GENERAL DISCUSSION Thread: Click Here to Have a Conversation!

Ashley (Ash) Lucero 

- Thanks for your suggestions Ash! I think a scordatura is almost essential if you start venturing of into any other tonal territories, especially considering it's reasonable to say the tuning of the guitar was designed for one particular type of tonality.

- By "implied polyphony" I assume you mean the type Bach might often use with single a line full of semiquavers - sorry 16th notes ! - with high and low notes sounding like different voices?

- Starting from the piano (or indeed any other instrument!) is interesting, I can imagine that's how a lot of (if not most) non-guitarist composers have worked, and I reckon really good for not getting stuck in guitar clichés, and of course presents its own set of difficulties, but as you said in one of the live streams, we like solving problems!

I don't know if this is a question of terminology – I'm wondering why you say that this requires experience in orchestration? Are you talking about how composers have often written a piece for orchestra first on the piano and then orchestrated it? Or do you mean something like transcription?

I'll try the extra arm thing... ooh but one teacher of mine Jesús Pineda played harmonics with his nose. I found that a bit unpleasant on my honker though. Come to think of it, did Mircea  do that in a live stream once??? I can imagine he would do something like that...

Roni Glaser Haha I think I did talk about it in a livestream a while ago!  Great memory, Roni 

Roni Glaser very good remarks. I’m stumbling over the same issues. Need more experience in transposing, and the implied polyphony (thanks, Ashley) is a great suggestion. I’m experimenting with that, this week. Yet, when I think of something in my head, the sound test on the guitar isn’t always encouraging...  especially modulating from one key to the next, other than basic, is a stumbling block. Stuck between the classical way and more modern creative solutions...

joosje Do you have trouble modulating because of the guitar, or simply because it can be a tricky thing to do smoothly harmonically? I've tried to write fugues on the guitar before (!!!) and after writing a fantastic exposition , when I modulated or moved the subject into a different voice, the whole thing was unplayable. I have half of Koshkin's Preludes and Fugues, and I noticed quite a few times how in the freakier keys, he modulates pretty quickly back into the easier keys.

I remember Steve Goss saying something about how theme and variations work well on the guitar because they mostly stay in the same key.

I like what Ash said about just playing around with different sounds on the guitar, and working from what sounds good on the instrument. Sometimes the best harmonies or voicing to use are just what's available to your fingers, as opposed to a gymnastic chord change. Personally I like the more modern creative solutions, and I think it helps you get to know the instrument even better.

Roni Glaser challenging question!
For me, since I can only speak about my own creative process, it's similar to how I approach the way I play music. It all starts with what I want to say, or express, and how the musical material can be used to achieve that goal through the instrument I play, or the instrument I would write for. I can write notes out of a technical process, like I can play notes in a technical way, but all of this make sense to me once I connect or relate to something out of the music.

Roni Glaser you are much more experienced. Now that I am tempted through this course, to explore and write music from scratch, I find that guitar tuning and fingering possibilities are limiting factors for the process of composing more complicated structures. Alternative tuning is an option, but for one piece at a time. I don’t have my piano at hand. That might change my working method...