sandormester.com in Russian

When I was young we had to learn Russian in the school. Everyone had to. I liked it very much when I was 12-13 years old but I did not learn it at all later because it was a must... Must is not the best motivation for a teenager espacially how I was thinking at that time... Anyway I still love Russian literature, music, painters and I will fly to Russia soon with my Ester.

And my website has a Russian version as well!

Strings

I have been practising on my 8-strings guitar made by Tihamer Romanek in the last three days. Mr. Romanek, he is a Hungarian harpsichord, guitar, lute and lute-harpsichord maker. It's much better to play scales, plucking or arpeggio exercises on this guitar than on a normal classical 6-string guitar. Practising on 8-strings is a serious physical work for the left hand since the neck is wider. Playing chords takes a long a time to learn on it but then it is so nice like on a piano! You 8 notes at the same time.

And it trains your technic much more. The instrument is more heavy than a normal 6-string classical guitar.

Doing lute, piano or cello transciptions is easier on 8-string classical guitar because you have more strings more range of sound. You can tune it on many ways. I tune it as normal guitar tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) plus A (bass) underneath and another A at the top. Others normally tune it as a lute or a normal classical guitar plus two more bass strings.

This is not my 8-string guitar but I have exactly the same type - I got this picture from Romanek's website.

Updates on sandormester.com

Finally we could integrate the concert videos from Sibiu (Romania) to my main site sandormester.com

Neil O'Grady and MS3 play classical guitar duo improvisation together

MS3: Lullaby for Sarah

Neil O'Grady and MS3 improvise in Sibiu

And finally you can watch the videos about our intercultural improvisation with Neil in Sibiu at Astra Park.

Nik did a nice work shooting this video.

Tarrega and Villa-Lobos

A little Francisco Tarrega and more Heitor Villa-Lobos from Sibiu by ms3.. My Romanian friend Nik shot this as well..

Lullaby for Sarah from Sibiu

Nice Lullaby for Sarah - for my beauty. I played it in Sibiu at Astra Park during the European Capital of Culture. I love my daughter. I hope you can hear and feel it on this video. I told her that "I always think on you my sweetheart when I play this pieces"... "Dont think on me dad I am hear with you now" - she says.

My Romanian friend Nik shot all the videos on my concerts.

MS3 Tarrega Live from Sibiu

So here are the videos from Sibiu! Francisco Tarrega and Agustin Mangore Barrios by Sandor Mester MS3 from Sibiu, Romania - European Capital of Culture.

Thanks to WebMa team

Sting and Dowland

As everybody knows Sting released an album last year called Labyrinth. He sings John Dowland's songs on this album playing with a guy called Edin Karamazov - a lutist from Bosnia. I have never heard this name before but I like the family name 'Karamazov' anyway since my favorite writer is Dostojevskij. I have read majority of his works and when I was young I have read Karamazov Brothers and have fallen in love with Fjodor Mihajlovic's works...

I really like Sting's previous works and think that he is an intellectual pop-star singing basically rock and roll, plays on bass and double-bass very well... not that much on classical guitar...

... Spreading classical or renaissance music is important...

... But I had some disapproval with the fact that a popstar sings Dowlands works... Sting is fantastic. I checked listened to these songs on youtube this night and I can say that Sting is a sensible artist who can do anything he wants. If he cannot do that he does not do that. He did this Dowland album on a very natural way that every classical singers should do.

What do I think about Karamazov? He is a professional lute player did his job, nothing special.

My favorite Dowland video by me: Downland's Air.

What do I think about my performance...? Well, I dont think that I am the best person to ask about that but I think I did my job at least...

I started to miss Downland's pieces...