Blog

“…. in recent months, as I’ve been looking for more ways to stay connected, I’ve been thinking more about how I can pair those efforts with a “giving back” mentality. Rather than just donating some…

When I first asked Nathan Bredeson and Michael Ibsen about their fingernails I was being perhaps a bit flippant. As a pianist, nails are basically a nuisance that have to be trimmed almost every day….

I asked Nathan Bredeson about composers of guitar music…. Your program will be consisting of guitar works by living Canadian composers. As a pianist, I find that the most difficult piano music to play has…

Q: I may be wrong, but it seems to me that guitar is an instrument one chooses to learn to play as opposed to a parent deciding for you. Was it your choice to learn…

I came across Chou Weng-chung “Landscapes” this morning and was utterly transfixed. Composed in 1923. The opening segment has a “Lord of the Rings” feel to it, but goes on to do much more. The…

Have you ever flipped a coin to make a decision or rolled the dice to pursue a path in Dungeons and Dragons? If so, then you know what aleatory is : random chance. This element…

The classical guitarist is always seated, with the left foot slightly elevated by a footrest so the leg can provide support for the instrument. The left hand fingers stop the strings on the neck to…

Today’s classical guitar is descended from the Baroque guitar. This was a small acoustic guitar with 5 pairs of gut strings called “courses”, somewhat similar to today’s 12 string acoustic guitar. It was a softer…