Mischa Z
12-21-2004, 06:52 PM
Gentlepersons:
Perhaps it is natural, since I am a student of Narciso Yepes, to do considerable soul-searching concerning the 10-String modern guitar that he designed, especially in the context of a 10-String Yahoo group that I'm in, a group that doesn't seem to be familiar with the proprietary tuning of the Yepes 10-String. Part of this soul-seaqrching relates to private correspondence from an ex-member of this group, one who feels strongly that any 10-String group that does not accept the 10-String tuning of Yepes as being the de facto standard is not worthy of embracing our late Maestro's name. Perhaps there is something to be said for this opinion. Should Maestro Yepes's name be invoked?
Early in my studies, I modified the tuning of the Yepes guitar, and Yepes was obviously upset about this. He was quick to re-tune my instrument in line with his original design. Chromatic resonance response, with the ability to easily control this response, was fundamental to the Yepes design, and Ramirez has related this story in his wonderful book, "Things About the Guitar."
Today, I am reflecting upon my initial reasons for re-tuning back in the late 1970s. I tuned the 7th course to low "B," the 8th course an octave above this note, the 9th course to "G," and I left the 10th course on F#. From a practical standpoint, this tuning helped me considerably with the music of Francesco da Milano, Weiss, Bach--it even helped me considerably to play Yepes's own soundtrack to "Jeux Interdix." Without changing strings, a few simple shifts on the bass notes had made life much easier music-wise. After all, the guitar lends itself best to playing tonal music, that's just the way it is!
During those days, other guitarists on the 10-String, such as Vincente Macaluso, replaced the basses to add a low "D," "C,","B,", and "A." From the standpoint of evenness concerning overtones, this tuning is incredibly unmusical. I know, because I played a ten-course lute for many years, a Baroque/Rennaisance "bridge" design that had an equivalent tuning. The 5th fret on the 1st string was really "overdone," to my ears. Because now, more than ever before the 4th fret and the 6th fret on the 1st string, which always seemed lacking, now seemed pathetically lacking. I can see why the Baroque lutenists were quick to abandon these standard tunings as the Baroque lute and its repertoire came into its own!
So how is a student of Yepes supposed to approach this rift? From the onset, this problem was introduced not by Vincinte Macaluso, but by Maestro Yepes himself. In the 70s, he was already working with 14-course lute designs, and he released the Bach lute repertoire using different tunings so he could properly execute this repertoire. In the 70's, I pointedly asked him if the Bach tunings he was now working with were chromatically resonant. They weren't. So, from day one, the Yepes guitar could not execute Bach's music, music that must reasonably be accepted as THE standard for any classical guitarist worthy of the name. How could one claim true classical "realization" for an instrument that could not execute Bach's music? I am of the opinion that you can't, I am of the opinion that the Yepes design was a great step toward authenticity, but only a step in the direction that will eventually bring the guitar to the level of the violin or the piano. What we Yepes students are facing is an unsolved dillemna. In point of fact, we cannot look to the past for any "solutions," because the dillemna came with the Yepes 10-String design from day one.
My personal take on this is to consider the problems of chromatic resonance, and the ability to play the Bach lute repertoire within this context, as pointing the way toward the guitar that Yepes himself would be working on if he were to return to this world today. I love the basic 10-String concept. This allows me to have a Contra "B" below the standard tuning, and to have a "Chikari" "B," sounding the note found on the 7th fret, first string. India was right on here, a Chikari string adds dimension to any and all music, from Raga to Christmas Carols, it is simply beautiful! As such, I consider the basic 10-String design to be complete, the chromatic "resonance" strings that I envision on my next instrument still leaves the 10-String instrument as a 10-String instrument.* With the low "B" and "F#," I feel confident in my ability to execute Weiss or Bach effectively, even though I may have problems when I need the low basses to overring. I used to do this at every opportunity, but today, I'm not very fond of this effect, I only like this to happen in the upper registers, this seems much more musical. With a low "B," I feel that the bass dimensions of a classical guitar are beautifully, even dramatically, realized--the bass extension of the 10-String is now worthy of the lute suites!
Ten strings, yes, the "Magical" number for a stringed instrument in Western culture, dating back perhaps 3000 years, back to the Psalms of David, a collection of songs that share with China's Book of Odes the distinction of being the oldest collection in existence. Ten is a good number for the guitar, for with this, I can bridge India's classical beauty in great part, and I can have a Contra-bass note growling as well as the ringing, bell-like chikari string. I have been able to tell people that I'm playing the most beautiful guitar ever made, and make them believe it from the very first note I play! Amalia is making many friends!
So, what can be said? I have always loved Narciso Yepes with a passion of great intensity, one that really shocked me at the beginning of our relationship. Students and teachers, yes, I see why teachers are traditionally considered to be the highest class in India. Can you imagine Jesus of Nazareth as a CEO, or as an Army General, or, Heaven forbid, as a Politician? Don't get me wrong, I'm not making any political or religious comments, I'm talking about the essentially rarified realization of what a TEACHER is, something that far too many of us fail to appreciate. I owe Maestro Yepes my very best efforts, anything less would satisfy neither of us, and that's the way it has always been--for which I am forever grateful! So, I ask myself:
Have I abandoned Yepes, in abandoning his 10-String tuning? To this, I must answer:
Yes, if I don't continue to pursue his dream of controlled chromatic resonance.
This is a mission I must embrace. I remember how open Maestro Yepes always was to learning music from great musicians, especially those who did not play guitar. Music was his passion, his Diety, as it is mine. I feel that he would love the directions the wonderful Spanish guitar is beginning to take via the inspiration of Ali Akbar Khan and the classical music and musicians of India. Perhaps with such guidance, a new sort of 10-String will soon enhance the Psalms of David. Or, perhaps this will be instead the simple realization of the ancient mythology, much as Eden is a vision of the future rather than a memory of the past.
Thank you, Maestro Yepes. And thank you, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan!
All my best,
Mischa
Perhaps it is natural, since I am a student of Narciso Yepes, to do considerable soul-searching concerning the 10-String modern guitar that he designed, especially in the context of a 10-String Yahoo group that I'm in, a group that doesn't seem to be familiar with the proprietary tuning of the Yepes 10-String. Part of this soul-seaqrching relates to private correspondence from an ex-member of this group, one who feels strongly that any 10-String group that does not accept the 10-String tuning of Yepes as being the de facto standard is not worthy of embracing our late Maestro's name. Perhaps there is something to be said for this opinion. Should Maestro Yepes's name be invoked?
Early in my studies, I modified the tuning of the Yepes guitar, and Yepes was obviously upset about this. He was quick to re-tune my instrument in line with his original design. Chromatic resonance response, with the ability to easily control this response, was fundamental to the Yepes design, and Ramirez has related this story in his wonderful book, "Things About the Guitar."
Today, I am reflecting upon my initial reasons for re-tuning back in the late 1970s. I tuned the 7th course to low "B," the 8th course an octave above this note, the 9th course to "G," and I left the 10th course on F#. From a practical standpoint, this tuning helped me considerably with the music of Francesco da Milano, Weiss, Bach--it even helped me considerably to play Yepes's own soundtrack to "Jeux Interdix." Without changing strings, a few simple shifts on the bass notes had made life much easier music-wise. After all, the guitar lends itself best to playing tonal music, that's just the way it is!
During those days, other guitarists on the 10-String, such as Vincente Macaluso, replaced the basses to add a low "D," "C,","B,", and "A." From the standpoint of evenness concerning overtones, this tuning is incredibly unmusical. I know, because I played a ten-course lute for many years, a Baroque/Rennaisance "bridge" design that had an equivalent tuning. The 5th fret on the 1st string was really "overdone," to my ears. Because now, more than ever before the 4th fret and the 6th fret on the 1st string, which always seemed lacking, now seemed pathetically lacking. I can see why the Baroque lutenists were quick to abandon these standard tunings as the Baroque lute and its repertoire came into its own!
So how is a student of Yepes supposed to approach this rift? From the onset, this problem was introduced not by Vincinte Macaluso, but by Maestro Yepes himself. In the 70s, he was already working with 14-course lute designs, and he released the Bach lute repertoire using different tunings so he could properly execute this repertoire. In the 70's, I pointedly asked him if the Bach tunings he was now working with were chromatically resonant. They weren't. So, from day one, the Yepes guitar could not execute Bach's music, music that must reasonably be accepted as THE standard for any classical guitarist worthy of the name. How could one claim true classical "realization" for an instrument that could not execute Bach's music? I am of the opinion that you can't, I am of the opinion that the Yepes design was a great step toward authenticity, but only a step in the direction that will eventually bring the guitar to the level of the violin or the piano. What we Yepes students are facing is an unsolved dillemna. In point of fact, we cannot look to the past for any "solutions," because the dillemna came with the Yepes 10-String design from day one.
My personal take on this is to consider the problems of chromatic resonance, and the ability to play the Bach lute repertoire within this context, as pointing the way toward the guitar that Yepes himself would be working on if he were to return to this world today. I love the basic 10-String concept. This allows me to have a Contra "B" below the standard tuning, and to have a "Chikari" "B," sounding the note found on the 7th fret, first string. India was right on here, a Chikari string adds dimension to any and all music, from Raga to Christmas Carols, it is simply beautiful! As such, I consider the basic 10-String design to be complete, the chromatic "resonance" strings that I envision on my next instrument still leaves the 10-String instrument as a 10-String instrument.* With the low "B" and "F#," I feel confident in my ability to execute Weiss or Bach effectively, even though I may have problems when I need the low basses to overring. I used to do this at every opportunity, but today, I'm not very fond of this effect, I only like this to happen in the upper registers, this seems much more musical. With a low "B," I feel that the bass dimensions of a classical guitar are beautifully, even dramatically, realized--the bass extension of the 10-String is now worthy of the lute suites!
Ten strings, yes, the "Magical" number for a stringed instrument in Western culture, dating back perhaps 3000 years, back to the Psalms of David, a collection of songs that share with China's Book of Odes the distinction of being the oldest collection in existence. Ten is a good number for the guitar, for with this, I can bridge India's classical beauty in great part, and I can have a Contra-bass note growling as well as the ringing, bell-like chikari string. I have been able to tell people that I'm playing the most beautiful guitar ever made, and make them believe it from the very first note I play! Amalia is making many friends!
So, what can be said? I have always loved Narciso Yepes with a passion of great intensity, one that really shocked me at the beginning of our relationship. Students and teachers, yes, I see why teachers are traditionally considered to be the highest class in India. Can you imagine Jesus of Nazareth as a CEO, or as an Army General, or, Heaven forbid, as a Politician? Don't get me wrong, I'm not making any political or religious comments, I'm talking about the essentially rarified realization of what a TEACHER is, something that far too many of us fail to appreciate. I owe Maestro Yepes my very best efforts, anything less would satisfy neither of us, and that's the way it has always been--for which I am forever grateful! So, I ask myself:
Have I abandoned Yepes, in abandoning his 10-String tuning? To this, I must answer:
Yes, if I don't continue to pursue his dream of controlled chromatic resonance.
This is a mission I must embrace. I remember how open Maestro Yepes always was to learning music from great musicians, especially those who did not play guitar. Music was his passion, his Diety, as it is mine. I feel that he would love the directions the wonderful Spanish guitar is beginning to take via the inspiration of Ali Akbar Khan and the classical music and musicians of India. Perhaps with such guidance, a new sort of 10-String will soon enhance the Psalms of David. Or, perhaps this will be instead the simple realization of the ancient mythology, much as Eden is a vision of the future rather than a memory of the past.
Thank you, Maestro Yepes. And thank you, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan!
All my best,
Mischa