good guitar quotes

[Peter_Mortelmans]

This one goes for all instruments, but certainly also for the guitar:

"play the music, not the instrument"

[robin loops]

Ringo Star when asked about Andres Segovia: "He's the daddy of us (guitarists) all"

Andres Segovia in reference to Ringo's comment: "Why, they're not even my illegitimate children (referring to rock guitarists) they play the electric guitar"

[guitareleven]

Please share some of the other classical guitar quotes you have run across!

There are scads of 'em. A couple found, as well as in other places, in Grunfeld's "The Art and Times of the Guitar", (a rich source for such) from Gaspar Sanz in regard to whether or not the guitar is "perfect" or not (remember that Sanz's guitar ws a five course instrument):

"I take the middle way and assert that it is neither perfect nor imperfect, bu what you make of it. Its faults or imperfections lie in whoever plays it,... for I have seen some people accomplish things on one string for which others would need the range of an organ."

Further along in the same passage: "A guitar is a woman to whom the saying, 'Look at me but do not touch me,' does not apply..."

Also from Grunfeld, this one is a riot- from the mid-nineteenth century, revealing what were generally prevailing attitudes towards the worthiness of guitar as a musical medium, a "local dignitary" aproaches an an (unnamed) Italian guitarist after a concert to say: " An astonishing performance, admirable, what richness of harmony, what purity of style! What clarity in those inextricable difficulties. What a beautiful talent!---- But Sir, what a waste of time!"

Grunfeld's book is a very entertaining read.

[cool09]

How about some Bach quotes? I'd love to hear what was in that guy's head. If God had created one musician it would have been Bach.

I read a quote from a young female violin virtuoso (forget her name) about her Bach Violin Sonatas CD. Referring to Bach she said, "The guy definitely had red blood in his veins".

[robin loops]

"Bach invented music"

[gitgeezer]

“Guitarists spend 90 percent of the time tuning and the other 10 percent playing out of tune.”
--John Williams

"A good wine makes the whole bloody difference."
--Julian Bream

[icalvino]

"The guitar is the instrument for the amorous dialogue with the woman we love
If the woman we love, betrays us
then we take the cello in order to open our heart to our friend
and if the friend is implicated in this infidelity of our love
then to choose the organ to communicate our sorrow with God."

-Andres Segovia

[guitareleven]

How about some Bach quotes? ...

I imagine if Bach had spent every day of his entire life uttering quotable statements of his own, end to end, the totality would still amount to only a fraction of subsequent quotes to date made by others about him.

Here is one of his, which I find included for interest's sake at the top of a one page "Menuett" in a nice little anthology I have had for many many years of modest transcriptions for guitar of small scale pieces from musical periods starting with the Baroque. The cover of the book is long since torn away, but I seem to remember the editor's last name being "Green", maybe spelled with a final "e". It's a good collection I've used for beginning and intermediate students to hone their sight reading skills. Anybody know of it?

Here is the quote:

"With the deepest devotion I offer your Royal Majesty the present trifling example of the skill to which I have attained in Music, most humbly begging that you will not judge it by its bad composition, but in your world famous clemency will look graciously upon it and deign to take me into your most mighty protection."

According to the explanatory notation affixed to the quote, this was from an application Bach submitted to the King of Poland in hopes of securing the title of Court Composer. The piece Bach was referring to, included with his petition, was his B minor Mass. Haddya like that?

[Tarbaby]

The piece Bach was referring to, included with his petition, was his B minor Mass. Haddya like that?

Gosh! I wonder how he felt about his lute suites?

Alan

[dogonjon]

“Guitarists spend 90 percent of the time tuning and the other 10 percent playing out of tune.”
--John Williams

"A good wine makes the whole bloody difference."
--Julian Bream

Did you hear the one about the guitarist who played in tune? Neither did I!
Why do guitarists tell only one liners? That's all the rest of the band understands.

[wedge]

My Traphagen is worth more than all four of my cars combined; however, all my guitars still need to catch up to my antique tractors - getting there.

[gitgeezer]

“There is no such thing as an ‘authentic’ performance of Bach, because the man is dead and we have no recordings.”
--Sharon Isbin

“Talk about the violin being a horrible instrument to listen to when it’s poorly played--I think the guitar gives it damned good competition.”
--Manuel Barrueco

“It would be funny to have a caricature or a cartoon of somebody holding a guitar and saying ‘I hate guitarists.’”
--Manuel Barrueco

[guitareleven]

...a nice little anthology I have had for many many years of modest transcriptions for guitar of small scale pieces from musical periods starting with the Baroque. The cover of the book is long since torn away, but I seem to remember the editor's last name being "Green", maybe spelled with a final "e". It's a good collection I've used for beginning and intermediate students to hone their sight reading skills. Anybody know of it?

Earlier in this thread I made reference to this anthology which was the source of a relevent quote. By coincidence I just now, while rummaging through accumulated dross in forgotten corners of my living space, happened across a single page torn from my dismembered copy of this book, on which the editors name appears- it is a small volume simply titled "Pieces for Classical Guitar", edited by Peter Greenwood. As I described, its a nice little undemanding volume to use with students, to supplement and expand upon the repertoire experience of those just moving from basic tecnique into the regular Sor-Carcassi etc. studies. Though there are plenty of sources for similar such nowadays, I just thought I'd provide the information in case anyone is interested in collecting such recommendable materials.

[JME]

"The guitar is the hardest instrument in the world to play well, and the easiest to play badly."

Ramon

Are you sure this quote wasn't about the violin?

Probably not: the thing about the guitar is that any fool can pick it up and make a nice sound with it even if they've never touched one before. I'm sure with the violin, most people spend months scraping away before they get a half-decent sound. The same applies to many other instruments, I'm sure: I used to play the clarinet, and it was only several months after I started when, one day, I was surprised to find I was actually making a nice sound with it!

[Gil_Wade]

“Guitarists spend 90 percent of the time tuning and the other 10 percent playing out of tune.”
--John Williams

Actually I heard a variation on this quote (with slightly different percentages) about Lutists way back when there was only gut strings. Like the story of selling ones soul to the devil for musical talent was originally said about Paganini...not some blues guy in the deep south.