Rod Silva (businessman)

Transcription

Russia and Brazil are known for using 7 string guitars. In this Luthier Tips du Jour video, which is more of a documentary than a tip, I want to focus on the Brazilian 7 string guitar. The Brazilian seven-string guitar known in Portuguese as violão de sete cordas, was introduced to Brazil in the early 20th century as a steel string guitar. It is an acoustic guitar used primarily in choro and samba. A counterpoint and accompaniment technique known as “baixaria” was developed throughout the 20th century, by players like Dino 7 Cordas and Raphael Rabello. In the early 1980s, guitarist Luiz Otavio Braga had a nylon string version made, and this has become the norm for most contemporary choro musicians such as Yamandu Costa. The Brazilian seven-string guitar is typically tuned like a classical guitar, but with an additional C below the low E. Some musicians tune the C down to a B. In addition to playing choro, seven-string guitarists are utilizing the instrument's extended range to play classical repertoire, often leading to new arrangements of known pieces. On one of my recent visits to Brazil I stopped in to see Brazilian musicians Euclides Marques and Luizinho 7 cordas. In addition to hearing some great music played by two of the best Brazilian guitar players today I talked to them about the history of the instrument and how it has evolved in the Brazilian repertoire. I also talked to Brazilian luthier Antonio Tessarin, to get his point of view about constructing a 7 string guitar. In this video I would like to share some of what I learned. So, let’s begin by talking with Euclides Marques and Luizinho 7 Cordas. Hi, I'm here in São Paulo, Brazil this time I'm with Euclides Marques and Luizinho 7 Cordas And I'm going to ask a few questions about the 7 string guitar and Brazilian music. Alright, let's start by talking about how the 7 string guitar originated in Brazil. So how did the 7 string guitar appear in Brazilian music? Well, there are two hypotheses, one says that when Pixinguinha's group, Os 8 Batutas, went to France in a very important gig sponsored by a businessman, at that time, maybe in the beginning of the 20th Century, wasn't it Luizinho? — Yep 19... and something — 30's, or 20's — No, before that, 1918 or 1917 if I'm not mistaken Anyway, they went to France and saw a 7 string guitar, and brought it from there. And there is the other theory, which says that groups of gypsies from Russia, Ukraine, and that region, while visiting Brazil brought one of these guitars But, yeah, these are the two possible origins for the 7 string guitar in Brazil — And who were the primary Brazilian masters to play the 7 string guitar? — I think that no one before Dino. I believe he was —no, I don't believe, I'm sure that Dino José da Silva was the pioneer, Dino 7 Cordas. — And he got famous… — Because he saw Tute, a musician from Pixinguinha's group, who brought the guitar But Tute had no knowledge about it, playing the guitar like a bass. Dino was responsible for creating the way of playing it. It's something very interesting. Tute, as Luizinho said, who was Arthur Nascimento, — Correct — And China, Pixinguinha's brother, played the 7 string guitar, but more on a bass line like it was done in France, That is, playing roots, without many phrases. But Dino was the first to create his own language for the 7 string in Brazilian music, that's the 7 string which does long phrases, with improvisations over the harmony, combining with the melody, or with the singer, the 7 string as we know today. And another important fact is that Dino was inspired by bands from the turn of the century, the beginning of 1900, which had the euphonium, and the tuba, responsible for doing some phrases. And Pixinguinha, when playing sax, also improvised phrases. So Dino got those phrases, improvised with the melody doing this counterpoint. And brought this to the 7 string, with this Brazilian language where Luizinho is probably the leading master today. — For me, as an American, when I think about 7 string guitar, I think about chorinho. When did the 7 string guitar get known as a chorinho instrument? — It was after Dino started to play, right Luizinho? — Yes, when he started. — In the 30's and 40's. — Yes, when he started, at that time they played more chorinho. They sang also, there were singers already, but almost never accompanied by a 7 string. It was more frequent with chorinho. Today we have 7 string in samba, then seresta, and today even in classical music. — Yes, I know the 7 string there in the US as an instrument used mostly in classical repertoire. In Brazil, when you think of the 7 string, do you think of classical music? Well, today yes. Today we have two kinds of 7 string guitar. The traditional, like this one with Luizinho, who only plays with this kind of guitar, which is a guitar with steel strings to do accompaniment and baixaria, those bass lines. And why is it steel string and why do you need to use a thumb pick? That's because, traditionally, this guitar is played in a choro group, with 4 or 5 musicians, so you need to get sound from it. You need volume. So the steel string, which is harder, can be played with a pick and helps in volume, it helps to compete with the mandolin, cavaquinho — Due to the tension? — Yep, with tambourine, clarinet, understand? Also, to complement it, after Raphael Rabello who was the great name that also played this same style of 7 strings that Luizinho plays, he decided to create a guitar for solos, with nylon strings, and the 7th string also in nylon. So these are the two kinds of guitar. The traditional for accompaniment, and the "modern" for concerts, as we call it, which is a normal guitar with a 7th string. It's a more versatile guitar, you can do solos and accompaniments with it. — So, on the traditional 7 string, the first two strings are nylon, and the others up to the seventh string are steel strings, and the seventh string is the 4th cello string, right? — Right, the 4th string from the cello. — And this is the traditional? — This was invented by Dino, right Luizinho? — Correct — Luizinho was a great friend of Dino, Dino indicated him as his successor. And Dino was the father of the 7 string guitar as played today. — Here you have the guitar as used nowadays, with all strings in nylon — All nylon. — And what's the tuning of the 7th string? — It's a C. The traditional tuning uses C. This is intended to facilitate fingering, and building phrases. Nowadays, sometimes the 7th is used in B, though uncommon. For me, who use this guitar for solos, depending on the arrangement, when B is an important note I tune it down half-tone, but the standard is to use it in C. — And always played with a pick? — The steel string, yes. — Do you use the pick moving upwards too, or just downwards? — Only downwards. Sometimes while I'm playing it feels like I'm… — Yeah, in such speed that you have, impressive! — Did you see how the sustain of these strings is smaller, Robert? — Yes, let's talk a little about the string and sound of the guitar. Do you have a difference between the nylon and steel strings, and why? — Sure. One of the characteristics of the traditional guitar is to have these basses With less sustain, that is, the note decays faster, with less vibration. And according to master Tessarin, this is also due to the soundboard thickness. Thinner, and you have a guitar with these characteristics, with notes decaying faster. — Because the 7 string can't be a very vibrant guitar, very… very strident, it needs to be more damped. — It may not have a big sustain, it needs a fast decay to sound quickly and avoid confusion. — The guitar does a lot of: So it can't really have a great sustain, you play one note and the next one must be showing up Hardly ever you'd play a 7 string like this. It is: Now let's talk about the luthier side, the guitar building. You said it uses steel strings, in my opinion, more tension, — A lot more tension — You need a thicker soundboard, but you said it's being done thinner. Does the guitar resist this extra tension? — Well, you're going to talk with Tessarin about this. But Tessarin disassembled some older guitars Do Souto, the most famous guitars from Rio de Janeiro in the 20's to 40's, the 7 string guitars that were played in that time, and they had a thin soundboard, so the project was done with these guitars in mind, resulting in this sonority. Tessarin doesn't recommend using steel strings on this guitar, which was built for nylon. This one was built for steel strings, and this for nylon. And their sound is very different. — Let's hear a different sound. The steel string will never have this sonority. — And do you have certain musics where you use nylon, and others where steel is better? And why? — Yes, Luizinho for example, in our duo, uses the 7 string traditional accompanying and I use the classical 6 nylon strings. Different instruments with different roles. In the classical duo, the roles are closer to each other. Both are soloists, the arrangement is done with more counterpoints in that way, which doesn't happen here. The Brazilian duo has a 6 string for solos and an accompanying 7 string with improvisation. And that's it. When Luizinho is doing some solos, he prefers the nylon. — Sure, it's more appropriate and comfortable. — So you prefer the nylon, but play on a steel string? — Well, for solos. But I'm not the soloist, only sometimes, maybe in classes I do some solos on any 6 string guitar, so I prefer the nylon, where you don't hurt your nails. But to play for work, my role is with this one. I even tried to change, but it just isn't my sound. You acquire a sound, the musician always acquires his own sound. — That's another question. — If you change the instrument, you'll play in the same manner, but the sound result is different. — In classical music, you use your nails, but steel strings hurt your nails — That's why the nylon is interesting — And also it's not too strident, so you have these two things that Dino said. — You save nails with the 1st and 2nd strings made of nylon, and the overall balance is better. If you use strings with low volume and the two primary strings made if steel, it will sound too different, and ruins a lot of nail. — In our work, we try to publicize and develop this duo format, called Brazilian duo. Which is a duo that only happens here. You have other duo formats, the flamenco duo, but the Brazilian duo has this characteristic of a 6 string as soloist, generally with nylon strings, which makes it easy for solos with a good timbre, and the 7 string accompanying in a special way, with baixarias and improvisation. Also with a different timbre. This was already happening with Garoto and Meira, Garoto and Amoré in the 40's, and then with Dino and Meira, more recently Dino and Raphael Rabello released an important disc with this format, and we try to get inspired in this way of playing, thus pointed as the present followers from this school. Luizinho is the great master of 7 string guitars, so our CD was also praised for this, as we retake this very Brazilian way of duo playing. So, we have just heard Euclides and Luizinho talk about the history of the Brazilian 7 string guitar and how this instrument is used in the Brazilian repertoire. Now, let’s get a luthier’s point of view. Both guitars you are listening to were made by Antonio Tessarin. Let’s head over to his shop and ask him a few questions. Tessarin, do you need to increase the structure for the 7 string guitar? — Yes, I keep the soundboard with a standard thickness, according to my experience and reinforce a little some braces. I make them slightly stronger, as the 7th string, which is the extra string in this instrument, doesn't have as much tension as the thin nylon strings, it has a low tension, so it's not necessary to make it too strong. — And do you alter the thickness of the soundboard for 7 string guitars? — No, I keep the same traditional thickness that I've been using to achieve the sonority that I'm looking for. — And do you use a truss rod in this guitar, like the ones we use in steel string guitars? — No. It's not necessary, as I said earlier the 7th string has a low tension and the system for gluing the fingerboard, where I push the neck backwards impedes the neck from moving. — Speaking on the neck, what's the width of the neck at the nut and at 12th fret? — At the nut I use an ebony with 60mm, and 70mm at the 12th fret. — And do you alter the action? — The action is relative to the standard ramp used on the 6 string guitar, just following the alignment. — And regarding the tuning of the 7th string, apparently there is a difference between the classical music and in popular music, what's this difference? — Popular music in general uses C or even D in the 7th string, but I always send my instruments with the standard 9th string, which is tunned on B. It's easy to go up half tone if you need the C. My clients generally prefer the B. — Ok, thanks very much for your information! — No problem, it was a pleasure! — Good work! — Thanks, see you next time. So there you have it. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Brazilian 7 string guitar. It is a very versatile instrument that can be used for solo or for accompaniment or both. Let’s listen while Euclides and Luizinho show us how it is done.