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.
|
|
|
RE: The new book Santos Hernandez
|
You are logged in as Guest
|
|
Users viewing this topic: none
|
|
Login  | |
|
   
Ricardo
Posts: 14822
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
|
 RE: The new book Santos Hernandez (in reply to estebanana)
|
|
|
Finally got the book. Beautiful photos, probably the best of any of my coffee table guitar books. At a glance at the table of contents and flipping through I was disappointed at the slim flamenco section and no Ramon Montoya spread. However, under the large section called “Portfolio”, we find the hoped for spread on Segovia and Montoya. Montoya is on page 136-40, and very interesting to see the negra there (149). However I have to wonder if the inserted note “por Ramon Montoya”, as if constructed BY montoya, might refer to a different person with that same name. Otherwise, it has to mean that he commissioned the guitar, or rather specified the Rosewood/action (ridiculous high  ).
Both Segovia’s and Montoya's guitars had high bridge set ups, but honestly I could already hear that on those early recordings. Conversely N. Ricardo’s guitar was like a banjo, strings slapping the fretboard. The Santos flamenco guitars I tried at Brune’s museum years ago, had very low bridge set ups, like normal modern flamenco guitars. Montoya has a very interesting statement that was used in his Paris concert (program notes or propaganda), explaining he doesn’t know if flamenco is gypsy or not, and that the gitanos were secretive about teaching the forms, such that he had to learn from blind street guitarists (who didn’t know they were “teaching”). It is interesting to me that Fuenllana was blind, and used that Rondeña tuning….maybe it is a “blind guitarist” thing? LOL!
Surprising to see him gift that Leona guitar in 1936, practically right after he recorded with it. Perhaps that was how he could pay his travel expenses (Zayas footing the bills)? Otherwise, it tells me that the guitar was not so special in his collection, in other words, one he was ok to part with.
_____________________________
CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
|
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jan. 6 2024 21:10:21
 |
|
Ricardo
Posts: 14822
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
|
|
RE: The new book Santos Hernandez (in reply to Echi)
|
|
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Echi
Now, I don't know exactly to what Segovia guitar you are referring to.
The main guitar used by Segovia (a 1912 made by Santos currently at the Metropolitan) was used till 1937 and well documented by Richard Bruné.
Bruné clarifies the 2 ways used by Santos to determine the bridge: the thing here is about neck angle but generally speaking the bridge for a flamenco guitar was set by Santos at about 6 mm + 2 mm of bone. Classical could be 2 mm more.
Segovia aimed for a very high action though and therefore used different saddles for the purpose.
Interestingly enough Segovia had more than one word in the design of the Ramirez classical guitars and he asked for a low bridge and a high action.
It's always useful to read the Bruné's article about the origins of Spanish classical guitars to have an idea about the average action at the time
Of course the guitars are in the book we are discussing (yes 1912 M. Ramirez). In fact I realize, despite montoya and Segovia having Santos hands-on constructions, it is really MANUEL RAMIREZ, that was the main innovator, his name on the label of both. So what that he did not physically build these, they are his by design. I realize also Amalia Ramirez has an older flamenco negra in her collection, 1911 (again, M. Ramirez label, regardless who built it physically). There is one M. Ramirez in this Santos book where Santos having a hand in it is only conjecture. About action, I am just going on eyeball, and the recordings. High action period. Classical guitar enthusiasts almost never care about bridge height, only action over fingerboard, so it is rare to see these numbers (which triangulate to flamenco players to give true playability impressions before picking it up and trying it.) in printed guitar descriptions, even for sale. I could be wrong I admit, we need to see a ruler in the photo.
Anyway, it is amusing to me how I am savoring the photos in the book like they are exquisite beauties, however, most of these guitars are beat to hell. The photo of Montoya with Leona on the album has a guitar in nice condition, but it was obviously not cared for properly by the Zayas family with all those cracks and marks on the back, etc., horrible. One thing I am noticing is the variety in the supposed “Brazilian” Rosewood. Only one guitar is admitted Indian, however, I find it hard to believe people can actually tell all those woods are the same species (D. Nigra) without doing some tests under microscope. How can they tell for sure? Cypress and maple are very obvious, but the non-figured rosewood all looks like Indian to me.
_____________________________
CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
|
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jan. 11 2024 18:13:15
|
|
 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 |
0.078125 secs.
|
Printable Version
