I have been a fan of guitarist Mason Williams for many years. His
"Classical Gas" was hugely influential in directing my guitar studies
toward finger-style playing. I spent months trying to figure 'Classical Gas' out on my little Yamaha nylon-string. Williams recorded several guitar instrumentals in the late 1960's and early 70's.
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| Fingerstyle guitarist Mason Williams from the 1960's |
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| Spanish classical guitar master Andre Segovia |
Once I mastered 'Classical Gas' I began looking for the next level of finger-style guitar. In 1971 an acquaintance in Lexington Kentucky introduced me to friend who played Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' on a steel-string guitar!
I was literally blown away by the level of complexity in this guys playing. I immediately wanted to learn more about playing Bach's music on a guitar. My research quickly open doors to guitar master Andre Segovia- the father of modern classical guitar. I quickly acquired up as many of his records as I could find in the local record shop. I also discovered wonderful recordings of two of Segovia's protege's: John Williams and Julian Bream.
Trained classical guitar teachers were in short supply in the early 1970's. The nearest one was Claire Callahan at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati Ohio.
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| Segovia pupil Claire Callahan | |
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Luckily one of Callahan's students Rob Reynerson began teaching in early 1973 at Don Wilson Music in Lexington. For the first time I learned about apoyando strokes and plowing through etudes by Sor and Carcassi.
Classically-trained guitarists were almost non-existent in the early 1970's. I felt that pursuing a career as as a trained classical guitar instructor would essentially be a wide open field!
In the fall of 1973 I entered Belmont College (now University) in Nashville Tennessee to begin my formal education in classical guitar studies. At that time Belmont was only one of a handful of colleges that offered classical guitar study. My teacher at Belmont was Jerry Roberts- a pupil of Cuban virtuoso Juan Mercadal.
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| Nashville classical guitarist Jerry Roberts |
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Roberts was one of the most well-connected guitarists in the country at that time. Through Roberts and his association with the Nashville Classical Guitar Society, I was privileged to hear and meet some of the great classical guitarists of that time. Among some of the truly masterful artists that came through Nashville that I had the privilege to hear and to meet were: Narciso Yepes, Liona Boyd, Leo Brouwer, Manuel Barrueco, and Nashville's own Chet Atkins.
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The first major classical guitar master that I heard in concert- Narciso Yepes
Narciso Yepes |
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| Among one of the first lady of classical guitar. |
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| Cuban-born guitar virtuoso Manuel Barreuco |
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| Me with Manuel Barreuco here in Louisville in 1981. He was here for a concert and master class for the Louisville Guitar Society |
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| Nashville guitarists and record producer Chet Atkins |
I was among first students in Belmont history to earn a bachelor of music degree in classical guitar. I immediately followed undergraduate school for graduate school at Western Kentucky University in the fall 1977. I studied with a guitarist whom I had met earlier in Nashville- David Kelsey-whom had recently began at that school's first classical guitar instructor.
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Guitarist David Kelsey from Western Kentucky University
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Not only was Kelsey a fine guitarist but also I consider him a friend and mentor. I was the second (Kelsey was the first) guitar student to earn a master of music degree from WKU.
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| Who is that kid with the guitar? A photo of David Kelsey and me following my graduate recital in March of 1979 |
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In part 2 I will reflect on my career in Louisville during the 1980's
