Category Archives: People

Copying the Lorca – Els Jageneau

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I made the first copy of the Lorca guitar in 1996 or thereabouts.  As mentioned I had examined the guitar and made my own drawing but my technical drawing skills and my guitar-making skills left a lot to be desired.  For the first copy I had access to the instrument and the guidance of an expert luthier (Chacón) but for subsequent copies I think I really didn’t have very good information and had not taken a single photo of the original.  Luckily, I later learned that Els Jageneau, a teacher at a guitar making school in Belgium had made a detailed drawing and a datasheet of the guitar.  The photos she took as well as the detailed information was very helpful as I continued to make this replica.  I will use some of her information here to illustrate the idiosyncrasies of this guitar.  The full plan is available and consists of “a documentation drawing at full size in which the guitar is shown in different views . Next to it there is a appendix with technical information including photos”  Please contact Ms. Jageneau for price and availability.

elsjageneau (at) skynet.be  

or   

Els Jageneau
Schransstraat 19
2530 Boechout
Belgium




Here is the typical purfling style of instruments of this era.  I have never seen the right-angled mitres that we use today.  In the photo above note the massive ends of the bridge, something not very common then or now.




Below you can see that the top has cracked right at the ends of the bridge, explaining why we tend to feather the bridge ends.  Very interesting that another Lorca I have seen from 1871, made by his son, Antonio de Lorca Pino, has the same aesthetic and MOP decoration on the bridge but much lower and less massive bridge wings.  They learned their lesson.


 


My solution to this problem in making replicas was the diamond shaped patch which so far has worked to stop the crack before it happens.


This photo shows a lot of the other things I want to point out.  The slipper foot is very long and wide to the point of doing away with a back bar in that region.  The fan bracing with the common starting points for braces 1 and 2 as well as for 4 and 5 is present in some of the Pages instruments.  The photo of the endblock purfling above also shows the curve of the top which is extreme even by today’s standards.  It is more a cylindrical curve than a dome.   I believe that this, along with the fan bracing, is what gives this guitar its special voice when compared to other romantic instruments (especially french, italian or german ones).


 


Below is a drawing from Ms. Jageneau’s notes that shows the true nature of the “V-joint” that is used in this gutar.  It is actually a scarf joint with an extra cedar “headplate” under the ebony one and then a false diamond and V carved into the back.  The neck blank was not thick enough to allow the diamond so an extra piece was glued on there.  I have seen other instruments made like this but what is the intention?  Some have suggested that he wanted to copy the V-joint or even Lacôte’s secret joint but didn’t know how.  I personally doubt that he made this elaborate joint out of an inablility or lack of knowledge.  The workmanship as a whole is very good and the acoustic result is also excellent.




 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
To Torres or not to Torres.

			
						

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Javier Riba was in town this week for some fret work and while he waited he was working on the pieces for his upcoming concert in Italy.  I asked him to record something for me on the Torres copy and the same thing on a cypress concert guitar.  I made the Torres copy in 2005 and the cypress in 2010.  The video was made with a digital still cam, there was a thunderstorm, and a few car noises so sound is about as bad as it gets, let’s say this is just for fun.  Tárrega’s Prelude No. 1


 




Cypress concert guitar


 


 




Maple Torres copy


 


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Exclusive from Alex Garrobé

			
						

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Alex Garrobé is an old friend and one of the best players in Spain. His resourcefulness and professionalism shine both on the stage and in his masterclasses.  He kindly gave me permission to stream this track from his new album.  If the player does not appear click here and try again.   Have a look at his website for more information. The album is available from Amazon.  Prelude from the Suite Compostelana by Frederic Mompou. Prelude from the Suite Compostelana by Frederic Mompou.



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

				
					
	

		

						
New book by Angelo Gilardino

			
						

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One of my favourite musicologists is Angelo Gilardino.  He spoke last year at the Córdoba Guitar Festival where the festival’s central theme was Gilardino’s work.  I was lucky enough to meet him there and also to hear the debut of his piece for flute, alto and guitar “Fiori del deserto”




His recent work with the Andrés Segovia archives is well-known but his compositions, writings and teaching have helped to shape a generation of players.


Here is a translation of the press notes from the editor’s webpage.


Curci editions has published the new book by Angelo Gilardino “Andrés Segovia – L’uomo, l’artista”

The life and career of the greatest guitarist of the twentieth century: from Linares, the Andalusian town where he was born, to the fame acquired in the most prestigious concert halls around the world.


In the background, the story of the man Segovia: three wives, four children, the Spanish Civil War, the flight to Montevideo, the looting of his home in Barcelona, the second world war, the years in New York and the meetings with many great musicians and other important figures in the musical world, to the clear decline of his new-found home.

The history of Segovia is that of a titanic protagonist of the twentieth century: around him guitar makers who built instruments which became legendary, the composers who renewed the repertoire of the guitar, the recordings, the music publishing, the respect he earned within the musical community.


This biography, compelling and well-documented, tells of a man whose destiny was to become the greatest guitarist of our time.


Andrés Segovia – L’uomo, l’artista pubblicato da Curci