Ramon Amira -> RE: What do you think of????? (Dec. 16 2009 7:47:06)
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With respect to Juan Martin's "fake Spanish accent," besides being a musician I was also an actor. As with all actors, one of the things I studied was foreign accents. Any given part may call for that, so you have to be able to do it. Also sometimes for commercials. There is nothing more difficult as an actor than putting on a fake accent and making it sound convincing. You only have to watch movies, TV, etc. to hear some dreadful fake accents. The first accent actors almost always learn is Spanish, because it is so widespread a language. I am American born, but of Spanish descent, and spoke fluent Spanish from the age of two or so. Still, naturally my English had no trace of any accent, so when I had to learn to put on a Spanish accent, even though I spoke Spanish, it was just as difficult for me to put on a Spanish accent, because Spanish was not my native language. So I am attuned to the nuances of accents, and I can generally tell a fake one from a real one, though you can never be entirely certain. I would only say that based on my experience, if Juan Martin's accent is fake, then he missed the boat – he should have gone on stage as an actor instead of musician. But apart from that the question would arise – if his accent is fake, why would he bother? As I can say from personal experience, learning an accent takes years of study, just as learning almost anything else does. Why go through all that – how does it help him? His skill as a flamenco guitarist speaks for itself – as does the quality of his instructional materials. Would it really make enough difference just to pass himself off as Spanish to go through all that rigamarole? Though entries in Wikipedia always have to be taken with a grain of salt, here is Wikipedia's entry on Juan Martin: Juan Martín From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Juan Cristóbal Martín (born 1948, Málaga) is a Spanish flamenco guitarist [1][2] and an author of flamenco guitar method books. · Career Martín started learning the guitar at the age of six. In his early twenties he moved to Madrid to study under Nino Ricardo and Paco de Lucía[3].He played in clubs in Málaga, Seville and Granada. One of his first recordings was "Picasso Portraits" (1981). Each section is a depiction of a painting by Pablo Picasso. Although it was not released until the 1990s, he recorded a track with Rory Gallagher in 1984 (on the album, Wheels Within Wheels). Also in 1984 his track "Love Theme from The Thorn Birds" reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart.[4] He recorded with Herbie Hancock in 1987 and has played on stage with Miles Davis.[5][6] After establishing himself amongst the Gitanos of Andalucia, Juan Martín released the successful 'El Arte Flamenco De La Guitarra' which was printed in both English and Spanish. It has been reprinted seven times in various languages. The book can be bought with or without an accompaniment cd. He divides his time between Málaga and London. One of his sons, Carlos, learned the guitar from an early age and has since experimented with fusions between electronica and flamenco under the alias of DJ Carlito,[7] specialising in drum and bass Martín has been voted one of the top three guitarists in the world in the magazine, Guitar Player. He has an English wife, Helen. They have a family business called Flamencovision.[8][9] This article claims that he studied with Paco de Lucia. If so, surely Paco would know if Juan Martin was actually English, and is putting on the world by passing himself off as Spanish, fake accent and all. Anything is possible - it just seems highly improbable.
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