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And # 12 will be a 12 minute dodecaphonic solea performed on the 12 fret. Dedicated to Stephen. It will end with the retrograde inversion of Cage's 4'33.
When I was hanging around Ed Freeman and his students in my youth, the star pupil was a kid from San Antonio named Richard (not Ricardo) Gamez.
Hi Richard, I thought his name was George Gamez, and actually Miguel Rodriguez whom I knew to be a great flamenco guitarist, reared in San Antonio, was a free spirited young man and is still playing guitar, while many of the rest of us have gone on to other vocations.
When I was hanging around Ed Freeman and his students in my youth, the star pupil was a kid from San Antonio named Richard (not Ricardo) Gamez.
Hi Richard, I thought his name was George Gamez, and actually Miguel Rodriguez whom I knew to be a great flamenco guitarist, reared in San Antonio, was a free spirited young man and is still playing guitar, while many of the rest of us have gone on to other vocations.
His right hand is really efficient. That's what I would like my right hand to be. Thanks for sharing the video.
When Miguel was about 12 years old, he caught up with me coming out of a local college gym after practice for a flamenco show coming up about week later, and he asked me to show him how to do a picado by keeping his hand still and working from the middle knuckle.
I took some time out and showed him, and the rest is history. He has gone past this player in technique a long time ago...
Thank you, profundo! I am glad you see slight improvement. I've tried everything to get that duende, but I can never ever get it in my life. Perhaps, drugs is the answer...
Thank you, profundo! I am glad you see slight improvement. I've tried everything to get that duende, but I can never ever get it in my life. Perhaps, drugs is the answer...
Во, это правильно Гриша -- русским явно тут нечего делать, точно надо ударить по наркотикам. ;)
Thank you, profundo! I am glad you see slight improvement. I've tried everything to get that duende, but I can never ever get it in my life. Perhaps, drugs is the answer...
Во, это правильно Гриша -- русским явно тут нечего делать, точно надо ударить по наркотикам. ;)
Grisha, You have plenty of duende. I admire you for being out there and open to criticism but not all criticism is the same. Those of us who have actually sat in front of you and have been present at a recital have felt a lot of communication, story-telling from your interpretations. This is true whether you are playing Sabicas, PdL, Barrios, Granados, Albèniz, etc. I'll be in touch soon about another recital for us. All the best, Dennis
And thank you for your words. In all honesty, I was being sarcastic and not self critiquing in my reply to profundo. I think it's a ridiculous thing to say to a person who really loves the music he plays with all his heart. Duende comes when you do something with love. It comes when you are hungry for the music and can't wait to perform! So all people who truly love flamenco have duende.
But it's also the easiest thing to say to an artist of any level. Even if you are incredibly good, people can say you have no duende. I heard it said about Gerardo Nunez - that he's all technique and no feeling, no duende. Yea, right! Things like that are not quantifiable so they are favorite easy things to use among people who want to put someone down.
you've got plenty of aire ..(do they even say duende anymore...for that matter do they even say aire anymore?)
Mark, they do, they do! When they want to put you down.
And you see, it's very easy because you can never disprove them! No matter what you do people who say you don't have it will always claim it! And if you ask them where exactly the duende and aire is lacking, they will say that you have to know it and feel it to understand. Something like that.
you've got plenty of aire ..(do they even say duende anymore...for that matter do they even say aire anymore?)
Mark, they do, they do! When they want to put you down.
And you see, it's very easy because you can never disprove them! No matter what you do people who say you don't have it will always claim it! And if you ask them where exactly the duende and aire is lacking, they will say that you have to know it and feel it to understand. Something like that.
Or, let's not forget the best evasive maneuver: "You're not Spanish, you wouldn't understand". :) I've gotten that one a couple of times.
Thank you, profundo! I am glad you see slight improvement. I've tried everything to get that duende, but I can never ever get it in my life. Perhaps, drugs is the answer...
Grisha, I like your playing a lot but the classical style of your right hand drives me crazy :-)
There are certain techniques in flamenco that bring on duende along with the silence in between the notes, and this can call out to the spirit of those who listen.
This can be compelling to those who are experiencing it, and there is no doubt a coming together as one in the experience, and drugs are not going to get you there. They give a false read in experience, as others have told me.
I've only experienced duende playing the guitar, twice in my life performing in a group, once in Moron and once in Dallas; both as a professional, and it was the real thing. We are always in control but sensitive to about how we are moved in the spirit.
Well that's easily solved...grow your hair out, put it in a ponytail and wear a crucifix..maybe some earings..and then start calling yourself El Grisha..you know, become a total gypsy poser and then you'll have "duende"
Daniel, that is super common, but only among Spanish people. Which are not that many.
Tom, thank you! My right hand sound is a personal choice, but I would like to include some rougher sounds (that I enjoy listening to on recordings) in my playing. I think it will enrich the overall expression.
Mark, that's a great advise! How come I never thought of that...
When I was hanging around Ed Freeman and his students in my youth, the star pupil was a kid from San Antonio named Richard (not Ricardo) Gamez.
Hi Richard, I thought his name was George Gamez,
Hmm, now that you mention it, I vaguely remember that Richard's father's name was George. But the guy around our age went by Richard, in Austin and Dallas at least.
Hey Tom, Miguel is a friend/colleague of mine here in Phoenix. He has outstanding technique and musical knowledge. When he played a new guitar of mine, he liked it and said it was like a "Blackshear guitar". This was just last year.
Grisha, I know you were joking, but it's not bad to hear a compliment anyway. In the nearly ten years since I first saw your videos, to my taste your interpration and playing gets better and better. I have your first CD, and again, the most recent videos blow it away (in my opinion). Your playing is elegant, expressive, and poignant. I showed them to a friend and he said "is there any doubt Grisha is the best nylon-string player in the world right now?" So--yes, we like it!
...although I heard the duende gremlins don't like pullovers... :)
perhaps you can learn some duende-faces from this guy
Yep. Start with exercises to strengthen the neck muscles, and learn to breathe through your mouth. Study videos of Diego del Gastor. Do plenty drugs. And for God's sake, slow down so the duende can catch up!
When I was hanging around Ed Freeman and his students in my youth, the star pupil was a kid from San Antonio named Richard (not Ricardo) Gamez.
Hi Richard, I thought his name was George Gamez,
Hmm, now that you mention it, I vaguely remember that Richard's father's name was George. But the guy around our age went by Richard, in Austin and Dallas at least.
RNJ
Richard, I don't know how old you are but George was a little older than me and I'm 71 years old. And I knew him as George. And if George had a son, I wouldn't know him, as George was Freeman's student. But I've got a call for Jerry Lobdill in Fort Worth to see what the name was when we were taking lessons from Mr Freeman. Jerry is a few years older than me, about the same age as George, so he should know the name.
Hey Tom, Miguel is a friend/colleague of mine here in Phoenix. He has outstanding technique and musical knowledge. When he played a new guitar of mine, he liked it and said it was like a "Blackshear guitar". This was just last year.
Thank you for the news but Miguel hasn't seen my guitars for the past 10 years that I know of, and I've learned quite a bit about fine-tuning since then, with different models I'm building.
Please give Miguel my warm regards.
Peter Baime just said to a colleague of mine that the Spanish guitar made in Spain with my design and fine tuned by me was incredible. But this reference is not published yet.
When I was hanging around Ed Freeman and his students in my youth, the star pupil was a kid from San Antonio named Richard (not Ricardo) Gamez.
Hi Richard, I thought his name was George Gamez,
Hmm, now that you mention it, I vaguely remember that Richard's father's name was George. But the guy around our age went by Richard, in Austin and Dallas at least.
RNJ
Richard, I don't know how old you are but George was a little older than me and I'm 71 years old. And I knew him as George. And if George had a son, I wouldn't know him, as George was Freeman's student. But I've got a call for Jerry Lobdill in Fort Worth to see what the name was when we were taking lessons from Mr Freeman. Jerry is a few years older than me, about the same age as George, so he should know the name.
I'm 75, I think Jerry is around the same age. We're talking about the same guy, but by different names. Maybe he was George--it 's beginning to sound familiar, and it's been a been a while, more than 50 years. But I remember the confusion about "Niño Ricardo" playing in Austin.
Or, let's not forget the best evasive maneuver: "You're not Spanish, you wouldn't understand". :) I've gotten that one a couple of times.
Man, isn't that the truth, I remember back to 1965 when Paco del Gastor and I were walking to see a movie in downtown Madrid and he asked me, 'Your mother is Spanish, I said no Paco, my mother isn't Spanish, then he asked me if my grandmother was Spanish......And then he remarked that I couldn't play flamenco like that unless I had Spanish blood. I think we saw the old 1950's black and white movie, "The Detective" with Kirk Douglas.
perhaps you can learn some duende-faces from this guy
Diego de Moron was a little slow in 1965 when I met him in Moron. I don't know if it was a disease or something else that might have effected him.
Anyway, I respect his knowledge of the Gitano rhythms.
The first day we met he showed me some intriguing Soleares falsettas and I played them back to him in the same style. I think it freaked him out but I meant no disrespect. But this goes to show us that anyone can learn these styles if there is enough love for it.
I'm 75, I think Jerry is around the same age. We're talking about the same guy, but by different names. Maybe he was George--it 's beginning to sound familiar, and it's been a been a while, more than 50 years. But I remember the confusion about "Niño Ricardo" playing in Austin.
Tell Jerry I said "Hello".
Richard, Jerry sends you his best and fondest memories, and considers you to be an absolute genius in math, etc. George's name is his correct name but he went by his stage name as Ricardo for many years. He is out in California now, still playing guitar on the side, but had switched his vocation from psychiatry to being a Lawyer at the age of 71, which was 4 years ago.
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