Sue 5/8/17 Sue 5/8/17

Classical Guitar Virtuoso Profile: Julian Bream

No one can dispute the dedication & artistry of Julian Bream. I saw him in concert in 1988 but it wasn't until many years later that I realised how much of a legend he actually was.

Introduction

Julian Bream is without a doubt my favourite classical guitarist. I was privileged enough to see the living legend perform in my first year of guitar lessons in 1988. From memory I think most of his repertoire at the time was very modern and featured 'All in Twilight' by Toru Takemitsu. The downside of the recital was that I had only just started learning classical guitar and I couldn't appreciate the virtuosity and the grandeur of the musicianship that was on display. Honestly I didn't even really know who Julian Bream was. I do clearly recall my guitar teacher telling me later that Julian Bream also organised and marketed his own concerts around the world. That is something that I find truly staggering.

Why Do I Like Julian Bream?

I like Julian Bream for three main reasons:

His uncanny ability to find the important melodic lines or rhythms within a piece
His astonishing use of tonal colours
His unique and utterly idiomatic & unique interpretations

Many critics have lauded Julian's ability to capture the very essence of the pieces that he plays. It would seem that most of us share their opinions. If you read any of the comments in the numerous YouTube videos of Julian performing you will see that it is his sensitivity and deep understanding of music that people have grown to love and admire. It doesn't matter if it's a 400 year old Renaissance lute piece or a modern work by William Walton or Benjamin Britten - Bream will always find a way to make it musical and accessible to an audience. His ability to capture the soul and beauty of a piece is unparalleled.

When I was at University I would often pull out a vinyl recording of Bream playing the famous 'Concierto de Aranjuez'. It was so inspirational for me and it helped to keep me plugging away when I was studying. I always marvelled (and still do) at his timbral variations.

Julian Bream plays both of Joaquin Rodrigo's Conciertos for guitar.

Conclusion

Unfortunately Bream stopped giving recitals in 2002 after more than 50 years of performing around the world. Thankfully his numerous recordings are still available for us to enjoy and love. If you have time I would strongly suggest heading across to YouTube to watch these two wonderful documentaries:

My Life In Music. An enchanting 2 hour journey through Julian's life from his earliest days as a youth right through to the latter stages of a career spanning several decades.
Guitarra - The Guitar In Spain. This is a 3 hour documentary about the history of the guitar and the influence that Spanish luthiers & composers have had on the instrument since the days of Torres.

Let your fingers fly!

Sue 5/7/17 Sue 5/7/17

Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 4: Armrest

Armrests are a fascinating and relatively recent innovation for classical guitar design. They promote comfort, protect the guitar from wear, and supposedly lower the interference cause by the forearm resting on the soundboard.

A Greg Smallman 'armrest' close-up and personal.

Introduction

Welcome to part 4 in my series of articles about modern classical guitar design. In this article I will be discussing an innovation first seen on guitars made by the famous Australian classical guitar luthier - Greg Smallman. Hopefully by the end of the article you will have a better understanding of how they are made, why they are a good innovation, and where to find guitars that have them incorporated into their design.

What is a 'Classical Guitar Armrest'?

An armrest is a relatively simple design feature that serves three primary purposes:

It allows the soundboard to vibrate freely by reducing the damping effect of the forearm as it contacts the side and soundboard when playing
It protects the finish of the guitar from blemishing at the point of contact with the forearm
It can be more comfortable as it replaces the somewhat sharp edge where the soundboard meets the side with a more rounded contour

My personal experience

To be perfectly honest I can say it is more comfortable and it definitely protects the guitar from blemishing on the soundboard & side. However, I couldn't say if it really effects the volume or quality of sound produced by the guitar itself. I think the only true test would be for a luthier to make a guitar and measure it's output with and without an armrest.

Another interesting point is the fact that an armrest will 'push' your arm out and away from the soundboard a little more than you may be accustomed too. That is because the armrest sits proud from the soundboard.

Armrest sitting 'proud' from the soundboard (picture courtesy of Zebulon Turrentine)

It seems that not everyone is convinced on the effectiveness or necessity of armrests on classical guitars. Some players note that no significant benefit to sound is perceptible at all. On that count I would have to agree however as I stated previously it is definitely more comfortable and it does protect the guitar but you could just as easily use a guitar cloth as many guitarists currently do.

Different Types of Armrests

It seems that armrests come in all shapes and sizes but generally speaking they are all quite similar in design. They are also made from a variety of woods and some are also synthetic. Interestingly enough it is also possible to retrofit an armrest onto your existing guitar.

An example of a 'retrofit armrest from The 12th Fret

Below is a beautifully handcrafted Rosewood classical guitar armrest from Ortega.

An Ortega armrest available from Amazon.

My Verdict

Personally I would recommend a bevelled edge or bevelled armrest instead of an armrest. A bevelled armrest does not sit proud and it provides maximum comfort as the bevel actually becomes part of the guitar itself rather than feeling like it was a tacked on afterthought.

I'll be covering bevelled armrests in my next article on modern classical guitar design & innovations.

Check out my other articles in the

'Modern Classical Guitar Design Series':

Part 8: Fanned Frets

Part 7: Arched back

Part 6: Double Tops

Part 5: Lattice Bracing

Part 3: Soundports

Part 2: Indented Cutaway

Part 1: Elevated Fingerboard

Let your fingers fly!

Sue 5/6/17 Sue 5/6/17

Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 3: Soundports

Soundports...enigmatic 'holes' near the heel of the neck that almost look like someone drilled a gigantic void into your guitar to see how it worked. Read this article for an insight into these mysterious 'guitar circles'.

Introduction

Traditionally guitars have had a single soundhole located at the front of the guitar to allow the sound to escape and be heard by the guitarist and the audience. There have been many variations on the shape, size, style, and placement of the soundhole with varying levels of success. In recent years however a movement amongst luthiers to place a soundport or sound portal on the upper and sometimes the lower bout of the guitar has gained momentum and acceptance into the classical guitar community.

Why?

Inevitably one must ask the question "Why would I want a classical guitar with a soundport?" The answer to this can be explained as follows:

Personal monitoring. A soundport can act as a 'stage monitor' allowing you to hear your instrument with increased clarity. This is particularly important in ensemble playing where the guitar is usually easily lost in the mix.
Ensemble monitoring. With a soundport more of the guitars' sound is being projected upwards and to the side thus giving the opportunity for your fellow performers to hear you more clearly.
Brightness. A soundport can open up a dull sounding instrument. How this is achieved isn't exactly known but many owners that have added a soundport(s) to an instrument have remarked that their guitar sounds brighter with increased resonances and higher frequencies.
Fine tuning. From a luthier's perspective a soundport can enable 'fine tuning' of the instrument whereby the a luthier can alter the size of the soundport to adjust the high frequency response attributable to the changing cavity resonance.

A few words from Luthiers...

Kris Barnett on Soundports

Fritz Mueller on Soundports

Dual soundports on a guitar by kenny hill

Kenny Hill on Soundports

Soundport Variations

It seems that not all soundports are created equal - some are huge, some are perfectly round whereas others are an oval shape. To complicate matters further some can be partially or completely closed using magnetic systems or as you see in the first picture in this article others have a sliding design that will allow you to adjust the size of the soundport.

The image at the beginning of this article features a 'sliding soundport' by Florian Vorreiter. Rather uniquely that soundport is actually located at the lower bout of the guitar just below where your forearm rests on the guitar.

Check out this amazing photo build and article of a magnetic soundport cover system by Carlos Juan Busquiel.

The Verdict

All in all it does seem like a soundport or soundports are a wonderful innovation in the classical guitar realm. It seems that they should become a standard feature on classical guitars along with an elevated fretboard (seem my blog article on elevated fretboards here). The advantages of having one or two on your guitar are great.

Check out my other articles in the

'Modern Classical Guitar Design Series':

Part 8: Fanned Frets

Part 7: Arched back

Part 6: Double Tops

Part 5: Lattice Bracing

Part 4: Armrest

Part 2: Indented Cutaway

Part 1: Elevated Fingerboard