Ralph Towner " Spirit Lake "

[@srwaite7]

Guild should release a Ralph Towner signature 12-string cutaway guitar. 👌🏻🕶✌🏻

[@artiefischel2579]

I think that's an F212-C NT

[@ArielAr]

@@artiefischel2579 I quote from articles: Ralph has "two custom-made at Guild's workshop: a Florentine cutaway F-212 and an abalone-less fretboard F-512: the first mahoganny bodied and the second in Brazilian Rosewood, both with flat, classical-like 52 mm at nut fretboards as per Ralph's wishes, needing the same room he was used to while playing his classical guitar." "The two custom-made guitars, possibly made by luthier Greco himself at Guild's custom workshop, have been with Towner for decades, standing infinite flights abuses and recordings and concerts and, sure, some refrettings and overhaulings."

[@artiefischel2579]

@@ArielAr Does a Florentine cutaway involve spinach, I wonder? Anyhow, it looks just like my F212C-NT . Thanks.

[@michaelvaladez6570]

Yes I agree a custom Guild.The neck is built to his specifications of a classical guitar..possibly also to his hand width.He said in a interview once his family lineage must have had a horse in it..reference to his hand width. It's a beautiful guitar.He now has custom built Baritone guitar..I don't know who built it thou.Many years ago I got to talk to Ralph Towner on a break from his show in Yoshi jazz club and asked about his Guild 12 strings and he said one of them had the low E string dropped to a D.Both are exquisite guitars.

[@PIPEHEAD]

@@michaelvaladez6570 You have made a slight error of interpretation there, methinks : - In the ECM podcast Ralph says he thinks there must have been a horse in his family, a reference to his " unbreakable " nails !

[@belverticale]

Makes a 12 string sound like a flowing river...I've long been in awe of Ralph's playing.

[@uneedtherapy42]

agreed. Leo Kottke is more folksy I guess but Ralph on a 12 string is like an entire orchestra playing. It's stunning to listen to this tune.

[@michaelvaladez6570]

This piece titled Spirit Lake is an quintessential classical/jazz improvisational work that goes back to Maestro Ralph Towner early days of the beginnings of the ECM label.A very unique composition that is in short astounding . It is the first piece that opens up on his first endeavor on the young label entitled Solo/Concert. Probably the most important recorded work of classical / jazz combination, a finely recorded music of a 12 string guitar and a classic guitar in one setting.ever.All these compositions are improvisational. A must for those of interest of an early body of work by Maestro Ralph Towner.

[@Ssssssnakeisone]

I never heard of Ralph, but listening to this I now know he had to be an inspiration for Tony Geballe. Music's great!

[@kelesays]

This unique master has been shining his bright light throughout my life since the very first time I heard him playing. 25 years ago.

[@kelesays]

Great music from one of the greatest masters of guitar.

[@SpaTZz9]

There was a lot of amazing music from ECM in the 1970's

[@shedjammer87]

To be able to play a twelve string like that is amazing!!...

[@frimpit]

@Stougaardwatch Yes, the version of this on Solo Concert is otherworldly, and it is a FANTASTICALLY recorded version also. Ralph is truly one in a billion. This guy paints sound pictures with a guitar that have a dynamic intensity that rivals an entire orchestra. Spirit Lake is my absolutel favorite from him, and I think I first listened when I was 16. I'm now 46 and just rediscovering him.

[@TheSupergimp]

My mate and I got the live album at 14. He was and is our hero. I spent an entire half term learning Ralph's Guitar Waltz, but I could never play this. What I'd give to have been in Germany for that recording. A recording for the ages.

[@JXB54321]

Finally I get to see him playing this. Always was amazed that on the solo CD this was not overdubbed. Superb!!!

[@johnbeam6000]

Perhaps my favorite piece by Ralph.

[@o.sabiolouco]

I've myself been tripping through woods, valleys, sulphurous lakes, a wooden hut with a fire oven inside, a man playing guitar, a beautiful woman sitting in a tree.. a cool wind a-bloyin', i can hear the crickets too!

[@TobiaMusic]

Someone asked me something about the noise that is heard in the background ... it is the noise of the camera, maybe it had some problems in the mechanism ... however it remains (for me) one of the best versions of Spirit Lake. Thank you

[@marcgregoryneville]

Blessings, 11 years later.

[@o.sabiolouco]

@@TobiaMusic great man

[@o.sabiolouco]

@@marcgregoryneville blessings

[@John-rb3yv]

Wow Never heard this one Agree with his sounds on 12 mimic a river...

[@phoenixpiano]

Yes: all true. This man also wrote one of the theme songs of our generation when he wrote Icarus. The original on the Paul Winter Consort record stunned me. I was 14 when I heard it and I was never the same afterward. Some people seem to be able to hear inside the Culture or something. They tell stories without words. Ralph is one of these. This is a nice recording of another one of his great tunes.

[@badenpowell79]

Grazie Tobia, per questa e per la tua musica. Tobia for president

[@swani7]

Incredible! Ralph is a true master and Spirit Lake is deep, powerful, fluid and shimmery. Delights my heart and mind every time. Thank you for posting and Thank you Ralph for creating so fabulous music.:-)

[@66guitaROB]

.................STUNNING !!!

[@jazzislands]

what a genius!!!

[@pjcerto1074]

How cool is it to see Ralph play this live? Would never have thought it possible. To me YT validates itself with this one clip. As others have mentioned, if you don't own the album, 'Solo Concert', get it. You want to hear these spectacular performances by Ralph and the pristine live recording by Manfred Eicher, et al. Shimmering chorusing on RT's harmonics complements of the minimum - five - microphones (check the back cover pic) used to record the album. Astonishing.

[@MahavishnuProject]

This is a major document.

[@AbstractMan23]

WOW!! please post more. what great rare footage :-)

[@ArielAr]

Thank you very much for sharing this. "Spirit lake" has been one of my favorite compositions of Ralph, but after around 1994-1995 he has not been playing it much, so this is a very appreciated document.

[@darrenstuart9476]

Magickal! I would love to have the sheet music to this.....LOL!!!

[@enricomarziani]

grande Guitarist.

[@semvarp]

His best song....

[@TheSupergimp]

Yup. 30 years ago I spent two weeks working out Ralph's Piano Waltz because my fingers weren't strong enough to do this. God how how I love that German live album.

[@basswineclub]

Yeah!

[@francoisgrenier4919]

Master class! 👏👏👏👏👏👏❤️🌹. The crickets just have NO respect!

[@joejoe-lb6bw]

Even the crickets came to enjoy and join in this extraordinary performance.

[@alanford1971]

Notevole!

[@SpaTZz9]

A master class in 12 string finger picking

[@brucelyons2423]

So great! I wonder how much he improvises during such a long tune?

[@acousticland]

genius

[@cfibanez]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing this. Does anyone know the tuning he is using in this piece?

[@TobiaMusic]

Normal... but the eleventh and twelfth ( E) are tuned in B

[@cfibanez]

@@TobiaMusic You mean he dropped E down to B? That seems like too much. Unless he used baritone strings, which I doubt. Thanks.

[@TobiaMusic]

@@cfibanez The E the pair of strings lowered to B (if you listen you can hear it

[@rrrrockin]

oh wow ,,cool I was hoping to find this song and video ....thankyou ,,,do you know the tuning ? just amazing ...cheers

[@TheSupergimp]

I think it's D Minor. That's what I pretend to play it in:)

[@AbstractMan23]

was it outdoors? i can hear crickets!

[@artiefischel2579]

What tuning is that? The low end is much too low for standard tuning or even DADGAD.

[@TobiaMusic]

(1 e ( 2 b ( 3 g ( 4 d (5 a (6 B Low

[@artiefischel2579]

@@TobiaMusic The top two courses in unison and the rest are octaves?

[@glaucodelponte247]

🌀🌀👏👏💯💯🎊🎊🎸🎸🪄🪄