Hey!

What brings people together? What keeps us together? Music is one of the best social glues, and being aware of this aspect is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? In this week's video, the bass is what holds it all together, in Zoran Dukić's album, the feeling of melancholy is the common thread, and with Leon, you can put agogics aside for a moment and just go with the groove, which also helps keep things in sync. And to continue the theme of this issue: what holds a cycle of études together, and what changes when you play them all in a row, rather than practicing them as individual pieces? Evgeny answers these questions very insightfully in connection with Villa-Lobos' 12 études.

In the feel-good melody, we would like to caress our guitarist's souls at the end. When a violinist plays an arrangement of a guitar composition... What do you think of this version? Let us know.

Enjoy reading, listening, and watching.

Stefan und Willi

YOUTUBE FIND OF THE WEEK
with Ben Lougheed

Ben Lougheed plays Rameau's “Gavotte et six doubles” – originally for harpsichord – in his own guitar arrangement. The gavotte lays the foundation, the six doubles gradually build up the texture: slender, clear, with growing agility.

It is beautiful how the bass holds everything together so steadily and how cleanly the middle voices interlock. The embellishments stay in line, the pulse remains light, the dynamics grow without pressure, and in the end there is an arc that carries through the piece.

The video is pleasantly understated: clear perspectives, close to the instrument, nothing distracting. Unexcited and fitting for the music. Check it out!

ALBUM OF THE WEEK
with Zoran Dukić

On his album Black Bile, Zoran Dukić explores a feeling, or rather a mix of feelings, that is often difficult to grasp yet so omnipresent. Classified as an illness until the Middle Ages, later closely associated with being an artist, a source of inspiration, the basis of so much artistic creation. And last but not least, the guitar could be described as THE mouthpiece of this feeling: melancholy.

Zoran delves into the box of melancholic compositions and draws from it a picture influenced by various nationalities and centuries. There is, for example, John Dowland's “Forlorn Hope Fancy” fantasy, whose chromaticism deeply touches, implores, sighs. Or Augustin Barrios' “Choro de saudade,” which goes even deeper in the context of the album than it already does as a standalone piece. What a soul-stirring piece of music. As Zoran aptly puts it in the extremely detailed description of the CD on GuitarCoop: “‘saudade’ is that mystical emotional fusion of sadness and yearning that apparently only Brazilians can truly feel.”

We highly recommend taking the time to read through this!
(https://guitarcoop.com.br/en/zoran-dukic/)

Another nice feature on the CD is “Cinema Paradiso” by Welsh composer Stephen Goss, with six movements inspired by directors and genres.

To be fair, every single piece on the track list should be mentioned, because the selection fits together just so harmoniously. And – not mentioned yet, because it goes without saying – Zoran Dukić, who blends with the guitar and, with his keen sense of interpretation, allows the compositions to shine in their own rightful glory. How enriching it is to have stumbled upon this record!

Sit back and revel in this wonderfully strange, captivating, and profound feeling of melancholy!

MORNING-ROUTINE
A coffee with Leon Albert

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

Amid all the agogics, a little bit of groove feels good, too, for a change. Furthermore, the power of repetition, or a nice loop, should not be underestimated. Fill-ins are an art in themselves, and achieving flow in the hamster wheel of everyday life can be a lifesaver. With that in mind, get into the groove, jam with the thing, improvise your own fills, and, ideally, forget about time. Recording yourself to capture your own ideas, or to check the timing afterwards, is also recommended (that's how this piece was created). I would be very interested in hearing these recordings – the first 3 people to send them to me will receive a free music book! :)

Contact via Insta: @leonalbertmusic

KNOW-HOW
with Evgeny Beleninov

Every classical guitarist knows them, but how does it affect your understanding of Villa-Lobos' 12 études if you play them not as individual pieces but as a coherent whole? Guitarist Yevgeni Beleninov has studied this cycle intensively and explored the interplay of technique, sound, and form within it.

In this interview, we talk about the big picture, about recurring movement and rhythm patterns, typical stumbling blocks, and about which étude is particularly close to his heart. He also gives a very inspiring answer to our poster question, which we should all hang above our record shelves! Thank you, Yevgeni, for taking the time to answer our questions!

Considering them as a complete cycle: What becomes apparent in the 12 études only when one has truly worked through them all – in terms of form, sound, and dramaturgy? 
There is a clear progression in Villa-Lobos' twelve études – less in terms of technical difficulty than in musical depth. They can also be divided into three groups. Études 1–4 have a clear technical focus (arpeggios, slurs, chord playing). In 5–8, the focus is on sound, phrasing, and interpretation. The last four combine virtuosity and expression. In the course of the study, you develop from a player into an artist. The dramaturgy also increases: after a rather classical, partly cheerful beginning, the mood becomes more melancholic from the fifth etude onwards, with a French influence, and finally increasingly complex and modern.

What recurring movement or rhythm patterns run through several études, and how do you use these cross-connections in your practice? 
Each etude is unique and presents new challenges. Of course, similar playing techniques appear again and again – such as chord shifts or arpeggios. These connections not only help you work on the other etudes, but also improve your playing overall. When you work through the entire cycle, you notice that many movements feel familiar and flow into one another. In the end, you will not only be technically proficient, but also musically flexible – and above all, after the twelve études, you will definitely be warmed-up.

Which etude is considered the “problem child” – and why? What typical pitfalls do you see there, and which specific practice method has helped you the most? 
One of the most technically difficult études is No. 2. Although the left hand has many jumps, the real challenge lies in the right hand. It helped me a lot to practice it alone at first – without fingering – and to include different rhythmic variations, such as small pauses every eight sixteenth notes, which you then offset. This sharpens control and consistency. Etude No. 10 also pushes you to your limits. I haven't found a special method for it – sometimes all that really helps is patience and a little prayer.

Which étude is closest to your heart and why? 
Etude No. 11 is closest to my heart. For me, it is perfect – clearly composed, architecturally well thought out, and at the same time full of energy. Its form has something self-contained, almost monumental about it, and yet it remains lively and breathing. This etude has been with me the longest of all; it has become something of a fixed point. I keep discovering new subtleties in it. Without this étude, my understanding of the guitar – as a resonance body, as an instrument at all – would be almost inconceivable.

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? 
The answer to that question hangs above my record shelf, where there is a quote that reads: “The essential thing is the music.” This simple but profound message reminds us that amid the hype, commercialism, and competition in the music business, the real goal is often forgotten. Ultimately, it's always about the music itself.

More about Evgeny: www.beleninov.com

FEEL-GOOD TUNE OF THE WEEK
with Tobias Feldmann

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

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to send us your suggestions and comments directly in response to this issue. As always, you can find new music discoveries – including artists we wrote about in today's issue – in our Spotify playlist for the newsletter, which we have linked below.

Be good to each other.

Stay tuned!

Stefan & Willi

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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.