The LS Redwood/Yew Competition Guitar Build

I've got a good face for radio as well!

Colin

That's some mighty fine playing.

No I hadn't seen that. Do you know if the auction house has had the guitar authenticated by Jose Romanillos? Nice to hear some Tarrega,I've always a great lover of his.

Here's me playing the same piece on my own FE19 tornavoz 'Torres' (built the same year, 1864, as Tarrega's FE17, which of course was Torres own personal guitar before he gave it to Tarrega). I did record a CD of Tarrega pieces if any one would like one.

app.box.com/s/0nnmheagv6spp6wppcai Maria

Colin

Of course when Torres was building guitars there was no such thing as Classical guitar or Flamenco guitar, just guitars.  The more expensive instruments made from rosewoods and more solidly constructed usually went to the the more 'serious' players, and evolved into the classical guitar.  The cheaply made instruments using local woods, cypress, pine, were bought by the 'folk' players, due to their less solid construction and more basic bracing they gave a less sonorous sound, these evolved into the flamenco guitar.  It is a case where economics gave rise to a music style, the sound of the flamenco guitar today was dictated by the affordability of instruments and is the sound of a cheap 19th century guitar.

Colin

Tarrega is all about passion, Adelita is a reasonably simple piece, so great technique will not bring out the best of it as it would with say a Bach fugue, so it's all about imagining the warm Andalusian sun on your back and going with the flow of the music.  


Here's my version of Adelita:  app.box.com/s/jwx2lfq6rpr2utu68l3j

Colin

I think I read it was around the time of WW1 that the price of importing wood from South America in particular rosewood drove builders to find alternatives for their 'lesser' instruments to leave rosewood for the more 'serious' player.  After the separation between the two, they've never really met again.  I'm struggling to think of many builders (maybe aside from Antonio Marin Montero) who are as regarded for their flamencos as they are their classicals, and I think it's partly down to flamenco is actually a pretty local musical phenomenon largely contained to Andalucia, Spain. 

A good point about economics being pivotal in the development of the model, I think it's been a factor for guitars in the 20th Century, Leo Fender doing so with in the electric side of things.   

I remember reading a point in your 'Meet the Makers' post, that you don't really make that many instruments from rosewoods.  I always presumed rosewoods were the favourite choices for builders in particular in the classical guitar side of things.  Also, you mentioned Cuban Mahogany is your favourite choice of b/s for steel strings, would it be possible to ask why that is?  It's a tonewood I've heard nothing but praise for but never had a chance to play an instrument made from it.  Another geeky question, is there much difference between plantation and old growth Cuban?  One last geeky question, I saw you made a Cypress steel string for Dave White, how did the Cypress work out for steel strings?  As I have a toe in the flamenco side of things, I've questioned how it would work for a steel string. 

.[/quote]Tarrega is all about passion, Adelita is a reasonably simple piece, so great technique will not bring out the best of it as it would with say a Bach fugue, so it's all about imagining the warm Andalusian sun on your back and going with the flow of the music.  


Here's my version of Adelita:  app.box.com/s/jwx2lfq6rpr2utu68l3j

Colin

[/quote][brElixir Nanoweb PB 11-52

I am just sat in the garden with the warm Essex sun on my back, drinking a cup of tea and enjoying your Adelita Colin. I hear what you are saying about interpretation. You seem to give the notes space to breathe where I am on a bit of an obstacle course and breathe a sigh of relief when I get to the end. Food for thought. Thanks Colin.