Hotel Mark

Last week I played in public for the first time in nearly five years. Considering my rustiness, it went okay I THINK

I have always found it a problem, what piece exactly to begin with. Although I try to include some tremolo works in any performence, I dare NOT play these until my right hand is fully warmed up. So, for the record, my reportoire on the day was as follows;

Romance, Barrios Villiancico De Navidad, Reis Eterna Saudade, Tarrega Capricho Arabe, Recuerdos De La Alhambra, Myers Cavatina.

The venue was quite informal, so you will note these pieces are romantic in nature. Next performence I aim to include more classical guitar arrangements of Songs, such as Vincent, If I Fell, Something, and Killing Me Softly. On the classical front, Barrios Julia Florida, Piazzola Verano Porteno, Brower Cancion Del Cuna, Cardoso Milonga come into the reckoning. Also, I am working on some pieces by Peo Kindgren, who’s recently released CD, reviewed on this site, has been a great success, selling out at Amazon within two days of going into stock! In fact, they are having to print many more copies! Congrats to you, Peo…

I think at this point I’d like to do restaurant work again. The interim period has given me much time for reflection, and my personal experiences I hope will help to create a different musical perspective. If anyone has any tips on how they warm up before playing in public, or what pieces to play to begin with, please let me know…

Enjoying making music again

I made a post recently about the Grand National. However, if you prefer gambling of a different kind, check out On Line Casino Bluebook. With this site, you can e-mail them, stating your search criteria, or what your specific requirements are in On Line Casino. They will mail you back with a link tailored to your taste.The site have already written reviews of Casino sites, ranging from Rushmore USA, which boasts a welcome bonus of over $800, to Riverball, with over 190 Casino Games, 10 plus blackjack games. http://www.onlinecasinobluebook.com/ is where the sites are rated.

If you tune in to late night TV these days on many Satellite channels, you will find many live Roulette games being screened. On Line Casino reflects the growing popularity of both on line gaming and gambling “from a distance” so to speak, where you don’t have to leave your own armchair to take part. It’s useful for those who might like a flutter, but don’t have a facility available locally, or even the serious out and out gambler.

Please bear in mind, here I am neither encouraging people to take part, or suggesting any bias, simply reflecting what is currently available. Whatever your preference, enjoy!

We are all familiar with the annoying Mobile Phone ringtone, perhaps the most commonly used one. You know, the one which goes dada DA da, dada DA da, dada DA da dee   Not everyone knows  that this little tune was composed by this man on the right here, Spanish classical guitarist Fransisco Tarrega, and it’s an extract from his piece Gran Vals..What? So it’s HIS fault..Well, perhaps not fair to blame the composer himself, it’s what other people did to his tune that’s to blame!

Tarrega was the first guitarist composer to use Torres guitars, and he revolutionised the guitars repertoire and technique, with a multitude of original studies and compositions. His best known work is the evergreen classic Memories of the Alhambra, tremelo study, this is my recording of it.

If like me, you are tired of the same old mobile ringing, and are looking for something more original, you can try Free Ringtones They have a variety of ringtones to choose from, in many genres, including Country, R&B, Rock, Pop. These are available for download, depending on your area.

Also is the intriguing Polyphonic Ringtones Or if Dance is more your thing Dance Ringtones Take a look and have fun.

One thing I’ve not mentioned about myself until now is that, years ago, I had a reputation as a racing tipster. It goes as far back as when I was at school, when pupils and teachers asked my opinion about a forthcoming horse race!

One annual even in the racing calendar which captures the public attention is the Grand National, run at Liverpool (Aintree) racetrack. This steeple chasing event is unique, not only because of it’s greater length than any other race, but also because of the Aintree fences, which are more formidable than other courses, even though they have been modified over the years, the savage Beechers Brook for example, used to have a wretched drop which was a trap to horses, and considered unfair and unsafe. Despite these modifications, the race retains it’s popularity, and unique elements.

This years race in on April 5, and Grand National has produced a guide to finding the winner, based on past race history. The site features an animated Red Rum figure you can click on to, to get advice. Red Rum being the name of the most successful National horse of all time, and something of a racing legend.

I don’t quite know what happened to my interest in racing over the years, but gradually it dwindled to a flicker of attention to only the major events. But at the time of the National, most of the country become racing fans, and this site caught my attention. If you do fancy a flutter, give it a go!

Photograph by Martin Jordan of flicker

I have always found it a wonder the way a guitar can “vocalise” in different accents. If you listen to John Williams, for example, playing the famous Memories of the Alhambra, it will sound immaculate, the rippling tremolo melody flawlessly executed, but it will not “sound Spanish” in the same way as Spanish virtuoso Pepe Romero

Carlos Perez brings out the Latin American accent, while listening to him it is easy to experience the Latin American Rhythms and colour. Vladimir Mikulka’s guitar has the more harsh Balkan accent, more austere perhaps, but not without it’s own whimsical beauty.

A classic case in point is Julian Bream, who I think plays Albeniz and Granados second to none. Yet, it is like a classical rendition of Idiomatic Spanish music.

What is it about the six strings of the guitar that can “vocalise” so effectively? Is it the instrument itself or the player, or both? I think the latter. Of all the musical instruments, there are only very few which the sound is made by direct contact between the fingers and instrument. The Harp is one, the Guitar the other. Mandolin and the Lute also come to mind in same way. With Piano, for example, the sound comes from hammering on the strings, as such the Piano is considered a percussive instrument. Violin, and Cello, mostly the sound comes from the bow.

But I think even wind instruments such as the Flute, Clarinet and Oboe, for all their great melodic capabilities, do not quite match the Guitar’s “accents”, even though the human breath comes into play to make the notes. Listen to Bream playing Albeniz, then Romero, to get my point

Tags: classical guitar, vocals

As previously mentioned, PayPerPost is proving to be an irritation to Google, who object to paid posts receiving links from websites with high page ranks. This has resulted in PR demotions for many sites. PayPerPost though have thought about this, and come up with a system called Real Rank, which is another way of ranking a blog, which the company is using to attract offers from Advertisers. The company has had talks with advertisers, and introducing this new method of blog rankings as an alternative to Google Page Rank, for blogs looking for posting opportunities.

PayPerPost has been a revalation to many bloggers, as a way of monetising their blog, both by writing internet commercials, and the related affilate programme. Currently, in their membership zone, members are quoted as having earned over $20,000 following their sign up to ppp!

It’s possible to write posts for ppp and also, through using their tools, be hired by advertisers directly, for the latter you do not even need an a ppp approved blog. The company has an efficient customer service, which is titled “customer love”. After opening a ticket, they normally respond to your requests within 24 hours.

Contrast this to the non exisistent customer service of Bloggerwave. If ppp represents the best for paid post opportunities, Bloggerwave must rank as the worst. They NEVER respond to either a message in their “contact form” or an e-mail to their so called “support”. I warned them before if they continue to fail to respond I would embarass them publicly with negative comments in my blog, so they cannot say they have not been warned. Bloggerwave are based in Denmark, but with no opportunites listed, no customer service response, no way of accurately assessing a blogs ranking, like Technorati, Alexa, Google, this represents ZERO chances of monetization.

So, if anyone is thinking of making some posts commercial, PayPerPost is surely the way to go.

“I Miss You”, just one track from his new CD After Silence, by Per-Olov Kindgren. Full of sentiment, and yearning…