Richard Jernigan

quote:

Later he writes, "The ego will ask us if the piece will serve to demonstrate our technical facility. If we permit ourselves even the most minimal contemplation of this theme, we can be certain that any degree of energy spent in this consideration will be manifested and multiplied in the form of nerves and doubts when the piece is performed in front of an audience.....in the words of the great composer Giuseppe Verdi, 'Music is not to impress others, but to move them.' "


I've been thinking about that a lot, and some thoughts comes to my mind.

I should say, for me there are things in musicianship, like some kind of levels. Those thoughts You quote are from the highest level musician can achieve (I'm on a pretty lower level, but it ain't no news:)). On that highest level the balance of one's personality, the spiritual health and the well handled ego makes the difference. The handling of the instrument, the playing technique is not the main problem anymore. On that level the instrument becomes one with the player, and all the playing abilities serves the goal to communicate the feelings of the player (or the composer).

That level is the ultimate goal as a musician, I think. To "move" or "lift" the spirit of the audience by the music played. And the thoughts by Pepe Romero (and Verdi) shows a clear way how to achieve this ultimate goal.

But for me, I feel this is only one side. An important and essential side, of course, but what we can do technically, besides this psychological side, to achieve this ultimate goal? There is anything we can do, after all? Or is it in the spiritual attitude only?

For example, I can't build a practicing schedule on "lifting spirits" (Oh, I wish I could...).

I can build up a practicing schedule in a hundred ways, setting hundreds of focus. My focus might be to building repertoire. It might be to perfect my timing, or clearing up one or more technique to perfection. Or even to looking good while playing and get as much female phone numbers as possible:)))

But what is the closest thing (if it exists at all...) to focus on as a flamenco guitar player, which a musical foundation can build upon?

Or it's really depends only on the spiritual side? It works on any level of musicianship, even at the very beginning?

That's why we choose our favorite player(s), because of his/her psychological attitude?

Sz
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 20 2019 21:48:25
Page:   <<   <   1 [2] 3    >   >>
All Forums >>Discussions >>General >> Page: <<   <   1 [2] 3    >   >>
Jump to:

New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software powered by ASP Playground Advanced Edition 2.0.5
Copyright © 2000 - 2003 ASPPlayground.NET

9.326172E-02 secs.