A Series of Unfortunate Events

Unfortunately, the completion of “Guitarrista” recording must be postponed. On April 10th, I will be undergoing surgery to repair a problem emanating from a herniated disc dating back to age 14. In recent months, the pressure on the nerves has grown far worse and is now affecting the use of my arms and hands. Definitely not good for a classical guitarist and conductor! I am hoping for as close to a full recovery as possible. Your thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated.

Hoping to be back soon with much better news!

Jules

Final Preparations

With a fresh set of strings on my guitar — which are very nearly stretched sufficiently to hold their tune — I am preparing to resume the recording process this week.

A little Sunday evening rehearsing…

And the tentative track list for “Guitarrista!” (not in CD order):

1. “Danza Brasilera” — Jorge Morel
2. “Un Dia de Noviembre” — Leo Brouwer
3. “Capricho Arabe” — Francisco Tarrega
4. “Xodo Da Baiana” — Dilermando Reis
5. “Adelita” — Francisco Tarrega
6. “Choros No. 1” — Heitor Villa-Lobos
7. “Danza Espanola No. 5” — Enrique Granados
8. “Lagrima” — Francisco Tarrega
9. “Se Ela Perguntar” — Dilermando Reis
10. “Preludio de Adios” — Alfonso Montes

As each track is recorded, I will share more information on the piece and its composer, along with my insights into why I chose to feature it on “Guitarrista!”

Next up will be a post on my wonderful guitar: A 1996 Jose Ramirez 1A, handcrafted during the reign of Jose Ramirez IV.

See you next time!!!

My Strings of Choice

Over the 25-plus years I’ve been playing classical guitar, I have tried a number of different kinds of strings. For a while, I played Augustine. A couple of years ago, I tried the much-lauded Gallo Genius strings. At first, I was enthralled by their incredible tone and projection, but I found their life to be ridiculously short. By the time they were ready to hold their tuning, they sounded dead! As if that wasn’t enough, one of them broke just 10 days after I put them on! After all the trial and error, I find I keep coming back to D’Addario Pro Arte. They sound great and project well. I’m sure there are many other wonderful strings I have yet to discover. If anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. For now, I will be using D’Addario Pro Arte to record “Guitarrista!” You may notice I opt for the black nylon trebles. To be honest, I don’t notice any tonal difference between the black and the clear nylon. I just prefer the appearance of the black strings.