Christopher Rude

Classical Guitar

Christopher Rude, Classical Guitarist
West Salem, WI 54669
ph: 608.498.7761
Chris@rudeguitar.com

Experiments

Unaccompanied electric guitar?

In addition to a love for the classical guitar, Christopher is also passionate about the electric guitar, and is interested in developing a link between the two instruments. On the surface, this may seem an odd pairing, but through experimentation and feedback, he aims to help elevate the electric guitar from its supporting role in modern rock to the realm of unaccompanied solo performance.

To this end, Christopher has begun the work of reinterpreting some of the better-known melodies of classical composers and transcribing them for the electric guitar in a way that takes advantage of its strengths. Since counterpoint and other complex textures cannot be heard clearly coming from one distorted electric guitar signal, textural elements and accompaniment parts have been edited, arpeggiated, rewritten or omitted.

Precedent for such work has been set by many other guitarists through history, most importantly Andres Segovia, whose guitar transcriptions and recordings were largely responsible for transporting the humble guitar from street and parlor to concert hall and conservatory. Segovia himself merely combined his musical abilities with new technologies to create a new generation of music for the guitar.

Unlike the work done by such groups as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and various "Heavy Metal" bands performing classical music, Christopher's works are intended for unaccompanied solo electric guitar. In the absence of drums, bass or other instruments, the works must be self-reliant in terms of rhythm, harmony and texture. To that end, modern effects are used purposefully, acting as accompanists to add texture or assisting in orchestration.

Beyond the scope of the guitar, music from around the world is transcribed from one instrument to another every day, often to great effect. It is part of the natural evolution of musical language. Christopher hopes that his experiments may eventually contribute in some small way to this evolution.

New arrangements for unaccompanied electric guitar:

Bach - Toccata (from Toccata and Fugue) BWV 565
Originally written for the organ, Bach's Toccata is among the most recognizable and dramatic preludes in all of music. The guitar sounds have been chosen to recreate the smooth clarity and power of the pipe organ, and the digital multi-tap delay simulates the dramatic acoustic reverberation effect originally provided by the cathedral space.
Debussy - La fille aux cheveux de lin
In keeping with the impressionistic style of Debussy and his contemporaries, this interpretation suggests liquidity by blurring the melodic lines with smooth shifts in color, pitch and tempo. The harmonic structure has been further veiled by way of textural paring in several places.
Bach - Prelude BWV 1006
This famous prelude lends itself beautifully to the electric guitar, but much of the internal developments rely on textural elements which cannot be effectively transferred. The result is a significantly shortened transcription that combines highlights of the original prelude with new material composed to both link with and expand upon Bach's ideas.
Copeland / Key - Common Man Fanfare / Star Spangled Banner
Copeland's haunting fanfare transfers well from brass to electric guitar and makes a great introduction to a version of the national anthem inspired by the late, great Jimi Hendrix. Listen for quotes from several American folk tunes woven into the arrangement, and lots of text-painting.
Rude/Bach - Irish Fantasie
From Gavotte II of Bach's suite 995, the contrasting section at the center of this piece was the original inspiration. Since the rest of the Gavotte relies on contrapuntal texture, it had to be replaced. To that end, an arpeggio study in the relative major key was created to house Bach's jig, and borrows the 6/8 meter, giving the whole piece a uniform jig style.