Classical Guitar Players (Folk)

Subject: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Tony
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:20 AM

Are there any professional guitarists out there who use a Classical style instrument?

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: NormanD
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:26 AM

Yes, but I wouldn't call myself a professional.

what are you looking for?

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Deckman
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:26 AM

Yes, I do. Bob(deckman)Nelson

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 11:57 AM

Dave Goulder is an very good classical guitarist and song writer.
G ¦¬]

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 12:17 PM

Mick Peirce told me he was quite a good guitar player.
LOL

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: kendall
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 12:41 PM

Gordon Bok
Paul Stookey

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Terry McDonald
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 12:54 PM

Graham Pratt

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Captain Colin
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 12:55 PM

Duck Baker uses a flamenco guitar.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Jeff
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 02:07 PM

Michael Johnson

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 02:09 PM

I was goin to say Dave Goulder too. And for his day job he mends stone walls and shows people how it's done. Then he writes songs about it.

That's what I call a well balanced way of life.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 04:53 PM

Doesn't Leon Rosselson use a classical guitar? And didn't Cyril Tawney use one, too?

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 05:21 PM

Steve Tilston uses one sometimes too, and Davey Graham was playing one the last time I saw him (some years ago).

TtT - I did use a classical guitar for folk music for most of my younger life, but these days I tend to use it only for classical music - I've used the Lowden for folk music for a long time now.

Mick

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 05:29 PM

There Willie Nelson of course. Even if it has a hole worn through the soundboard.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Guest.
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 06:19 PM

Jake Thackrey never used anything else. Buster Jones uses a classical, also, sometimes, Jerry Reid

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 09:15 PM

Earl Klugh and Guy VanDuser play nylon pretty much exclusively. Chet Atkins played both steel-string and nylon.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Tony
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 06:05 AM

Thanks to all who've responded so far. The reason I started this thread is that I've come across a Spanish inventor who's used computer technology to redesign the strutting and bracing of the classical guitar. The instrument he's come up with has absolutely amazing projection and tonal balance. And it's incredibly LOUD! I'd like a better player than me to have a look at this instrument and assess it from a performers point of view.

Is there anyone out there who'd be willing to test it out for me? I'm considering acting as the importer/sales agent for these instruments, but I'd like some independant feedback first. I'm in the East Midlands, England, but would be prepared to travel anywhere in the UK.

Please note that I'm NOT trying to sell! I really just want some opinions on the guitar.

Tony

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Don Firth
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 12:40 PM

I've been using classic guitars since 1955 when I first started studying classic guitar (I had already been singing folks songs since 1952), and I guess you could say I am (or at least, was) a professional because I made my living almost entirely from performing, with a little guitar teaching on the side, for over twelve years.

I would be interested in hearing more about this guitar. Can you indicate any web sites that have information about it?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Captain Colin
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 01:05 PM

Interesting, but I'd approach it with some scepticism Tony- people are always claiming to have discovered the "magic formula" (especially by computer)- but everything's been tried and truth is, there isn't one- there is an optimum after which what you gain in one area you lose in another, generally speaking. This may interest you http://www.stenzel-guitars.de/english/articles/trad.vs.modern.pdf

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Johnmc
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 03:49 PM

Can one include Leonard Cohen?

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: bubblyrat
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 06:22 PM

The Corries

The MacCalmans

John Tams

Ronnie Drew (Dubliners )

Julie Felix ???

Alex Campbell ( sometimes)

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Grab
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 12:14 PM

Tony, how's about talking to professional classical guitarists? If you're in the Midlands, there's the Stafford Classic Guitar Centre which is pretty good. Chuck one in their direction and see what comes back in the way of feedback.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 12:16 PM

The Scottish guy whose name escapes me but he writes songs about whisky and also (I think) wrote 'When She Wears Black Clothes'. Oh, and he's good.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Beer
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 03:54 PM

Andre Thibault from the group "Jou Tou" out of Vancouver.
Beer (Adrien)

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Roger
Date: 08 Feb 07 - 01:34 PM

I was recomended to have a look at this site. Very good but as my interest is more towards the classical can anyone point me in the direction of a classical version of Mudcat please.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Don Firth
Date: 08 Feb 07 - 01:58 PM

These sites look promising:

http://www.e-borneo.com/ab/cgforum.html

http://www.classicalguitar.nl/

I'm not all that familiar with them myself, but I'm going to check them out.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Mark Ross
Date: 08 Feb 07 - 03:57 PM

Glenn Ohrlin plays a nylon string, in fact when I met him 30 years ago he was using a flamenco guitar with friction pegs!

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Mike Miller
Date: 08 Feb 07 - 11:10 PM

Back in the day (my day), many, if not most, folksingers played classical guitars. Burl Ives and his accompanist, Millard Thomas, played classical, So did Theo Bikel, Fred Hellerman (of The Weavers), John Stauber, Harry Belafonte (before Millard Thomas started playing for him), Richard Dyer-Bennet, Will Holt, Will Geer, Oscar Brand, Ed McCurdy, Cynthia Gooding, Martha Schlamme, Win Strake and Sam Hinton. Back then, the only ones who played steel strings were the blues singers and the Country and Western singers. Even the 12 string players were blues based (Leadbelly, Gary Davis).
I didn't own a flat top steel until 1960. We were, mostly, into Spanish and Mexican because we couldn't afford the really good German made instruments. American classicals were not as highly regarded. Martin and Gibson seemed to dominate the sttel string market but, except for the occasional well made Gibson C-1 (I still have mine), Americal didn't really get competative until Guild came out with their Mark series. This is not to say that there were not fine, inexpensive American Nylons. Harmony made the 910 and the 173 models that were cheap, durable and easy to play, easily worth every penny they cost. But, for performance, everyone wanted a C-1 or a Mark III. They say that Burl Ives played a Hauser but he was rich and, beside, I think it was just a legend.

                        Mike

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,chris
Date: 09 Feb 07 - 04:24 AM

Hi
I have played the guitar Tony is talking about and felt that its 'projection' would be useful in an acoustic club for someone who prefered to play a classical style guitar but still wanted decent volume. The tone wasn't too bad either
chris

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Mark Ross
Date: 09 Feb 07 - 11:46 AM

I got to play Burl Ives's Hauser a couple of years ago. It was left to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. I was there doing research and spotted a gutiar case sitting in a corner
off to the side and got permission to check it out. Nice axe, don't know who gets to play it much, but at least it hasn't ended up on the vintage instrument market.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: DADGBE
Date: 09 Feb 07 - 06:19 PM

Like Mike Miller, my first guitar was classical. So was my first guitar training. While I drove my teachers to fury by my love of folk music, the lessons of classical technique have served me well ever since.

In those days, as now, there was a persistant bias among classical players against any other style of music. However, the technical issues addressed by classical training can improve any player's abilities. Just don't believe that twaddle about 'the only correct technique'.

Other persistant myths about classical guitars such as they're easier to play and quieter than steel stringed instruments are easily debunked by my Jose Ramirez A-1 which is both louder and more difficult to play than my Martin D-28.

Good luck,
Ray Frank

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Lanfranc
Date: 09 Feb 07 - 07:09 PM

I have a rather good 1968 Yairi classical, but don't play it very often and usually to accompany Leonard Cohen or Peter, Paul and Mary songs.

Al Stewart used to play classical in the old Bunjies days and I've often wondered if he played any of the lead classical breaks on the "Year of the Cat" album.

As has been said, numerous technical efforts have been made to improve the volume of the nylon-strung guitar over the years, but I personally reckon it has more to do with the technique of the player than the technicalities of the instrument. I once saw John Williams fill the Albert Hall with the sound of his classical guitar with no apparent amplification.

Alan

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Feb 07 - 09:06 PM

"In those days, as now, there was a persistant bias among classical players against any other style of music."

I got that a lot when I was at the University of Washington School of Music. A couple of my profs knew what I was all about and backed me all the way, but from some profs and students both, I got a lot of "When are you going to stop messing around with that cowboy music and get serious?" I just smiled sweetly and went my own way.

But I was pretty lucky with my first classic guitar teacher, a fellow with the oddly rural name of Joe Farmer. Joe played both classic and jazz, and did a little recording studio work as well. He didn't do folk music himself, but he was familiar with Richard Dyer-Bennet, he had heard a lot of Pete Seeger, and it seems that in the very early 50s, Ed McCurdy had passed through Seattle, and he and Joe spent quite a bit of time together. So Joe kept me plugging away on classic technique, but he knew what I was all about. Good teacher.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Mike Miller
Date: 09 Feb 07 - 10:26 PM

Of course, I should have included Ray Frank among the good folkies who strummed nylon. (By the way, Ray, I lost your number. E-mail me at [e-mail]).
Gordon Bok is anothet old friend who plays nylon. What the hell ever happened to him?

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 10 Feb 07 - 01:38 PM

I don't know about the type of guitar he plays, but after Pentangle broke up, John Renbourne studied Classical Guitar at University.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,Dave of Mawkin
Date: 11 Feb 07 - 05:17 AM

Has anyone mentioned
Tim Edey? he plays a classical..

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Duke
Date: 11 Feb 07 - 11:12 AM

I've owned a couple of classical guitars over the years. They come in handy for certain song arrangements. I don't have one at the moment and must say I miss not having one.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,gerry
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 12:27 PM

Well well well...its all about the kind of guitar you play, in fact if I ve well understood ! Hauser, Yamaha, Yairi...the strings....the stool on which to seat down....the kind of trousers guitar players should wear to sound good, maybe? what about chatting about music???he?? Scarlatti,Bach, Sor, Segovia,Scriabin...how interpretation should be?? Sorry guys..Im not a guitar collector! Music is about something else...im not on the right forum...Gerry

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Brendy
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 12:32 PM

I use a Cort Classical for a good few songs during my set, in various tunings and I put Composites on it.
If you fancy getting one of those guitars as far as Denmark, I'll certainly give it a couple of road tests....

B.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 01:13 PM

Gastove

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: C. Ham
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 01:20 PM

In the Montreal folk scene when I was young, Tex Konig and Jesse Winchester played classical-style nylon-string guitars.

Tex played his classical Martin until he died and when I saw Jesse less than a year ago he was still playing nylon strings. And very beautifully too.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: redsnapper
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 02:12 PM

I mostly use a steel string for gigs and mostly use a classical for playing for myself.

RS

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: eddie1
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 12:42 PM

Strollin Johnny!
"The Scottish guy whose name escapes me but he writes songs about whisky " was Robin Laing and he is an excellent guitarist.

Someone did mention The McCalmans above - I don't think they ever used nylon strung guitars.

Eddie

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: redsnapper
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 01:03 PM

There was a television programme on BBC Scotland this week hosted by Phil Cunningham and the McCalmans were featured. It clearly showed both of them playing nylon strung guitars, so they clearly did... at least in their earlier days.

RS

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:10 PM

Didn't Davy Graham play on for a while at least?

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: redsnapper
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:24 PM

Sorry... on reflection that was The Corries so maybe you're right Eddie (senior moment on my part!)

RS

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 02:12 PM

McGrath mentioned Willie Nelson. I might add that Willie plays his beat-up old nylon-string guitar with a FLATPICK, resulting in a very recognizable, characteristic sound.

Use of a pick of any kind is, of course, completely outside the boundaries of "correct," conventional classical technique. But of course, Willie is not interested in that, only in playing his own music on his chosen instrument ~ and who can deny him that right?

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST,sparticus
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 03:11 PM

Tim Edey. Absolutely stunning. He's definately done a deal at the crossroads!

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: DeeRod
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 04:57 PM

Just a mention that my baby, 1964 Martin 0016C, played usually with thumpick, has been faithful and true all these years. She's still bright and loud enough for anything I do (which has included accompanying an Irish accordian player-- kathump, kathump!). It's also gotten around, having been played at a party by Theodore Bikel and in a pub by Liam Clancy.

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jun 08 - 09:05 PM

Yes. Actually, I just started my lessons weeks ago. Fender's Blues Junior is the best guitar amps. Find out why. http://fenderbluesjunioramps.com

Subject: RE: Classical Guitar Players (Folk)
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 30 Jun 08 - 06:56 AM

Well, we've got an all-day workshop on Scottish music for guitar with Frank McLaughlin at the Lewes Arms on Saturday 19th. July. In the evening Frank performs at the Lewes Arms Folk Club with the excellent singer Mick West.

(Frank's workshop will actually be held at the Royal Oak in Lewes as Mick is doing a simultaneous workshop on Scottish song at the Lewes Arms during the day.)

Lewes Arms Workshop No 96
FRANK McLAUGHLIN
SCOTTISH GUITAR WORKSHOP
Places £25
Saturday 19th. July 2008
10.45 a.m.- 4.45 p.m.
The Royal Oak, Station Street, Lewes,
East Sussex BN7 2DA
        
        A first class guitarist & piper, Frank (www.myspace.com/frankmclaughlin) has worked with many top musicians on the Scottish scene. He is regularly in demand as a session player and is an experienced tutor. He works with virtuoso fiddle player Stewart Hardy, is a member of the Mick West Band and performs as duo with singer Gillian MacDonald.
The workshop will cover a range of techniques used in the playing & accompanying of both traditional tunes & songs; exploring ideas of using rhythm & chord voicing to create interesting parts; finger picking in standard & alternative tunings; flat picking; an approach to accompanying songs. Music & guitar tab available for all pieces.
                
IN THE EVENING MICK WEST & FRANK McLAUGHLIN
PERFORM AT THE LEWES ARMS FOLK CLUB
(£6; advance tickets available
from address at end of this form)
**************************************

FRANK McLAUGHLIN
SCOTTISH GUITAR WORKSHOP

Saturday 19th. July 2008
Provisional Timetable

10.45   Registration & coffee; order lunch (refreshments not included)

11.00   Flat-picking; exploring rhythms (jigs & reels) & chord voicing to build a dynamic guitar part

12.30         Lunch

13.30        Creating a part for song accompaniment (dropped D). finger picking & rhythmic examples using songs from the Scottish tradition.


15.15        Tea/coffee break

15.30        Uses of alternative tunings (DADGAD and C add 2) , accompanying & playing the melody.

16.45        Finish

N.B. Booking is recommended as numbers are limited. Music will be sent in advance
& maps & accommodation lists on request.

Lewes Arms Folk Club
c/o 20, St. John's Terrace, LEWES,
East Sussex BN7 2DL
Tel. [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org   

**************************************************

FRANK McLAUGHLIN
SCOTTISH GUITAR WORKSHOP
Saturday 19th. July 2008

BOOKING FORM
I enclose a cheque for £25.00 for workshop fees (refreshments not included).

Name:

Address:





No. of tickets for evening performance
(£6 each, include SAE for these):

Telephone:

E-mail address:

Tick for map:      Tick for accommodation list:

Please make cheques payable to Lewes Arms Folk Club and send with this booking form to: Valmai Goodyear, 20, St. John's Terrace,
LEWES, East Sussex BN7 2DL

Tel. [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org