VARIOUS MUSIC RELATED ARTICLES

UPDATES AT TOP --

 Software Program Designed to Spot Musical Hits
Thu Mar 13 2003

LONDON (Reuters) - Picking the next worldwide hit song could soon be as easy as running a software program.

Hit Song Science, or HSS, software developed by Barcelona-based company Polyphonic HMI, is designed to spot the hits before they are released. The company says it picked out Norah Jones (news) for stardom months before her debut album garnered eight Grammy awards.

"The HSS software looks for songs that match the musical traits of known hits," according to New Scientist magazine.

It identifies characteristics such as melody, harmony, beat variation, tempo, rhythm and pitch that send songs to the top of the charts.

dec2002/jan2003?

By ADRIAN SAINZ, Associated Press Writer
Maurice Gibb of Legendary Bee Gees Dies
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Maurice Gibb, who with his brothers built the Bee Gees into a disco sensation that ruled the charts in the late '70s with hits like "Stayin' Alive" and "More Than a Woman," died Sunday at the age of 53.
The brothers had nine No. 1 songs, wrote dozens of hits for other artists, and sold more than 110 million records — placing them fifth in pop history behind Elvis Presley (news), the Beatles, Michael Jackson (news) and Paul McCartney (news).
Their 1977 contributions to the "Saturday Night Fever" album made it the best selling movie soundtrack ever with more than 40 million copies sold. Among their disco hits on the album: "Stayin' Alive," "More Than a Woman," "How Deep Is Your Love," and "Night Fever."
Their younger brother, Andy, who had a successful solo career, died in 1988 at age 30 from a heart ailment.

The Beatles Rubber Soul was selected as the number one album of all time by VH1 - Jan 20, 2001

;  Musicians Face Doubled Risk of Back Pain: Study

  BERLIN (Reuters Health) - Classical musicians are twice as likely to suffer from serious backache as
                               other professionals, with 70% having spinal problems, according to the results of a new study
                               conducted in Germany.

                               More than 3,000 musicians from 40 orchestras around the country were interviewed for the research,
                               conducted by the Orthopaedic Research Institute in Muenster.

                               ``Professional musicians very often suffer from pain and limited movements in the shoulder and neck
                               regions,'' said Martin Friedrich Hein of the institute. ``Strings players are the worst affected.''

                               Another study author, Joachim Wessing of the Institute for Manual Therapy in Muenster, said the
                               demands musicians make on their bodies are similar to the stresses endured by top level athletes.

                               The study findings prompted the two institutes to launch an effort to develop preventive guidelines and
                               instrument-specific relaxation and exercise programs.

Angelo uses the term pop music in its correct meaning of folk music. Instead he refers to 'pop' music as commercial or consumer music. We've had many good, original, intelligent melodies in songs, operas, etc. Commercial music can hardly be good. Some are, Beatles, etc., and some have very good arrangements/orchestrations like Frank Sinatra...  the division between classical and pop is almost stupid. Within a given kind of music there is good and bad. After 2nd World War a large number of composers tried to write good songs to earn money and feed a family but they all failed. It takes a certain kind of ability to write a good song - Stravisnsky couldn't, Barrios could. Forgotton Songs is good, old, melodies...

"Making music is a personal thing - depends on my life. I've never thought of writing a pop song but if my life takes a certain direction why not? I am not opposed to anything. "

These are notes from a conversation about phrasing with Angelo Gilardino a long time ago:
 

In each musical expression we have movements of energy: accumulation, retain, release. In every movement of melody (or counterpoint / harmony) we have to individuate and understand how the energy goes, it may have one ore more peaks. In popular music or classical music derived from popular there's usually one peak at the center: the easiest form. But a peak can be in the beginning or the end of the phrase....  Manneristic players apply the same shape to each phrase whether it is appropriate or not.

Because squeaks are blended with notes it's almost impossible to get rid of
them completely. If there is a loud one you can take it out but not 100%.

Anyway it's best to use older strings for recording. Some people change
their basses on the same day...... I went through a lot of pain
experimenting and finally agree with those recording artists who recommended
ikder strings. But don't underestimate trbles - old scratchy trebels can
kill you - I prefer pre-stretched new trebles and old basses for recording.

Regards
Reza

I have always been surprised of how much money guitarists throw away with
changing basses so often.
New bass is rather noisy, it's an evidence, and they shouldn't be used for a
recording session. To use sandpaper on them is a way of speeding their use:
if you need, because a bass breaks and tomorrow you have to record, sand it.
Before and after a session of study, wash your hands: this will make longer
the life of strings. A string should be changed when: 1) it breaks 2) it
goes out of tone 3) it does no longer produce an acceptable tone. In the
first two cases, no question. In the third one, before throwing the string
away, make sure that it is not dead, but just dirty. Wash it (water and
soap), dry it and then try it: often, it sounds perfectly, with no noise and
with a good tone.
Ciao.

(also to put ear near the soundhole and play open string to see if the string creates harmonics.
Important to clean string after playing and wash hands before......)

This happens because the portion of the 6th string running between the 3rd
fret and the capotasto
if plucked gives a B, the same note you fret on the 3rd string. It  happens
because the 1st and 2nd frets on the 6th strings do not
enter in touch with the string enough to keep it firm in the portion that
should not vibrate at all. Change your frets and the buzz will fade out.

Ciao.
AG

13DEC
Zigante, a very experience recording artist said old basses in recording session are OK.

6DEC99
He changes his strings sometimes between recording sessions (3 hours before). Doesn't care about LH squeek - and prefers the legato to jumping to avoid squeeks. He doesn't like studio strings cause they sound damp.

1) what you say here goes to show:
a) how stupid competitions are
b) how difficult the guitar is - even the best can have "bad days"...

.... to say, he should pull his records out of the market, is not fair because IMHO he's made some of the most beautiful guitar records anyone's ever made.
Regards,
Reza

>In reference to Parkening - I meant "makes you cry" - from beauty.
>
I agree 100%, Reza.  He's one of my CG "heroes".  (Pepe Romero is the
other.)  I saw Parkening in concert last March and was awe-struck.  My
wife described it as a "religious experience" for me.

I attended church service with him a couple of years ago. Afterwards, I think it was his brother-in-law who told me how much of a hard-worker Chris is (or had been)  "I'd ask him to go to baseball game and he'd always say, no, I have to work (guitar)"....

Anyway, a great person, very kind man, etc., and he has a very kind wife too - oops, I forgot, a very nice secretary!
Regards,
Reza -

Jason Villarreal wrote in message <19991104014306.10725.00000818@ng-cl1.aol.com>...
>I have recently stumbled onto Parkening's recording, The Artistry of
>Christopher Parkening and I think it is fabulous!  I would like to know what
>others feel about Parkening's work.  Thanks.
>
>jv
>Of course it's hard, if it wasn't hard everyone would be able to do it.  The
>hard is what makes it great.

Both. An ability that is not inborn can be earned. An ability which is
inborn can be developped. There are no exercises for earning imagination,
but abilities can be achieved. For this, we need to know well ourselves and
to device the most efficient exercises: these may change a lot from person
to person. An exercise that is very useful for a student may cause damages
to another one...

I think there are too many discussions about technique, how to win over
difficulties, how to play fast and powerfully, but all of these discussions
are very far from the core of the problem. We need more thinking and not
less doing, but doing only after thinking.

Ciao.

AG
 
 

- Talking to the master was so refreshing. "I was never a very hard worker in my
hands, I was a hard worker in my mind - as I am now too - repeating the piece in
my mind on the train, etc. - never played more than 4-5 hours a day, but never
measured time." "You walk because you need to get there, you don't practice
walking. You eat, you don't practice eating.... In the same way, once you reach
certain technical maturity, you don't need to practice technique .... I played
pieces and when I had a problem I'd devise a technical practice"

---------------------

Richard point is interesting - specially the last paragraph. I know you're
extremely busy these days maestro but would you care to comment on the
following?

From: Richard Childress <rchldrss@io.com>
>This is an interesting thread to me because this is a subject I'm
>currently struggling with.  I'm an electrical engineer by training and
>trade and am currently vice president of a consulting engineering firm
>- in short, very left-brain oriented.  My natural tendency in CG work
>is to focus on the technique and I (with my teacher's help) have to
>keep reminding myself to pay attention to the music.  This is a
>struggle because I appreciate the musicality and can "hear" it
>mentally in a piece, at least when I'm not trying to play it, but I
>have trouble getting it from my brain through the nurons and muscles
>to my fingers when I am playing.  Blue mentioned a lesson in which the
>teacher said she played the notes correctly but the music wasn't
>coming through.  My teacher has made similar comments to me.
>
>I'd be interested in hearing how others have overcome this obstacle.
>I've even wondered if this is an ability that can be learned or if you
>just have to be born with it - either you have it or you don't.
>
>Richard

Just as the face of a person, or their hands, or body language tells you about the person, an interpreter's music - whether live or on record, reveals what the other person is. It's quite strange how this happens. Of course, what I "see" may be distorted by my prejudices and conditionings (which I attempt to attend to and so be free of), nevertheless, I see through the performer into the depths of their being. So, warmth of sound by itself does not mean anything, nor does playing a phrase "right" according to the professor. And where does musicality come into the picture - inner beauty is not sufficient by itself. Lack of musicality should not be viewed as inner poverty, but having musicality is an inner treasure. Take Parkening for example - some of his works make you cry. I have over 60 guitar CD's and most of them I could only listen to a couple of times. I guess what I am trying to say is that I sense a relationship, a strong correlation between musicality, and what one has been and is. I am repeatedly turned off by guitarists who are technically great, or have great tone, or have a big name, but they don't strike a deep chord in me - very rarely..... I am not claiming to be able to do it better... just some rambling.....
Regards,
Reza -

99 out of 100 times people do not mind if you play good music. I've had a couple of cases that people argue with the conductor saying: no, we like it. But cultures are different too. I must have played for thousnds of people in the trains/buses (not for them, for myself, but they listened, I did not do it for money or attention). I say thousands, because about 2000 of them gave me their addresses. Only a couple of handful have every complained, and I'm sorry to say, Americans were among them. And also other street musicians have told me
Americans are the worst in paying street musicians. It's not part of the culture perhaps. In Europe, kids are given coins by their parents to give to musicians. But then again, at least where I lived, in Calif, there are not many sidewalks with people on them for there to be any street musicians. There are plenty of
cars though. And the places where people walk are fluded with musicians and sorry to say many of them are homeless. Europe is a different ball game. Musicians have more respect.

Regards,
Reza -

>On Sun, 31 Oct 1999, Reza The Guitarman wrote:
 

>I always practice guitar while in the trains...
>They often thank the guitarist for the relaxing effect, and
>sometimes even pay money without him even asking...
>Good for you, but I always wanted to think of guitar as something more
>than a relaxing instrument.
 

>>"Reza The Guitarman" wrote:
>> You're right, it is. Last night I got surrounded by 8, 14 year old girls in the
>> train - and boy, the music was as energetic as you can imagin this group being.
>> And a lady the other night changed her from the other end of the wagon to next
>> to me "I wanted to know who it was... it sounded like something special". And it
>> was a delight getting complements on Giuliani Opus 15, in the bus, from 2, 16
>> year old twins with fuzzy Reggea hats!
>
 

>>Danny Chrastina wrote in message ...
> This is interesting. I've often been on trains with my guitar and
>wondered if it would be bad manners to play. I suppose as long as you
>don't practice the same bar/section/piece over and over ad agitarium it
>can't be worse than the musak you get on cross-Channel Ferries.

Bob, you spoke my mind - I was too shy to say it - but for some reason -
specially in this wonderfully silly,wise,happy mood you bring to the newsgroup -
Capos remind me of condoms!

I do like playing some classical tunes higher - they sound wonderful - but I
hate open string sound of capos - and unwanted children!

I use capos occasionally on steel string for transposing to help singing in
easier key - but even then, I prefer to do without them because they're not
always there - I don't need any crutches in life to depend on - but as a tool
it's sometimes useful.
Regards,
Reza -

>Not to be too nitpicky, but isn't Romanza ("Romance" by anonymous, page 197)
>in Noad's Solo Guitar Playing I.  I think that a dedicated beginner with a
>teacher can learn to play it in less than a "year or three" (unless there's
>a version that I haven't seen).  But I agree that it is too difficult for a
>beginner of less than 6 months experience.  That's when my teacher
>introduced it to me and I can play it rather effortlessly while playing for
>only 16 months to date.
 

I play the last measures of the major section with a slightly different
bass/harmony. Anyway, to play this piece really clean and clear and all, is
quite a challenge - but then again who said guitar is an easy instrument? It
depends on how you pay it...

Noone's played the Romance more than I these last few weeks as I'm recording it
duo with 7 different instruments (if interested in hearing my upcoming CD, send
me a message).
Regards,
Reza -

> Kent is right. Romanza is NOT an easy piece AT ALL - to play well. The first
> piece is the last piece...

I gotta agree with Doug, Reza, and Luteronomy. "Thou shalt not playest Romanza
as a neophyte, lest thy tempt the hands of the gods of wrath, and they smote
thee with afflictions of smitten fingers."

Bob Ashley wrote in message ...
>On Sat, 30 Oct 1999, Jose Jimmenez wrote:
>
>> I am curious about the process of development as a musician
>> and guitarist toward the ultimate goal of virtuosity.
>> What skills do most classical guitar players have after
>> studying the guitar for 5 years i.e. scale speed,
>> arpeggios,sight reading ability, ect... ?
>
>What is impulse driving this question? As framed, it is unanswerable. Is
>it posed to help shape a personal plan?

I also feel uncomfortable with this question.....it's got too much "achivement", and as FM Alexander put it (I am sure Bob knows this) "End Gaining". And comparison. I think I am over-reacting. But in a way, it doesn't matter how fast of a scale you can play. Can you play music that you enjoy? and secondly, if it's your nature to go farther, can you play music that others enjoy? What's important also, is culture. Your whole life effects the music...

>> Lastly, what are most virtuosi capable of doing on the
>> classical guitar technique-wise...?
>
>What can we offer in answer to this deep-probing question? Like, what is
>the African lion capable of doing, 'prey-wise'? Like, what is a fire
>capable of doing 'burn-wise'? Perhaps a negative thrown into your question
>might render it more appropriate to its task, that is, 'What are most
>virtuosi NOT capable of doing...technique-wise'.

:-)
Bravo Professor Rib. (since others have titles here, I nominate Rib as a Professor).
>
>Arriving in clearer water we may now wade in safety and surety about our
>answers. For instance, remember Quick-Draw-McGraw, that equine sheriff and
>his sidekick Bobbalouie? Well, Quick-Draw's 'El-Kabong' move, the swift
>swat with his three-string guitar, is something most virtuosi are utterly
>incapable of mastering. In fact, most are self-righteously indignant vis a
>vis the 'El-Kabong' move. The snobbery is quite comical, really. They
>can't do it though.

or Master Rib (master of humour).
Regards, Reza.

So, the fair amount of $ 200.000 recently asked by one of the composers
mentioned by Lavinia to an astonished guitarist who asked about the cost of
commissioning to him (the composer) a Concerto for guitar and orchestra, is
perhaps actually more expensive than the  $1.000.000 that had to be payed to
a London art gallery representing the painter Francis Bacon, for buying a
work of his (when he was alive, now of course his prices have no borders).
The owner of a Bacon work can sell it for more than he payed, but what has
in his hand for selling a guitarist who pays a famous composer for writing a
Concerto for him?

From the other side, how does a composer get his incomes? He has mainly
three sources: 1) the commissions: 2) the royalties coming from performances
and recordings; 3) the royalties coming from the sell of paper (printed
scores). With the diffusion of photocopying practice, the last voice has
been drastically reduced in the last 20 years, and it was anyway the minor
source. A composer who has faith in the value of his works prefers having
the scores of his music to be given freely to serious performers, because
having a work featured in an important concert is more rewarding than
selling 100 copies of its score. The royalties coming from performances and
recordings are collected with very slow and unreliable passages: if a piece
of yours is featured in a concert in your own country, you will have a good
chance to get the royalties within one year or so, but for all the rest of
the world two, three, four years of delay are a rule. In fact, when somebody
play a piece of mine - for instance - in Corea, how can the Corean society
which collects the royalties to know that AG is an Italian composer
registered in the Italian Performing Right Society and not a Spanish
composer registered in the one of the USA Societies? Is there a universal
database of the composers? The answer is obviously no, and then it is easy
to image how many times the money payed for a piece of yours performed far
away will dissolve in the air without reaching your bank account. Then
accepting commissions is sooner or later unavoidable for a composer
survival, but this coin has two faces of course: firstly, you will have to
write music for instrument(s) that may not inspire you, second the
performances coming from that piece will be reduced by the exclusivity and
likely by the peculiarities of the commission. I have gladly finished a
Sonata for bassoon and guitar which I wrote after a commission: who will
play it on earth, besides the two kind boys who commissioned it? And how can
I get the courage of carrying a hard fee on two young, nice musicians at the
beginning of their career? So, I spent three months writing a work for
pleasure...Why not?

This is why there are few people in the world who can survive upon their
incomes as composers. Each of them is a composer and...(a teacher, a
conductor, a performer, an editor, and also other, less musical jobs).

Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya payed a famous composer for a Concerto that
he never wrote, then he died. Their fee was never given back to them.

Angelo Gilardino
Composer and Editor
The Artistic Director
of the "Andrés Segovia" Foundation
of Spain

Alan Carruth

> -----Messaggio originale-----
> Da: Ronald Pearl [mailto:rpearl@loyola.edu]
> Inviato: venerdì 22 ottobre 1999 20.09
> A: cguitar-list@eskimo.com
> Oggetto: Re: Why Am I seeing the same programs over and over again?
>
>
> Hi,
> I thought I'd weigh in, or, given the topic, wade in...
> Part of the problem is terminology. Many claim not to enjoy
> "modern music" (and it is certainly one's right); from a
> practical standpoint, though, the term is meaningless. The
> differences between Babbitt and Part, or Xenakis and Reich, are
> enormous. The fact that they are all composers of the 20th
> century is an accident of numbers, not of style. We must avoid
> being caught in the trap of terms, lest we miss some great works.

Good point, Dr. Pearl. I am simply astonished to read that somebody refuses
to attend concerts where 20th century music is featured because of the
difficulties that may occur with listening only to a part of it (the works
of the authors connected with the two avantgardes and the Darmstadt first
epoque). How to explain to them that it is much easier to approach the
violin concerto by Aram Kachaturian the the Brahms' one? That Ravel piano
concerto in G can be caught at first listening more immediately and directly
that Schumann's piano Concerto, that - let us come closer to us - that
Ligeti's "Lux aeterna", when offered not in a concert, but as a film music,
is appreciated by everybody and it is anyway much "easier" than a Romantic
symphonic poem? Only the 25% of the 20th century music is "difficult", and I
dare to say that often this difficulty comes mainly from the fact that the
works in question are not very good ones...Also, and not secondarily, I
notice that the persistence of this prejudice against modern and
contemporary music (as it were a compact block) leads many listeners,
especially among guitarists (people who are also often competent performers,
technically speaking) toward accepting and celebrating guitar pieces that
are evidently the work of colleagues who never ventured into the study of
composition, and who write their pieces just by experimenting sounds and
combinations on fingerboard. Music, let us say openly the truth, that is,
looks and sounds amateurish from its square, and that suggests the most
hilarious comments to concert reviewers, with damages reflected upon the
whole guitar community. Guitarists can offer in their program music and
records which not only is "contemporary" because contemporary is the
television, but which never a pianist, a string quartet or a conductor would
take seriously, let alone featuring in a concert...
 

> As someone who has recorded works by living composers, and seen
> the relative disinterest such an action generates, it is indeed
> depressing. However, we play what we love. We cannot play under
> contract or obligation of what we think an audience might enjoy,
> nor can we set out to educate them. We can't move a listener
> unless we ourselves are moved. For some that means playing the
> standard repertoire - if this is the music that speaks to you,
> then play it; for others (and I include myself) it means, at
> times, playing works that have no immediate name recognition.
> The real key to greater acceptance is the medium of radio; it is
> the gateway for most listeners. A few years ago the BBC
> championed Gorecki's 3rd Symphony. At the time Gorecki was not a
> household name in the music world; with time and exposure,
> however, the work rose to the top of the Pop(!) charts.
> There are many, many fine composers currently working - and I
> include Angelo Gilardino - our duty, if this is the music we
> love, is to play it. The consequences/rewards will sort themselves out.
> As a performer all we can ask for is   a willing heart and an open ear.
> Sorry this took so long.

The fact that the category of guitarists of which you are a distinguished
exponent exists, is for sure more important and more healthy for the present
and the future of guitar (and not only guitar)  music than the activity
(recitals and recordings) of most of the commercial guitar stars. Good
interpreters who can play at a high standard all the existing repertoire and
who are sensitive and well informed toward contemporary guitar music make a
powerful bridge between the composers and the listeners (those who have a
good and unprejudiced will) and provide an essential breath to the life and
the work of the composers. One who devotes a life to composing music for and
with guitar cannot survive if compelled to a humiliating silence. He/she can
accept as a sign of our times the fact that amateurish music gets a cheap
celebration among guitarists - what does it matter, after all? -  because
he/she knows that a serious, deep, creative approach to composing will never
turn into a current popularity, but he/she cannot give up with a fame: fame
is less widely spread around than popularity, it is created and supported by
fewer but much more valuable persons, and it earns that sort of respect,
devotion and care by which the category of  clever, sensitive interpreters
provide a composer with the elementary resources (both materially and
spiritually) for his/her survival and productive efforts. Thank Godness,
this category grows steadily up, despite the difficulties created by the
various sub-cultures all over the world, and it is very active. A creative
musician might feel sometimes among his purposes a need a giving shame to
the falling off humanity of our time...if there were not so many excellent
interpreters of his/her music in this world.

Angelo Gilardino
Composer and Editor
The Artistic Director
of the "Andrés Segovia" Foundation
of Spain

Matanya Ophee wrote in message <38112297.50601332@news2.ee.net>...
>most reliable authority that a guy like Mstislav Rostropovich gets a
>cool 100. He played here in two last month. Why do you think people
>are willing to shell out this kind of money? for the beauty of his
>face? for the fact that he kisses everybody within reach, Russian
>style three times? I say because of his musicianship.

It's true - I was surprised - and honored - when he kissed me 3 times.

As for DOT vs. no-DOT (again), I was dotted then dot-less now again dotted - since I heard some greats like Pepe have it - it helps - a little - but with this tough instrument every little bit helps.
Regards,
Reza -

I will always continue to lay it.

When women come and go ;) my guitar is allways true to me, no matter what
i`ll do.

--k
---------------------------------------
> I will always continue to lay it.

ehh, thats play it ;-)

oopsie

--k*
 

I`m new to this list so, hey.

I`m fifteen years old. Male, from a little place right outside of Bergen (Norway). I have played guitar for 5 years now. The first four years i played electric, but last yea I switched to the Classical guitar. The classical guitar is a much more beautiful instrument than the electric IMHO. 

--Kyrre

By the way, most versions I've heard use a wrong note towards the end of section 1 - a g instead of f# in I think 5th and 7th measure from end of section 1 (around the B bass) - I think it's so because of the convenienece - but it sounds much better with f# (5th string) and not difficult to finger.

Regards,
Reza -

I am back just to remind you that a hundred years ago -today- Recuerdos de
la Alhambra was first performed in public by don Francisco Tárrega Eixea
himself. For further details on this you can see the page
http://www.distrito.com/esperanto/tarreng.htm. I thought I could update it
on time for today, but I must confess I couldn't make it.
All the best from Spain,
Jesuo de las Heras, Murcia.
http://www.dragonfire.net/~Esperanto/sor.htm

Three months ago I visited an old villa here in Northern Italy, not
far from where I live. The lady who owns it allowed me to look at the
library, a big hall with ancient furniture and full of shelves with
books from Middle Age to XIXth century. I spent all the day reading
through the dusty yellow pages: philosophy, alchemy, astrology,
medicine, poetry...When the evening fell on the house, I realized that
the old building had no electrical energy, but I decided to go on for
a short while more with my reading - it is notorius that I can read
also with no light. He came at a moment and, sitting at the other side
of the hall, begun playing one of his favourite not flamenco pieces
(he knows a few only which are different from his hellish soleares).
"Is it you, Francisco?", I asked rhetorically, and then, without
expecting his answer, I added "Isn't Mikhail with you tonight?". "No,
he is completely drunk", he answered, "so for once and thank Godness I
will not have to repeat ten times each falseta because he wants to
write it down in his notebook". "But this Romance you play, where does
it come from?" "Well, one night Mikhail, not completely drunk, decided
that he can play guitar also, he grasped my instrument and begun
plucking strings in a dreadful way, and made me laughing, still I was
able to understand more or less what he was attempting to do, and I
immediately played it back for him in a decent way. Great, he said,
this is exactly what I had in my mind". "Then, Romance Anonimo is a
piece by Mikhail?" "No, he said that he listened to that melody when
he was a child and he lived with his aunt in the Caucasian region. He
just recalled it that night and wanted to play it on my guitar, with
adding some chords, and you know, since then I play it all the days
and also many other fellows guitarists have copied it from me and play
it, et tout cela fait une raclerie universelle". I did not point out
that he could also surprisingly speak some French and I went on: "But
do you know, Francisco, that after you passed away, Miguel Llobet,
Narciso Yepes and a lot of other players made it famous all over the
world as a Spanish Romance?" "Yes, I know, but it isn't Spanish, it is
Russian. It is a Russian song brought to Spain by Mikhail who taught
it to me, and then it was played by all Spanish guitarists. Llobet was
the first to write it on paper...By the way, have you a music sheet
and your pen?" "Yes, of course, I have always them with me". "Then I
will sing for you some other Romances". "Will you sing and not play?
Do you, Francisco Rodriguez el Murciano, the guitarist beloved by
Mikhail Glinka, visit me for singing and not for playing?" "I will
also play, I will play my Romance Anonimo, but while playing it I will
sing melodies that will make of Romance just an accompaniement. You
have to  write them down, I have been told by Mikhail that you are
very good with writing down the notes from sounds, almost as good as
him. Please, do not ask me to repeat, I have trust to sing these
melodies for you just once, so do not allow them to escape, otherwise
they will be lost". He sang them in a language that I never heard -
not Russian either, a completely unknown language, but the notes were
clear and I wrote them down whilst he was singing them. I noticed that
I wrote quicker than usual, so quick that I could hardly read what I
was writing. "Now, Francisco, what shall I do with them?" "It is a
gift for you" he said with compassion "You know, you usually write
such a tremendously countrapuntal music that we have decided to gift
you some melodies, so you will make your image as a composer a bit
sweeter to the world. Print them with your name, you need to be
appreciated also as a composer of melodies, not only for your tricky
black Concertos". "But I have notated the notes, not the lyrics, how
can I publish them?" "I can't teach you that language, it is not your
time yet for learning it, so set up the melodies for different
instruments - I know you can do this very quickly - and publish them
as they were duos with guitar. When you will join the company, I will
tell you who are the authors of the single melodies, seven different
composers who want to help you." "Tell me the epoques, at least" "They
are Romantic authors. Ciao". "But the copyright...Francisco, do not
fade out before instructing me about copyrights". No answer. The night
had covered the house and I felt I had to leave, otherwise the ink on
the paper would have disappeared in ten minutes".

-----

Angelo Gilardino: Canzoni Dimenticate, seven melodies upon a
Russian-Spanish Romance, respectively for viola and guitar, violin and
guitar, flute and guitar, mandolin and guitar, cello and guitar, oboe
and guitar, voice and guitar, have just been published.

Edizioni Musicali Bèrben are glad to offer a complimentary copy of the
score to the first 25 readers who will simply ask for it. The gift
includes also the mailing expenses, and the recipients will get the
music at home totally free of any charge.

Perhaps the ghost has visited Bèrben's managing director also.

Since now, I will receive the requests and forward them to the
Publisher.

----

PS The copyright has been registered by the Publisher. The melodies,
unlike Romance Anonimo, are protected.

----
Angelo Gilardino

On Mon, 11 Oct 1999 07:03:21 GMT, winter@net4u.it (Angelo Gilardino)
wrote:

Yesterday, a few hours after my posting the story  of the melodies
dictated
to me by the ghost of Francisco Rodriguez el Murciano upon "Romance
Anonimo", the 25 free copies of the score, kindly made available by
the
Publisher, had already been booked. A flow of requests followed during
all
the day, and I forwarded all the addresses to Edizioni Musicali Bèrben
with
a warm recommendation  to raise the number of the free copies. Ten
minutes
ago, the managing director of the company, Mr. Fabio Boccosi, called
me at
the phone and gave me the following three news, which I forward to the
list:

1) the number of free copies to offer for acknowledging all the
requests is
about 100;
2) all the these requests will be accepted, but the free copies will
be sent
to overseas by surface mail, and not by air mail;
3) the company has just given to the Italian guitar magazine "Guitart"
a
permission to include the score of the melodies on the next issue
(January
2000), as a gift for their readers: being this magazine read mostly in
Italy, those Italian guitarists who could not get the music from the
publisher with this round, will receive it with the magazine of which
they
are likely subscribers.

A few questions have been formulated by several readers, and I take
this
occasion to answer them for all:

a) of course the story is true; whether it is also real it does no
matter;
b) the melodies are seven, and each of them is written for one
(different)
instrument (viola, violin, flute, mandolin, cello, oboe, voice);
somebody
understood that it is the same melody set up in seven different ways
according to the instrument: no, each melody has been created by a
master of
the Romantic guitar music and dictated to me that night by the ghost
of
Francisco; somebody else understood that all the seven different
melodies
have been set up for each of the seven instrument, thus picking up a
collection of 49 pieces: obviously, it isn't like that, each melody
having
been properly conceived for the specifical voice of one instrument,
and it
is not available for transpositions;
c) "Romance anonimo" has to be played in the duos - as it is scored -
in
its usual setting, just with slight changes of tempo - faster or
slower -
according to each single melody;
d) I have published the melodies with my autorship because El Murciano
did
not tell me the names of those musicians who deviced the melodies as a
gift
for me from the Other World (he will do that when I will reach the
company),
thus I am legally the composer of these pieces. Tentatively, I have
entitled
each piece as a homage to the composer which could be, in my
detection, the
author of each of the songs: Luigi Mozzani, Johann Kaspar Mertz,
Francisco
Tarrega, Giulio Regondi, Antonio Jiménez Manjon, Napoléon Coste and
Teresa
de Rogatis. It would have been more fair of me to subtitle each piece
"Homage from..." instead of "Homage to...", but you know, I suspect
that
during the dictate I could also have slightly improved the melodies,
at such
a level that none of these masters has ever reached, and then I took
for me
a part of the glory.

Yours Sincerely,

Angelo Gilardino
Composer and Editor
The Artistic Director
of the "Andrés Segovia" Foundation
of Spain

>Shoot, sometimes I think about things that have NOTHING to do with music...
 

So in a way a concert is a meditation... as long as I am aware of what I am...how I feel, what I think, the intention behind counting mistakes, etc. etc... so a concert is not seperate from daily life... to listen all the time to inner and outer movement...self-knowledge...

Natural quietness (vs. forced) is necessary to really listen. If you look at a tree and say: it's a fig tree, I like figs - you're not really looking...

And a fact is that in the guitar world like the rest of our world there is competition which is comparison. Comparison requires measurement which I think can be pretty inaccurate in music... any way, I want no part of it, because otherwise it seems love goes out the window....

Regards,

Been going through them all to decide what pieces to learn in the future...

Chris's tracks are absolutely fantastic - I would never get tired of listening to them. Such wonderful sound, musicality, sensitivity, power... I truly love his playing. He was my first classical guitar influence when I bought his record from Santa Ana College's bookshop and would listen to it before falling sleep - I think the record that started with Rumeros De La Caleta. I think Capricho Arabe would make me cry of sensitivity.

His superiority becomes even more apparent as I you put his record next to 10's of others....

I believe it is a reflection of the light, love, vitality, and beauty inside him and his incredible ear and musicality.

Thank you!

Kind Regards
Reza Ganjavi
...

> A while back Lutemann posted the following line:
>
> every phrase has a contour of tension and release that must be brought out by
> the performer.
>
> I had a discussion on this with some good folks. It seems to us that
> this statement may be true for pop music or classical music as inspired
> by folk music, but in classical music it is not necessarily so -
> otherwise it'd be too easy. A phrase can be all accumulation of energy
> for example culminating at end of phrase...

And lest we forget, a phrase can also be headed by a preposition, such as
in the phrases, 'by a preposition' and 'in the phrases'.

This phrasal aspect of musicology has attracted only scant scholarly
attention, this being the most likely reason why Reza does not dwell on
it for long.
 

Regards,

Rib

This is why I don't like playing for guitarist groups. I feel common people really listen while a lot of guitarists just count the mistakes....... (nothing personal). If someone's counting I can not play as well - I need the listener to actively participate in the creation of the music by listening.
Regards,
Reza -

I agree with John. I'd maybe step things up a bit, say that perfection is
pathological. Quite a stupid goal, really, for fallible creatures to quest
after. For me, perfection is a form of paralysis, freezing me in place,
preventing me from doing a reasonable job at all, all for the sake that
reasonable ain't perfect. Nothing gets done. Perfectionists usually make
great procrastinators.

John, your long held opinion which aims for realizing expressive
potential above techinical perfection, to me, is long on good sense.
Regards,
Rib
-------------

>As John said some people like the concert player to talk between pieces... but
>it can also be argued that it interrupts the flow of the music/silence by
>bringing those damn words into silence again - but then again there's no diff
>b/w outer and inner words (noise of thought) and if there is total silence such
>words would not be a distraction. I've spoken b/w pieces and we like it - but
>are there people out there who thinks performer should not speak (assuming s/he
>can speak well).

Bravo Reza, you took the words right out of my mouth. When I go to a
concert, I go to listen to music. If I want to hear a standup comic
routine, I go elsewhere. The main problem with these speakers is most
of the time thay cannot speak well in public, and when they do, they
utter sometimes some of the worst bullshit I have ever heard. I have
written enough about this subject and I promise you this--next time I
hear in concert the crap about Legnani upstaging Paganini  and gets
upstaged in return with Paganini's Grand Sonata, I am going to get up,
scream bloody murder and leave.

I go to a lot of concerts. I never heard violinists and pianists
talking to the audience. You have something to say to me? say it with
music. The verbal content belongs in the program notes.

Matanya Ophee

(SteveDick) writes:
>Things got better for me when I stopped practicing and started rehearsing.
Exactly. I have a good friend who plays flawlessly, and he does nothing but record. Kent Murdick

An I am looking for a site from wehere I can download a free Jaguar,
the one with 12 cylinders...
Matanya Ophee

I concur with Kent.  As much as I admire Williams' technical skills, I am
simply not "moved" by his recordings, videos or concerts.  He truly is
stunning technically, but has nowhere near the evocative quality of Segovia
or Parkening.
Dave
> In article <37ccd2fd@news.datacomm.ch>, "Reza The Guitarman"
>>It doesn't matter. The point is if god comes down and says JW is awesome, I
>>know he's awesome and I enjoy some of his stuff, but I have heard too much soul-less stuff by him for my taste).

Lutemann <lutemann@aol.com> wrote in message
> He may be the best technician alive, but ther is not much music there.  If you
> believe (as I do) that every phrase has a contour of tension and release that
> must be brought out by the performer, then JW doesn't play at all.
>
> Kent Murdick

Why not try it?

Two out of the three fetuses showed a burst of brain activity in the temporal lobe when the music was played, while one
fetus moved around so much the researchers could not get a reading.

Although some studies have suggested that playing music during pregnancy can in some way benefit the fetus, the new study was not designed to answer such questions, Gowland noted.

John O'Brien
www.guitarist.com/obrien

Larry Deack wrote:

> >> Lord Byron wrote:    Thank you Jusak!  You strike me as being a very
> down-to-earth, practical sort of man, who speaks from the heart as all good
> men do.  You express yourself well and write with conviction.

>  JD wrote:    However, it's been nice to write to you.
>
> >> It is a pleasure for me also.
>
> Larry wrote:   Next thing you know we'll all be hugging each other and there
> goes RMCG's reputation as a flame war arena and some big name guitarists
> might be tempted to join us. <SG>

John Williams is a big rest stroke player, but in his case it often adds to his lack of musicallity.
Kent Murdick

A friend of mine is an excellent teacher and player. He has 42 guitar students in one town. "other instrument teachers have to travel from town to town to get 2 or 3 students". He agreed most are girls. "boys learn quicker but girls enjoy it more, they love the guitar - it is very popular, I don't know why - I don't know why they don't learn sax for example." He said the guitar will always survive because it's in every type of music. Why isn't it so well-accepted as a classical instrument in comparison to cello, violoin...? "It's not loud, it's difficult to transpose pieces as they're mostly written in a few keys..."

Reza

Hello,
I just hope my comments helped...it is hard to explan all these
things, as I learned lots of them on my own (after some experience
with flamenco, I started optimizing my technique, as the classical
technique becomes sloppy if not refined to fit the music to be played).

SNIP

My interests are varied, but I prefer compositions of Sabicas and
Paco De Lucia, as well as those by Albeniz, Tarrega, Barrios and Bach,
though many performing guitarists hate the
guts of the last four, because they are not fashonable, or "difficult"
enough in the modern sense (or so I was told by an avanguarde guitarist
who just finished his masters in Canada - his argument is that
EVERYBODY plays that stuff, and so he DOESNT).  But anyway,
nice talking to you,
KL

Reza

> It also seems that humidity has an audible effect.  If it has rained
> after a period of drought, this seems to improve the sound (no, I don't
> leave my guitar out in the rain).
>

I agree with Eric - I noticed the same few weeks ago, during very, very
humid weather (I think it was almost 100% with more than 30 degrees
centigrade) - however to me the guitar sounded darker, more responsive
in bass range.

Mislav

>

Is there a merit to sight reading new material just to improve sightreading skills (mine are not so great)? This is a complicated question in my mind, since many nice pieces are complicated and I need to work out the fingerings and "memorizing" them is a lot easier than everytime trying to tranfer the notes from eyes to the fingerboard. My theory is that perhaps if one keeps doing that, then eventually you can sightread complex things at ease... is that so? Is that something a non-john-williams type can achieve within a reasoable time? If so, then I can dedictate some time daily to just do (struggle) cold reading through new material, etc... Maybe I'm not being clear. Maybe I'm not asking a good question. Any feedback would be much appreciated.
Regards
Reza
---------------

Reminds me of:  ( home.dtc.ch/rezamusic/quote_music.html )

"If you don't have music inside, making it on the instrument is impossible - it's like speaking - if you have something to say you find the words, otherwise, there are no words that can assist you. Angelo Gilardino."

> Unfortunately CGist don't seem to think the music is all that important.
>Look at John Sloan, who didn't think that theory was all that important for
>him. He did say that he wasn't a professional and that he would advise
>students to take theory to see if it meant anything to them but the concept
>that the music is secondary to just playing all the notes is, sadly, very
>much a part of the CG world.

I see those as 2 different things - theory and music are different - as is theory and food - can't feed a hungry man theory!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Reza Ganjavi

After 4+ years of reading this group nearly daily, and posting when I
thought I could contribute, I've come to think of RMCG as a refuge --
a place to come to calm my nerves and immerse my brain into a 32 bit
utopia of guitariana.  It is part class room, part bar room, part
boxing ring, and part party -- a place where everyone shares a common
devotion:  the guitar.
...

When I played music for a living, my colleagues came in two
categories: those who could do something else besides music, and those
who couldn't.  In my considered opinion, those who could do something
else were usually better musicians and happier people.

I dunno. I watch the rec.music.makers.piano, a lurker, I am. Although I
have no empirical proof to counter what you're saying about the 'supposed'
superiority of pianistic training, my impression overall is that group has
just as many yahoo no-nothings, trained yahoos, as this one. Not only
that, I've been reading quite a few books on the art of playing the piano,
hoping for some productive cross-fertilization. These encounters with
piano pedagogy have reassured me that piano scholars and teachers are as
mixed up, as divisive, as archaic, as myth-prone as we are. Posters
arguing for the superior technical facilities of pianists, violins, and
what-not tend to make those pedagogical infrastructures appear unified,
scientifically more advanced, more sophisticated, as if *those* schools
have pretty much got it all figured out.

Mainly, though, all I got a sense of was a deeper and wider tradition
exerting mere brute power, perhaps seeming sometimes to promise formulaic
money-back-guarantee schemes for virtuosity. I found something usual in
everything I read. But I found no oracles also. I stray.

What never ceases to amaze me, though, is this deep-rooted inferiority
complex which seems to half-paralyze classical guitar culture. This topic
is just another of those recurrent reruns, just like the Segovian scales
thread. Isn't there a myth to cover self-flagellation? Up to a point I can
understand that there might be some strong historical rationale for it.

But, hey, the times, they are a' changing, wouldn't you say? For instance,
I just got my copy of Christopher Berg's _Mastering Guitar Technique_ in
the mail today. Tawdry, shoddy, backward is not at all what it appears to
be.
 

Regards,

Rib

Never quit.  I took 20 years off to raise my kids and teach
them, sing in choirs, sing in the church, learn to sight
read, listen to Miles for years and learn about silence.
When I came back...because the male musicians kept asking me
too I made a contribution to jazz in a geographic area of
the states that has not experienced much jazz.  A tough job.
I didn't really see it that way until we had brought a very
hungry audience some world class jazz. Don't ever quit.  But
don't think that if you don't make the big time it doesn't
count.  It all counts.  Keep practicing and keep playing.
Try to get paid for what you do.  No free gigs.  And be true
to the music. vox88

Do you want money or attention?

Most artists, including myself, care more about attention than money.
That's good, because there's no money in it anyway, even if you do
well. For me, publishing giveaways and a few for-sale things on
Internet fills the need, and it's a lot of fun.

If you want money, do something else: investment banking, dentistry,
own a car dealership, or be a high-paid Silicon Valley cube-dwelling
wage slave. Even if you publish and do well in the marketplace, you
still won't make enough to pay the rent.

                      If you're one of those people who are hypersensitive to noise, did you know that you are not alone
                      in this? Jourdain relates that loud noise made the infant Mozart sick and that Handel would not go
                      into a concert hall until after the instruments had been tuned. He tells us that the Germans have a
                      word for this hypersensitivity to sound-they call it, Horlust, meaning roughly "hearing passion," and
                      that "superior musical neurology may manifest itself as an excruciating sensitivity to sound." (p.
                      188)  (Music, the Brain & Ecstasy : How Music Captures Our Imagination by Robert Jourdain)
 

                      composers and performers. Did you know that Franz Liszt, the 19th century composer, pianist,
                      and conductor, saw colors in his mind's eye when he heard music? He experienced a "rare
                      phenomenon called color hearing, (in which) the senses become crossed and every musical sound
                      is shadowed by colorful, formless visual imagery. And so, Liszt would instruct an orchestra, 'Please
                      gentlemen, a little bluer if you please. This key demands it.'" (p. 326)

Dear Reza -

It has been so interesting reading these various messages about players and
luthiers. You must remember Parkening loves cedar tops because he plays
Ramirez guitars that only have cedar tops. The reason Jose Ramirez III
started using cedar is because he was unable to secure good quality spruce
tops. It was in the mid to late 1960s when the standard instruments began
being produced with cedar.

Cedar vs Spruce?  Both have their qualities - I would suggest Spruce.

John Grimes
Festival Director
La Guitarra California
www.vcnet.com/ray_sutton/cuesta.htm

<If you ever wondered where the term photocopy came from:
<taking a picture of the page ... developing the film, ...
<it was bloody expensive.

The process was Photostat(TM) and no film was used. (And in the
19th century and much of the 20th "photos" were made from
plates.) It was made directly on treated paper, and produced a
negative (white on black background). To make a positive (black
notes on white background), a Photostat(TM) was made of the
negative Photostat(TM).

Because silver was used in the process it indeed was "bloody
expensive" and that is why music copyists were often used
instead. Particularly in countries with a low per capita income,
their services were cheaper than Photostat(TM), if that process
were even available. Furthermore a score or parts made by a
professional copyist might even be better than the original.

J.E.D.
 

If you ever wondered where the term "photocopy" came from: this was a
process much in use already in the late 19th century: a simply
photographic process of copying, i.e., taking a picture of the page
with a camera, developing the film, and printing it in a dark room. It
was tedious and also bloody expensive. The other process was something
we all did: copying by hand, plain and simple. I still have my copy of
RdlA which I copied from Menashe Baquiche's copy  of the printed
edition. I did not yet know in this days that it is possible to use
notational abbreviations, so I copied _all_ the tremolo's 32nd, one by
one.

Marco de Santil, a great Italian guitarist told me you have to slow down and zoom on the notes where there's a problem. I used to be
a programmer. It's like debugging a program - you run the debugger and go step by step, and where there's a problem - you stop and
look. Attention is the key. Otherwise, as Pepe puts it, a sloppy guitarist. There are degrees of sloppiness. And the closer to 100%
you get the more attention it takes.
Regards,
Reza Ganjavi
Reply to: (remove the "nospam.")
 

You're right about studio manipulation of sound. I'm recording in a church which is the best "natural" sound I've found. All the
studio stuff can be heard on CD - of the masters too - and I don't like the chemical sounding quality.

John's statement about students playing too hard of pieces reminds me of a great teacher I had in London. He said the same thing,
that most students try to play pieces harder than their ability...

Cheers,
Reza
 

Regards W

Reza Ganjavi wrote:

>  John Lennon in their early Beatles days said in an interview he is aware of
> everything humming, vibrating. And Pete Townsend put it as: "I'm a vibration"!

  Aumn, lets see. Did you know that one of the manifestations of our creator is
a vibrant sound. The Buddhists identify with it through the nasal "aumn" chant.
Physicists describe remnants of the so-called "big bang" creation theory as a
vibratory sound permeating the universe, strongest towards ground zero. Ancient
Hebrews used 72 different names for God in the Old Testament, each with a unique
sound representing an aspect of the creator's manifestation. These included
Tetragrammaton, a name whose sounding was thought to bring about powerful
"resonance" in the orator. It sounds like you may be onto something.

Vivienne

This is truly not meant to be rude...

Reza has articulated the wisdom of Frank Zappa's advice:  "Shut up and
play yer guitar!"

I told my son this: when things bug you, don't rant, that just makes
it worse. Find whatever it is that floats your spiritual boat, and do
that. That makes it better.

(For me it's playing Bach and listening to Brahms.)

On Tue, 13 Apr 1999 18:52:53 +0200, "Reza Ganjavi"
<> wrote:

>I wrote the following for my teacher and as part of my diary - it is
>somewhat related to guitar...

Spencer Doidge
---------------------------------------------------
offering downloadable arrangements and compositions
for classical and fingerpicking guitar at
http://www.teleport.com/~spencerd
CDs and MP3s at
http://www.mp3.com/spencer_doidge
---------------------------------------------------

>Is it possible to find kinder language to communicate? Can this newsgroup be
>kept out of the gutter? This is not a rap group - do you feel any dignity
>associated with classical guitar? Can that be reflected in the language we
>use?

Gerry () writes:

> Is that the direction you want to go to avoid the egotists?
 

I just filter them out - specially those who are not brave enough to
identify themselves with a real name. There are enough decent people in this
NG that it makes it worthwhile reading - despite a (growing) filter list.
Thanks to all of those who are contributing to a meaningful, positive, and
helpful newsgroup.

Have a songful day!
Reza

No, "K" as he preferred to be known,  wasn't Jesus.... tho' the
Theosophists thought he was!   ;  < )

Regards,
Peter Inglis

Actually as newgroups go this one is fairly well behaved.....
the most  violent one I've heard of was one of the "dieting" groups!

As for respecting tradition.... that's a real double edged sword IMO
and I side with developing powers of inquiry... learning to ask
"the right questions", which I'm sure K would agree with.....
remember his diatribes against traditional religion and 'holy men'?

Regards,
Peter Inglis

Just joshing Gerry! .......
although
I must say that if any of K's concepts can help a guitarist
play better, they are relevent......
e.g. my discussion of Chinese Boxing
http://www.migman.com.au/aes/books/chineseboxing.htm

Sorry, had to let the frustration out!

Cheers,
Reza
Regor3 wrote in message <19990529174016.12488.00004376@ngol05.aol.com>...

>A guitar is nothing until you attach an ego to it.

Wow! how profound!!!!!

>People have egos and feelings and agendas and sometimes the best of all they have deep emotion and ideals.

Emotions and feelings, yes, the necessity of egos and agendas in relationship is questionable. Ego is a bunch of memories - it has a
place in technical, practical matters, but a lot of what goes on here is... I explained it in the last post. I would not discuss
this here any more but in another news group to save people who are here for the guitar download time, etc...

>Sometimes I learn more about music whem I listen to the player's values of life

Fully agree.

>As Cleghorn said to the little chickenhawk...."I say I SAY boy,  lighten up
>...life's to short".

Good tip!

 

Interesting. Two weeks ago I attended a weekend guitar ensemble course here
in the UK (nice opening concert by the "Pro Arte Trio" incidentally!) The
majority of the guitarists attending, like me, were "hobbyist"  players who
play for their own amusement and not "professionally". Women outnumbered men
by 4 to 1.

Personally speaking I think it's great!

Regards W.
 
 

**** Posted from RemarQ - http://www.remarq.com - Discussions Start Here (tm) ****

Childbloom wrote in message <19990510230209.10241.00001900@ng-cn1.aol.com>...
>Is not everyone self taught? How many times do students sit in front of a
>teacher and learn nothing? How often do students, years later, realize the
>blessed significance of what was presented to them in the past? Those who seek
>to learn, tend to - from any source possible - even teachers.
>Kevin Taylor

I have some gifts for music but almost no gift not liking whatsoever for theory (despite my computer science background). Sometimes
I wish I did, at the same time, I'm happy I don't because of the reasons you mentioned. Some of the greatest composers of all time -
e.g. Lennon/McCartney had no idea how to write music... at the same time there's so much boring music out there by people who are
very well versed in techniques of theory and composition. The former example is an exception. I guess great music is produced with
those who are well versed at the craft of composition AND have music inside... who knows - just some ideas. I took theory courses in
college, and now I'm trying (not hard) to improve it and learn more about classical composition.

Ed Chait wrote in message <3740fcf2.14543598@news>...
>
>

As a great master said: if you have inspiration you do not need teachers - but let's not interpret this out of context - because
part of that inspiration might be to go find a teacher that helps you manifest this inspiration...

What I've found helpful if i'm in a situation that you described, is to change teachers. It turns out that I never stayed with the
same teacher for very long for various reasons, one being, a lot of times I felt they reached their limit of what they could teach
me - or I simply got "bored" (same story with some women !!). I've also seen or felt that a lot of teachers - as you described - try
to force their way onto you - to make you play what they want, but ultimately i'm playing guitar for the love of it - and there's so
much dry, mechanical, boring material out there. So, now, I play what I love. First, you have to have the technique to be able to
express the inner music. Is there inner music? Is there beauty in your life, mystery, etc.? Then as my great master said: play what
you like... select pieces that are as close as possible to this something you've got. And as another great man said: if you do what
you love the techniqu will come.

For some of the people I know in an academy now, music is just another problem - like chemistry. Our brains are bomborded with
problems since childhood and music can be a lovely healer - and certainly should not add to it like it does in, for example,
competitions.

I've also seen that some teachers try to force their ignorance on you - like many gurus! And they don't realize that e.g. the best
nail shape for them is not necessarily the best for you.
Cheers,
Reza
  

about "Reza"

Not as shocked as I was.  Reza's a guy!  Here I was thinking girl power,
and he turns out to be a guy.  What a letdown.  :(  Oh, well, I still
like you anyway.  Shame on me for assuming a name ending in "a" means
female.

Sr. Kilian