Three comments on the guitar.
1. My friend Boyan of the instrumental trio B11 sure does
play it well. They recently released a self-titled 15-track album including
both original songs (one including a mega-finale which wraps up the album with
some B11 soul) and some seriously groovy covers (personal favorite: Peter Gunn
Theme). Guitar-bass-drums makes for some good tune-age in the car when you are
beating your head on the steering wheel in mind-numbing traffic (or maybe
that’s just me). But driving in the car has always been my favorite time to
listen to music (apart from perhaps doing the dishes, cooking dinner, at
parties… ok, I rescind previous statement). In any case! If you are interested in the album, you can find out all the info here.
Or just ping me.
2. Next month, my chorus (LJSC)
is singing “Ode to Everyday Things,” the beautiful poems of Pablo Neruda put to
music by Cary Ratcliff. One of my favorites is the poem “Oda a la Guitarra” –
the chorus is made to sound like the rhythmic strumming of a guitar:
Delgada
línea pura
de corazón sonoro.
Eres la claridad cortada al vuelo:
cantando sobrevives,
todo se irá menos tu forma.
Another plug: an additional concert is this weekend,
tomorrow (Saturday, May 3) and Sunday, May 4. The orchestra is playing two
pieces (Villa-Lobos and Prokofiev—what’s not to love?) and we are singing
Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with them. I believe it promises not to
disappoint.
3. The guitar is a beautiful instrument. I took a few group
lessons at the extension school at UCSD last quarter, but it wasn’t what I was
looking for (I’ve got the music theory down, for these intents and purposes; I
want to be able to walk into a party and play some tunes). However, I recently
learned the rec program at UCSD (which has classes for yoga, dance, etc.,
several of which I’ve taken before) also offers some arts and music courses—including
guitar. Capitalizing on my position as a graduate student, I jumped in halfway
through the term and found an incredible instructor. This quarter, things are
heating up at school, and it is certainly a welcome release. So far I’ve just
got two-note power chords only a fraction of the way under my belt, but things are
looking up. Here’s to the guitar. And remember: I don’t always play the guitar,
but when I do, I use a B11 pick! (See photograph above.)
