Guitar Education Roundtable: Thougts on Guitar Ensemble
Thomas J. Amoriello, Jr.
A famous quote heard in guitar circles from the great Spaniard Andres Segovia (1893-1987) was his description of the solo classical guitar. He once compared the guitar to “a small orches- tra — an orchestra seen through the wrong end of a pair of binoculars.” He liked to explain at length the guitar’s capacity for harmony and counterpoint, which give it a wider range be- yond the reach of the violin or the cello. This metaphor refers to the many colors of the or- chestral instruments that the guitar can imitate. Another famous quote revered amongst guitar- ists is, “Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, save perhaps two.” Which is attributed to Fred- ric Chopin.
The sounds of many guitars may have really ex- cited Chopin and Segovia, but then again we are focusing on teenagers participating in a large group musical experience for the very first time of their lives. Most band and string students in- stantly play in a large group starting in grade 5. Guitarists on the other hand may not get their first formal ensemble experience until the age of 15 being years behind the average BOC student. As the popularity of the solo guitar escalated during the last 50 or so years through a com- bination of spellbinding performers, recording artists, pedagogues, published methods, reper- toire and educational opportunities, the guitar even in chamber music settings has remained slightly behind.
Though there are no professional guitar ensem- bles (excluding guitar quartets) the popularity of the guitar ensemble has been omnipotent in academia. Most college music guitar programs have a guitar ensemble of some sort and the list of middle and high school groups continues to grow.
Most guitar ensemble music resembles
music written for a trio or string quartet with sin- gle line parts. Four (and sometimes five) parts cover different registers of the fretboard to the sometimes low detuned bass strings that imitate the contra bass or cello to the higher notes in 10th position and beyond for those flute/violin sonorities (FYI- guitar music sounds an octave
15 lower than the written notation).
I have enjoyed teaching guitar ensemble for 10 years and though I found that some groups had their challenges, I found each ensemble has its own unique personality and level of dedication. We have performed arrangements, transcrip- tions and original compositions in diverse cat- egories such as jazz, blues, classical, mariachi, pop and world music. As we always wonder what others do in similar situations, today we will hear thoughts from some highly respected educators of Guitar Ensemble from New Jersey all the way to Phoenix as well as other highly effective directors.
Dr. Keith Calmes, Wall High School, Wall, NJ.
Don’t noodle around on the guitar when the director is speaking to you, or to the class. It’s a horrible habit that many gui- tarists have. KC
What Guitar Ensemble published collec- tions do you like to work from?
I find that I have the most success when I make my own arrangements for my students although there are some fine collections out there- both in print and for download. Honestly, I think that most ensemble music out there gets too chal- lenging too quickly. Many composers or arrang- ers think little of shifting, writing challenging rhythms, etc. I’ve found that many, many guitar- ists are challenged by reading. Of course, stu- dents have to step up to the plate, yet composers and arrangers should be more conscientious of this.
Your thoughts of “classical guitar seat- ing position” or “right knee” for your groups?
It’s a touchy subject. There are various ways to sit “correctly” with a guitar. Just look at the
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