Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Goodies from Japan
Recently came back from a trip to Japan (Tokyo). Though it wasnt meant to be a 'guitar-trip' (ie. visiting guitar shops, luthiers, music outlets, that kinda stuff), I managed to pay a short visit to Gendai publication.
Having previously ordered quite a bit of stuff from Gendai, so visiting it in person was all the more interesting as I've always felt that their English website was not very complete - in the sense that many of the good scores and CDs that were listed in their Japanese (original) website could not be found in the translated website.
Bought a couple of quartet scores, some DVDs and CDs. Though I must admit the prices of these items were really high (for instance, the DVD of Shin-Inchi Fukuda cost about SGD90! ), it was too good an opportunity to let up, so I decided "heck with it" - just buy!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Roland Dyens
Received the 2 quartet scores by Roland Dyens - Hamsa (special request of Alex!) as well as French Pot Pourri.
Not sure if we will be trying them out immediately though, as we are targeting the Nutcracker suite for the Dec performance - gotta work on that one first. Pretty challenging! =)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Music competitions
I recently read an article about competition music - ie, where performers of an instrument pit their technical and interpretation skills against one another in front of a panel of judges. The article goes on to say that while competition is good in that it raises the expectations and pushes people to improve themselves, the pitfalls of having a competition for music include: (1) creating performers who put too much emphasis on technical perfection (read: no mistakes) rather than musical interpretations; and (2) and then stick to the tried-and-tested formulas (read: familiar pieces, familiar composers, etc).
This is something which I agree whole-heartedly. How can someone judge who is better - a guitarist who plays say, Albeniz's Asturias (leyenda) note-perfectly, superhumanly fast compared to another who plays a never-before heard composition, not necessarily demonstrating equally amazing finger dexterity but instead showing off a well-polished, well thought through musical journey of expression?
Granted, as classical guitarist we'd always favor a fuller, rounder tone compared to a thin, harsh one - but who is to say that it is not the repertoire that demands the usage of such a tonal expression? Is someone who expresses a nice warm/mellow tone throughout the song necessarily better than another who constantly changes his tonal colours throughout the piece?
Another gauge that people often rely on (to judge a guitarist's skill & technique) - his sound projection; whether he is able to fill a hall with his playing or if he is simply stroking the strings but in fact making no sound! Again, this is very subjective. While sound projection generally gives an indication of a player's right-hand technique and his level of confidence, one can alway argue that being able to control the volume dynamics whilst playing is a much more important skill to possess than having this "raw power". Well, like they alway say, "power without control is nothing".
At the end of the day, such music competitions are usually very subjective in terms of the finaly judgement. For even were the performers to play exactly the same repertoire (e.g. like a set piece) - which they often do not ; it would come down to whether the judges liked your way of presenting the song. Of course, if the technical abilities of the competitors are way apart, then the decision can be pretty clear, but often this is not the case.
In Singapore, we have the bi-annually held SYF (Singapore Youth Festival) whereby music groups representing the various Secondary schools and Junior Colleages will present their song items. These items are then judged by a panelist comprising prominent musicians from the various fields, and at the end of the competition, each team will be awarded a medal - Gold with Honors, Gold, Silver, and Certificate of Participation. I like this format of awarding a tiered awards instead of having the schools directly 'compete' with one another for 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes, etc. On one hand, it provides the recognition and reward schools (instructor, teacher, students) for putting in the effort to prepare for the event, and on the other hand, it provides the necessary motivating factor for schools to either maintain or improve on their previous rounds' awards ratings. Obviously there are some cases where I may not have agreed with the judges' decision on the award type given to a particular school/performance, but like I said before, all music judging is subjective in the first place, so there's really little point debating "rights" and "wrongs".
This is something which I agree whole-heartedly. How can someone judge who is better - a guitarist who plays say, Albeniz's Asturias (leyenda) note-perfectly, superhumanly fast compared to another who plays a never-before heard composition, not necessarily demonstrating equally amazing finger dexterity but instead showing off a well-polished, well thought through musical journey of expression?
Granted, as classical guitarist we'd always favor a fuller, rounder tone compared to a thin, harsh one - but who is to say that it is not the repertoire that demands the usage of such a tonal expression? Is someone who expresses a nice warm/mellow tone throughout the song necessarily better than another who constantly changes his tonal colours throughout the piece?
Another gauge that people often rely on (to judge a guitarist's skill & technique) - his sound projection; whether he is able to fill a hall with his playing or if he is simply stroking the strings but in fact making no sound! Again, this is very subjective. While sound projection generally gives an indication of a player's right-hand technique and his level of confidence, one can alway argue that being able to control the volume dynamics whilst playing is a much more important skill to possess than having this "raw power". Well, like they alway say, "power without control is nothing".
At the end of the day, such music competitions are usually very subjective in terms of the finaly judgement. For even were the performers to play exactly the same repertoire (e.g. like a set piece) - which they often do not ; it would come down to whether the judges liked your way of presenting the song. Of course, if the technical abilities of the competitors are way apart, then the decision can be pretty clear, but often this is not the case.
In Singapore, we have the bi-annually held SYF (Singapore Youth Festival) whereby music groups representing the various Secondary schools and Junior Colleages will present their song items. These items are then judged by a panelist comprising prominent musicians from the various fields, and at the end of the competition, each team will be awarded a medal - Gold with Honors, Gold, Silver, and Certificate of Participation. I like this format of awarding a tiered awards instead of having the schools directly 'compete' with one another for 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes, etc. On one hand, it provides the recognition and reward schools (instructor, teacher, students) for putting in the effort to prepare for the event, and on the other hand, it provides the necessary motivating factor for schools to either maintain or improve on their previous rounds' awards ratings. Obviously there are some cases where I may not have agreed with the judges' decision on the award type given to a particular school/performance, but like I said before, all music judging is subjective in the first place, so there's really little point debating "rights" and "wrongs".
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Upcoming performance
Guitaresque will be performing at the Singapore Art Museum chapel on the 3rd Dec. It is meant to be a kind of Christmas thingie, so we'll be playing mostly Xmas-related songs. Possibly the most challenging pieces we shall be attempting will be the Nutcracker Suite, as arranged by Andrew York, formerly of the LAGQ. Hope to see you at the SAM then!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Guitaresque Vs Xpose experience
It has been a great experience playing with Xpose in our most recent performance - 5th Sept at the Esplanade Recital Studio. I feel I've gained a new perspective of playing in such a ensemble.
To be honest, if you'd asked me 2 months ago, I would've told you that playing in Xpose was merely a watered-down experience compared to playing in Guitaresque. On one hand, I have Prime 2 (which is my current allocation in the Niibori ensemble) scores punctuated with single notes and lots of rest bars; and on the other, I am facing scores like Francis Kleyjans' Los Quatro Elementos or even the Nutcracker suite arrangement by LAGQ which tend to be littered with technically challenging chords, mazy runs and complex rhythms.
But after going through the last 2 months of rehearsals and the performance itself, I have to admit - it takes very different skills to be playing in either group.
In Guitaresque, the emphasis is clearly on individual technique and good understanding of the other 3 players' temperaments and strengths. The onus is usually on each player to do his homework, so that when we play together as a quartet, all we need to do it to put the 4 parts together. Understanding of one anothers' playing style is important, as often we instinctively know when the melody line player is going to inject his brand of expression into the music; or when the usual suspect(s) is going to give that speed-boost at the odd places. Navigating difficult passages (e.g. music which require a lot of coordinating runs, pauses, changes in tempos, etc.) require us to make eye-contact and the usual nods come in handy too. But the bottom-line remains: we play our own bit well, and we have trust in the other 3 players to do their part.
However, in a mini-ensemble like Xpose, it isn't always easy to do the same. And that's why the conductor is so important. He has to put all the different parts together to weave a complete picture - which is now made up of not 4 parts, but maybe 10 or more different parts (including percussions)! From a player's point of view, it isn't easy to always look-up a the conductor, and this spells disaster at times - especially when guitarists are struggling to hear one another amidst the powerful percussion instruments banging in the background. The other challenge is that it can be frustrating to hear 2 (or 3) "versions" of the music played on your left/right - esp. when neither seem to be following the conductor.
I admit I sometimes rush passages too, but all too often there's that niggling feeling that the whole ensemble is 'falling part' (in terms of the music we are interpreting), and I feel powerless to stop it. Whereas in a quartet, anyone of us can easily stop the playing and declared, "let's do it again, I think this part so-and-so are out with the rest of us"; doing so in an ensemble (to me) is a disrespect to the conductor. Furthermore, in a big setup it is often difficult to pin-point a particular section or player who is actually causing the problem. And because the bond between a group of 20 can never match the closeness and level of understanding that can be reached between a group of 4, oftentimes criticisms are not taken very well and sometimes feel like a finger-pointing exercise.
Regardless, it has been enlightening to perform with a group of guitarists and a great learning experience. Personally, I am certainly more inclined toward the quartet setup, but at the same time I am glad to have an opportunity to immerse myself in a larger setup as this allows for developing a different set of musician skills altogether.
To be honest, if you'd asked me 2 months ago, I would've told you that playing in Xpose was merely a watered-down experience compared to playing in Guitaresque. On one hand, I have Prime 2 (which is my current allocation in the Niibori ensemble) scores punctuated with single notes and lots of rest bars; and on the other, I am facing scores like Francis Kleyjans' Los Quatro Elementos or even the Nutcracker suite arrangement by LAGQ which tend to be littered with technically challenging chords, mazy runs and complex rhythms.
But after going through the last 2 months of rehearsals and the performance itself, I have to admit - it takes very different skills to be playing in either group.
In Guitaresque, the emphasis is clearly on individual technique and good understanding of the other 3 players' temperaments and strengths. The onus is usually on each player to do his homework, so that when we play together as a quartet, all we need to do it to put the 4 parts together. Understanding of one anothers' playing style is important, as often we instinctively know when the melody line player is going to inject his brand of expression into the music; or when the usual suspect(s) is going to give that speed-boost at the odd places. Navigating difficult passages (e.g. music which require a lot of coordinating runs, pauses, changes in tempos, etc.) require us to make eye-contact and the usual nods come in handy too. But the bottom-line remains: we play our own bit well, and we have trust in the other 3 players to do their part.
However, in a mini-ensemble like Xpose, it isn't always easy to do the same. And that's why the conductor is so important. He has to put all the different parts together to weave a complete picture - which is now made up of not 4 parts, but maybe 10 or more different parts (including percussions)! From a player's point of view, it isn't easy to always look-up a the conductor, and this spells disaster at times - especially when guitarists are struggling to hear one another amidst the powerful percussion instruments banging in the background. The other challenge is that it can be frustrating to hear 2 (or 3) "versions" of the music played on your left/right - esp. when neither seem to be following the conductor.
I admit I sometimes rush passages too, but all too often there's that niggling feeling that the whole ensemble is 'falling part' (in terms of the music we are interpreting), and I feel powerless to stop it. Whereas in a quartet, anyone of us can easily stop the playing and declared, "let's do it again, I think this part so-and-so are out with the rest of us"; doing so in an ensemble (to me) is a disrespect to the conductor. Furthermore, in a big setup it is often difficult to pin-point a particular section or player who is actually causing the problem. And because the bond between a group of 20 can never match the closeness and level of understanding that can be reached between a group of 4, oftentimes criticisms are not taken very well and sometimes feel like a finger-pointing exercise.
Regardless, it has been enlightening to perform with a group of guitarists and a great learning experience. Personally, I am certainly more inclined toward the quartet setup, but at the same time I am glad to have an opportunity to immerse myself in a larger setup as this allows for developing a different set of musician skills altogether.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Performance at Esplanade concourse on 19 & 26th June 2010
Repertoire for 19 & 26 June performance at the Esplanade Concourse "Reeling good times":
Set 1 ( at 5.15 pm)
1. Peer Gynt Suite (Morning Mood, Death of Ase, Anitra's Dance, In the Hall of the Mountain King)
2. Theme from Princess Mononoke
3. Theme from IL Postino
4. Over the Rainbow
5. Blue Ocean Echo/Country Gentleman
6. Libertango
Set 2 (at 6:15pm)
1. Clair de Lune
2. Canon in D
3. Theme from Godfather
4. Cavatina
5. Moon River
6. A medley of Chinese oldies (love songs)
7. La Cumparsita
Set 3 (at 7.15pm)
1. Moon River
2. Clair de Lune
3. Over the Rainbow
4. Il Postino
5. Cavatina
6. Libertango
7. La Cumparsita
8. Canon in D
Set 1 ( at 5.15 pm)
1. Peer Gynt Suite (Morning Mood, Death of Ase, Anitra's Dance, In the Hall of the Mountain King)
2. Theme from Princess Mononoke
3. Theme from IL Postino
4. Over the Rainbow
5. Blue Ocean Echo/Country Gentleman
6. Libertango
Set 2 (at 6:15pm)
1. Clair de Lune
2. Canon in D
3. Theme from Godfather
4. Cavatina
5. Moon River
6. A medley of Chinese oldies (love songs)
7. La Cumparsita
Set 3 (at 7.15pm)
1. Moon River
2. Clair de Lune
3. Over the Rainbow
4. Il Postino
5. Cavatina
6. Libertango
7. La Cumparsita
8. Canon in D
Saturday, May 29, 2010
String 'em along!
Recently, I'd realised that there one aspect of the classical guitar that many non-professional players (including myself, of course) had totally taken for granted.
Well, almost totally. =P
And that is - the guitar strings! That "realisation" came to me and I thought it was pretty shocking but significant. Why? Let me explain.
We all know that the quality of the sound that can be produced from a guitar depends on many factors:
1) The player - here, we are obviously talking about the technical ability of the player himself. A maestro (take John Williams, or Christopher Parkening for instance) as compared to a novice playing on the same instrument obviously sound worlds apart.
Many a times, I'd realised that the level of confidence a player has on his/her ability also makes a lot of difference. A confident player tends to project a louder volume (ok, let's take the quality of tone out of the picture for the time being) than a player who's a little more hesitant and afraid of making mistakes.
2) The guitar (make and construction) - no need to emphasize more on the importance of having a quality instrument which is capable of producing what we often hear as "satin-sounding, singing trebles; deep, warm and loud basses".
Why else would players (and collectors) cough out tens of thousands of dollars to purchase that instrument from the top luthiers?
3) The strings you put on the guitar - and herein lies (I feel) an area which is generally neglected by many amateur guitarists. While I'm sure the professional players have studied and researched this aspect in great detail, finding out what brand/type/grade of strings to fit on their world-class instruments to produce the most mesmorizing sounds on stage, the fact is - many of us are oblivious to the differences.
Or simply, some of us dont care.
It is amazing to find some players playing on good, solid top (concert) guitars, yet bearing brownish, dirty-discoloured looking strings. Particularly the bass strings (4th, 5th and 6th), since it isn't always obvious how the condition of the treble (nylon) strings are just by looking at them. To some of these players, changing the strings on their guitars is a once-a-blue-moon event. Or worse, some ONLY change their strings when they're forced to (e.g. when a string snaps)....
If you think about it, it is really funny. How some players can spend thousands on a good guitar, yet refuse to spend that little sum of money (or to take that extra bit of effort!) to make their guitar sound as good as she possibly can be! That is akin to paying a million bucks for a Ferrari, but refusing to service/maintain it, or to even change the engine oil - until the engine breaks down!
* Or for that matter, it's like having the prettiest of girls as your girlfriend, but asking her to wear dirty, boyish-looking clothes and make do with a messy hairdo and insisting on no make-up! *ahem* =P
The fact that the strings are the actual point of contact when we play the guitar surely gives an indication of just how important this factor is. On many past occasions, I've tried playing on a nice (read: expensive!) guitar but fitted with "dead" strings, which I felt was a terrible shame....
On the issue of WHICH type/brand of strings to use would obviously depend on the individual instrument. For instance, when Ruck sent me my guitar, he fitted it with Savarez Corum (Cristal) strings (high tension). It sounded perfect!
Subsequently, when I changed the strings to prepare for a performance, I fitted my Ruck guitar with D'Addario EXP strings (normal tension), and though the guitar still sounded great, it just wasnt quite the same I thought. For one, the 4th string tend to produce a slight buzz when I played on the 3rd/4th frets. This clearly was an indication that I wasnt using the right string tension for my guitar.
Hence, I going to change back to the Savarez high tension string when I receive them (ordered from StringsByMail, an guitar accessory shop in the US). It's the least I should do, to "give justice" not just to my beloved guitar, but to myself as a guitar player.
Friends and fellow guitar afficionados - I urge you to do the same! =)
Well, almost totally. =P
And that is - the guitar strings! That "realisation" came to me and I thought it was pretty shocking but significant. Why? Let me explain.
We all know that the quality of the sound that can be produced from a guitar depends on many factors:
1) The player - here, we are obviously talking about the technical ability of the player himself. A maestro (take John Williams, or Christopher Parkening for instance) as compared to a novice playing on the same instrument obviously sound worlds apart.
Many a times, I'd realised that the level of confidence a player has on his/her ability also makes a lot of difference. A confident player tends to project a louder volume (ok, let's take the quality of tone out of the picture for the time being) than a player who's a little more hesitant and afraid of making mistakes.
2) The guitar (make and construction) - no need to emphasize more on the importance of having a quality instrument which is capable of producing what we often hear as "satin-sounding, singing trebles; deep, warm and loud basses".
Why else would players (and collectors) cough out tens of thousands of dollars to purchase that instrument from the top luthiers?
3) The strings you put on the guitar - and herein lies (I feel) an area which is generally neglected by many amateur guitarists. While I'm sure the professional players have studied and researched this aspect in great detail, finding out what brand/type/grade of strings to fit on their world-class instruments to produce the most mesmorizing sounds on stage, the fact is - many of us are oblivious to the differences.
Or simply, some of us dont care.
It is amazing to find some players playing on good, solid top (concert) guitars, yet bearing brownish, dirty-discoloured looking strings. Particularly the bass strings (4th, 5th and 6th), since it isn't always obvious how the condition of the treble (nylon) strings are just by looking at them. To some of these players, changing the strings on their guitars is a once-a-blue-moon event. Or worse, some ONLY change their strings when they're forced to (e.g. when a string snaps)....
If you think about it, it is really funny. How some players can spend thousands on a good guitar, yet refuse to spend that little sum of money (or to take that extra bit of effort!) to make their guitar sound as good as she possibly can be! That is akin to paying a million bucks for a Ferrari, but refusing to service/maintain it, or to even change the engine oil - until the engine breaks down!
* Or for that matter, it's like having the prettiest of girls as your girlfriend, but asking her to wear dirty, boyish-looking clothes and make do with a messy hairdo and insisting on no make-up! *ahem* =P
The fact that the strings are the actual point of contact when we play the guitar surely gives an indication of just how important this factor is. On many past occasions, I've tried playing on a nice (read: expensive!) guitar but fitted with "dead" strings, which I felt was a terrible shame....
On the issue of WHICH type/brand of strings to use would obviously depend on the individual instrument. For instance, when Ruck sent me my guitar, he fitted it with Savarez Corum (Cristal) strings (high tension). It sounded perfect!
Subsequently, when I changed the strings to prepare for a performance, I fitted my Ruck guitar with D'Addario EXP strings (normal tension), and though the guitar still sounded great, it just wasnt quite the same I thought. For one, the 4th string tend to produce a slight buzz when I played on the 3rd/4th frets. This clearly was an indication that I wasnt using the right string tension for my guitar.
Hence, I going to change back to the Savarez high tension string when I receive them (ordered from StringsByMail, an guitar accessory shop in the US). It's the least I should do, to "give justice" not just to my beloved guitar, but to myself as a guitar player.
Friends and fellow guitar afficionados - I urge you to do the same! =)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Ivan's new guitar - Thomas Humphrey Millenium (Assad Model)
Ivan recently acquired a new guitar - a Thomas Humphrey Millenium!
It is a beautifully crafted instrument (what you'd expect from a master luthier, who unfortunately had passed away quite recently) - its top is European spruce, and sides and back jacaranda (Brazilian Rosewood).
Very interesting, the luthier used a separate pieces of rosewood and maple in constructing the sides/back, hence you can see a somewhat "2 layered" coloring at the sides, as well as a 'church-door' configuration at the back.
From the looks of it, it hasn't really been played much (it's a 2007 model) as it looks in pristine condition.
Ivan is still trying to find the "proper" strings to use on this guitar - its current set of LaBella strings does not seem to suit the guitar very well.
I will try to upload pictures when I have them =)
P.s. Kevin joked that the quartet now boast of an "Excalibar" type weapon in its line-up of guitars. It really is a world-class instrument, I must say. But I still love my Ruck!
It is a beautifully crafted instrument (what you'd expect from a master luthier, who unfortunately had passed away quite recently) - its top is European spruce, and sides and back jacaranda (Brazilian Rosewood).
Very interesting, the luthier used a separate pieces of rosewood and maple in constructing the sides/back, hence you can see a somewhat "2 layered" coloring at the sides, as well as a 'church-door' configuration at the back.
From the looks of it, it hasn't really been played much (it's a 2007 model) as it looks in pristine condition.
Ivan is still trying to find the "proper" strings to use on this guitar - its current set of LaBella strings does not seem to suit the guitar very well.
I will try to upload pictures when I have them =)
P.s. Kevin joked that the quartet now boast of an "Excalibar" type weapon in its line-up of guitars. It really is a world-class instrument, I must say. But I still love my Ruck!
Guitaresque performs for International Museum Day (23 May 2010)
Guitaresque will be performing at the Singapore Art Museum as part of the International Museum day Open house event.
The performance will be in 2 sets (20 minutes each):
Set 1 (3pm - 320pm)
1.Peer Gynt Suite (Morning mood, Death of Ase, Anitra's Dance, In the Hall of the Mountain King)
2. Choro
3. O Solo Mio
4. Blue Ocean Echo/Country Gentleman
Set2 (330pm - 350pm)
1. Canon in D
2. Clair de Lune
3. Harumi Suite (Dredlock, Along the Edge)
4. Theme from Godfather
5. Cavatina
The performance is free. Venue is at the Auditorium (2nd floor) of SAM.
The performance will be in 2 sets (20 minutes each):
Set 1 (3pm - 320pm)
1.Peer Gynt Suite (Morning mood, Death of Ase, Anitra's Dance, In the Hall of the Mountain King)
2. Choro
3. O Solo Mio
4. Blue Ocean Echo/Country Gentleman
Set2 (330pm - 350pm)
1. Canon in D
2. Clair de Lune
3. Harumi Suite (Dredlock, Along the Edge)
4. Theme from Godfather
5. Cavatina
The performance is free. Venue is at the Auditorium (2nd floor) of SAM.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Robert Ruck Classical Guitar #967
It's been close to 2 months since I've received my Ruck guitar, and the reason why I've not yet written much about my experience with it is because I wanted to give myself some time to 'get to know' the instrument.
So far, in the few quartet rehearsal sessions in which I've used my new guitar, the experience has been wonderful.
It is often pretty difficult to gauge just "how good" an instrument is. I mean, how to you say whether an instrument is worth that 5-figure sum of money paid for it, as compared to another instrument valued at less than half its price tag, but also with a good sound? Sure, many a times the distinction is more in the mind (or heart) - you THINK you are playing a better instrument simply because the price tag on that instrument is heavier than the other one. It could also come down to personal preference - who is to say a spruce top is necessarily better than a cedar top (or vice versa), or for that matter, a Spanish-made classical is superior to a Japan-made model?
Personally, I feel it is hard to put a dollar value down on an instrument like classical guitar - simply put, it is PERSONAL. You simply try to find that one guitar which you find yourself loving the sound that you can produce (from it); enjoying the relative ease of playing a big chord that requires a full stretch; or playing a tough scale at say the 15th position - and there you have it, the G (not girl.... guitar!) of your dreams.
My Kohno 30 is very dear to me. Even though I'd gotten it as a 2nd/3rd hand instrument, she has accompanied me in so many performances and it has "grown" (old) with me. In other words, she's like my trusted buddy and ally in battles past. Perhaps even more like an old friend.....
When I received the Ruck, of course I'm delighted and very keen to begin using the new instrument. I want to know how good it can be, if it would be the "last" guitar which I'd need to look for to sustain my passion in playing the guitar. From all of what I feel and hear so far from the instrument, it certainly may be!
The Ruck feels significantly lighter than the Kohno, and like all new instruments, she has the smell of new varnish on wood. I'd requested Bob to put on Rodgers tuners onto the instrument, hence completing the looks of what is already a really beautiful guitar. Of course, the tuners costs a lot, but besides looking nice it also gives precision tuning and to quote OG,"makes you want to tune everyday!". My Ruck guitar (#967) has a cedar double (composite) top, which is french polished. The guitar has relatively low action and is extremely responsive to play, giving a clear timbre and well-defined tones in the trebles. The basses are definitely considered loud but I feel it is not overly boomy in nature.
In order to know if she is comparable or better than my Kohno, I judged the Ruck based on my experiences during our quartet rehearsals. On certain tough passages and execution, the Ruck guitar made it much easier to navigate and still manages to produce a sustain which I found extremely impressive. For example, we were recently rehashing LAGQ's Blue Ocean Echo/Country Gentleman, and the difference was felt instantly when I did the chord slides. It was a pleasure to hear the sustained sounds of the slide chords and also made it much easier to switch from the pizzicato bass notes to the slide-chords, as you would not have to pluck so hard to give emphasis the the chord (I'm the first of the "echo-es", so it has to sound louder and sustain longer!).
Being the first owner of this instrument also gives me a different sense of ownership and pride. It'll be a learning and growing experience throughout the years of playing this guitar - learning how to make the best of the instrument and how to take good care of her; and growing in terms of improving my own technique and maturing the instrument further to make the sound "open up" over the years.
For anyone who's seriously passionate about playing any instrument, (and of course, subject to affordability) investing in a concert-worthy instrument is certainly one big step you MUST take at some point in your life. I feel I've just made that step, after playing the classical guitar for the past 23 years.
Yet, at the same time I will continue to play on my Kohno. She remains my trusted partner whom I can depend on for many more concerts to come. AND - she is a spruce top guitar! So now I truly have the best of both worlds.
So far, in the few quartet rehearsal sessions in which I've used my new guitar, the experience has been wonderful.
It is often pretty difficult to gauge just "how good" an instrument is. I mean, how to you say whether an instrument is worth that 5-figure sum of money paid for it, as compared to another instrument valued at less than half its price tag, but also with a good sound? Sure, many a times the distinction is more in the mind (or heart) - you THINK you are playing a better instrument simply because the price tag on that instrument is heavier than the other one. It could also come down to personal preference - who is to say a spruce top is necessarily better than a cedar top (or vice versa), or for that matter, a Spanish-made classical is superior to a Japan-made model?
Personally, I feel it is hard to put a dollar value down on an instrument like classical guitar - simply put, it is PERSONAL. You simply try to find that one guitar which you find yourself loving the sound that you can produce (from it); enjoying the relative ease of playing a big chord that requires a full stretch; or playing a tough scale at say the 15th position - and there you have it, the G (not girl.... guitar!) of your dreams.
My Kohno 30 is very dear to me. Even though I'd gotten it as a 2nd/3rd hand instrument, she has accompanied me in so many performances and it has "grown" (old) with me. In other words, she's like my trusted buddy and ally in battles past. Perhaps even more like an old friend.....
When I received the Ruck, of course I'm delighted and very keen to begin using the new instrument. I want to know how good it can be, if it would be the "last" guitar which I'd need to look for to sustain my passion in playing the guitar. From all of what I feel and hear so far from the instrument, it certainly may be!
The Ruck feels significantly lighter than the Kohno, and like all new instruments, she has the smell of new varnish on wood. I'd requested Bob to put on Rodgers tuners onto the instrument, hence completing the looks of what is already a really beautiful guitar. Of course, the tuners costs a lot, but besides looking nice it also gives precision tuning and to quote OG,"makes you want to tune everyday!". My Ruck guitar (#967) has a cedar double (composite) top, which is french polished. The guitar has relatively low action and is extremely responsive to play, giving a clear timbre and well-defined tones in the trebles. The basses are definitely considered loud but I feel it is not overly boomy in nature.
In order to know if she is comparable or better than my Kohno, I judged the Ruck based on my experiences during our quartet rehearsals. On certain tough passages and execution, the Ruck guitar made it much easier to navigate and still manages to produce a sustain which I found extremely impressive. For example, we were recently rehashing LAGQ's Blue Ocean Echo/Country Gentleman, and the difference was felt instantly when I did the chord slides. It was a pleasure to hear the sustained sounds of the slide chords and also made it much easier to switch from the pizzicato bass notes to the slide-chords, as you would not have to pluck so hard to give emphasis the the chord (I'm the first of the "echo-es", so it has to sound louder and sustain longer!).
Being the first owner of this instrument also gives me a different sense of ownership and pride. It'll be a learning and growing experience throughout the years of playing this guitar - learning how to make the best of the instrument and how to take good care of her; and growing in terms of improving my own technique and maturing the instrument further to make the sound "open up" over the years.
For anyone who's seriously passionate about playing any instrument, (and of course, subject to affordability) investing in a concert-worthy instrument is certainly one big step you MUST take at some point in your life. I feel I've just made that step, after playing the classical guitar for the past 23 years.
Yet, at the same time I will continue to play on my Kohno. She remains my trusted partner whom I can depend on for many more concerts to come. AND - she is a spruce top guitar! So now I truly have the best of both worlds.
Monday, January 18, 2010
The wait will soon be over!
My 10+ year wait for my new guitar is finally about to end!
Some 10 years ago (I cant remember the exact date nor year, as it seems so long ago now...), I had placed an order with American luthier Robert Ruck, to be put in his famed waiting list, which at that time was claimed to be 7 years long.
For those uninitiated to the world of handmade concert classical guitars, these are instruments which are hand-crafted by individual luthiers (instead of mass produced in factories), and the prices of these instruments depend largely on the most basic economic principle - supply and demand. Simply put, when a luthier achieves a certain level of fame - which usually happens when a famous performing/recording artiste plays using one of this luthier's crafted instrument - the demand of this luthier's guitar will rise in tandem with his fame.
To some, it may seem a little foolish to pay tens of thousands of dollars for an instrument, especially one which you have not even tried on before making that purchase. After all, they argue, the sound which a classical guitar can produce is a very "personal" thing. A large part depends on the player's abilities - his technique, his ability to produce pleasant-sounding tones using his fingers, and last but not least - his personal preference for the sound that is produced. I agree with this. There is no substitute for good playing skills and the worst guitar can sound good under the hands of a master. This I have experienced first-hand, when a Japanese guitar professor (Manji-san) from the Niibori guitar Academy visited us many years back. It was really an eye (and ear) opening experience for the many students/alumni who have attended his masterclasses then.
Yet, a good concert guitar can enhance a player's sound production (and tonal quality) to a large extent too. The idea is to use less effort to produce the same sound volume/quality, or to use the same effort to produce a much larger sound/better tone. Another aspect of playing on a well-crafted instrument is the intangible - yet significant - effect that it has on a player's motivation level. We are more likely to want to practise on the instrument (be it guitar or any other instruments) if we like what we hear when we strum or pluck the notes. In that sense, a good concert instrument can also have the effect of raising a player's passion and motivation to practise, and hence lead to his becoming a better player overall (technically and musically).
As to the risk involved in paying so much for an instrument which you haven't even seen nor touch beforehand, well.. it's down to faith and a bit of luck, I suppose. No 2 handcrafted instrument - even by the same luthier, built around the same time in his career - can sound the same. A top luthier can occasionally produce a dud of a guitar, while a gem may be uncovered amongst the hordes of guitars churned out from the factories. That is why people (myself included) decided to put their faith in those guitar maestros who have played and performed on these hand-crafted instruments, reason being - if a world class professional wants to use that luthier's guitar, it must mean that luthier is capable of producing good instruments. As for how CONSISTENT the luthier is, we (ie. laymen) would throng through the forums and websites where netizens would give their own 2-cents worth. From the cumulative feedback provided, a trend eventually emerges - those luthiers who are recognised as the consistent good builders and those who may have been "1 hit wonders".
I've made my decision years ago, and now it's time to reap the rewards of my patience and for putting my faith in a luthier whose reputation seems to be growing by the day (or years) since then.
It could be a very merry and happy Chinese New Year for me, in 2010. Hopefully my faith is well placed.... We shall know if a couple of weeks' time. I will keep you posted on this blog!
Some 10 years ago (I cant remember the exact date nor year, as it seems so long ago now...), I had placed an order with American luthier Robert Ruck, to be put in his famed waiting list, which at that time was claimed to be 7 years long.
For those uninitiated to the world of handmade concert classical guitars, these are instruments which are hand-crafted by individual luthiers (instead of mass produced in factories), and the prices of these instruments depend largely on the most basic economic principle - supply and demand. Simply put, when a luthier achieves a certain level of fame - which usually happens when a famous performing/recording artiste plays using one of this luthier's crafted instrument - the demand of this luthier's guitar will rise in tandem with his fame.
To some, it may seem a little foolish to pay tens of thousands of dollars for an instrument, especially one which you have not even tried on before making that purchase. After all, they argue, the sound which a classical guitar can produce is a very "personal" thing. A large part depends on the player's abilities - his technique, his ability to produce pleasant-sounding tones using his fingers, and last but not least - his personal preference for the sound that is produced. I agree with this. There is no substitute for good playing skills and the worst guitar can sound good under the hands of a master. This I have experienced first-hand, when a Japanese guitar professor (Manji-san) from the Niibori guitar Academy visited us many years back. It was really an eye (and ear) opening experience for the many students/alumni who have attended his masterclasses then.
Yet, a good concert guitar can enhance a player's sound production (and tonal quality) to a large extent too. The idea is to use less effort to produce the same sound volume/quality, or to use the same effort to produce a much larger sound/better tone. Another aspect of playing on a well-crafted instrument is the intangible - yet significant - effect that it has on a player's motivation level. We are more likely to want to practise on the instrument (be it guitar or any other instruments) if we like what we hear when we strum or pluck the notes. In that sense, a good concert instrument can also have the effect of raising a player's passion and motivation to practise, and hence lead to his becoming a better player overall (technically and musically).
As to the risk involved in paying so much for an instrument which you haven't even seen nor touch beforehand, well.. it's down to faith and a bit of luck, I suppose. No 2 handcrafted instrument - even by the same luthier, built around the same time in his career - can sound the same. A top luthier can occasionally produce a dud of a guitar, while a gem may be uncovered amongst the hordes of guitars churned out from the factories. That is why people (myself included) decided to put their faith in those guitar maestros who have played and performed on these hand-crafted instruments, reason being - if a world class professional wants to use that luthier's guitar, it must mean that luthier is capable of producing good instruments. As for how CONSISTENT the luthier is, we (ie. laymen) would throng through the forums and websites where netizens would give their own 2-cents worth. From the cumulative feedback provided, a trend eventually emerges - those luthiers who are recognised as the consistent good builders and those who may have been "1 hit wonders".
I've made my decision years ago, and now it's time to reap the rewards of my patience and for putting my faith in a luthier whose reputation seems to be growing by the day (or years) since then.
It could be a very merry and happy Chinese New Year for me, in 2010. Hopefully my faith is well placed.... We shall know if a couple of weeks' time. I will keep you posted on this blog!
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