Good Show Fingernail!

[demagogue]

For anyone that doesn't know, Fingernail -- the guy at the top of the team listing here (ok, everyone should at least know that much, although I haven't seen him post so much in the public part of these forums lately, but anyway...) -- Fingernail valiently represented the UK guitar-players in fine style yesterday at the European UK young musicians competition and only missed winning by a clearly fixed vote , everyone I know that saw it agreed he was tops (all biased, of course) . He also happened to play some of my very favorite music in the world, manoche genteel aristocratic style classical guitar. So I thought I'd pop in the OT forum here to give a good shout out:

 

Good show Fingernail!

Edited May 22, 2006 by demagogue

[Domarius]

Congratulations on your almost win I'm sure it was stolen unfairly, based on the praise heaped upon you by those who have actually heard you.

[oDDity]

I meant to watch that but forgot all about it....still, even getting to the final as a guitarist is, I think, a unique achievement.

BTW, he wasn't representing the UK in Europe, the contestants were all, or mostly, British, it's a BBC young musican contest.

I blame it on the lack of guitar repetoire really, it's quite pathetic compared to other instruments, none of the truly great composers even wrote a note for it.

I know it's about quaility of playing, but the piece of muic must have an impact on it as well.

[demagogue]

Oh, sorry, that's my mistake. I evidently was conflating it with the whole Eurovision thing. And I may have made a mistake on his style too, since I just read a post about it but haven't had a chance to hear it myself.

 

I read somewhere that guitar is not very favored for this competition for a number of reasons, the available music is one, the chance for "showmanship" (you're not moving like on a piano but sort of behind a box), the fact that you're more limited in range (at most 6 notes ringing, whereas a piano can have really indefinte with the pedal), its maybe harder to hide that you're really concentrating or are nervous since your fingers and face are so exposed, and I think there's an innate bias in the category of classical instruments, that a guitar at its best is folksy or gypsy -- all of which are innate to the instrument itself not the performer. So I get the picture it's an uphill battle. But having played myself for 12 years I know what a challenge it is to get really beautiful and solid melodies coming out of it. I would compete on piano, but I'd get so nervous with guitar... So to my mind it's all the braver of him to compete on what seems like a tipped field. Anyway, I may just be making all this up because still waiting for an mpg of it to be posted. But there's no doubt it's a unique achievement to be proud of.

Edited May 21, 2006 by demagogue

[Fingernail]

Thanks, it was really great.

 

It's not really a repertoire problem - it's the concerto problem. The classical guitar is best as a solo instrument and there are some great pieces, and many written by important modern composers even if there is no Mozart or Beethoven for it.

 

But an instrument where to play a concerto one must be amplified in order to be heard... I think the organisers assume that for most instruments the pinnacle is a concerto, but it just isn't for guitar. Sure, Aranjuez is always popular, but it's a bit clichéd after all these years.

 

Far better would have been to let me play the Benjamin Britten Nocturnal or something of decent weight but just solo.

 

Still, working with such a great orchestra was a good experience, and I still do think that the piece I played has some truly beautiful moments, particularly the second movement.

 

I think someone at TTLG is going to upload an mpg of the performance.

[oDDity]

Ok, I'll grab that then.

I don't think the concerto is the pinnacle for the piano or the guitar, both are quite capable of accompanying themselves, but I guess it shows an extra important element of musicianship to play with an orchestra.

[OrbWeaver]

Of course, if the competition was really about musical talent and not showmanship, the performers would be hidden behind a screen and identified only by numbers until the judging was over.

 

As it is, I am always put off such competitions because they inevitably favour the Most Attractive Female rather than the Best Musician.

[Fingernail]

haha, but the fat, camp Liverpudlian clarinettist won instead!

[god_is_my_goldfish]

Still, that awesome that you got as far as you did!

[sparhawk]

Congratulations!

 

What does this mean for your career? Or did you just do it for the fun of it?

[Arumakani]

He's ? :

 

 

OR:

 

 

P.S. Just teasing.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Arumakani

[SneaksieDave]

I think someone at TTLG is going to upload an mpg of the performance.

Excellent, that was going to be the next question.

[Dram]

My router had to be replaced recently so I missed this thread

 

But anyways, good work Fing! I'd love to see the performance!

[pakmannen]

For all you non-ttlg people, there's now a 22 min video online:

- Direct link, hosted by.. daveh?

- Torrent

 

It is excellent. I liked it a lot better now that I got to see everything! (Now waiting for the semi-finals clip..)

[SneaksieDave]

Great stuff Bravo, Fingernail.

[woah]

I feel so inferior among you renaissance men

[sparhawk]

Nice performance Fing.

[oDDity]

I thnk he deserves much respect for just being able to play in such an arena, with TV cameras and the pressure of the competition, and he didn't even look nervous or make any big mistakes.

I couldn't do it.

[sparhawk]

That's right. He looks quite professional and calm. I wonder how he felt. I never played on such public occurences, but I know at least for myself, that I get pretty calm as soon as it starts. The worst thing for me is the waiting before it. Well, the cisrcumstances where I was exposed was more speaking in front of some audience, but usually they are well known to me, which also makes it easier.

[oDDity]

THe reaosn I say I couldn't do it, is becasue in my classical guitar playing days, I never got to the stage of being able to play confidently even by myself, so there's no way I could have played in front of people wihtout totally fucking up.

THe reason for that is that I was self taught and didn't start until I was 20. It's really hard to learn music at that age.

IF you learn it as a child it becomes totally natural. I suppose if you practice enough and really know your stuff ,you've got nothing to be nervous about.

I was even nervous just watching Fingernail playing the difficult passages' thinking ' Iwould so definitely fuck up there'

[sparhawk]

IF you learn it as a child it becomes totally natural. I suppose if you practice enough and really know your stuff ,you've got nothing to be nervous about.

 

Being good at something, and being nervous doesn't neccessarily contradict each other. Even when I talk about stuff that I well know I'm nervous before the presentation. Since I don't do that so often I probably wont change to much there. Doing it more often might make it more natural.

[Dram]

Just watched it....you're 18? Man...I thought you were like..23?

 

Anyways, splendid performance

[sparhawk]

I thought he looked much younger. Definitely not 23.

[Arumakani]

He reminds me of this friend of mine who looks like he's 16 but is 26