Hey!

March has almost gone by, but not without waving farewell with another newsletter and lots of new music.

Today's journey begins with a dedication from Robert Schumann to Clara in the YouTube Find of the Week. We have an exciting album by Gabriele Leite in our luggage, which will take us on a relaxed trip downstream through the spring.

Relaxation is also the keyword in this week's interview with the wonderful Valeria Galimova. In addition to her guitar playing, she is also intensively involved in music physiology and her take on the notorious poster question is already one of the most beautiful answers of the year.

Incidentally, Leon Albert, with his coffee cup and his compositional talent, would also easily make it onto a poster. He has brought us another routine in the form of sheet music, but his humor and creativity are anything but routine.

But now put aside the folders and turn off the metronome for a moment: Here comes one last breeze of March.

Enjoy the ride.

Stefan & Willi

YOUTUBE FIND OF THE WEEK
with Merce Font

Somehow, dedications are beautiful thing. Robert Schumann set the poem Du meine Seele, du mein Herz by Friedrich Rückert to music as a dedication to Clara Schumann. The fantastic guitar solo arrangement by Carlo Marchione and the musical interpretation by Merce Fond are very close to the poem in terms of love and devotion, so that only the last lines of the lyrics, which are no longer included in this arrangement, may be quoted here: “You lift me lovingly above myself / My good spirit, my better self”!

ALBUM OF THE WEEK
with Gabriele Leite

São Paulo-born guitarist Gabriele Leite has been described as a “rising star” in the classical guitar world. After listening to her debut album (several times), we can understand this all too well! Her playing is spot on, with a great transparent yet powerful sound. The interpretation of all these pieces feels so loving and natural.  

Gabriele has chosen an exciting mix for the album's recipe, with which she stays exclusively in the 20th century. The album takes us on a relaxing trip downstream, one harbor being more beautiful than the next.

Gabriele's interpretation of William Walton's Five Bagatelles is a feast for the ears, and Ritmata by Edino Krieger is a crusher of a piece (we hadn't heard it before).

Then comes our highlight of the album: the Sonata by Sérgio Assad. Vocal separation, a pulsating, continuous groove and an obviously sufficient understanding of phrases always give the movements the right direction. Awesome piece, awesome interpretation! And as a heart-warming finale, the Melodia Sentimental (arr. by Gabriele Leite) by Villa-Lobos, into which the guitarist throws all her musicality and expression. 

Listen to the first movement of the Sonata if you only want a taste. Then the second one will inevitably follow and the next thing you know you will be all caught up in this beautiful album!

MORNING-ROUTINE
A coffee with Leon Albert

Hi Leon, what’s the routine for this week?

Independence.

I was asked to accompany a song that usually has piano accompaniment and realized that I'm not as flexible as I'd like to be in a 3/4 context. The aim is to maintain the groove or accompaniment with the thumb and be rhythmically spontaneous and free on top of it. To learn improvisation, it often helps me to write an etude for such specific challenges. Learning from piano parts is always super good and inspiring for us on the guitar anyway.

KNOW-HOW
with Valeria Galimova

We’ve been noticing Valeria Galimova for quite a while. The fluidity of her guitar playing, the danciness and the connection with her instrument stand out immediately, which is probably not least due to the fact that she has dedicated herself intensively to music physiology. We therefore took the liberty of asking Valeria a few questions on this subject.

Hi Valeria, besides being a musician, you are intensively involved in music physiology and also give seminars. What fascinates you about it?

I started studying physiology after my former teacher, Ricardo Gallien, helped me solve some technical problems that I had been stuck with for years – tight shoulders, difficulty playing loudly and pain in my hands. Thanks to my knowledge of the body’s anatomy and physiology, I was able to overcome these problems. Now, with this knowledge, I can help my students by explaining to them how the muscles work, and suddenly it works for them! I'm not one of those people where everything works by itself – I have to understand it and think it through, but when it works, it's incredibly inspiring!

How consciously do you perceive your body when playing the guitar, and which physiological aspects are important to you when playing?

What a good question! Before I started the physiology course, I thought I knew and controlled my body well. But I noticed a lot of tension that I hadn’t felt before, like in my legs and hips. I had been looking for the cause of my technique problems in my shoulders, but it was only in the course that I learned to recognize and release these tensions. The most important aspect of playing an instrument is the ability to tense and relax the muscles WHILE PLAYING. This is true mastery. Thanks to the practical exercises from our teachers, I have now mastered this and am much more aware of the sensations in my body.

What regular exercises can you recommend to guitarists to prevent injuries?

The most important rule is – don't continue with pain! You have to learn to stop and give your hands and body a rest, even if it takes a few days! It is also very important to take breaks every 40 minutes and stretch your body. You should practice in a concentrated way and not stretch the exercises to 7–8 hours a day. Finally learn to practice mentally! Many people don't like it, but it's so effective! And learn to practise progressive muscle relaxation. This practice has helped me to feel tension in my body and relax my muscles while playing. It is super helpful! I would recommend doing it every day.

Your debut album Lost & Found will be released soon. Have you ever lost something important and then got it back? How important was the choice of music to you and what is the most personal piece on the album for you?

This album is my self-portrait and reflects the feelings of many. It tells of my decision to move to another country and rebuild everything. An important theme is also the desire to express my thoughts on wars and conflicts. What is special is that 6 of the 10 pieces were written especially for this project by composers from different countries. The most personal piece is “Valse for Valeria”, which was dedicated to me by Mathias Duplessy. If you read the lyrics to this piece, which can be found in the CD sleeve, you will understand my feelings. An absolutely touching and powerful text!

Imagine you could have one sentence printed on a poster to be put up in huge numbers at all the (classical) music festivals in the world. What sentence would that be?

Every artist is a very special star. The sky is immeasurable, there is a place for everyone.

Valeria’s website… https://valeriagalimova.com/
…and Valeria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeria_galimova_/

FEEL-GOOD TUNE OF THE WEEK
with Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek

An upbeat and positive melody! It makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning. Or take a look at the sky in the middle of the day. Stress? Bad news? Put on your headphones, let your hair blow in the wind and jump on the good mood train!

Our feel-good tune of the week!

OUTRO

March was a good journey. We would like to thank you all and look forward to the next issue, for which we already have some exciting topics in the bag. We ourselves really enjoyed March and are delighted that we are now receiving more and more tips, suggestions and feedback. The community is growing. Thank you!

Stay tuned!
Stefan & Willi

New Classical Guitar is a newsletter by Willi Leinen and Stefan Degel from TMBM. You can find our music and more information about our journey at http://t-m-b-m.com/.

On Spotify, we curate a playlist with our favorite pieces. Feel free to follow our New Classical Guitar Playlist at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ZwxJRAsW9Zs2JiS2eLy6a?si=9b2a737f01c043a4 and recommend new additions.