Guitar World

Here is a lovely piece I found on youtube…A theme from computer game of Final Fantasy IV :Theme of Love, composed by Uematsu Nobuo, played by Watercolour of youtube.

Some computer games have great theme music, good enough to stand alone in their own right. One day, I must work on Metal Gear Solid theme. I think it would suit guitar very well, if I can get the right arrangement.

Here is a link to an interview with David Russell, by Tony Morris of guitaralive, in which Russell relates the reason there have been some Barrios works still not discovered;

David Russell on Agustin Barrios.

Recently, there has been an exciting discovery, the tango Bicho Feo (Ugly Beast) has been found. This humorous tango Barrios often played at the end of his concerts, to bring the house down! The piece was recorded by Barrios in Argentina, and the recording by the composer himself has been discovered, and now Chanterelle have updated their “complete” Barrios recordings to include this piece on the CD set.

Other works missing by Barrios (as far as I know) that are of particular interest to me are; Recuerdos Del Pacifico, Gloria e Amor, Rapsodia Latinamericano…It’s quite possible that some of the works listed as “lost” or not in manuscript, are in fact what we know as another title. Example, “Saudades dol Rio De Janeiro”, possibly Choro Da Saudade?

I wait to hear this new work with interest

Making Two Hands Sound As One

Developing Hand Co-ordination for the Classical Guitarist

By Matt Warnock

As a classical guitar player, or any style of guitar player for that matter, one of the most important skills to have under our belts is solid right and left-hand coordination. Without good hand coordination our lines and chords can sound choppy, disjointed and/or muddy. While there are countless exercises we can do in order to further develop our coordination, some of the best exercises available involve working on 2, 3 and 4 note chromatic patterns within the first four frets of the guitar. By working slowly on these exercises, and focusing on letting each note ring for its full duration, we can greatly improve our hand-coordination, tone and legato feel all with only a few minutes of focused practice a day.

Ascending

When practicing these chromatic exercises in an ascending fashion it is important to keep the first note ringing right up until the second note is sounded. For example, in figure 1 the note on the first fret, which is played with index finger, rings until the note on the second fret, played with the middle finger, is sounded. If you notice a space between the two notes than you are lifting your index finger a bit prematurely. Try and keep it down for a second or so after the second note is plucked to eliminate the gap between notes.

The next level of coordination is developed between the note on the second fret on each string and the note of the first fret of the next string. With these two notes the goal is to have the second fret ring until the first fret is sounded, then remove your middle finger so that the note on the second fret does not ring “over” the note on the first fret. Being able to eliminate the gaps between the first two notes of the exercise, and to keep the second note from ringing over the third, will increase your legato while allowing each note to be heard for its required duration.

Start at a slow tempo, perhaps eighth note equals 30 or 40, and slowly build up the speed as it becomes easier. Always remember, playing an exercise slowly but perfectly is better than playing an exercise fast but sloppy.

Fig. 1

Descending

As well as practicing the 1-2 finger pattern ascending we can also practice it descending to further our coordination. As was the case with figure 1, the goal for figure 2 is to have the note on the second fret ring right up until we lift it off and strike the note on the first fret. If you notice a gap between these two notes than try slowing things down and focusing on keeping the middle finger down right up until the last millisecond before you strike the note on the first fret.

We also need to make sure that the note on the first fret rings right up until we strike the note on the second fret of the next string, without ringing over. As was the case with figure 1, hold the note on the first fret until you strike the note on the second fret of the next string. As soon as that note is sounded lift you finger off of the first fret of the previous string. This should prevent that note from ringing over and muffling the sound of the new note.

Further Study

Once you are comfortable with the ascending 1-2 and descending 2-1 patterns you can try other combinations to further your right and left hand coordination. Try any/all of the following finger patterns as part of your daily technical routine. Remember the goal is not speed but using proper left hand technique and connecting the notes as much as possible.

Finger Combinations

2-3 and 3-2

3-4 and 4-3

1-3 and 3-1

1-4 and 4-1

2-4 and 4-2

1-2-3 and 3-2-1

2-3-4 and 4-3-2

1-3-4 and 4-3-1

1-2-3-4 and 4-3-2-1