sometimes I find the journey to learn guitar is more cheerful than finally being able to present a piece. Master Class here explains this well. The moment you learn/work with an established guitarist to learn and discuss have a profound impact. something can't learn from a book.
idk if its the strings on the student guitar but it sounds so weak compare to david guitar which always an important lesson always get fresh strings ppl
Filling Bach with ornaments is BS. Bach does not need that rubbish. Ornaments are a fetish with Russell. They are his gimmick, his claim to fame. Tired of it.
Even if not all of Bach's pieces were written down with ornamentation directions, most of them are specified so extensively that he was criticized for it by his contemporaries, arguing that he was robbing musicians of doing the expected interpretation work. And if you look at it, and compare with just slightly earlier works, what is specified in Bach's pieces is probably the minimal amount of ornamentation that was expected, and that a lot more was actually used. Meaning that the ornamentation Russel is playing is actually conservative and minimalistic. He just makes the ornamentation actually sound like it's part of the piece when he uses it, instead of adding it on top, which obviously will rankle a lot of people. But it's not a gimmick. It's written in the pieces, and the implication is that using ornamentation to displace rythm and create narrative drive in the strophes was a requirement. As one I know said it, these pieces are written on a style of various dances - not necessarily to be performed while someone is dancing, but with the style of that dance. Sarabande, Gavotte, Menuet, and so on. And then playing these pieces without that feeling would be very much like trying to play Jazz without knowing what a Swing-dance is. You can obviously do that, but it wouldn't sound like Jazz. Still, in 300 years, that's perhaps how Jazz will be performed, by AI, probably. With the one specified syncope that someone transcribed down into the sheet music, because that was a part where it was not implied very obviously, that actually covers up how very little in that entire piece was exactly on the beat. Because it moved like a swing-dance. We are - a lot of people, anyway - probably are playing Bach like that AI in the future would play Jazz. And no, it's not something Russel is inventing. He is playing what is in the manuscript, and leaving out some of it - and certainly leaving out the implied ornamentation completely. Because, no doubt, people do freak out when people "destroy Bach" by not playing him like a midi-file playback.
Wrong. A device can only get you close to perfect tuning. Subtle adjustments between strings can only be done by ear. You may have a C major chord in first position that sounds perfect but then play an E major chord and it will sound horrible. The third string needs to be adjusted so that the g ( fifth of the C major chord ) and g sharp ( third of the E major chord ) both sound good when the respective chords are played. This can only be done by ear. Tuners can only get you close. For a perfectly tuned guitar all strings need to be adjusted with each other. Octaves, thirds and fifths should all sound good on any string combination. Any guitarist should know this.
Unbelievable how a legendary player of Russell's caliber acts so kind and humble to his students. This man certainly will be remembered as one of the most influential figures in the world of classical guitar.
What marvels me is the frankness and the open down to earth attitude that David Russell has towards the student. His teaching reflects the kind of person he is. Not a minute of this master class was wasted. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice master class. The young man is very good on guitar and David’s knowledge and experience is sharpening the young man even more. Excellent! 😊🦅🎸
This masterclass is well targeted. The student is a very good player but just needed that little extra direction. Am I the only one that thinks he needs to work on vibrato, I don't hear him using any..?
@@jassxing So what you are saying is forget about musicality and just play notes? Let's not forget the guitar was not a baroque instrument. But with every instrument of the baroque era, expression and even improvisation was very much encouraged. Listen to Russell play the same parts as the student and hear how much better it sounds. that's musicality and quite a bit of vibrato.
@@allan2098 Almost all of baroque guitar manuscript indicates where you must add vibrato as it it an ornementation at this period. It's not everywhere and the fact that composers indicated where to add it shows that it was not something to have in your sound constently like we hear almost every singers do
@@charlesgalipeau1569 I suppose it can be a matter of taste. I didn't say he should have used it throughout the piece, but in some places, it does sound good and I noticed a complete lack of it. Also just because a baroque manuscript does not show any indications of vibrato (it shouldn't anyway because most of it is for the harpsichord, as this is) does not mean it should be excluded from the guitar in performance.
Xuan Hung Le I met him while he performed in the small Michigan town of Fennville, a number of years ago when he was still playing a John Gilbert guitar. He was not only very approachable, but a true gentleman; not full of himself, at all. He played a lot of difficult pieces and I never heard a bad note. I consider him one of the best classical guitarists alive today.
David Russell is one of the most genuine people you will meet period let alone in the classical guitar world. He is a humble guy despite being an exceptional performer and teacher. It’s not his style to put people down. I doubt anyone who knows what is going on here thought true of what you say. Stick to Willie Nelson, you’re out of your element here.
he doesn't say anything about that. Look at Russell's own hand. Not arched. The only point he makes about the student's hand is where he is playing. He says he is playing too near the bridge and gets him to move and in the 2nd variation he wants him to use the thumb as an anchor and lock the _m_ _a_ fingers together to play simultaneously. When the student tries to adapt to this he flattens his hand and Russell moves it up again but that is not his default position.
That was incredible. Can you tell me if David Russell is very tall or not so much? Like 1,80cm, less or more? His hands are very big or regular hands? Regards from Argentina.
Thanks a lot for that answer, you don't know how much you clear me up about Russell. I'm a fanatic of his music. I think it's your son the one from the videos, he is a fantastic guitarist. And again, thanks for sharing this masterclasses.
The student doesn't know how to be quiet. Gets on your nerves. Not attentive. Looks in another direction when being talked to or showed something. How about listening to some recordings for tempos? No, has to do things his own way.
@@luckylicks3497 I know I'm replying to a 3-year old comment, but why does everything still have to be done the way Segovia did it? Does the world really need another recording or performance of one of Bach's overplayed pieces, in the exact same interpretation since the 1900's? Imitating Segovia's way of playing just because he was considered great (which, IMHO, he wasn't really) kills young players' very own interpretative style. Just imagine how many phenomenal guitarists we would have if not for the obsession (almost perversion) for Segovia's recording of Chaconne or some other archaic piece.
