20 Études Simples (Estudios Sencillos) Leo Brouwer. Brian Farrell Guitar

[@rdffm8853]

I was at a Leo Brouwer tribute concert today. I learnt that clapping, shouting and running around with guitars also belonged to his compositions. Leo has lots of humour :-)

[@pbpaez]

I listen to these Estudios every day.... What a wonderful guitarist Brian Farrell is wow!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Pablo, it is very satisfying to know you enjoy them. Thanks for letting me know. Greetings from Ireland. Brian

[@charlesmcdonald8607]

Beautifully done Brian. So helpful for me in learning the nuances of these spectacular pieces.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks Charles, really nice to read that and delighted they are a help. You are very good to stop by and leave a comment. Brian

[@palavamontana]

Wonderful playing - and indeed they are not remotely simple, in fact they are extremely difficult in places

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

+palavamontana Thanks very much. Really nice to read this and delighted you like and approve. I have his latest 10 recorded too and will get them on KZbin soon. Brian

[@KT-ut9zg]

Took out my Brouwer Études Simples to re-visit them and came to KZbin to listen to someone perform them so I could glean some inspiration. I am now sliding the books slowly back onto the shelf... Seriously though, beautiful playing. Thanks for the enjoyment of listening to your interpretation it will actually inspire me to keep trying. Amazing facility and clarity. Hard, hard work.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks very much Mike, your comment is most welcome and I'm very happy to have reached out to you. Do keep working on them as it really does pay off. I actually uploaded Brouwer's other Nuevos Estudios Sencillos to CDBaby so you can stream these if you have Spotify, iTunes etc. etc. here's a direct link too www.cdbaby.com/cd/brianfarrell4 . I will add these to KZbin soon as well. Thanks again. Brian

[@alejandro26_]

Greetings from Córdoba, Argentina.

[@biltemamiesruless]

6:33 that legato part is so clean I can't ever play it that well. Great job

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Many thanks Juhana, I'm very happy to know you listened and enjoyed these. Your comment and support is most welcome. Brian

[@stevendwoodruff]

These are terrific pieces and each of them so well played here. Listened to them over and over. I met @Bouwer in Cuba 2001 on one of my trips there and knew a few of his students. By now they've all left, most of them living in S Florida. Thanks.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks for the nice feedback Steven. jealous you me Brouwer and I nearly had a chance as he was to visit Ireland but of course Covid stopped that! Thanks for stopping by to comment and keep listening! Brian

[@johneyreguitar]

Thanks , Brian - love the tempo of II. Robin Pearson introduced me to a wealth of music in the 70s. For the very first time, I will be playing them in public in Brecon Cathedral! I shall use your interpretations as inspiration. Once again, thanks.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks John and really nice to read all that. Brouwer is one of my favourite composers and I was close to meeting him but the pandemic stopped that. Not sure another chance will come around but its still me wish. I hope your preparations are coming along as they are a lot to perform in once go. Brian

[@johneyreguitar]

@@BrianFarrellguitar Thanks, Brian. I’m only doing the first six, so not such a mountain to climb. It’s about time I learned the others! I have deliberately chosen the easier pieces for guitar , because, after all these years, I still can’t play Asturias, et cetera to a satisfactory standard. I never give up, though. I will be finishing off the set with Danza caracteristica, using David Russell’s advice - I still have to miss out a couple of notes on that tricky bit at position five! I like to think that I’m taking Leo Brouwer’s approach, too, and concentrating on the feel and rhythm. Not that I have much choice, because I haven’t mastered that hard bit! Better than not playing it, though. In my version, the traffic has slowed down a bit. I will claim it is the lazy Sunday afternoon heat wave remix…

[@johneyreguitar]

Important question for you, Brian . What are your thoughts on miking up the guitar? I’m thinking of how enormous the cathedral is, and I’m a fairly weak player, too. Actually, I’ve just had a bold idea - I could take Melissa (daughter)with me to the cathedral and see how far back the sound travels. I could even invite the visitors to a quick mini soundcheck concert. That could help with nerves, as well. I promise not to waffle on for so long next time - perhaps it’s a lack of caffeine…

[@sidneyfernandes2593]

My congratulations ! Best composer of 20th century /Second half

[@joshjams1978]

Lovely! Beautiful interpretation. I'm going through #1 and #6 for my auditions for a Classical Guitar + Theater programm and you are truly an inspiration, thanks! With love and admiration from rural Québec.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks for the lovely comment and I'm very happy you like these. Leo Brouwer is supposed to be coming to Ireland this year so I really hope I can meet him for the first time ever and give him a CD! Good luck with the auditions and keep in touch. Brian

[@lawrencetendler2342]

Brian ,you play these studies really beautifully . Thank you, a very noble performance and these studies have so much to offer ,beautiful teaching pieces ,fun to play and a joy to listen to.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Hello Lawrence, many thanks for the kind words and I'm very happy to read your comments. Happy they are useful to you too. Appreciate the support thanks. Brian

[@lawrencetendler2342]

You are most welcome Brian and keep up the good work.

[@davepowell7168]

Superb !

[@theredrooms2079]

I'm obsessed with these etudes

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Nice. Glad they help with your obsession....... thanks for stopping by.

[@theredrooms2079]

@@BrianFarrellguitar I suspect you've obsessed over them yourself, Brian. If you were based in London I'd be trying to arrange a lesson or two.

[@butterblume5112]

Great playing! I'm using your interpretation as a reference for my meager attempts at them.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks for the feedback Arne and I'm delighted you are getting something from this. I was once like you but patience and perseverance paid off. Thanks again Brian.

[@alistairsmithmusic]

Really enjoying listening to these - I think I might learn them! Thanks Brian!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks Alistair, appreciate that and they were a joy to do. I've great memories of doing these and came close to meeting Brouwer in 2020 but as we know, everything stopped including the music - almost!

[@mariajuliaguias4797]

I am impressed, thank you so much!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Maria Julia, you are good to take the time to comment and I appreciate the support very much. Greetings from Ireland. Brian

[@mariajuliaguias4797]

@@BrianFarrellguitar greetings from Russia! 😊😉

[@ThePiedPlucker1]

Brilliant love these! I am starting to study these myself so this is very helpful

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks for the feedback and delighted they are of help to you. Brian

[@DaveLeeNC]

VERY NICE. Thank you for putting this up.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Dave, appreciate the reply and support. Brian

[@samanthatavizon7695]

here for my guitar class and trying to work on technique and sound...crazy talent!!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks very much Samantha. I was once in your shoes too, so just keep plugging away and it will reward you too. Greetings from Ireland. Brian

[@SantiagoKodela]

Congrats Brian! Amazing performances! 😀

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks Santiago. Brouwer is one of my favourite composers and I've actually recorded his 'Nuevos Estudios Sencillos' too. All going back a long time now but still never get old. Appreciate the support. Brian :)

[@rwdtk000000]

20 is probably my fav. Great job

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks very much, happy you enjoyed this and thanks too for taking the time to comment. Brian

[@vayasaberlo8]

Lovely - I like your strong, sonorous approach!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you very much. Delighted you enjoyed my version. Brian

[@sherlynn7211]

Beautiful !

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you. :)

[@firstacupoftea1475]

Beautiful

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks very much. Nice to know they are still listened to.

[@guitarworkswithnealfitzpat4273]

Fantastic Brian.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Neal, very good of you to comment and I appreciate the support very much. Greetings from Ireland. Brian

[@guitarworkswithnealfitzpat4273]

My pleasure Brian. Wonderful pieces masterfully played. Nice to hear from the land of my ancestors.

[@lawrencetendler2342]

Some of these etudes are really lovely.

[@petrawesterhove8279]

Great pleasure

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you.

[@johnjohns3651]

Great job man, truly expressive. Grave XVI: Best interpretation I've heard so far

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks very much. Happy to read that and always nice to get positive feedback. I'll keep practising so :)

[@juanfredrich1546]

your sound are grate i like the power!!!!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you.....

[@jonash154]

This is a fantastic upload, Brian. I teach steel string and electric, but am currently working through these to hopefully improve my classical skills, which have always been lacking . A much needed "white belt" moment. Subbed

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks John, appreciate reading all that and it's nice to know they inspire you. Brouwer is one of my favourite composers and we are so lucky to have him as a writer for guitar as well as a player. Keep up the practice and it'll all come to you. Brian

[@lukmanvoilaGitarcover]

Good song👍

[@MusicDarraghONeill]

Outstanding Brian!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks Darragh. Going back a while now but glad I have this done!

[@stephenburke9994]

This is truly wonderful stuff Brian

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks Stephen, very good of you to comment and I hope you are keeping the playing going too! Thanks for he support. Brian

[@rieske2000]

I listened to so many version of Leo Brouwer's etudes. This is so good. So clear. There was a time when I attempted to play the first 10 ... Thanks for sharing these, 16 is my favorite! Did you ever record the Cancion de Cuna?

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Richard, and I appreciate your comment and support very much. Yes I did record Cancion de Cuna and it's somewhere on KZbin but goes back a few years now!

[@DaveLeeNC]

Very well done - thank you for doing this.

[@bruhmeen]

Foarte frumoasa interpretare

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Mulțumesc foarte mult. Salutări din Irlanda

[@georgjordis6337]

Wonderful, thank you so much for the nice recordings. Number 6 was odd to hear because i can't paly it that fast. Nr.6 has a whole different atmosphere if played slower. Great work

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Georg, very happy you like them and thanks for taking the time to let me know. Brian

[@lythuyvlog4962]

xem hay tuyệt vời

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

cảm ơn nhiều

[@fuffy442]

Brian, I have just started these exercises and was looking for reference recordings, and found yours. Fantastic. I will be listening to these for quite some time, I fear. 🙂 Your guitar is lovely. What maker is it? Terrific low end clarity and resonance.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks Fuffy. Appreciate your nice comment and reply. MY guitar is a Nicholas P. Ioannou, a Greek-American luthier. It is over 30 years old now and the only guitar I have ever used. Can't afford another one! Greetings from Ireland Brian.

[@mariajuliaguias4797]

Thank you so much! It is very very useful❤

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you too for letting me know. ;)

[@CoachingYoga]

Merci . . !

[@erictustison]

12:48 "14 Allegro" feels like something that Metheny might have drawn inspiration from.

[@josepheveson6187]

Lovely playing and so good to hear them all back to back! Where did you find the sheet music for these? I can find the odd one here and there but not a complete collection of all 20 - which is a surprise! Thanks, Joe

[@billy0936]

Great interpretations. Insta sub.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Billy. Happy you like them......

[@paolonatalini4184]

Bravo

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Paolo. Good of you to comment. Greetings from Ireland.

[@gsamsa]

Amazing!!!!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you. Happy you like these. Brian

[@7CMusic7]

This is great! Thank you for sharing !

[@massimobanchio4076]

Suonati tutti di seguito, diventano un'opera importantissima, da semplici studi a complicati studi di una bellezza che ti toglie il fiato. Max Playing all of the following, they become a very important work, from simple studies to complicated beauty studies that take your breath away. Max

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you very much Max, that's a very generous comment and much appreciated. Greetings from Ireland. Brian

[@marcioangelo]

Great!

[@soundknight]

Grave Sarabande 14:49

[@The1stMrJohn]

👍

[@colecrews9756]

Mr. Brian Farrell.. You have delivered masterfully on this Opus. I've periodically attempted read throughs of the entire work; and performance of a few of the simpler pieces. Thank you. You have exceeded the challenge. Absolutely beautiful. Your website; www.brianfarrell.eu is a totally awesome guitar resource. Too bad Dublin is so far from California! Thank you again, Cole

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Hi Cole, many thanks for the kind and detailed reply and it is very much appreciated. It's not often I get responses so it is nice when they do come. I've just finished a CD of Andrew York's music and I think he lives somewhere in your region. I hope to have it out by the end of November. So thanks again and keep up the great work. Ps I do have Brouwer' s other Etudes on iTunes, Spotify or any leading digital streaming outlets so check them out if you want. There are also here too! store.cdbaby.com/cd/brianfarrell4 So greetings from Ireland and thanks again. Brian

[@colecrews9756]

Brian, Done & Done.. You have a fan for life. Looking forward to the "York_work". I have followed him from Sunburst days. I am privileged to have attended performances of Segovia, Bream, Williams and more. You set the bar equally as high. Blessings to and from a Friend. ~C

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks again Cole and please do pm me to [e-mail] and I'll send you the York when its pressed. I do all my owe recording at home and nothing fancy, just record my practice and that's it. Can't afford the studio stuff so even these studies here are all done at home which is great and I've some info on my blog as to what equipment I use....... So thanks again and appreciate all the support again. B

[@RomainFitoussi]

Technically perfect, huge respect for this 🙏 but everything is played so fast... 😐

[@johnjohns3651]

Yeah more music less masturbation

[@RomainFitoussi]

@@johnjohns3651 it's not masturbation ... By dint of working on a piece, sometimes you lose the freshness of the first time. These pieces need to be played as if it was the first time, but after 1000 times, it's a real bet to get there. We tend to want to be heard, how well we have worked, that's a mistake, I think. In any case, respect to Brian who is a very good guitarist, who works with humility.

[@sigmundfreud4472]

Does anyone know where the sheet music version of the Estudios Sencillios is? I can’t find it anymore, and I’m wondering if it was taken down.

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

www.sheetmusicplus.com has them........

[@user-tp8rn3nd4p]

amazing

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you Eddie, happy you like them. Brian

[@vayasaberlo8]

Unsurpassable performance brilliant! These are NOT easy to interpret. . .

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thank you for such a positive comment. I guess at this stage I'd love to know that Leo Brouwer has heard these for himself! That would be the icing on the cake for me! Really appreciate your comment and very happy you like them. I think Brouwer is one of the best composers of this century, time will prove that..........

[@vayasaberlo8]

Why not send your performance in a file to Maestro Brouwer? :) He is a humble, approachable being!

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

I have tried to find a way to get this to him but failed. I don't have any postal address but thought I could maybe send a copy to some festivals where he was teaching but I had no luck there either. I'll not give up though! Thanks for the tip and I'll post back if ever I do get a copy to him. :)

[@vayasaberlo8]

I will see if I can find an address for him. . . ps do you speak Spanish?

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

That would be fantastic. Unfortunately I don't speak Spanish but I can get a letter translated no problem. PM me at info @ brian farrell . eu (remove spaces) Appreciate this help. Brian

[@msa.8787]

perfect.. but how can i find etud notes?

[@BrianFarrellguitar]

Thanks for the feedback Semih. The music is available on the internet if you search for it. I had to purchase 4 books to get the complete set. It might come as one now but I'm not sure. Brian