New York Guitar Seminar Blog & Photo Gallery
Hello all Guitarists and Brazilian music fans!
Welcome to the official Blog for my NY Guitar Seminar masterclass:
Brazilian Guitar Panorama: Authentic Fluency in Duo Accompaniment
The BLOG is open both to masterclass participants and new seminar page visitors.
If you've looked at the EIGHT VIDEOS and COMPLETE PDF OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
and have some questions about my materials and approach:
Send me your QUESTIONS HERE.
I will post them (anonymously) and respond right here in the BLOG.
A few people have already gotten things started below.
You can always return to the NYGS masterclass page to view videos and handouts.
Also for your interest are:
• NYGS PHOTO GALLERY
• five tracks from my Brazilian Jazz ensemble's NEW CD RECORDING:
"QUARTETO MODERNO LIVE! AO VIVO!" (the other 5 tracks are on the seminar page)
Welcome to the official Blog for my NY Guitar Seminar masterclass:
Brazilian Guitar Panorama: Authentic Fluency in Duo Accompaniment
The BLOG is open both to masterclass participants and new seminar page visitors.
If you've looked at the EIGHT VIDEOS and COMPLETE PDF OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
and have some questions about my materials and approach:
Send me your QUESTIONS HERE.
I will post them (anonymously) and respond right here in the BLOG.
A few people have already gotten things started below.
You can always return to the NYGS masterclass page to view videos and handouts.
Also for your interest are:
• NYGS PHOTO GALLERY
• five tracks from my Brazilian Jazz ensemble's NEW CD RECORDING:
"QUARTETO MODERNO LIVE! AO VIVO!" (the other 5 tracks are on the seminar page)
New York Guitar Seminar BLOG
QUESTION:
"When comping Bossa Nova duo, is it important to alternate bass notes between 5th and 6th string?
RICHARD:
Traditionally, Bossa Nova guitarists use the 6th string for their bass notes and strings
4-3-2 for the voicings (drop three form). Repeating the same bass notes for both beats is fine. Alternating or changing bass notes is much more common in samba, choro and baião– watch the videos that deal with those genres.
QUESTION:
"For Baião, is dropping the low E string down to D the only alternate tuning?"
RICHARD: Although Dropped low D is the most common among Brazilian guitarists, there are numerous other possibilities depending on the tonal or modal center of the piece. For example, for pieces that are in G (Lydian Dominant mode), it is very useful to drop the A string down to G in addition to the dropped D. You can also have a C-G tuning for the bottom two strings which allows you to have cello voicings (tuned in fifths) in the bottom three strings (C-G-D).
"When comping Bossa Nova duo, is it important to alternate bass notes between 5th and 6th string?
RICHARD:
Traditionally, Bossa Nova guitarists use the 6th string for their bass notes and strings
4-3-2 for the voicings (drop three form). Repeating the same bass notes for both beats is fine. Alternating or changing bass notes is much more common in samba, choro and baião– watch the videos that deal with those genres.
QUESTION:
"For Baião, is dropping the low E string down to D the only alternate tuning?"
RICHARD: Although Dropped low D is the most common among Brazilian guitarists, there are numerous other possibilities depending on the tonal or modal center of the piece. For example, for pieces that are in G (Lydian Dominant mode), it is very useful to drop the A string down to G in addition to the dropped D. You can also have a C-G tuning for the bottom two strings which allows you to have cello voicings (tuned in fifths) in the bottom three strings (C-G-D).
NYGS PHOTO GALLERY

Participants playing comping examples Richard demonstrated from his handouts. CLICK PICTURE FOR COMPLETE PDF.