Interview
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!
Latest News
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…
A Diverse Miscellany
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…
News Roundup
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…
Sor’s Magic Flute Variations — without nails
This extraordinary video deserves a post of its own. Here is Jon Mendle playing Sor’s most famous piece, Introduction, Theme and Variations on a Theme of Mozart, op. 9. He is using a guitar from c. 1830, with gut strings, and is following Sor’s no-nail technique. A must watch:
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No-Nail Guitar 
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