His name is Andrew Gorny. He said it was ok to record and post his performance on YouTube. This is my first YouTube upload! I recorded it with a little Canon S95
pocket cam. Not a bad camera.

I can see myself doing a lot more of this with such a nice little camera to keep in my pocket. Next time I won’t move it around quite so much while I’m recording.

This is where I discovered Narciso Yepes, Alirio Diaz, Pepe Romero, Julian Bream, and the player who was to be my idol all through my youth, Christopher Parkening.

But back to Renata Tarragó. I remember listening several times to her playing the Aranjuez. I would imagine myself playing it someday (which, alas, never happened and never will). I remember thinking how much I would like to see her play. All these years I never saw her play.

Well, thanks to the wonder of YouTube, here she is. Plus you get to see Michael Caine pulling off a heist. How good is that.

Watch the full episode. See more 11th and Grant.

“The score of the complete cycle will be published in Germany by Editions Margaux (Berlin). But only after the premiere recording will be out. The recording is now in preparation. I hope that Asya will do everything as fast as possible, but the material is very heavy and difficult. It needs a lot of work. So, please, wait.”

While we wait, we have this from filmmaker Roman Gurochkin. I like the sound here better than on some of his others I’ve posted. I hear not just the guitar, but the room, too. There is some distance, some dimension, but without sacrificing intimacy.

After that there’s a short documentary film the gives a glimpse into the life of this ex-hobo who suddenly, at the age of 65, with his three-string guitar, hit the big time.

“Hobos are people who move around looking for work, tramps are people who move around but don’t look for work, and bums are people who don’t move and don’t work. I’ve been all three.”

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I’m so lonesome I could cry

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I’m so lonesome I could cry

The spirit really comes across, but I wish the audio quality were a little better on this one. (Dad’s voice is sssuper-sssibilant.) Still great, though. Loved it.

[YouTube removed this video. Sorry for the inconvenience.]

Buffett, who is chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, plays the ukulele in his free time. He autographed and auctioned off this instrument in 2005.

Here’s Warren showing off his legendary timing:

If anyone knows where to find this video footage (I’m guessing it was from an English or Australian TV show), please let me know!

I’ve been playing with the Edirol a few days and I certainly like it as a “field recorder” (I’m going to take it to a live music venue later this week and see how it goes) and also as a “sketchbook” recorder to have nearby whenever and wherever I am playing guitar. Whether it will work out as the recorder of choice for my “official” recordings remains to be seen, but some of the glowing reviews I’ve been reading suggest that it’s not out of the question.

Here’s what Kevin can do with the Edirol R-09HR:

The 2009 Brazilian Music Institute featuring Cecilia Siqueira and Fernando Lima (Duo Siqueira Lima) performing Tico Tico.

If someone would provide the titles and a translation of the lyrics to these pieces, I would be very grateful.

Says Samantha:

Tarrega’s musical tribute to the Alhambra Palace in Granada played by me, Samantha Muir. A recent trip to Granada provided the perfect opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream and play Recuerdos de la Alhambra in the Alhambra! I didn’t quite make it into the famous Courtyard of the Lions (the Lions are actually on holidays at the moment being restored) but the following is a postcard of my musical wanderings…. we begin in the beautiful gardens with the Generalife in the background…. then into the Chapel sitting on the tomb of Isabella and Ferdinand…. and then into a typical courtyard accompanied by a fountain (and 2 squirrels playing in the tree above my head!)…. returning to the garden briefly before finishing with the tinkling waters of one of the many fountains which so inspired Tarrega. The sound of the video is inconsistent and the quality poor but I hope it captures what for me was a magical experience. Sometimes dreams really do come true….

I just had to tell someone.

As Samantha’s tells it:

Last weekend I went with some friends to Granada to see Leonard Cohen in concert. We were staying in the Parador Hotel which is in the grounds of the Alhambra Palace. Of course, I took my guitar, plus Jorge Nolla’s lovely arrangement of Mr Leonard’s Hallelujah which Jorge had recently sent me. I thought I might get a few moments to learn it… I certainly hadn’t anticipated making this video but since the Parador very kindly allowed me to play in the chapel – I’m actually sitting on the tomb of Isabella and Ferdinand – I thought it would be nice to share this unique experience with my YT friends. Sorry about the poor sound quality but it’s taken on my camera. A storm was moving in and the trees behind where I’m sitting were restless…..at least, I think it was the trees.

Mr Leonard’s concert was awesome thanks to his genius and the genius of the musicians who accompany him. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Something which is hard to put into words so I offer you this small gesture… Wishing you all peace and happiness and sunshine.

Sheet music and tabs are very kindly made available from Jorge Nolla.

And here’s Op.60, No.2 by the same player:

The YouTube channel on which these videos appear seems to belong to someone who might be the owner of a busy guitar shop in Taiwan, or maybe she’s the teacher, or both. She is a prolific Youtube poster with well over 100 videos posted.

Let’s have more videos from ChanjuanChiou!

And then again with Lady Be Good:

I think it’s time to start an “Old Guys” category!

That was great, but there’s something I must ask: Dad, have you considered getting Matt a guitar his own size? It would really help his future as a guitarist, IMHO. Let me know if you want any guidance on that.

I’m posting both links, Sungha’s first. If you want to get the full effect, listen to them in order:

Estrellita del lejano cielo,
(Little star of the distant sky,)
que miras mi dolor,
(you see my pain,)
que sabes mi sufrir.
(you know my anguish.)
Baja y dime
(Come down and tell me)
si me quiere un poco,
(if he loves me a little,)
porque yo no puedo sin su amor vivir.
(because I cannot live without his love.)

¡Tu eres estrella mi faro de amor!
(You are my star, my beacon of love!)
Tu sabes que pronto he de morir.
(You know that soon I shall die.)
Baja y dime
(Come down and tell me)
si me quiere un poco,
(if he loves me a little,)
porque yo no puedo sin su amor vivir.
(because I cannot live without his love.)

This performance is from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show in 1974. One of the YouTube comments is especially worth quoting:

Even more than her exquisite singing, what always strikes me is Sills’ simple and moving commitment, which goes straight to the heart of the listener with no affectation, no easy dramatic tricks. She simply communicates emotion through her voice and her face, what is a very difficult thing to do without sounding or looking artificial.

His entrance into the dining room was a lesson in stagecraft. He came in through the french doors and just stood there a moment and looked around. Then he simply raised an eyebrow and caused half the room to start laughing. It doesn’t sound like much in the retelling, but it was very impressive in the moment.

He took a seat at a table near me. I’d been playing for quite a while and was due for a break. So I wondered what would be a good piece to finish with. I wanted something sophisticated, but short. Something a little different, but familiar. Something from the piano. Something charming.

Aha. It occurred to me. Debussy’s Maid with the Flaxen Hair. Perfect.

So I played it. When I finished, he gave me a nice smile and a nod. Then I put my guitar away and sat with him and we chatted for a minute, but I remember only one thing he said. It was about the Debussy. He said, lightly and with a smile, “You got the harmony right. That’s important!” It sounded just the way you’d imagine.

It’s not much of a story. There’s no punch line. But the meeting left me with an enduring, happy memory. And maybe that’s the point: In the end, when you’re dead and gone, what’s left is the way you are remembered. What’s left is the way others feel when they remember you.

The-An was a student of Stephan Rak. He did the arrangement, available from his web site, I think.

Enjoy,
John

I enjoyed that video. I think a great deal of sincerity comes across.

But I’m going to criticize — just a little, because I don’t like to criticize — but I will in this case because I don’t think it will hurt anyone and maybe it will help a little.

When Rak-style tremolo effects succeed, the result can be compelling. A sort of cinematic illumination occurs. But take it too far and it gets too rough. The beauty evaporates into crashing noisiness.

In this case, the piece eventually became a little too noisy and chased off the gentle mood that had been so nicely built in the beginning. It’s not the fault of the guitar playing, but rather that the arrangement itself calls for too much of a good thing. Sometimes less is more.

Back to the positivity: it looks like there’s a goldmine of Vietnamese guitar players and guitar music on YouTube!

Thank you for opening that door, John Nguyen.

This could be a hit..

I’ve been a Kevin Gallagher fan since meeting him on his GFA tour back in ’94. (My god, has it really been 14 years?!) I was bopping around YouTube this morning and noticed that Kevin’s been developing an online presence — YouTube, Myspace, and his own website, guitar69.com. He’s a thoughtful, creative guitarist — well worth a visit!

Alive Alive-O!

But now, 40 years later, I see: