estebanana -> RE: I'm kind of over solo guitar (Mar. 23 2016 0:47:07)
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Grisha, You're a fine guitar player, top end of the spectrum. But you exist in an in between space and that causes you headaches. In Spain all the big soloists who are flamenco grew up playing accompaniment, the list of solo players who made a living doing accompaniment is a who's who list of artists, beginning with Paco de Lucia. None of us non Spanish who are guitar players really grew up hearing cante or watched older players accompany, it is hard for us and in Spain is is expected that a soloist will accompany or is a master of playing for singers. Even non Spanish afcionados tend to judge solo players on this skill basis and that is why there are comments that give friction. Even if you had grown up and were a leader in accompaniment as you are in classical playing, musicianship and interpretation of flamenco set pieces by past masters, you would still have a similar headache because some afcionandos would complain you don't accompany the way they like. For example an older afcionado might say "Today's younger players can play for cante like Juan Habichulela" and a group of dance students would say we have no use for Juan Habichuela because that archaic stuff does not fit modern choreography." It goes on and on and on and half of it is just dogmatic talking out of ones butt. Abraham Lincoln said you can't make all the people happy all the time, if he had been a flamenco aficionado or accompanist he might have said, "You can't make anyone happy ever, and everyone is a stubborn jerk who want is their own way all the time." I've heard guitar player tell dancers " Hey look babe, I'm not a radio sitting here for you to twittle knobs on while you figure out if this is in compas." It's all fraught with struggle and people who wish you could be a mind reader. Solo players are in some respects liberated from that hive mentality and it is a advantage, it allows you to focus on your playing and not worry if you are going to get tangled up in some manton drama. The other end of that is aficionados say those solo players who did not grow up accompanying baile and cante are getting off Scott free! They don't take responsibility for being a flamenco player in the sense that you can handle ensemble playing. Here is an analogy- A person is really good at playing Theorbo, right, the long necked lute from the time of Monteverdi. What if a guy could play all the solo literature for theorbo, like Girolamo Kapsberger's music, *which I tend to think is very nice and often flamenco reminiscent* the guy can totally shred. he got it all from Robert de Visee back to late 16th century Italian music. Then someone says to the theorbist, "Can you play continuo? " What happens when he answers back? If he say yes they might want him to play in a band and he'll have to play to fit the ensemble, if he says no, then there is a set up for friction between continuo players a non continuo players. It is the same old thing. And fretted string players always have had the same situation through out history. Since fretted instrument can accompany themselves so to speak they don't need a band, yet they also fit into bands as an intrinsic part of the sonikete. The fact of the matter is, if you play a fretted instrument you are *f-knje-ucked because the age old dichotomy arises in every genre, including flamenco. The silver lining of this cloudy friction is that for you, granted there is time your schedule, there are options. Number one is that you can go hang out with Uncle Jason and he will show you everything you ever wanted to know about dancers toes and singers' frilly scarves. And, and the beautiful thing about it is that if you did go hang with Uncle Jason anything you two guys cook up musically will be a commercial slam dunk to sell tickets to a show at some venue like Yerba Buena Center. You should not feel bad, but think about this, aficionados are like children that need attention, they all want ice creams and hamburgers and they want special flavors. Each kid wants a different flavor. One way to make all the kids happy is to say "Ok kids get in the mini van we are going to up to Oakland to visit Uncle Jason and go to the park for the day!" Then all the kids say !Yeah daddy! !Solo guitar daddy! Then you play the show and all the noisy self interested aficionado kids take the afternoon nap and you and Jason have a beer.
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