Emilio Pujol - La Libélula

[@ericphillips7057]

What a great piece, both technically and musically!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Yeah, it really ought to be played more! And it's a useful study.

[@hyperboreal]

Great playing. Thanks for sharing Pujol's work.

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

My pleasure, thanks!

[@zakbraverman]

The only Pujol piece I like nearly as much as Becqueriana!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Becqueriana is a nice little piece

[@userAthinodoros]

I see you are close to complete no nail mastery. Those thumb dynamics followed by pianissimo at the end was amazing

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Ha, I wish -- there is so much to improve. Thanks as always!

[@Leunam49]

Gran interpretación, y con un bello sonido con mucha personalidad.

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Thank you!

[@andrewhenderson9474]

Simply Brilliant .

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

@@andrewhenderson9474 cheers Andrew!

[@ClassicalGuitarMusings]

Excellent

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Thanks

[@MrSerpes]

Che composizione singolare!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

@@MrSerpes indeed!

[@Musicmaker-Cologne]

I think dragonflies are very beautiful. The situation you describe about Emilio and his wife sounds rather dramatic, just like this composition, which you interpreted brilliantly. 💎 Bravo Steven

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

@@Musicmaker-Cologne thanks Michael! I adore dragonflies too.

[@StefanNiggl]

What a cruel wife! 😲 But a very enjoyable piece! Bravo Steven.

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Thanks Stefan! Ha, maybe, but I think she was a much nicer woman than the story might make her seem... They had a long, loving marriage.

[@sampaiofazenda]

Gosto muito do seu canal. Parabéns! 🇧🇷

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Obrigado!

[@zazou8505]

Steven joue très bien❤

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Heh, thanks

[@tateharmann3057]

Beautiful job my friend! I know the piece but didn’t know the strange story behind it lol. I’ve often thought about upgrading audio equipment as I’ve had my same recorder for over a decade. Never been able to pull the trigger on it though. These sound great to me!!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Cheers Tate! It's really fun having the two mics to play with -- lots of positions. Especially now that I have a mic stand rather than a pile of books. Recommend it!

[@tateharmann3057]

@@StevenWatsonMusic Haha yea for sure! I did the pile of books trick for a long time but now I’ve got a tripod. Helps immensely for dialing in the exact position- I still have no idea what I’m doing, though LOL

[@chuckmaceanruig]

Very nice! The new tech sounds good, I think. If that story is true, Pujol’s wife was quite the dipstick however. The story mars the beautiful song! 😣

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Thanks! Yes her behaviour seems a touch cruel, especially as I have a particular love of dragonflies...

[@chuckmaceanruig]

@@StevenWatsonMusic “They can spot and adjust their flight to intercept unsuspecting prey from any direction and a single dragonfly can eat 30 to 100 mosquitoes and biting flies in a day. They are so efficient in hunting that they have a 95% success rate (compared to lions at 25%), making them the most remarkable predators on the planet.” That being said, I must credit Mrs. Pujol for not killing the wee beast. 👍🏻 Thanks again for the performance.

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

@@chuckmaceanruig astonishing, I didn't know that!

[@ramonleonegea]

Very good Steven, bravo!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

@@ramonleonegea thanks Ramón!

[@ramonleonegea]

@@StevenWatsonMusic I like your technique of playing without nails, I also play with no nails. I watch the videos of Rob Mackillop, but I think he is not feeling well, because he doesn´t upload anymore, I hope to speak with him again, greetings.

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

@@ramonleonegea yes Rob has been really quite unwell for some months. He was in hospital, but now he's in rehab and thankfully seems to be recovering well! If you look him up on Facebook he has posted updates.

[@ONESNZER0S]

that's incredible!!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Thanks!

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

I live in Uruguay the neighbour to Pujol's Argentina. Dragonflies are our friends as they eat mosquitos.

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Ah I think you may be thinking of Maximo Pujol?

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

@@StevenWatsonMusic ekk, ok, yes you are right!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

@@TheCompleteGuitarist easy mistake! I didn't realise dragonflies ate mosquitos, though. Goodness.

[@tonyzinnanti5905]

Very nice work! Well played. Question: What guitar and strings are you using? Just some info for us no-nail players ... I put Aquila gut trebles with Aquila Alabastro basses on my Jose Ramirez 4NE (cedar) and my Hermanos Camps CL-18 (spruce). The basses performed great on both, but the mids on the Camps were a bit muddy. There's a difference of about an inch in body depth with the Ramirez (being deeper) than the Camps. Interestingly, the gut trebles were more defined and actually brighter on the Ramirez cedar. Both guitars are tuned to 415Hz. I love the Camps, but I've been struggling to find the right sound with it. I've tried Savarez 520s, the Aquila gut, Augustine Imperials (which sound great, but are a little slick for a no nail player). Any words of wisdom? Or, should I just get my ears checked? Thanks for another great video!

[@StevenWatsonMusic]

Thanks Tony! To your question, I'm not sure. If it's muddy you might want to try some brighter strings, or even a composite or carbon 3rd string (been years since I used either of these but I recall them working well on my old guitar). Have you tried asking the luthier what strings they recommend? But strings only change the sound to an extent. Guitars can sing unevenly along the fretboard, or with bass better than treble or vice versa. There probably isn't a perfect guitar, though that doesn't stop us searching... I use a Pierre Alexandre Bellest spruce top. At the moment I have on Knobloch QZ nylon (which are normal smooth nylons).

[@tonyzinnanti5905]

The search for the perfect sound can be maddening. I also find that the balance between playability and tone in terms of instrument choice can be hard to strike - and clearly not mutually exclusive. Anyway, thanks for the feedback and the great videos.