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So learned a lot of stuff going through the score. He gets the correct formula for the right hand in some of the rasgueados in Venga al alba, you can see the very last one is right. Why he plays around with that basic formula in the other bulerias and certain spots is confusing to me (how could he see the correct one in one spot and not see how it applies across the board?). Anyway, for the most part I like the guitar solo stuff. The guitar duets in bulerias and tangos look ok. He notates the bass solo in the Latin jazz finale rumba.
The most interesting piece for me to read was the Tientos, really cool stuff there...of course WAY off the beaten path for traditionalists. I didn’t realize the key and stuff previously by only ear. He used this tuning for a buleria and a tangos in the past, piñonate/cañada, but here it is in a different key (D phrygian 5th position is taken as root). He really makes use of the low bass notes here and looking closer I can see all the markings of the tradition like Easter eggs dropped in here and there. Too bad there is no video of this piece, it ranks up with his Camaron Rondeña as far as iconic modern versions of the song form.
So here are two problems with the scores, one minor and the other major IMO. The minor problem is there are a couple of spots he doesn’t use the correct key signature. Cositas buenas starts in C phrygian more or less for the first 30 bars or so, and then moves to D phrygian, and finally moves toward E phrygian. That should be 4 flats->2 flats-> no sharps or flats. But he writes the whole intro in D phrygian. Then he uses E minor (one sharp) for the E phrygian transition and finally settles on no sharps and flats when the singing starts. I would be ok with no sharps and flats used the entire time, or the three I mentioned. I simply helps to visualize what paco is doing in this crazy piece IMO. I think he got tricked by the B7 chord in the E phrygian section (it is the famous cambio chord like buleria corta uses). Also the last piece he uses no key signature....perhaps because of the jazz flavor? Probably he couldn’t identify a key for that song. My ear finds gravity towards B minor.
So the big problem is the lovely duet El Dengue. I was inspired by the polyphony when I first heard this to explore ideas in my own rumba. I like the interplay of the two guitar, very much in line with the last Trio record. However this score is a mess. I can’t follow it at first hearing because the parts keep jumping between voices. I realized with headphones what was going on and used a couple of highlighter pens to trace out Paco’s guitar part (heard stereo left). The other guitarist, and unknown guy who plays great on this, is heard clearly in the right channel. Why Leiva seemed to understand the separation on the the complex bulerias on this album, tientos, and Compadres on Zyryab, but seemed to be hearing in MONO on this track is beyond my understanding. Totally not acceptable. But overall I will enjoy studying the book in general. Check my photo
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So the big problem is the lovely duet El Dengue. I was inspired by the polyphony when I first heard this to explore ideas in my own rumba. I like the interplay of the two guitar, very much in line with the last Trio record
Agh Of course! The piece I was most interested in, also reminded me of the trio, this one and Antonia were my favorites on the album. But El Dengue never got much attention. I feel like it would have made the fourth trio album
Thanks for the review Ricardo. I am surprised that some mistakes are that big, it's a shame but it is what it is. I'm gonna probably still get the book at some point. I'd love to try out some falsetas of Cositas Buenas and El Dengue, there's also one in Volar that I particularly like.
Why Leiva seemed to understand the separation on the the complex bulerias on this album, tientos, and Compadres on Zyryab, but seemed to be hearing in MONO on this track is beyond my understanding.
This looks like an auto-transcribing software screwup.
When you talk about correct fingering, do you mean which fingers play the notes (like hold C on the third string with m finger instead of a finger) or the neck positioning (like play open E instead of the second string fifth fret E) ?
When you talk about correct fingering, do you mean which fingers play the notes (like hold C on the third string with m finger instead of a finger) or the neck positioning (like play open E instead of the second string fifth fret E) ?
Both. When it comes to flamenco, there are certain circumstances where it shouldn’t be up to preference or interpretation. That is why video is important for learning.
Wow! A tab with rhythmic notation and rest. For those who can't/ don't wanna read music, the tabulature in this book is gold.
I believe guitarists other than classical guitarist don't have to sight-read. The most important thing is a guitarist should be able to read the rhythm in sheet music.
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ORIGINAL: devilhand I believe guitarists other than classical guitarist don't have to sight-read. The most important thing is a guitarist should be able to read the rhythm in sheet music.
Thirty years ago I lived in Santa Barabara. I was talking on the phone with my 20-year old son in Austin.
Me: " Got any music going on?"
Son: "Yes. I'm in a band. We've got a few gigs, a couple downtown."
Me: "Cool. Anything else."
"Yeah, I played for this guy who was passing through. He said I could proabably get work in Hollywood as a studio player."
"Who was the guy?"
"You probably never heard of him....name is Joe Satriani."
"I've heard of him. Everybody has heard of Joe Satriani. You going to Hollywood to try out?"
"I don't think so. We've talked about it before. I don't really want to be a full-time pro. And Satriani said I would have to get better at sight reading."
"You know how to do that."
"Like you have always said, read some every day."
"But I know why you don't work at it."
"Yes, I've heard that one too."
"You're one of those people who can hear something once and play it back perfectly."
"..."
"You writing?"
"Yes. Maybe half of what we play in the band. But I'm also accompanying this girl on acoustic. She writes a lot of her own stuff."
When he "writes" he actually just makes up stuff and remembers it.
I didn't know that Joe Satriani can sight-read. So I googled it and found this.
quote:
During a Q&A session with fans worldwide, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani was asked about how important it is for modern rock guitarists to learn how to read music, to which he responded:
"If reading music comes easy to you, I would say yeah! I can read music, but I'm not a great sight reader. I studied music theory when I was in highschool so I had to learn how to read music. When I was a younger kid, 9 years old, I learned how to read drums, that was my first instrument for a coupe of years.
"I can't read like Steve Vai, he's a reading monster. But I've found that in all the records that I've made almost nobody really wants to see a chart. Everybody's got their own little shorthand that they do more than just a strict manuscript. But I think it can't hurt. And if you think it's really bumming you out just use your ears."
Steve Vai - a reading monster?
quote:
Guitar.com: Do you still sight read a lot?
Vai: No. Sight-reading is a whole other world. When I was in college I declared that I was going to be one of the world’s best sight-readers. I spent an entire summer, nine-hour days, sight-reading clarinet, saxphone, violin every kind of book you could imagine. And then I realized at the end of it all, a) how am I going to apply this and why, and b) I’m not even close to being the best, and c) it’s a life-long achievement because the guitar is such a pickled instrument to sight-read on. If you give me a piece of music I can get through it. But the last time I read music on the guitar was when I did Joe Jacksons record with him, Symphony No. 1. But it was all charted out. It’s not like I’m going and try to sight-read. I would never go into a situation and try to sight-read. It’s unfair to the composer.
According to my son Satriani wasn't talking about playing rock. He was talking about working as a Hollywood session musician--not the same thing. According to my son, much of their work is done off lead sheets, but the ability to sight read a score is required at times.
My son told me rock musicians are illiterate more often than not. He could sight read about as well as the amateur classical guitarists I knew at the time, which was not very well. At least that was the case 30 years ago. He might be a sight reading ace by now.
At the International Guitar Festival in Cuernavaca, Mexico in 2000 I was having breakfast with the publisher Matanya Ophee. We were joined by the classical guitarist Wolfgang Lendle (sadly now deceased.)
Wolfgang had with him the manuscript score of his "Carmen Fantasy," which he had recently finished.
Matanya asked whether it was ready for publication. Wolfgang assured him that it was. Matanya looked it over, turning the pages quickly, pausing occasionally to ask a question or to point out an ambiguity, or a violation of his style criteria, which he asked permission to correct. After he finished he handed the bundle back to Wolfgang and asked him how long he would take to finger it.
A day or so later I was walking by the room where guitars were displayed for sale. I heard two players romping thruough tunes from Bizet's "Carmen." Steppping inside I found Wolfgang and Elliott Fisk, seated side by side on chairs, the "Carmen Fantasy" score spread out on the floor in front of them, still without fingering. They leaned over to read as they played at high speed.
Reading the score for the first time Elliott would occasionally paint himself into a corner with his fingerings, halt, smile at Wolfgang, and immediately begin again with fingering that worked better. All done at warp speed.
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