Bowed Guitar impromptu ll TogaMan Acoustic GuitarViol (Bistro Blog 11-19-2008))

Jonathan demo's a newly built TogaMan GuitarViol (Built for Paul Charisse in the UK). More info visit www.togamanguitars.com or join the forum at www.bowedguitar.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bowed
• guitar
• GuitarViol
• Arpeggione
• Viola
• Da
• Gamba
• Jonathan
• Wilson
• Bistro
• Blog

[KhamnNacuri]

...question. What type of bow are you using? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're using a viola or violin bow.

[GuitarViols]

@KhamnNacuri It's a GuitarViol bow which is specially made 20" with a hair width between a Cello and Viola.

[cwhanna]

WOW just wow.. People go around all the time talking about genius and saying so-and-so is a genius.. but what Johnathan Wilson has accomplished really is a work of genius. What an incredible/beautiful synthesis of violin and guitar. Now I just need to get about 4 or 5 grand together and get one... wow

[GuitarViols]

Thanks for the kind words. Hope I can be of service someday!

[DerangedRanger1]

Interesting instrument with a great warm sound. Smart idea with the choice of pickups. This looks like an instrument that offers the guitarist/violin-family instrument player a lot of expressive potential. I'll bet scordatura would really increase that potential.

Is the "guitar viol" an ancient instrument itself, or is this a new invention that you have come up with that combines the viol with the guitar? Is there any repertoire specifically associated with it from the past? Thanks.

[GuitarViols]

Ranger, Thanks for asking (and your kind words). I came up with this (original or not..). For some unknown reason, I could not get this out of my mind and it became my life. Just an artistic - musical expression thing, really. Alternate tunings and anything that can be imagined are do-able & encouraged . Really, just another artist brush and set of colors. I believe it appeals to creators rather than re-creators. I'm just tickled that it has been useful for many major film scores.

Cheers!

[Rawk10]

you have to develope your tones.

[GuitarViols]

Thanks for your thoughts. Really, my story can be summed up as this: I was a kid (30 years back) who dreamed of different sounds on the guitar. I was aware of Lol Creme's Gizmotron and the E-Bow. Not what I was after. I Learned of Arpeggione and Viola Da Gamba. Created my "dream instrument" and others wanted one like it! Then, major movie composers liked my instrument. So, why would I have merely taken up cello? My life is rewarding because I did not. Sometimes, the hard way is more rewarding.

[GuitarViols]

The GuitarViol is my creation (similar to Arpeggione by Stauffer in 1823). It is merely an alternative medium of extemporary sonic expression. Repertoire has not been written for it and should be written with it in hand as the instrument has it's own inherent suggestions. Many movie scores have been written and rendered with it . We'll see what the future holds....

[GuitarViols]

The guitars Strad built won't break anymore than his violins. Guitars were more developed since ... violins have not much since Strad. It is silly that Strad's guitars are not played or replicated for research. Intonation on any violin is only as good as it's player. Did you mean "tone" or Timbre?" My instruments are merely an alternative medium of musical expression and not imitation of Violin/Cello. They are meant for sonic artists / film composers and not historians duplicating tradition.

[DerangedRanger1]

Well, I suppose you would have to read the whole sequence to figure out what I was getting at.

I do think of this as a different instrument. The question was for vexme who asked "why not save time and learn the cello...then amp it."

I would say that what I said was exactly what you did in another way.