Christopher Parkening -Romance

[box1467]

You realize Parkening is so good he only needs 2 fingers and a thumb to waste 99.5% of the guitarists here (me included !)....

What is more remarkable is his left-hand *strength*. Barre chords, solid plants, zero squeaks... yep, his left hand was his late night girlfriend for sure...

[evillbeetle]

this song is on a my chemical romance album.

[GioviBug]

im so jealous. my mom was his pupil and was able to meet all kinds of awesome people through him. he rocks!

[evhsrvfe]

Could anyone tell me who made this arrangement? Is absolutely beautiful it has so much color. Thank you

[ethereal00]

@evhsrvfe It shows the arranger at the begining of the video Arr. Marshall. Its in one of Parkenings song books if you google it.

[xprcsn7]

great rendition, no doubt, but i think he made an error on the last Em (normally an E major) at the end of section B before going back to section A. Parkening is still the best regardless!

[jabbermule]

I have it on best authority that John Williams was backstage that night and bet Parkening $100 that he couldn't play "Romance" without the use of his "a" finger...Parkening won the bet.

[elliottdebra452]

i WISH THEY WOULD HAVE MADE THAT NOISY AUDIENCE MEMBER LEAVE !

[frekijsimpson]

wow, could he play anything easier?

[smoothie66]

nice, but where is his "a" finger? isn't this usually p-a-m-i with "a" carrying the melody?  regardless of the strange right hand, sounds awesome

[seungsongz]

nice song my mom  likes it too! =D

[jleoblues]

I believe that Jack Marshall was his uncle. This is a wonderful arrangement. but I also enjoy the Vincente Gomez where he created the introduction (Soundtrack to "Blood and Sand)

[busterxx1033]

Not only is this one of the most beautiful guitar pieces, but Alhambra is probably the most beautiful place I have ever visited!

[MrRandheer]

With this arrangement, Christoper Parkening created the greatest arrangement of Romance every played. I listened closely and finally figured it out, except for the ending. What a beautiful adaptation.

[GermBritScotsIrish15]

God Bless this man!

[Hikaru109Ichijyo]

God makes guitarists and anything uber. Romero family? My whole life has been messed up, only when I prayed to God and let Jesus in, things are looking much better. And its not just a frame of mind halfe empty now its half full. Its full on healing and me making serious change.

[XxStalkerxSasquachXx]

@Hikaru109Ichijyo God ftw :)

[iluvgtr45]

Wow - such beautiful playing! It's all I can say!

[migbern68]

hermosa version. me gusto muchisimo

[1Hope4All]

Wow, this is beautiful to my ears! Thank you Jesus! Praise God!

[majav15mg]

Christians to the lions.

[Oldtinear]

@1Hope4All Wonderfully skilled playing by Parkening. But what has God to do with it? I try to play this piece, and it sounds pretty rotten when I do. Should we then say, ' No thanks to you, Jesus! Blame God!' Surely any person looking at the evidence would just say Parkening is a good musician and I am not?

[1Hope4All]

Oldtinear, God has everything to do with it. I guess God did not give you the same gift he gave Parkening. I'm sorry. It is not "blame God" either. He places different gifts for different people. You just have to find what YOUR gift is.

Without God, we are nothing!

[Oldtinear]

@1Hope4All Your proposition is that a supernatural being goes round giving wonderful gifts to all people, a bit like Santa Claus, and that we should praise him for this.

A look at the evidence does not support your proposition. Some are born with terrible genetic afflictions. Some infants die after a short and painful life. Many lead lives of absolute desperation. No sign of any 'gifts' from a benevolent supernatural being there, surely? Perhaps you should open your other eye.

[1Hope4All]

Oldtinear, little do you know that people who suffer have been given a great gift. You will never be able to wrap your mind around that one.

Watch my video;

watch?v=S_AqncMT7RQ

[Oldtinear]

@1Hope4All My brother's daughter was born with a genetic lung disorder. She spent her brief life struggling for breath, and drowned in her own lung fluids befeore her second birthday, never having spoken a word.

You tell me she was given a great gift? If you were in front of me I would punch you, that is how offensive you are. You are insufferably smug. You pretend to wisdom based on fairy tales. You are stupid, stupid, stupid.

[1Hope4All]

I am truly sorry this happened. Nothing I say will bring her back, I know. You speak with anger because of this. And that is why you will not understand that suffering is part of life & if we carry our crosses, we can ask God for the grace we need to carry that cross. We have to carry that cross if we want to follow Jesus.

I am truly sorry for your loss & for the pain your brother feels for his loss. You can speak with anger to me all you want; forgiven.

You're in my prayers.

Sandy

[Oldtinear]

@1Hope4All You avoid the question. Forget me. Forget my brother. Think of the baby that suffered for eighteen months. She was given a great gift, as you say?

[1Hope4All]

You see, that's part of the problem; yes sure she must have suffered while she was here for a very short time & I'm truly sorry for that. But the ones who are still suffering right now are still here on earth. Your niece is probably better off than you are right now. Hopefully she was baptized. Your neice is not bitter about this at all at this point. But you are still bitter. And I would assume your brother is too? Hopefully not. I was not avoiding the question. You didn't understand my point.

[Oldtinear]

You still avoid the question. For the fourth time - you say God gives gifts (in the sense of talents) to all. Did He give such a gift to my niece? Yes or no.

You also say that people who suffer have been given a great gift. Was my niece's suffering a great gift given to her? Yes or no.

If you avoid the question for a fourth time and set off speculating again about me or my brother, I will need to conclude that you have no answer.

[Oldtinear]

Here you say, about my niece, who I described as drowning in her own lung fluids after an 18 month struggle to breathe: '... yes sure she must have suffered... for a very short time...'. Again, are you human? 18 months!

More: 'little do you know that people who suffer have been given a great gift. You will never be able to wrap your mind around that one.' My niece was given a great gift? What planet do you live on? Also, you do not know me. On what authority do you sneer about my mind?

[Oldtinear]

Again you say: 'Hopefully she was baptized.' Why? Otherwise, according to your world-view, do you think she will be punished, a disgusting suggestion?

[1Hope4All]

When people cry when loved ones died, they are merely crying for themselves. I think that is pretty selfish. It's as if they did not want to let the person go when God was calling them. Make peace with her absense because in God's eyes, she is not absent. She is ALIVE with God!

I pray that God will take her soul so she can rest in peace. You have to let her rest in peace. You really have to! You need to stop being angry about this. I'm really sorry, I truly am, but she's in peace & you're not.

[Oldtinear]

When I tell you I find your words offensively insensitive, you patronise me and my brother, whom you don't know, with psycho-babble about anger and religo-babble about crosses and grace. You and your fairy tales have nothing to tell me or anyone else about the world, or about suffering. My advice to you is, look for knowledge to the world and the people in it, not to a weird 2,000 year-old book; until then, be silent. Because every time you speak, you reveal your limitations as a human being.

[vaegter]

I agree with your comments but to continue a debate on life issues is more deserving on an other channel as opposed to one devoted to music.

Oldtinear has anger issues which are based on his loss and other issues in life.

He cannot be 'reasoned' with logic, or spiritual guidance. His mind is closed, only hate aganst God resides.

[1Hope4All]

vaegter, I understand what you're saying. This "debate" ended 2 weeks ago as you can see. I started sending him private messages back at that time. But it has been a couple of weeks even for those PMs. So this is over and now all is left to do is to pray for him.

[vaegter]

Wow, I didn't expect such a quick response but I figured that it had ended but felt it worth putting my 2 cents in.

Thanks for your feedback!

[Oldtinear]

vaegter, I agree with one of your points.

1Hope, V and I are agreed - when people are discussing music, please do not drag your God into it, as you did right at the start of this debate.

Back to music - Parkening is excellent accompanying Kathleen Battle in Ave Maria - I cannot recommend this piece on Youtube too highly.

P.S. V - patronising beggar, aren't you?

[1Hope4All]

go to sleep :)

[CarlosMacMartin]

I woke up!

[zarry22]

I had a music box that played this growing up as a child. I love the tune.. it's so comforting and mellow.

[singpower010]

ooooOOOoooo i like. it kinda gave me chills.

[tuttiusati]

It isn't very beautiful...

[quelle987]

beautiful...

[eniwgma]

great musicianship and beautiful sound.

classical guitar playing at its best.

[guitargod97]

I would have to agree that this piece is not especially technically demanding, nor extradinarily deep as a composition. It is highly lyrical and atmospheric, and the arrangement is by Parkening's cousin, Jack Marshall. I think the performance is nice, though the music is not awe-inspiring. I suspect it was in line with the demands of the occassion. Certainly Parkening is capable of breathtakingly difficult performances as well. Yet he retains an affection for the simple, heartfelt as well.

[60moo]

First time I've heard Parkening. He's highly recommended on specialist classical guitar forums. So...my take?

This is the first piece most students learn. It was played with real 'student' emotion - quite pedestrian in fact, and I'm disappointed. Expressivity was completely missing from the melodic line.

Could somebody PLEASE recommend a virtuoso Parkening performance, as I don't want to get the wrong impression just from one video. Thanks.

[utube9000]

A good album is Christopher Parkening "The Great Recordings" which include quite a variety of pieces. Also very good is a CD called "Virtuoso Duets" in which Parkening pairs up with guitarist David Brandon. There are some really nice pieces on that album, it's very alive and beautiful.

[parakeethands]

purchase his CD's such as parkening plays bach, in the spanish style, and simple gifts. he was a student of andres segovia.

[julianwardguitar]

What an extra-ordinary arrangement. Nice. But what a bizarre right hand techique..

[gtrgdss]

@julianwardguitar Maybe he figures the last two fingers slow him down. LOL It is quite a unique technique.

[nickokrepkisatan]

@julianwardguitar yo straight up. In my 15 years of playing I've never seen a right hand technique like that.

[peppy6078]

@julianwardguitar he studied under segovia.

who had right hand problems which made him play the way he did.

[charlitunaman2002]

Wow, Vito has "issues". The man really has nothing to prove to anyone. He's a virtuoso on the guitar and a solid believer in Christ. What more can you ask for? He's doing what God wants for his life, not man's which is what all believers are called to do anyway. I just wish God had given me a fraction of his talent and ability

[cptnunderwhere]

It's mostly practice. Lots and lots of practice.

[bcbird]

just saw him last night. He came to samford

[GuitaristoGitano]

You should know best Lowengarten. Rexicano is right. He knows something about guitar technique. Can't you see that his right hand fingerings are so bad? He's playing the arpeggios with two fingers( m i m i ) and with the opposing thumb. (P P)

Parkening has a bad work ethic and is a very bad representer of Segovia's legacy.

[KKHeyHey166]

If you can't appreciate this song and feel it is somehow below someone of Christopher Parkening's stature or ability, you know nothing about classical guitar.

[Loewengarten]

Rexicano should let out his frustrations with his own guitar playing somewhere else.

[Vitotesta]

Get a life! Parkening was probably ASKED to play Romanza and he did likely against his own preference. Successful entertainers know where their bread is buttered and often play what the average Joe wants to hear. Wes Montgomery and George Benson are 2 examples.

99% of the public will NEVER know Bireli Lagrene or Boulou Ferre but they have a butt load of John Cougar on their IPODs. The only thing worse are players who foist esoteric dissonant crap on you. Rex...not a success

or he would know...

[Rexicano]

Vitotesta;

WHICH esoteric Dissonant music am I PROMOTING?

Before you spew nonsense...Look at MY favs idiot. Not one "new music" piece of crap on there.

Parkening is already wealthy; does he have to pander to crap tastes? No.

He's ceased to be an artist but rather a crowd pleaser.

There are loads of better players out there now.

Parkening just lost interest.

[Vitotesta]

Any successful musician would never make the comments you make. Parkening plays Romanza and you've got your knickers in a twist. His version of the tune is more imaginative than any I've ever heard. He has done more to promote classical guitar than any other American and it's because of tunes that Joe Average can relate to. He plays great stuff too. You are mistaken if you think I will check out your favs or waste any more time

reading or responding to you. You are boring.

[Rexicano]

Oh, what a cry baby you are. What is success for an artist? Like you would know.

Van Gogh never sold any work in his life; was he a failure?

Obviously your measurement is by money and fame. By that measure Britanny Spears is a great artist.

Yeah; make accusations about me annd what I "promote" and then refuse to look at my proof. Very Childish.

[Loewengarten]

Excellent.

[juanabananacubana]

Beautiful, sensitive and technically so clean; those fingerings are practically impossible to reach.

[anonmist]

aww man ppl, parkening is top notch. his method books are really good and this is an awesome rendition/arrangement. one of segovia's choice pupils.

[surfindreams]

Pupil and heir to Segovia's throne...which was passed to Chris long ago.....

[Rexicano]

and he dropped the ball.

[wtfievh]

Rex, you are very immature. Using this post to "trot out" your religious views is ridiculous. Parkening is a virtuoso, and his beliefs are his own. Your opinion does not matter.

[Rexicano]

I wasn't "trotting" I was galloping.

OK, let's divorce art from life and philosophy.

Your "opinion" does not matter much to me either ...so what?

The format here is one that allows opinions, but only yours counts I suppose. Clearly Parkening is a virtuoso. Since I've been to several of his master classes, I don't need your opinion about him as I've formed my own, thanks.

[wtfievh]

If he dropped the ball, why did you go to "several" of his classes?

[Rexicano]

Because he has done some of the most amazing things on guitar...duh. I just don't find this piece worthy of his abilities...everyone plays it...it's a crowd pleaser...but I don't like it. Nuff said? I guess you do want to hear my opinions.

[wtfievh]

You can keep your religious opinions to yourself. I think Parkening is brilliant. At least you respect him by acknowledging his abilities. Perhaps he played this because of its familiarity, and not its technical demands. Does this mean he's condescending? I don't think so.

[Rexicano]

Blah, blah, blah. And keep your opinions of my opinions of anything religious to yourself too?

[wtfievh]

fair enough. Just comment on the videos and don't use this as a platform for your thoughts on anything else. I will do the same. Agreed?

[aarondeux]

Hmm. Maybe he just enjoys playing this piece...

[Rexicano]

Weird that such an accomplished guitarist would choose to play such a trivial piece on stage.

He used to be a great recording artist but in Concert he was a real bore.

[kartikbright]

Its not the regular piece what we play.. bass part is different.. and usually pieces are to be judged by the melody not by comlexity of play level.

[Rexicano]

It's a dull piece no matter what you do with it.

Might as well be a dressed up version of Row Row Your Boat; just as profound.

SO sad for one of the top players in the world; he's trying to play crowd pleasers rather than play great music.

[danjoeblue]

Rexicano

QUOTE:"Might as well be a dressed up version of Row Row Your Boat; just as profound."

You can't seriously think that this arrangement by Jack Marshall is comparable to "Row Row Row Your Boat" melodically and harmonically. Perhaps you were using hyperbole.

I admit that this is not a masterpiece. It is nothing compared to the works of Bach, Sor, Tarrega, Barrios, etc. But its simplicity appeals to many people. What is so wrong with that?

[tfeedbag]

This is from a christion show on PBS called "Joy of Music" He's not playing for an audience of guitarists who just wanna be blown away by dazzling fretboard pyrotechnics, with little regard for melody and meaningful interpretation. The audience are church-goers. They are there to praise their god and enjoy music. And this IS a very appealing piece of music. Why would we feel the need to diminish that, it's harmless, leave it alone. I saw him perform at UC Davis, definitely NOT a bore.

[Rexicano]

Oh my; he's playing for God so let's show some respect!

Right; well, God or Goddess says this sucks.

This is appealing to idiots who want nothing more than fluff. Hallmark card music. I'm not looking to be "blown away" as you put it by pyrotechnics...but you seem to want to worship some non existent God who blows people away with floods and by turning people into salt.

p.s. Your band really sucks

[tfeedbag]

my aren't you full of hostility. first, i don't even believe in god, so you don't know me. you didn't pick up on my "their god" comment? i was merely pointing out that he was playing for a non-guitaristic audience who are more easily entertained than most people. i don't really care what you think of my band. we don't claim or aspire for greatness, we just to enjoy ourselves and hopefully entertain a few people. wow, what a cheap shot. ya know, i didn't get personal. why are you so angry?

[Rexicano]

I dunno; why are you so dumb? Read carefully; I didn't say YOU were part of the Dead Jesus group, did I?

And accuse me of no knowing you? You start off accusing ME of wanting only some pyrotechnics, which is so far from the truth...but your band is pretty bad and it isn't even close to making me angry but I did want to check out Who is trying to educate me...Mr. "I Didn't get personal". Baloney, telling me I'm among those with "little regard for melody and meaningful interpretation".

[tfeedbag]

K, guess I and a few others have misunderstood you, sorry for the rantings, you get last word, have a good life

[samroca]

"Non existent God"? Are you in for a surprise. Hostile, hostile, hostile. Hope you find God before it's too late. I did and it has changed my life radically for the better, but I respect your right to not believe in God. I wish you peace. Anyway....Chris Parkening is a master.

[Rexicano]

I NEVER said God does not exist; just the one in the Bible. That God is evil...and the idea that people want to believe in a book written over 1,000 years ago by unknown people in a language most of us don't even speak; it's plain silly.

I called Parkening a virtuoso as well, but I only said the piece is mediocre. He's played it for over 30 years; time for better pieces.

It's arrogant to tell others what will happen to them after death (from your God of Vengeance). Your surprise is coming.

[samroca]

You shall reap what you sow. My surprise is coming soon, I know that by faith. So is yours, believe me, so is yours.

[danjoeblue]

Rexicano

QUOTE:"...such a trivial piece on stage."

One might argue that Sor's B minor Etude is trivial as well, yet Bream played that as his encore piece for years. I think the Etude is superior to Romance, of course. But it is also quite simple. Do you write Bream off for this?

[Rexicano]

Most of Sor's music is mediocre; as is most Classical period music. Using Mozart as standard, very few come close.

For a top virtuoso like Parkening to trot out the Romance for 30 years is an insult; he's speaking down to the crowd that loves corn and making big bucks doing it. Sad use of his abilities. Bream LIVE was interesting; not Parkening.

[olisaoli]

Nicely done!

[starzship]

nice

[Tadek59]

Fantastic performance and pretty music !!!

The beautiful sound !!!

Brilliant !!!

5*****

Thanks for share deimosianrocks !!!

[mettanc]

magnificent

[uncjim]

Strange right hand fingering. I can't quite figure it out.

[nitenangel]

I felt like i was on a galloping horse! Was he really commended by Segovia?

[danjoeblue]

Yes, Segovia said that,

"Christopher Parkening is a great artist -- he is one of the most brilliant guitarists in the world."

[guidovg]

horse? anyway its folk melody, and a arrangement  at that...

[Loewengarten]

a great performance by Parkening.