THE INFLUENCE OF THE VIOLIN ON THE GUITAR

 

This is the third post dedicated to the Art of Performance/Interpretation, but this time from the point of view of the violin, which has influenced the classic guitar in many different ways. Performance, left hand (LH) technique, and music notation are the points of interest that will be briefly covered.

Johann Leopold Mozart (1719-1787) born in Augsberg, Germany first published this didactic work in 1756, just after the birth of his son W. A. Mozart (1756-1789). The Treatise on the Fundamental Principals of Violin Playing appeared a few years after the Treatise on Playing Traverse Flute by J. J. Quantz (1752), and Ph. Em. Bach's The True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments (1753). What caught my attention the most in Leopold's Violinschule, was that it was written more for the teacher than the student, and most importantly it can be used as a guide for "good artistic performance in general.' 

TO AMPLIFY OR NOT TO AMPLIFY

 

Amplified Acoustic Guitar

Or put in other words the title of this post could read, "To be or not to be." A quote taken from Shakespeare's play Hamlet (1599-1601). "To amplify my instrument or not" during live performance is a very important question that should be re-examined under today's technological advances in PA amplification, and the constant demand for "live music". Choosing to amplify your acoustic instrument can give the musician more possibilities of playing live in large or somewhat noisy venues.

Your instrument and the use and placement of the 4099 DPA Core super-cardioid condenser mic are the main factors that will allow you to reproduce during live performance the maximum sound quality at the highest possible volume depending on the circumstances. Eliminating feedback while achieving an accurate and natural sound is the main objective, and we must take into consideration that each venue has its own sound idiosyncrasies (indoor/outdoor, temperature, humidity level, number of guests, etc.).

 

Here I will give a brief description of the components that make up the PA amplification system: 1) The 4099 DPA Core instrument condenser microphone (the mic is attached to the guitar using a guitar mic clip), 2) The Eventide Mic Pre with FX Loop (this gives power to the microphone) and 3) The Joyo BSK-60 Acoustic Guitar Amplifier which comes with an external footswitch pedal.

The DPA d:vote 4099 condenser mic (with wind screen) reduces distortion or unwanted noise while at the same time delivers the true voice of my acoustic guitar. The versatile gooseneck extender allows you to position the mic in an ideal spot (usually located at the twelfth fret). If you need more information on specs, features, etc. visit the DPA webpage https://www.dpamicrophones.com/instrument/4099-instrument-microphone.

TWIN PEAKS THEME FOR GUITAR

Angelo Badalamenti was born was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1937, and recently passed away on Dec. 22, 2022 in NJ. He is principally known for his unique music film/TV scores, namely the Twin Peaks TV series written in 1990 in collaboration with the director David Lynch. This theme received a Grammy Award and has become an international success. You can read more about the composer here A. Badalamenti Official Website

The Twin Peaks theme was originally composed for piano in the key of F/Dm. This is a transcription for guitar in the key of G/Em with a drop D tuning on the sixth string. The reason for this transposition is to take advantage of the open strings and make the piece playable for guitarist with an intermediate level.

Pacific Edge Voices: Journey to Peace

"Tree of Life" -Olga Kovtun

I recently played with PEVhttps://pacificedgevoices.org/who-we-are two Christmas concerts in S. Francisco and in Berkeley, CA. They were both dedicated to Ukrainian scholar and composer Hanna Havrylets who died tragically this year at the outset of the Russian invasion.

Here's the roster of musicians led by Ash Walker and program:

ESSAY ON THE TRUE ART OF PLAYING KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS By Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)

This is the second post dedicated to the Art of Interpretation/Performance, but this time from the perspective of the  keyboard which has a lot of similarities with the classic guitar. I previously posted Casals and the Art of Interpretation http://christianlaremont.blogspot.com/2015/05/casals-and-art-of-interpretation.html on May, 15, 2015. This treatise was written by C.P.E. BACH and was translated and edited by W. J. Mitchell under the editorial Norton & Co., 1949.

The Essay's main goal, according to Mitchell, is to raise "the art of performance, through teaching and practice to its perfection." Even though this was J.S. Bach's second son only extended theoretical work,the translator and editor states, "The most notable feature of this book is the attention given to artistic accompaniment, and it differs from all previous manuals on thorough bass."

Mitchell points out, "C.P.E. Bach was a musician's musician... His work is a compendium of the entire practice of music in the times of Frederick the Great (1740-1786)." Also noteworthy is the fact that, "This treatise is indispensable for every well informed musician..., pianist, singer or conductor." It's very impressive the list of accomplished musicians who have benefitted greatly from this mid eighteenth manual: Hayden, Mozart, Beethoven, Clementi, Czerny, etc.

Digital Sheet Music or Paper Sheet Music?

It's been almost 700 years since the invention of the printing press (1439) in Mainz, Germany, and we've come a long way in how we read and write books and documents of all different types. 

This post revolves around the possible transition to paperless, environment friendly music scores. Which one is better? A hard or a soft copy of my entire performance/music library?

For daily practice I use traditional sheet music. However, I've recently transitioned to a Microsoft Surface Pro 13" computer which comes along with me to all my musical events. This is where I now keep my solo guitar repertory (pdf files) which are organized in different folders: Standard Rep., Weddings, Funerals, etc. And thanks to my Microsoft Surface pen, I can write whatever might be necessary (fingerings, notes, chords, etc.) directly on the score.

In the past, having a gig was like preparing for a trip where you would have to first pack, then unpack once the performance was over. It was very time consuming to find specific scores for specific occasions and then have to return them back to the paper sheet music collection. 

Corporate Dinner Gig @ Chimney Rock Winery

Last night I had the pleasure to play for a selected group of people who work at the Chimney Rock Winery located in the heart of the Napa Valley Chimney Rock Winery Chimney Rock produces hand-crafted Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-varietal blends from its estate vineyards in the Stag Leap District. Many thanks to Kelsie Earnest for booking me through GigSalad, and writing a five star review.  https://www.gigsalad.com/christian_laremont_san_francisco/review/291782

HARMONIC ANALYSIS: Canción from Canción y Danza No.1 A. R. Pipó

The Andante Cantabile, written in 1958, is generally a tonal piece. However the French

influence, particularly C. Debussy, is present in this work through the use of the Dorian

mode (B natural), modal mixture (cadence on D and not Dm in m.17) and colorful four

note chords throughout the piece.

||: A :|| B A' || The musical form of the Dance is a two part binary form where the sec-

tions are equivalent and equal in length. The harmonic content is sectional except in the B section (m.17) where we get an unexpected surprise with a cadence on D and not Dm. This foreshadows the arrival of the next and final movement the Allegro in D.

||: A :|| This section starts and ends on the tonic chord of Dm. Pipó introduces various

chords from the Dorian mode ( F - G - Am, m.3-4) mixed with standard tonal chords 

( E/G dim.- A dom.7th, m. 7).

The B section is used as a contrast to the previous section. The first four bars are resolved modally (IV - VII) on Dm. The next 4 bars end on an unexpected D major chord preceded by F and C (m.15-16).

The A' section is a slightly varied form of A with grace notes in m. 20-21.