Violin vs Viola

No, I've not mistakenly typed in a subject line which has seemingly nothing to do with guitar. :P

In fact, this is in relation to a conversation topic between myself and Dr Robert Casteels, the Music Director/Conductor of the NUS Guitar Orchestra. In short, he was asking me if it would be possible for a Prime guitar player - ie. someone who has not played a Niibori-styled guitar before - to pick up say, an Alto guitar within a matters of 4-5 days and be able to perform on stage with this new instrument.

(note: Dr Casteels himself does not play the guitar)

Having played and performed with Niibori instruments for more than a decade, the answer to this question seems simple enough to me. Since the Niibori instruments are essentially nylon stringed guitars (with the exception of the Cembalo set of guitars, which we are not discussing here) with 6 strings, tuned to the same interval-between-strings as the Prime guitar, and all basic classical guitar techniques apply, I was initially quite certain that the entry barrier to such a "conversion" wouldn't be too high.

So I said, "I don't believe there would be a problem... Basically the player just has to adjust to slightly smaller (in the case of Alto/Soprano guitars) or larger (in the case of the Bass/Contra bass guitars) frets, that's all! "

Dr Casteels then gave me an incredulous look and said, "But that's like asking a violin player to switch to the viola and perform with the latter in a matter of days (or vice versa)? Sure, he'd probably be able to adapt well to the new instrument since the techniques are similar, but to be able to perform? I think not..."

After some thought, I guess I have to agree with him. Sometimes, when you're too used to doing something, you tend to take things for granted.

Haha.. true of so many things in life. =)

A sneak peek...

Here's where we will be performing in 3 weeks' time...







(pictures taken from SAM website - http://www.singart.com/museum.php?page=the_building)

As we have not played there before, I'm not too sure if the sound acoustics of the place is ideal for non plugged-in instruments such as the classical guitar. Hopefully, with the help of proper amplification (ie. good mics and proper placement) the sound will come through clear and crisp!



The quartet's good friend and fellow musician - Balraj has kindly agreed to help us with the sound test on 15th Nov, even though he is unable to attend the performance in the evening, as he needs to work on Sat evenings. (Ed: Thanks Raj! Owe you one! )

My guitar case has arrived!

The fibre-glass guitar case which I'd order from Guitaraffecs has finally arrived (ed's note: Thanks, DHL - your delivery service is ever so efficient! Great stuff! )

Here're some pictures of the case:

The case has a nice shape, and it weighs a little more than 5 kg. (according to the packaging details on the delivery box it came in)

I especially love the twin straps at the back, which allows me to carry the case like a haversack.

The guitar neck is suspended by a raised cushion support. There is also a small attached pouch above which is convenient for carrying objects such as tuners and nail files, sandpaper, etc..

A interior is lined with plush cushioning. Probably not as thick and protective as some people would've liked, but then it's not as if I travel extensively with my guitar, so that is not a big issue for me. Anyway, you cant expect Accord or Karura kind of standard for a fraction of their prices! :P

New scores update

Like all group (and good) leaders, I always like to plan ahead. Even as we are busy preparing the concert repertoire for the upcoming recital in November, I have already been shopping around for the next set of scores we can tackle.

These new ones just came in! =)

A Blast from the Past

Hmm... I hope the article is not about some war criminal or something like that... :P