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From: LewisLazarus.es@XEROX.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: modern guitar technique
Message-ID: <9670@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 1-Apr-85 16:03:17 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.9670
Posted: Mon Apr  1 16:03:17 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Apr-85 10:37:33 EST
Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA
Lines: 42

Bream was forced to change his technique sometime in the sixties due
to some physical ailment or other.  His concert performances suffered
since (by that I mean he makes a lot of mistakes--I still enjoy his
concerts).  I rate him technically low only relative to the others I
mentioned in that list.  Bream himself envies John Williams' technique
but I personally think Bream is much more *musical*.

More specifically, it seems to be Bream's left hand (that which does the
fingering for right-handed guitarists) that has gotten somewhat sloppy.
His right hand tricks are wonderful.  Even so, his right hand technique
is very nonstandard (more like that of a folk guitarist's).  I'm very
strongly influenced by his approach too.

By the way, most of the problems are edited out of his recordings (which
are almost uniformly excellent).  Like Glen Gould, Bream knows how to
use the studio.  Again (for what it matters), I strongly agree with the
approach.  The concert hall is a pretty dumb place for an instrument as
intimate as the guitar.

Please don't take offense at my slighting Bream.  I'm just trying to
report
the facts.  You may wish to pass this on to the people CCed in your
message.
I can't do it from here.

Cheers,
	Eugene Fiume

P.S.  I know Glenn Gould is no longer with us, as they say, but I can't
be bothered fixing up the tense problems with the sentence mentioning
his name.

--------------------------------------------

Eugene,

Thank you for the informative response. Having never attended one of
Bream's concert's, I was unaware of any difficulities in his
performance. My impression has been based on his excellent recordings. 


Lewis Lazarus