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RK86Now -> RE: Dennis Koster (Nov. 11 2019 15:52:21)
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I’ve seen Dennis Koster perform in a small hall on the upper west side in NYC in May of 2005. At the time I had not seen anyone play flamenco style guitar before and I was impressed. A week later I was at another show at the same place, and Dennis came in and sat at my table. Before the show, I told him I saw his show and that I had both of his Keys books, and asked him how one can learn rasgueado, and he showed me. On top of a table he placed his hand facing down and one by one flicking his fingers off the table top. It cost me nothing and he was kind enough to speak to a fellow guitar player and help.
I’ve had both Keys books since 2000, when his publisher gave them to me and the company I was working for at a NAMM show. I’ve worked out many of the examples, but never fully grasped the techniques. Since then I’ve bought his Alfred book and many other books from other authors, and have tried flamenco guitar from about 2005 to 2009. I’ve been playing electric guitar since 1981. Now in 2019 I’m back to fully studying flamenco. Dennis’ books are great. The examples are great with simple to follow instructions, and the CD help immensely.
I’ve seen many flamenco shows in NYC with singers, dancers and guitar players. Mostly great performers and experience. But what Dennis has that these performers don’t, he’s got a great sound/tone and incredible technique. Most of the performers I seen play cheap Yamaha thin body acoustic electric guitars with a cutaway, and to my utmost disgust sometimes they add chorus and/or reverb fx. Cheap disgusting sounds. Listen to Dennis and you’ll hear a full sound. He’s playing the guitar. No accompaniment. All guitar. If you say he has no “aire” well that’s your opinion. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. But I don’t think you can take away from a man who has dedicated his existence to the guitar and succeeded. He’s a professional. He’s at a level where he could charge $200 for 20 minutes for all the knowledge he has.
Unfortunately, what we have here is, like in any other case in life, a possibility of jealousy. I wonder how the “so called real” Flamenco payers with “aire” would fair in comparison to Dennis if they were forced to perform sober and alone without singers, dancers, cajon players, and drunk audiences. I wonder how their cheap Yamaha acoustic electric guitars with cutaways would fair next to Dennis’ real classical guitar. Let’s get real people. They would be naked and they would fail. My suggestion to you my fellow guitar players is that you should be lucky enough to be playing the guitar. Think Frank Zappa “Shut Up and Play Your Guitar”.
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