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May 2008, No. 159

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With a rising stage career, a major-label deal, and a growing family, Latvian violinist Baiba Skride has something to sing about. By Inge Kjemtrup.
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College students who are making headlines.
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Elena Urioste advises students to keep a sense of perspective. By David Templeton.
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10 benefits of knowing composition in the real world. By Anna Stafford.
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Don't downplay the importance of ear training and pedagogy. By Taichi Akutsu.
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A group that blends Brahms and bluegrass with a rock-band sensibility. By Emily Guendelsberger.
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Along with John Fahey, Bert Jansch, and John Renbourn, Leo Kottke invented contemporary fingerstyle guitar in the early '70s. After nearly 40 years as a soloist, he's recently been reshaping his music in a duo with former Phish bassist Mike Gordon. In this exclusive interview, the veteran guitarist talks about learning to play with other musicians, tone production, and picking technique. By Teja Gerken.

Equipment Picks: The guitars and gear of Leo Kottke.

Richard Strauss' heroic epic 'Don Quixote' is the cellist's most noble challenge. By Laurence Vittes.
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If you've searched guitar shops high and low, but still can't find your ultimate guitar, perhaps a custom instrument is the cure for your blues. If you carefully limit your options, find a reference instrument so you can talk to your luthier in a meaningful way about the sound you want, and resist the urge to get too fancy, you'll be well on your way to getting the guitar of your dreams. By Richard Johnston.

Patty Larkin turns the spotlight on women guitarists with La Guitara, a wide-ranging collection of captivating performances by female instrumentalists. Read the interview with Larkin and tour mates Kaki King, Muriel Anderson, and Mimi Fox. By Dan Ouellette.
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Equipment Picks: The guitars and gear of Muriel Anderson, Mimi Fox, Kaki King, and Patty Larkin.

Calling it Quits. The Alban Berg Quartet to split.
The NY Phil travels to North Korea; violists prepare for a double feature in Arizona; string players celebrated at the Grammys; composer Liderman dies; and more; plus Bench Marks. By Rory Williams.

Take Me Home, Country Roads. Words and music by John Denver, Bill Danoff, and Taffy Nivert. From John Denver's Poems, Prayers, and Promises. Learn a simple, one-page transcription to the Denver anthem.

Explore Paganini's colorful 'Polacca con variazioni'. Charisma is key in playing this work. By Maia Jasper.

A Private Lesson with Andrew Hardin. Tom Russell's longtime lead guitarist demonstrates some of his hot, country-rock lead lines, full of multiple slurs and ringing scale tones. By David Hamburger.
Equipment Picks: The guitars and gear of Andrew Hardin.

Breedlove C25 Passport Short-Scale Guitar. A chiming, expertly crafted little acoustic-electric that's perfect for the road—and for expanding your sound palette. By Michael John Simmons.

Letter from North Korea. New York Phil’s landmark trip to North Korea proves to be a life-changing affair. By Carter Brey.

Epiphone AJ-500RC 12-Fret. Vintage vibe, remarkably complex tones, and unusual dimensions come together in a dreadnought that's well suited to fingerstyle playing. By Teja Gerken.

London's Musical Nursury. Park Lane Group Young Artist's Series nurtures new talent. By Inge Kjemtrup.

SansAmp Para Driver. A simple yet deceptively versatile direct box that'll make your flattop—and just about any other instrument—sparkle with life.

AER AK 15. A new amplification device with an undersaddle piezo pickup and an electret mic.
Finale Print Music. New notation software for Mac or PC.
Guitar Collector Showcase. An attractive, solid-wood display case with easy instrument access.
Parker P8E. The revolutionary guitar makers unveil their first flattop acoustic-electric.

In Memory
Chris Whitley, 1960-2005. The rebel slide man wrote original National anthems by changing his sound and sidestepping categories from one album to the next. By Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers.
Equipment Picks: The guitars and gear of Chris Whitley.

Roots
Terry Robb. The veteran guitarist takes a "more is more" approach by incorporating Django Reinhardt flourishes, Impressionist harmonies, and jazzy modes into his country-blues picking. By Steve Boisson.
Equipment Picks: The guitars and gear of Terry Robb.

Help Your Kids Learn to Play. Once you've found them a teacher, you can help set realistic goals, minimize frustration, keep instruments handy, and find music that will inspire them. By Jack Tuttle.

Open-String Blues. Are your blues solos sounding like a bunch of scale fragments? Add open strings to the pentatonic blues scale and create a whole new batch of blues licks. By Pete Madsen.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Big Star. Tsontakis’ Violin Concerto No. 2 is enchanting.
Daniel Hope's Mendelssohn; the world-premiere recording of the work of Valentin Silvestrov; and Brilliant Classics releases Szymon Goldberg eight-CD box set.

There and Bach Again. Edition Peters' Bach re-release.
A method book for cellists; Vivaldi-inspired fiction; plus In Briefs.

Does Varnish Really Make a Difference? Varnishing an instrument is an art for luthiers. But what are the implications for the consumer? By Christopher Germain.

New Products. Electric-violin starter kits from Mark Wood Violins; and Atelier Morth takes titanium strings to the next level. By Erin Shrader.

Strings 159 Advertiser Index. A list of the advertisers from the Strings May 2008 issue.

Forest of Sound. Today's guitarists can choose from a larger variety of tonewoods than ever before. Spruce and rosewood are still viable choices for many guitarists, but you may also want to check out the growing list of alternative woods now available for guitarmaking. By Richard Johnston.

Basquiat Strings Finds Success. Nominated for Britain's prestigious Mercury Prize, this group is on its way up. By Inge Kjemtrup.

Turn It Up. Experiment with EQ, volume settings, and placement, and your acoustic amp can become a portable mini-PA that sounds great and is easy to use. By Doug Young.

Reader's Rig

Reader's Rig. Reformed headbanger/electronic-raver Randy Collins slaps, taps, and delicately fingerpicks his treasured McIlroy A25C grand concert.

Windy City Innovators. The Larson Brothers built some of the finest guitars of the early 20th century. Through brands like Prairie State and Euphonon, their unique instruments provide a tonally rich alternative to vintage favorites. By Michael Wright.

Late Bloomer. After taking up guitar in his 40s, Matthew Haavisto dove right into the high-end guitar world, with guitars by Sergei de Jonge, Lowden, and John Kinnaird that fit his fondness for traditional folk fingerstyle. By Michael John Simmons.

Darden Smith, Field of Crows. By Judith Edelman.

Lenny Breau, Guitar Sounds From Lenny Breau. By Ron Forbes-Roberts.

Precious Bryant, My Name Is Precious. By Ian Zack.

The Marc Atkinson Trio, III. By Michael John Simmons.

Wilco, Kicking Television: Live in Chicago. By Derk Richardson.

David Wilcox and Nance Pettit, Out Beyond Ideas: Songs for Peace. By Phil Catalfo.

Jake Shimabukuro, Dragon. By Kenny Berkowitz.

Richard Julian, Slow New York. By Judith Edelman.

Cherish the Ladies, Woman of the House. By Sue Thompson.

Expand Your Fingerstyle Arrangements. Cultivate your own arrangements with a few simple techniques: play the melody in two octaves, experiment with different bass lines, and create variations with melodic fragments. By Eric Lugosch.

Strange Brew. Words and music by Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, and Gail Collins, from the Cream recording Disraeli Gears. By Mark Hanson.

1992 Stefan Sobell Model 1 Sicilian. A gorgeous guitar built for fingerstyle virtuoso Martin Simpson. By Buck Curran.

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