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This is a piece I have played on and off over the years and I don’t think I have placed it on this forum. At least, not that I recall -:)
If you play classical guitar you WILL encounter Ferdinando Carulli – he was one of the most prolific composers of his time and I was given a lot of studies by him to learn technique. It is only now that I have really come to appreciate him for the truly great composer that he was and I am hoping you will enjoy listening to this as much as I have enjoyed playing it. This is one of those pieces I have played slower in the past but I think more speed gives it the zing that it needs so I did it faster.
One thing, maybe different about classical guitar, is you really have to pay a lot of attention to, well, everything, from your posture, how you cut your nails and, most important of all, your tone. I can’t even begin to tell you how long I have worked on those things and I am just an amateur. I put up two recordings and I am hoping some of you might give both a listen and let me know if you can hear a difference and which you prefer – assuming you like this at all of course :). On the one recording I cut my nails so that they perfectly follow the contour of my fingers and made sure they were no longer than 2mm on the index and middle and ring fingers – the thumb nail I always have longer (Most of this follows recommendations made by Julian Bream for those of you who might know him).
Recording 1 :
Recording 2:
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H Geoff,
I’m not hearing a huge difference and there may be some bias because I think recording 2 was a little louder. I thought #2 was just a little warmer in tone.
Which version of your nails felt better to play with?
I remember my time with classical how I fussed with my nails using the finest grade of sandpaper only to inevitably have them break. I’m impressed with your inner tempo, the time of recording is so close.
John -
Really nice piece Geoff and well played.
My ears prefer the 2nd version…the notes sound “rounder”.
I know you use the same microphone from the Scarlett Package that I use, and they are not the greatest for acoustic instruments…and I’m sure that the mic doesn’t faithfully reproduce the sound that you are hearing in the room.
I know Classical Guitarists obsess about every minute detail of their playing, but as a Non-Classical Player the bottom line for me is :
YOU PLAY VERY WELL AND YOU SOUND GOOD.
There are so many millions of players that would love to be able to play at your level…appreciate your own playing, and keep it fun.
Ralph
Ralph P.
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Two stellar performances from our classical Maestro Geoff. I think the second recording was a tad faster and a bit cleaner. Both were immensely enjoyable. Like you, I was a Julian Bream fan. During the years I was immersed in classical guitar, I had acrylic nails on my right hand that I used to shape with very fine sandpaper.
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Hi Geoff,
the good old master Carulli did indeed write many wonderful melodic pieces that every classical music student will encounter again and again and enjoy learning. I also learned this rondo at some point and enjoyed playing it, albeit a little slower for my abilities at the time. Both of your interpretations are great.
The 2nd version suits my personal taste a little better, because I feel it has a little more musical feeling and a warmer tone. Your recording room has a smooth floor and relatively little furniture; of course, thick carpets and a room full of furniture would be ideal for the sound. But of course that’s not feasible everywhere.
I also notice the guitar rest on the left leg. I used to play in the classical position and experimented a lot with such aids, but I was never happy with them. Nowadays, because of back problems, I’ve switched to the more comfortable “normal” posture.
I’m glad that there are some classical players here in the forum with whom you can exchange ideas. Many greetings from Germany. (Which, unfortunately, is currently descending at a rapid pace).
Dieter
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I think the opposite of some of what you are saying here Dieter. I actually hate carpets and furniture in the room when I am playing because it completely dulls the sound – fine for when one is playing louder in a band or the like but not fine for solo guitar. Hate carpets, hate furniture in the room when I am playing but I know it is something we have to live with.
Not too clear what you mean by “normal” posture. I guess a foot rest is pretty standard for classical guitar – works well enough but I just prefer using the style of leg rest that I use. It keeps both of my legs level and is actually easier on my back but each to their own. Totally agree that back problems can be a real hinderance, I have had back surgeries myself and I know first hand how that can really hurt playing guitar.
This was an interesting experiment because I actually thought the first version sounded a lot better. It shows that it is not worth getting too hung up on tone when playing or recording for others because we all hear things differently anyway.
Greetings for Canada which is also descending at a rapid pace -:)
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Gotta say I thought the second version sounded more of a compressed and clean recording.
Did you do these on the same day?
I’m guessing by the look of the room that you didn’t. I only ask because I’ve heard plenty of famous guys say that even a slight change in weather will affect what the microphone will pick up during recording.
You’d maybe be better doing them straight after each other for a more accurate comparison.
Anyway, fantastic playing as always and I’m sure you’ll drive yourself even more crazy in your pursuit for perfection lol.
Liam.
“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams. “
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Both version so nicely played Geoff but against the stream here but I thought the first one was marginally warmer and softer in tone than the second one. I listened on iPad with earbuds.
Richard
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Hi Richard, it is interesting because you are the only one who agrees with me. I thought the first one was a lot nicer but nobody, except you, thought the same.
This was an interesting experiment because I put so much into attempting to improve the tone on that first one but it just goes to show that we hear ourselves differently to the way others hear us. It is something I will bear in mind in future because it also shows that I am too much of a perfectionist when it comes to playing stuff for other people.
Probably a trap we all fall into 🙂
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