GUITARS GET GOING: GOAN GUILD GLEANS GO-GETTERS
By Frederick Noronha
http://www.dulpod.com
IMAGINE a dozen or more guitars, each complimenting and competing with the
other, to bring out the most melodious musical notes once a month in
Porvorim or Panjim?
This is no dreams; it's a unique venture has been taking place, thanks to
the initiative of some music-crazy guitar enthusiasts in Goa who want to
promote all brands of their favourite instrument in the state.
Guitar Guild Goa is a rather low-profile, high-achieving voluntary network
formed by guitar-music fans across the state. It has brought together many
exponents of this flat-bodied melodious and popular Western stringed
instrument with a long fretted neck.
It is one of those networks that works out of Goa, plays an interesting role
in promoting something positive, but probably doesn't get any of the
deserved attention so badly needed to make a good venture grow.
Over the last few years, not only has networked new-found friends with
shared interests but it has also given a boost to guitar playing in this
small state. More importantly, it has shown that it's possible for
musician-led voluntary not-for-profit initiatives to function efficiently
and effectively. Even if the occasional misunderstanding is always a
possibility on the horizon.
GGG was launched in March 2000. It got hardly any attention when it was
launched. Much of the subsequent scant coverage in the local media was
largely based on press notes, or write-up by suitably-impressed new members
who happened to be also feature-writers or editors.
Initially, team-leaders' reports about the second-Sunday of the month
meetings were restricted to hardly three paras. Members had to be coaxed to
perform. But this soon changed. The minutes became pages in length.
Performers had to scramble for a slot. In no time, members were being told:
"Please get your individual guitars (standard tuning) and music stands if
possible."
Initially, most members were happy to have a "platform for meeting, learning
and performing". The Karnads from Vasco found the evening something to look
forward to. (Sadhana Karnad is trained in Hindustani music, and not being a
guitar player, at one meet, contributed with a soulful rendition of Hindi
songs in semi-classical fashion.)
Others called it the beginning of a musical journey together. Slowly numbers
started growing. Antonio and Ligia Lobo's home at Altinho could no longer
accomodate the crowd, and the venue was shifted to the large hall of music
lover and music-store owner Albino Fernandes at Alto Betim.
Today, the guild sees itself as being made up of various streams -- Western
classical, pop and rock, jazz and rock, Indian classical and even Goan folk!
Co-ordinators Rui Lobo and Devang Metha kept the group going in its early
days. Commented Mehta then: "It (the guitar) has been called the 'portable
piano' because it is easily transported. The sounds of the nylon guitar
epitomises the very concept of romance."
On being formed, GGG's aim was to include informal playing, the presentation
of 'topics of interest', just creating opportunities to meet people with
similar interest, merely listen ("you don't have to play"). It was also
aimed at playing duets or ensemble music or for members to try out a latest
piece.
"The love of the guitar brings us together. And it is this love we want to
share with more and more people in Goa," said organisers, early after the
GGG's launch. They made it clear: anyone interested in the guitar, whether
classical or other styles, and who attended any of the GGG's meeting
"automatically qualifies as a member".
In the past, the guild had to put up with Goa's poor infrastructure. For its
public performance, it found the available sound system to be woefully
iandequate. This meant it had to hire a better sound system from out, and
each performer had to pay to perform -- a sum of Rs 200!
One member commented after the meet: "We have learnt a lesson about getting
sponsors to cover eyerything, sound system first and foremost. So we will
not have performers pay to play (in future)."
After each meeting, members come out with their own 'newsletter'. Two young
brothers -- Gary and Kirk Rodrigues -- have won wows for their talent.
They've even played a duet blindfolded! At one meeting in the past, the
youngest was Andrea Rodrigues (6), who sang 'Words', 'Let It Be Me' and 'Top
of The World', to the accompaniment of her father, Emercio. "Her clear
intonation and perfect sense of rhythm left the listeners wonderstruck,"
commented guild member Joseph A. D'Souza.
Arjun Karnad is another youngster who has been putting up interesting
performances. Some of the GGG members are Goans based in Mumbai. A few are
foreigners based in Goa. There are even some from other parts of India,
based in Goa. Young Sanya Cotta, who has recently answered her Performer's
Certificate for the violin, from the Trinity College of Music in London, is
another one carving out a much-watched path.
In July 2001, the GGG held its concert at the Kala Academy, called 'Take
One'. The Black Box was overfilled with an audience. Commented ex-editor
Lambert Mascarenhas: "The effort of the Guitar Guild in presting this
programme is highly commendable. Music lovers of Goa must whole-heartedly
support this foundation in the reported plans they have."
Comments Rui Lobo, one of the early members of the group: "The name itself
was chosen with the idea to having some continuity with future GGG concerts.
Take One can be interpreted either as having a particular count for a song,
or as in a recording, the first take. In our case, it is our first concert."
The hall was more than packed to capacity, and some watched the show
standing for two-and-half hours. "We can jokingly say that we got standing
ovations for each and every number," joked members among themselves.
One of the proposals that came up was to possibly form a database of guitar
music, books and articles which members were willing to share among each
others. Over the past few months, the GGG has uncovered and focussed on some
amazing talent existing within the state. Not that this didn't exist, but
very few knew about it. If at all, the talent of some of its members, both
veteran and youngsters, was known earlier only to a small group around them.
Sanya Cotta -- who has performed Beethoven and Vivalid on the violin -- is
seen as a young girl with a bright musical future ahead.
Francis from East Africa, realised he his former teacher going 25 years
back, Derrick from Mumbai, was also part of the guild.
By the time the guild grew, first names were no longer enough. GGG had three
Josephs, two Francises and as many Joaquims. Chris Bismarck has featured in
the published-from-abroad 'Guitar Player' and 'Guitar World' magazines. In
one performance, Bismark gave a demo of the touch or tapping techniques --
where both hands are applied simultaneously at the fret board, one for
meoldy and the other for accompaniment.
"In the beginning, we had to request and coax participants to prepare a
piece or two to play for others," old timers recall. But the spontaneous
participation had increased and "infact everyone wants to play and to be
heard". Often it's the music of the 'sixties and 'seventies that gets a
rewind.
There have been consistent attempts at improving standards.
Sussgests Nicholas Furtado, who is studying the Jazz guitar in New York:
"You have to make a clear distinction between practice and playing or
performmance. Lot of time we 'perform' when we should be practising, and we
all know how easy it is to go up on stage and sound like a practice
session." Practice is meant for improving our playing, he reminds.
Schubert Cotta, a former expat Goan returned from abroad, is considered the
teacher and guide to many of the ensemble members.
In its many meetings, the guild has seen a range of activities. Quite some
time back, Goa-based Briton, Chris Horton has held a demo on the art of
guitar making. A session of six sessions was planned out, and participants
at the guild hoped to see a "guitar taking shape from pieces of wood".
In between, the guitar enthusiasts kept finding more of their ike. Rene
Morel and the Alliance Francaise de Goa held a six-video session workshop on
the Flamenco.
New meetings saw the introduction of new members. For instance, Kimberley
"Kim" Abreu and Michael Fernandes -- both of Mapusa -- who have cut a
cassette of Christmas music in recent years. Other new members, like
professional singer Sigmund de Souza and Valentino Fernandes, happen to be
an editor and a journalist respectively. Jairaj is from Andhra Pradesh, and
has been studying the classical guitar at the Kala Academy.
Explains Rui Lobo <loborui at yahoo.com>: "GGG, originally Goa Guitar Guild,
was initiated in the millennium year 2000. It began as an open forum for
guitarists, both amateur and professional, to interact and share music and
ideas. It is now a registered organisation (with the Registrar of Societies,
Goa under No.204/Goa/2003) with formal membership and is named Guitar Guild
Goa."
Apparently the changed name came about for technical reasons -- the
Registrar of Societies does not accept any name starting with the word Goa.
GGG's president is Domingos de Souza.
Rui adds that regular sessions are held every second Sunday of the month
apart from workshops, master-classes, concerts and participation in
important music festivals. GGG's debut concert was titled 'Take One'. This
unusual network says it is in the process of building up a library, with
contributions from members and well-wishers, having audio, video and music
books and scores that would help fellow musicians.
>From inception, its name notwithstanding, the GGG has looked beyond just
guitar. Other instrumentalists and vocalists have been invited to perform
and interact with talks and lecture demonstrations at GGG functions. "It is
this philosophy that has now led GGG to organize a series of national level
western classical music competitions -- the first of the series will begin
with solo-violin and solo-guitar competitions. Details of the competition
webpage are at www.geocities.com/guitarguild/dmnvc," explains Rui.
Says he: "We are doing the violin competition first, before the guitar
competition, simply because the sponsorship for the violin competition came
first." (This article first appeared in dulpod.com -- Goa's music site.)
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