HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Issue 22- December 23th, 2012

I would like to invite you to be part of this Weekly Magazine by raising questions and giving me suggestions through e-mail so this magazine can become a good material for all flamenco lovers, researchers and musicians. Enjoy it!

A.- Happy Birthday Paco!

B.- Comments, Questions and Answers:

QUESTION: Is it a good idea to buy a second hand guitar? The reason I ask is because -once again- I need to buy a guitar because a year ago I bought a second hand guitar for a lower price, and now I regret because -after a while- some of its bracings were actually coming off progressively. First I didn’t notice it but, one day, it sounded really bad and I had to send it to a repair man and it wasn’t fixed properly. I expended a lot on this repair and finally he told me that it couldn’t be fixed well anyway. Is it true that it can’t be repaired at all?

C.- Videos of the Week:

1) Zapateado Exercises - Part 8- Interactive (1 new video)

2) Understanding “Gitanos Andaluces” (Bulería) – Part 13 and Part 14 (2 new videos)

3) How to Hone Rasgueos – Part 5 to 10 (6 new videos)

D.- Video Recommendation of the Week:

1) Beginner Warm-up (3) The Pepe Romero Method

B.- Comments, Questions and Answers:

QUESTION: Is it a good idea to buy a second hand guitar? The reason I ask is because -once again- I need to buy a guitar because a year ago I bought a second hand guitar for a lower price, and now I regret because -after a while- some of its bracings were actually coming off progressively. First I didn’t notice it but, one day, it sounded really bad and I had to send it to a repair man and it wasn’t fixed properly. I expended a lot on this repair and finally he told me that it couldn’t be fixed well anyway. Is it true that it can’t be repaired at all?

ANSWER:

I have seen this kind of problem during my 25 years of experience on the field and most of the times it was about restoring very old instruments like this 1926 Francisco Simplicio guitar:

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ZoomImage.aspx?image=/LotFinderImages/D51192/D5119250

Of course the guitar can be fixed but it’s an experts job because it’s a very complex repair and it will alter the original sound the guitar had before.

Sound depends -at least- up to a 75% on the bracings “abanicos”. In case you haven’t seen them here is a picture that shows the inner structure of the guitar:

http://www.andalusianguitars.com/enshdoblehoyo-ojopajarofoto7.html

Bracings are of paramount importance as I explained in the following article:

http://www.rdiaz.org/rd-art%207.html

and if those bracings are dis-glued it’s a big problem because the repair man will have to either glue them again or remove the original ones and change them for new bracings. This will modify totally the way the guitar was supposed to sound. Luckily in 20 years as a guitar player that kind of problem never has happened to me.

I guess the previous owner did not take care of humidity levels and/or stroke the guitar in a way that the top inner bracing was damaged.

If you can’t buy a new guitar then it may be a good idea to buy a second hand guitar provided you make sure that the instrument isn’t damaged. But how will you know it?

Certainly by looking at a picture you can’t tell that, therefore you need to:

1) Get assurance from a trusted person that the guitar is in good condition.

2) Verify it yourself personally (if you know how)

In case you need it I do know one person that can successfully perform that repair, he is one of the major disciples of master luthier Arcangel Fernandez his name is Leonardo Plattner and here is the link  to his website:

http://www.guitarras-plattner.com/spip.php?article7

(at the bottom of the page you can read it all in English)

In conclusion, if you take care of the appropriate humidity levels and play your guitar carefully I can assure that you will be freed from that predicament forever.

Please take a look to the simplest way to control humidity levels that I explained in a former issue of the E-zine:

http://www.rdiaz.org/rdmagazine12-23sep12.html

C.- Videos of the Week:

1) Zapateado Exercises - Part 8- Interactive (1 new video)

2) Understanding “Gitanos Andaluces” (Bulería) – Part 13 and Part 14 (2 new videos)

3) How to Hone Rasgueos – Part 5 to 10 (6 new videos)

1)Zapateado Exercises - Part 8- Interactive (1 new video)

Click here to watch the NEW video ONLY

Click here to watch the whole series

2) Understanding “Gitanos Andaluces” (Bulería) – Part 13 and Part 14 (2 new videos)

Click here to watch the NEW video ONLY

Click here to watch the whole series

3) How to Hone Rasgueos – Part 5 to 10 (6 new videos)

Click here to watch the NEW video ONLY

Click here to watch the whole series

D.- Video Recommendation of the Week:

1) Beginner Warm-up (3) The Pepe Romero Method

Here is an interesting and useful video about warming up according to the Romero method of classical guitar explained by my friend and colleague Greg Shirer

ISSUE 13