ruments are priceless. On airways, and perhaps in general, guitars are safe in the hold inside their hardcases if they have 'fragile' stickers clearly placed on them. According to many posts lately, most guitars can be carried on and put in the overhead compartments. If your going to a hot and humid place then it is a good idea to put a home-made dehumidifier in the case along with your guitar. This is made by getting a sponge and placing it in a plastic bag which has holes cut into it. Apparently, it works in Sunny South Africa :-) A 2.10 Who are the composers and performers for the classical guitar? Here is a list of classical guitar performers and significant composers. I don't think the list is bad, but is not complete. It can't be. However, Orphee supply a data-base available from Orphee, Guitar Solo, Nottingham Spanish Guitar Centre, or any reputable music shop, which include 5,100 composers and 2,500 recording artists. Listed here, hopefully, are some of the most prominent and popular. The performer list includes only those performers who have recordings readily available. No sense was seen in including such outstanding performers as Tarrega of Giulliani. The composer list includes some who did not write specifically for the guitar but are none-the-less crucial to the guitar repertoire (e.g. Albeniz) Please make a note that the periods have no exact beginnings or endings. There is definite overlap. The composers are listed more by style rather than strictly by period. I'm sure people will disagree. That's fine. CLASSICAL GUITAR PERFORMERS: Individuals: Odair Assad Segio Assad Carlos Barbosa-Lima Manuel Barrueco Dusan Bogdanovic Liona Boyd David Brandon Julian Bream Eduardo Fernandez Eliot Fisk Nicola Hall Sharon Isbin William Kanengiser Alexandre Lagoya Christopher Parkening Ida Presti Jose Rey de la Torre Manuel Lopez Ramos Angel Romero Celedonio Romero Celin Romero Pepe Romero David Russel Andres Segovia David Starobin David Tanenbaum John Williams Narcisco Yepes Andrew York Ensembles: Andriaccio & Castellani The Amsterdam Guitar Trio The Buffalo Quartet The Falla Trio Hill & Wiltchinsky The L.A. Guitar Quartet The Omega Quartet Pearl & Gray il Trio Italiano COMPOSERS: KEY: REN = Renaisance BAR = Baroque CLA = Classical ROM = Romantic MOD = Modern CON = Contemperary Dioniso Aguado [CLA/ROM] Isaac Albeniz (never wrote for guitar but is heavily transcribed & played)[ROM] J.S. Bach (wrote Lute Suites transcribed for guitar;many other transcriptions)[BAR] Jan Bobrowicz [ROM] Reginald Smith Brindle [MOD] Leo Brouwer [MOD] Mateo Carcassi [CLA/ROM] Ferdinando Carulli [CLA/ROM] Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco [MOD] Napolean Coste [ROM] Anton Diabelli [CLA/ROM] John Dowland (wrote for the Lute) [REN] John Duarte [MOD] Manuel de Falla (wrote one work for guitar. Many other transcribed & played)[ROM/MOD] Jose Ferrer [ROM] Mauro Giuliani [CLA/ROM] Enrique Granados (never wrote for guitar but is heavily transcribed & played)[ROM] Antonio Lauro [ROM] Luigi Legnani [CLA/ROM] Agustin Barrios Mangore [ROM] Johann Kasper Mertz [ROM] Luis Milan (wrote for the vihuela) [?] Alonso Mudarra (wrote for the vihuela) [?] Luis de Navarez (wrote for the vihuela) [?] Niccolo Paganini [CLA/ROM] E. Pujol [ROM] Manuel Ponce [MOD] Guilio Regondi [ROM] Joaquin Rodrigo [ROM] Gaspar Sanz [?] Domenico Scarlatti (never wrote for guitar but is heavily transcribed & played)[BAR/CLA] Fernando Sor [ROM] T. Takemitsu [MOD] Alexandre Tansman [MOD] Francisco Tarrega [ROM] Federico Moreno Torroba [ROM] Joaquin Turina [ROM/MOD] Heitor Villa-Lobos [ROM] Robert de Visee (wrote for the baroque guitar) [BAR] Antonio Vivaldi (lute & mandolin works, among others, transcribed for guitar)[BAR] William Walton [MOD] Leopold Silvus Weiss (wrote for lute, transcribed for guitar) [BAR] Yukihiro Yoko [MOD] Andrew York [CON] A 2.11 What is the difference between flamenco guitar and classical guitar? (See the Flamenco FAQ) Flamenco has various techniques that are not used either at all, or not as much in classical guitar. Some say that the techniques of rasgeo and tremolo make up 90% of a flamencoists playing time. he basic rasgeo is eami (e=little finger). To keep it continuous most flamencos do a eamiiami type pattern where the two i's indicate an up down sweep of the i finger. This produces a wonderful strumming sound in some ways similar to the sound of a 12-string guitar. Tremolo is as described in the Playing Guide 1.5, except that instead of the order pami, the sequence piami is generally used. There is another technique which produces a similar effect, called picado. Here, just i-m are used to produce a very fast run of notes with speeds at sometimes shattering speeds of MM@160, 16 notes a beat. Picado can be played on either a single note, string or on a series of notes to make a fast scale. Capos are used by flamencoists to. Partially for the sake of an accompanying singer or other instrument, it is also used to bring the strings closer to the fret board. However, it does have the disadvantage of reducing the size of the fret board. The book by Juan Martin on flamenco guitaring is highly recommended for further information. A 2.12 Can anyone recommend some flamenco music to listen to? (See the Flamenco FAQ 1.5) Here is a list of flamenco music available. It came initially from a letter to the group by one Michael P. Burns. Thanks Michael! Most of the popular "flamenco" guitarists are not really playing flamenco but rather "flamenco inspired" music. The Gypsy Kings are real Gypsies but all their recordings focus only on one form, the Rhumba, one of the least important flamenco forms. I have posted a short list of flamenco recordings and am reposting it now for those of you who are interested: Here's a revised version of the Flamenco recordings list with some additional notes and comments. TITLE ARTIST(S) LABEL & No. Azahara Paco Pen~a Nimbus NI5116 Guitar solos and duets (with Tito Losada) by one of the three virtuoso Pacos Music of R Montoya Paco Pen~a Nimbus NI5093 & N Ricardo Guitar solos of transcriptions of music by Ramon Montoya and Nin~o Ricardo, two of the most influential guitarists of the middle third of the 20th century. (Ramon was Carlos Montoya's uncle and teacher) Cante Gitano Various artists Nimbus NI5168 Recorded live at private Flamenco juerga in Moron de la Frontera Singers: Maria Solea, Maria la Burra, Jose de la Tomasa Guitars: Paco del Gastor, Juan del Gastor Paco del Gastor is the third of the three virtuoso Pacos (i.e, Paco Pen~a, Paco de Lucia and Paco del Gastor). Cante Flamenco Various artists Nimbus NI5251 Recorded live at private Flamenco juerga in Moron dela Frontera Singers: Gaspar de Utrera, Chano Lobato, Manuel de Paola,Miguel Funi, El Cabrero Guitars: Paco del Gastor, Juan del Gastor Flamenco Paco Pen~a Phillips 826 904-2 Guitar solos, very good introduction to the main Flamenco styles Cante Gitana OCORA C558642 Recorded live in concert in Paris and in studio. 2 CDs Singers: Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera Guitar: Paco del Gastor Fernanda and Bernarda are sisters of Gaspar (see above) Los Malaguen~os Harmonia Mundi HMA 190965 Singers: Conchita and Nena Cano Guitars: El Malaguen~o, Marino Cano Several guitar solos and duets, three cuts with singers. Includes a great rumba Flamenca and features some innovative harmonies This would be a good sampler of Flamenco for a beginning listener. Music of R Montoya Manuel Cano Hispavox (no. ?) Guitar solos. Most of the same pieces as on Paco Pen~a's CD with a more restrained performance. Guitarra Gitana Melchor de Marchena Hispavox 7304032584 Another of the greats of the previous generation in a rare solo performance. Melchor was of the school that believed that the role of the Flamenco guitar was an accompanist to the singer and he did it better than anybody. Flamenco Highlights from Spain Laserlight 79036 Contains some good examples of Sevillianas interspersed with guitar solos by Sabicas, one of the greatest Flamenco guitarists ever. Zyryab Paco de Lucia Verve World 314 510 805-2 Sirocco Paco de Lucia Mercury (no. ?) The two recordings by Paco de Lucia are a good taste of the most avant garde Flamenco. Paco de Lucia is arguably the greatest living virtuoso of Flamenco guitar. In these recordings, especially "Zyryab", he admittedly goes beyond the bounds of Flamenco into jazz, "world music" or call it what you will. Anyway it's great music. Le Chant du Monde: Grandes Figures du Flamenco Series distributed by Harmonia Mundi The "Grandes Figures du Flamenco" series is a treasure trove of Flamenco tradition. These are re-masters of old recordings on which the engineers have worked their magic to increase the fidelity and remove hiss, pops, etc. I have nos. 6, 9 and 10 and the quality is very good, both technically and artistically. 1) Pepe de la Matrona LDX 274 829 2) El Nin~o de Almaden LDX 274 830 3) La Nin~a de los Peines LDX 274 859 4) Terremoto de Jerez LDX 274 860 5) Ramon Montoya LDX 274 879 6) Carmen Amaya LDX 274 880 Flamenco song and dance, some selections feature Sabicas as accompanist. Fantastic! 7) Manolo Caracol LDX 274 899 8) Manuel el Agujeta LDX 274 900 9) Antonio Mairena LDX 274 911 with Melchor de Marchena accompanying. It doesn't get any better than this. 10) Pepe Marchena LDX 274 912 A singer in a style that was popular in the 1920's, softer and more subtle. Paquito Simon and Ramon Montoya accompanying. -- Michael P. Burns A 2.13 How can I learn to sight read? (by John Rice, jrice@fa.intel.com) I got these techniques from Randy Tucker, my current teacher. I studied with two other teachers for a total of 3 years and made zero progress on sight reading. After applying these techniques, my sight reading is much improved, and continues to improve. You can develop an understanding of the fretboard in couple of months. More importantly, this understanding is self-nuturing. Meaning, it makes it easier to learn more music, which reinforces your understanding of the instrument, which makes it easier to learn more music.... I was convinced to begin studies with my current teacher when he gave me the following quiz over the phone: He asked me my phone number. Of course, I knew it instantly. Then he asked me the names of the notes of the open strings. I knew those, but not as quickly. The he asked me the names of the notes at the 2nd fret. I was basically stumped, I couldn't do it without a bunch of mental gyrations. The obvious implication was how could you expect to play the instrument without such understanding. He said I needed to know all the notes on the guitar like I knew my phone number. By the way, Randy is the best sight reader I've seen. These are some of the techniques he used to help himself. The best way to learn the fretboard away from the guitar. Learning the fretboard away from the guitar opens up tons of other opportunities to practice (like in the shower....) and helps you visualize the guitar. The basic strategy behind all these ideas is the break the problem down into small, managable chunks. Learn your fretboard vertically and horizontally. 1. Take some 3x5 index cards and make some flash cards. You will need 12 cards, one for each fret. Put a fret number on 1 side of the card and names of the notes at the fret on the other side. When you're through you should have the following: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 bottom (string 6) F F# G G# A B~ B C C# D D# E~ E B~ B C C# D E~ E F F# G G# A~ A E~ E F F# G A~ A B~ B C C# D~ D A~ A B~ B C D~ D E~ E F F# G~ G C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B~ B F F# G G# A B~ B C C# D D# E~ E top (string 1) Learn the notes on the frets in this order. 1. Frets 12, 5, 10 (frets with no sharps or flats) 2. When you have those memorized add frets 7, 3 (1 sharp, 1 flat) 3. When you have that memorized add frets 8, 2 (2 sharps, 2 flats) 4. When you have that memorized add frets 9, 1 (3 sharps, 3 flats) 5. When you have that memorized add frets 4, 6 (4 sharps, 4 flats) 6. When you have that memorized add fret 11 (5 sharps, 5 flats) Take your time in doing this (you'll spend a lifetime learning the guitar). Add the next set of frets when you have the others down cold. If it takes two weeks or more, that's fine. You'll find many opportunities throughout the day to practice this. As you do this exercise, you may find that the first frets you tackled will be much stronger than the frets you add later. You can prevent this problem by reciting the notes in the reverse order you them. That is, name the notes on the newest frets first, the oldest frets last. When you're able to recite all 12 frets in 30 seconds, starting at fret 1 and working to 12 AND starting at fret 12 and working to 1, then move on to the next exercise. 2. Make another set of 12 flash cards. Number each card 1 through 12 as above. On the other side put one of the notes C, C#, D, D#(E~), E, F, F#, G, G#, A, B~, B. There is no correlation between the number on one side and the note on the other. They are used for two different exercises. Do this exercise at least once a day.Shuffle the cards and flip them number side up. Name the notes at the fret indicated for each card. 3. Start learning the notes horizontally. Meaning, where the notes are on each string. Learn the notes in this order: C G D A E B F# C# G# D#(E~) B~ F. For example, you can find C at frets 8,3,10,5,1, and 8. Learn them a note at a time, only adding a new note when you've got the last one cold. Remember, this is an additive process, recite positions for C, then G and C, then D,G, and C.... Here's a tip: Given the starting position, the next position can be found by subtracting 5 for all strings other than 3. If the position is on string 3 subtract 4. If the position is less than 5, then the next position will be the current position +7, unless you're on string 3 then it's +8. For example string: 6 5 4 3 2 1 C = 8 (-5) 3 (+7) 10 (-5) 5 (-4) 1 (+7) 8 4. Reading: do this in parallel with your other exercises. Read all the material you can. Read simple stuff. Start with the simplest material you can find. Tunes like Mary Had A Little Lamb and Twinkle Twinkle are not too simple. You want to practice sight reading on material that is well below your ability to play. Play them at different fret positions eg. 3,5,7,9, dont' stick to the first position. In fact, if you are already familiar with the first position, try and avoid using it to some extent to avoid memorizing the tunes. Method books for other instruments (clarinet, flute...) are good sources, song books of folk music from the library are good sources too. When you read, do not stop when you make a mistake. Keep going and try to keep the rythm. Play as slowly as necessary to play and keep a steady rythm. When you finish a tune, go on to the next. Go through all the tunes you have, until you run out time or until you utterly fail, then start over. The importance of keeping going when you make a mistake can't be overemphasized. You don't want to memorize the piece. Also, keeping the beat is critical. Drop the odd note if you have to , but keep going in time with the rythm. The ear will quickly forget a flubbed note if you're able to keep the beat. 5. Rythm Studies: do this in parallel with your other exercises. Many people (me especially...) have trouble site reading not because they don't recognize the notes, but because they don't recognize the rythm. Using your simple songs, clap the rythms. Meaning, put your guitar down, and instead of plucking the notes, clap the notes. An execellent book to do this with is Leavit's "Melodic Rythms For Guitar". It systematically breaks rythms down and presents exercises. Don't play the exercises, clap the notes. You can read the exercises later when your sight reading skills become stronger. 6. For this excersize you will need someones help. Prepare to play whilst reading some music. Then get someone with a piece of card to cover up the note(s) you are about to play by moving the card along the score. As you get better, they should be able to cover up notes further and further ahead of the ones you are playing. If you can read more than two bars ahead of what you are playing, I reckon you're pretty much there! But this excercise is not easy, either for you or the person with the card. The person with the card must be able to read music to some extent, so it may well end up being your tutor. 7. Tip: Don't burn yourself out on studying reading. Do some everday, by structuring your practice to include sight reading. This is something you'll always do in different ways and with different material as you advance, so don't wear yourself out on it. Do a litle every day, and the benefits will accumulate over time.