Masterclass Frank Bungarten
Frank Bungarten from Germany was no unknown guitarist for me. Many years ago I came across his nice album with three violin sonatas by Bach (the album was recorded in 1987!) and much later I heard his CD ‘La Traviata’ with pieces by Sor, Giuliani, Mertz and Tarrega. I had never heard him playing on stage, but his CDs, particularly the Bach one, impressed me.
So I made sure that I was present at the Masterclass in time. It gave me the opportunity to share a bit of the dream of one of the participants: he wanted to play Chaconne in D by Bach from beginning to end. Quite a challenge! Bungarten definitely encouraged him, but recommended to take it easy, in due time and tempo. Looks quite sensible to me, dreams should not convert into obsessions with related injuries.
Then it was my turn. I had prepared Fantaisie Les Adieux by Fernando Sor, a piece which had been on my stand for a number of times in the last years, a perfect piece for a Masterclass.
I played it as well as I could and the circumstances permitted. Obviously it went not as smoothly as in the study at home, yet I played it to the end without major slips.
Bungarten’s review of my musical idea of the piece was quite positive. He said that I knew what I wanted to achieve with the piece and that he considered this idea interesting for an audience.
Yet he saw perspectives for a lot of progress in the way I performed this idea. He observed two major points: my rather inconsistent alternating stroke and the stroke itself. Both aspects of the right hand.
Concerning the alternation he is quite right. I am a bit careless in my right hand fingering, my main attention is focused on the left hand. Which causes some stumbling at times, particularly in the fast runs. I often resolve to pay some attention to it, but equally often things slacken again.
The consistent alternating stroke has the potential of a major improvement, so again I resolve to work hard on it in the near future. I never note down right hand fingerings in the score. Bungarten showed me his study sheets as a contrast: all fingerings -left hand and right hand- were accurately indicated. Quite a challenge with dense scores!
His remarks about the ways I make my strokes were on a quite different level!
I appear to play from my ‘outer’ finger joints. This causes a loss of momentum with tirando strokes. Playing from the ‘middle’ joints would offer more power, because the impulse can be greater as a consequence of the larger couple.
Consequently my method of right hand playing requires more effort for a specific loudness. Effort causes stress in the muscles of the hand. Stress resists the relaxation which is necessary to make an effective next stroke, causing more effort to be necessary for the given sound level. Eventually you loose speed and suppleness out of fatigue. It’s a kind of avalanche effect.
It is quite obvious to me that the physical aspects of guitar playing have got a lot of attention in the last decades. The books by Aaron Shearer are a representative example with its remarks about and exercises in ergonomy and optimalisation of the locomotus apparatus for guitar playing.
Gradually you see a trend of a holistic approach, the way in which body and mind are in harmony -or disharmony- during guitar playing. The dull and technological exercises I used to hate so much have obtained a broader scope.
The Masterclass with Frank Bungarten was an impressive example of this new (age) approach. Don’t be surprised: we have been occupied for three quarters of an hour with only the index finger of the right hand. Yet time appeared far too short.
Bungarten analysed the movement of the stroke with the fingers of the right hand.
Impulse - relaxation, impulse - relaxation. The finger ‘steps forward’, builds the tension in the string in preparation, executes the actual stroke and relaxes itself towards a rest position until it is needed again.
‘Quite logical, isn’t it?’ many would say now.
Well, just consider this rest position. What are you doing in that position? What about control? Bungarten postulated that in a state of relaxation it is permitted to release control. In fact with respect to this finger you are clearing your mind for a moment (sounds Zen, isn’t it?) until it is necessary to tighten the reins for a new stroke. Consequently after each moment of effort follows a moment of complete relaxation, irrespective of the speed.
Impulse under control - relaxation with a clear mind, impulse under control - relaxation with a clear mind.
Clear your mind and consciousness, letting go... That is an art which is described and practiced by every major and minor spiritual tradition all over the world. Yoga, Zen, Meditation in all kinds of traditions. An art which apparently is not frequently applied and understood, considering the global problems in the present time.
It is quite obvious to me that this requires concentrated and deliberate practice. Just try to clear your mind and stop thinking about anything, try to let thinking (and brooding) go and just ‘be there’ and nothin else. How long will it take before your agenda comes to your mind? Before you start thinking about the one you are in love with? Before you have angry thoughts about conflicts and quarrels?
Back to my practice. I was quite able to perform a stroke, with a single finger too. My string contact could be improved a bit with a better nail shape, but that’s a matter of filing and experimenting.
This complete relaxation, however... I could not achieve it. I failed completely. I used as much effort for the stroke itself as for the return to the rest position. Apparently it took me effort to keep my finger relaxed. That’s definitely no relaxation. I failed to let go. It looked like an urge to control matters kept me from it.
That was a moment of awareness which shocked me. I am quite aware that at times failure to let go and an urge to control are aspects of my personality. Intuitively I know, and I am just living with it, no, I’ll correct myself, in fact I just let it happen. To be honest, I don’t like it, because it makes life more difficult than it should be. At this very moment it appeared counterproductive. Apparently these aspects affect guitar playing too.
Awareness, however, is the first step to counter the problem. Where I am now? What am I doing now? How does it feel now? Do I want it to be that way? Looks like you are reading a book by Eckhard Tolle.
Awareness can be achieved by observation without condemnation! Just like the main character of Zen or the Art of Motorcycle Management remarks “Only repair your motorcycle with a clear mind” (else you will thrash all your screw threads out of frustration).
Unfortunately I had this condemnation in my slightly troubled mind. So I became just annoyed that I failed a simple thing like putting a finger in the rest position and relaxing it. It looked like I was stirring in a pot of molasses. I had lost control as a consequence of a struggle for control.
Bungarten expressed this paradox: Control is also achieved by means of the ability and courage to relax this control.
Unfortunately my troubled mind became the result of this Masterclass. It was a hard nut to crack. I had ample time for that: I missed the lunch concert because the Masterclass overran its time. The reason was that I had the opportunity to observe Bungarten’s daily practice. Indeed, I could observe his moments of relaxation in his fingers irrespective of the speed!
Conclusion: Back to Basics! Quite a thing after 35 years, isn’t it?
Fortunately it did not take long before my mood improved. Stop whining, laddie! If you have lessons on academic level, you have a fair chance of academic level criticism. I’ll learn from it, and that’s it in the end.