Hold guitar lika cello??

[hiracer]

Last night I saw/heard the Brazilian Guitar Quartet.

One gentlemen held his eight-string like a cello. Feet flat on the ground; guitar body on both knees; upper frets positioned a few inches from his left ear.

His playing and tone was fantastic.

Plus his guitar was unlike any other I've ever seen. The neck was straight like a normal guitar, but the fret board rotated away. In other words, the nut was on a plane different from the saddle. About twenty degrees rotation I would guess. The neck rotation helped him access the upper frets. His right had was positioned at right angles to the strings, like a double bass player. Forearm did not rest on the quitar, of course.

Wild! Is this set up total new, or is it just something I'm slow to learn about?

BTY, just based on music alone, I highly recommend them if they get to your neighborhood. And their technical skill is first rate too. In Brazil they are known as the Dream Team. I really enjoyed their show. Some Bach and modern European composers, but mainly Brazilian composers. A do-not-miss show, IMO.

[hiracer]

Hope this links works. You can barely see one tailpiece in one of the pictures. Notice how the neck twists. The nut is on a different plan from the bridge. That's the guy who held his guitar like a cello.

http://www.brazilianguitarquartet.com/

[dennis]

Hiracer, I saw them at Spivey Hall in GA a few years ago and they were phenomenal. The last time I saw them Paul Gailbraith (8 sting played like a cello) was playing his Brahms guitar (this is the 8 sting w/ the soundbox, built by Rubio) and one of the other members was playing one as well. It was a great show.

When I saw them, Gailbraith actually had his feet resting on top of the box to which he attaches the tailpiece bridge.

[Shroomy726]

thats amazing, i cant believe it!! You know, to me, anyone who can play an 8 string is amazing, but someone that plays it like that! *claps*

[thraex]

The BGQ has changed some of its original members, Paul Galbraith is no longer with them, as well as Edelton Gloeden, i havent seen the new ones, can you tell me, are there 1 or 2 brahms players playing?

I also play a Brahms guitar and use a cello spike, although I still have to get a resonance box that i am happy with.

The position is very good for freedom of your right arm, and also the left seems like totally free, everybody should try it!

R

[hiracer]

The remaining Gloeden brother is the only one playing like a cello.

[MatthewB]

hiracer: if I'd seen the picture in the link without your introduction, I'd have assumed it was distorted somehow. Extraordinary looking instruments.

[dap22]

Hey guys,
Holding the guitar like a cello seems to be something that is gaining popularity, after many people having seen Paul Galbraith adapting this technique. A young guitarists up on the rise plays the guitar in a very similar way (holds it like a cello), his name is Matthew Rhode. I believe he was studying with Ben Verdery at Yale and now is studying with Roland Dyens. He won first place last year at the Rantucci guitar festival, and everyone in the audience was blown away. He played the first movement of S. Assad's Aquarelle, all three movements of Barrios's La Catedral, and Takemitsu's Equinox. Definitely an incredible player, don't miss out on a chance to hear him! After seeing him, I played around with holding the guitar like a cello, but I thought it was harder and my left arm got extremely tired after about a half hour! After that it was back to the footstool standard position, and I have since gone on to use the A-frame, which is similar in 'purpose' to the dynarette cushion or Aria rests or efel.
This made me respect those guitarists who hold the guitar in this position even more. Wow! Definitely incredible. It also seems harder to get a good tone from this position, however, the guitarists I have seen who hold the guitar in the position of a cello all have incredible tone. Wow! How do they do it? It's very impressive. Who else holds the guitar like a cello?

Doug.

[thraex]

hey dapp22

Can you do me a favor?
Do you know contact info on this guy you said is with Dyens now?
I also play a brahms guitar in "cello" position (although the idea doesnt come from cello) that i bought from Galbraith.
I am searching for a future duo partner to have a brahms guitars duo, so far Galbraith told me about ppl he knows in brasil, USA,ireland,south africa, but since i am in holland, a guy in france is closer!

thanks for any info regarding the above,
Ricardo

[dap22]

Hey Ricardo,
I am sorry, but I am unable to help you with the contact information. I do not have any of Matthew Rhode's contact info. I think I might be able to point you in the location of a few people who might have it, though. I only have spoken with Matthew for a couple of minutes when he was competing in the Rantucci competition (in which he was the first place winner.) He seemed liek a really nice guy, but I did not get any of his contact information. I heard that at the time he was studying guitar with Benjamin Verdery at Yale, so maybe if you contacted Ben Verdery and asked for Matthew's contact information, he might be able to help you. Since he won the Rantucci, and Mir-Ali and Stephen Aron, were the festival directors, I think if you contact Mir-Ali, he might have some contact information. Aside from that, you might want to just try contacting Roland Dyens at the National Conservatory in France and ask him. I know Roland has heard Matthew Rhode play, but I am not 100% sure that he is studying with him now. I hope that I was able to point you in the right direction, as I said, I don't know Matthew at all. Matthew is an incredible player, his level of artistic and technical ability is one that is found in few. He is really something special on the guitar. I hope I was somehow able to help.
Doug.

PS-Matthew plays a Greg Smallman guitar.