Author: Steven Watson

I made a short video on the history of no-nail guitar. It’s a sort of teaser for the thesis. There is much that I hope will be surprising and interesting — it’s replete with recordings, data and obscure history.

First, some sad news. Sandro Volta died last month. He was a fine guitarist and lutenist, who played without nails, and recorded many albums. We emailed back-and-forth a year back — he was interesting and generous. I particularly remember amicably disagreeing about whether Giuliani used nails (Sandro thought he did — I disagreed!) So here…

Extra points to whoever gets the references in the title of this newsletter. I was trying to think of some puns, and I’m afraid this is the best I could do. Unlike the protagonist of William Morris’s novel, we have not awoken into a guitar-utopia where none use fingernails or play the Ginastera sonata. But…

Ian Watt invited me on his podcast to discuss the life of Emilio Pujol, who was, among many other things, the most important advocate for no-nail playing in the twentieth century. Many interesting points were discussed; Ian is always a wonderful interlocutor:

Joaquín Panadés has a particularly wonderful new video out. He’s playing Llobet’s famous transcription of Granados’s La Maja de Goya. Without nails, of course. And on a Torres guitar once owned by Llobet: I made a video on the various ways one can alternate between flesh and nail. Not only is this very possible, but…

Let’s begin with a a quadrumvirate of no-nailers (though there is some cheating, as it were, with plectra in the first half!) In the latest issue of Soundboard I have an article on the ways you can alternate between flesh and nail. Yes, it is possible! And there are various historic examples of players who…

Ian Watt interviewed me for his podcast Unwound. We mostly talked about 20th century no-nail playing, with some enjoyable digressions. It was a fun conversation indeed. Do watch, and also check out Ian’s recordings — he is an astonishing player!

I’ve just come back from a symposium on the 19th century guitar which was held in Innsbruck. The days were packed with talks and concerts from researchers across the world. It was a very special and memorable experience indeed. I gave a talk on the nail question in the 19th century — see the images…

First, a wonderful concert by Joaquín Panadés and Daniele Sardone, both no-nailers: Another splendid video of Carles Trepat and Carmen Jimenez. Again, both no-nailers: I’ve been researching the harp and nails. The concert harp (from the Classical period onwards) has always been played without nails, but historically nails were sometimes used, especially in Ireland and…

First up, hot off the press, a new Carles Trepat video. This time he’s playing a Torres guitar that belonged to Severino García Fortea (1854-1931), a friend, neighbor, and student of Francisco Tárrega: Enrica Savigni and Marco Ramelli have a new duo album out. Enrica plays without nails and Marco plays with. They create an…