Kertsopoulos Aesthetics the how and the why Part 1: Introduction

Everyone in her/his own way contributes to the guitars evolution

By: Yorgos Kertsopoulos

In our everyday communication we tend to associate the amateur in a field with someone who
loves what she/he is doing but does not get paid for it, whereas the professional in the field gets paid for
his output.
In the real essence of the meanings of these words and through our prolonged in time
experiences, however, we can all realize that an amateur knows how something is-or can be done in his
field of interest but the professional knows much more than that how, simply meaning she/he knows the
answers to many whys and to many why is or why is not involved in doing or making the same thing.
Even more, results obtained in this way by serious applied professionalism, certainly give
inspiration to other people concerned so that specific directions are laid down for everybody in the field to
try to do things the best way
possible and not in any way
possible.
Of course, there is a vast
mix-up of the above-mentioned
quantities and qualities and there
are many professionals that have
an amateurs attitude and many
amateurs that show a remarkable
professionalism in the sense of the
essence already described, so, we
are dealing in all cases and fields
with a synthetically colorful
mosaic of human behavior, not
easily lent to borderline analysis.
Details of the high-pitched, scalloped fingerboard and movable back
pedal Kertsopoulos guitar - photo: Y.Kertsopoulos

Three main stages characterize the progress of a guitarist: a) playing b) performing and c)
interpreting, words that apply mainly to the guitarists but are also applicable to the luthiers and the string
constructors in a parallel manner.
The initial playing stage of the guitarists is full of stirred and strong emotions accumulated to
reinforce the learning of the guitar, the instrument that makes their inner world vibrate with colorful
sensations. The pieces and works as such become a second priority in regard to the first, which is: lets
play the damn thing in any way possible.
All guitarists pass through this stage in one way or another and are promoted from listeners to
players and although they still remain listeners, by being promoted to players, they listen now to the same
music in a more critical and consciously searchable way than before. An amateur defined stage.
Some stay at this a) playing stage forever and with obtainable experience succeed to transform
the any way possible to the useful for them: the easiest way possible.
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Others, progress on to the b) performing stage which includes a serious study of the technique
and the performance mechanisms and many detailed requirements involved in becoming one a respected
performer on the instrument. Under professional teaching procedures they learn the ways and manners of
disciplined and programmatic exercising on the instrument.
Also, they learn for every case involved to upgrade the easiest way possible of the player to the
very refined the best way possible and if they can perform successfully alongside the great known
performers - in comparison and also become acceptable by their audience, they become performers of
the instrument.
This b) performing stage is a semi - professional stage having about half of the whys answered.
Both stages of playing and performing apart from the differences that separate them have as a
hierarchy the same priorities, out of necessity of course, the first priority being the guitar in its relation
with the guitarist but the music being played/performed on it always remaining a second priority.
The c) interpreting stage demands that the guitarist is already a successful performer on the
instrument having mastered in her/his way all the technical difficulties so that the guitar and the guitarist
can easily pass on to the role of second priority. It is evident that at this stage the first priority is given at
all times to the music being interpreted. The musical style is considered, along with the theoretic structure
involved in the music, additive to all other factors such as the historical time the work was composed, the
instrument or voices it was initially written for, including the musical trends, habits, forms, tunings and
timbres of the instruments, acoustic peculiarities of the places of performance, social conditions, etc.
Furthermore, this stage tends to promote questions of the type: what means do we have and also
can employ today, so that our inner subjective understanding of the work interactively complies with all
the outer objective requirements to produce eventually a successful interpretation? At the interpreting
stage every possible detail should be registered, taken into account, be analyzed and eventually become
synthesized in an effective manner, so that the work performed possesses as a whole the most numerous
best ways possible of interpreting, justifying objectively and by all means the musical work itself.
Few guitarists (in analogy) reach this stage but it is certainly a most rewarding stage because it
reveals the extra-ordinary innermost hidden beauty of the composition, both to the guitarist and to the
recipient audience. Serious professionalism according to the essence of the meaning as above described of
course grows only from this stage onwards and it also provides the interested parties with the strict
interpretational criteria whenever these are needed.
Also, when the inner subjective experience studies in a dialectic manner the outer objective
criteria one has already entered in the field of aesthetics which applies also in this case.
The changing forms, tunings and number of strings along with the timbres of the guitar in its
continuing historical evolution has been influenced by all three types of guitarists: players, performers and
interpreters, and all types of luthiers and string constructors and this provides the beauty of the vast field
of human interaction, prompting us to realize that all transcendental inspirations, from all levels, are and
can be transformed into musical happenings in our lives.
Everyone in her/his own way contribute to the guitars evolution as the instrument travels
dynamically through our history waiting to be disturbed - played by each individual.

A classical-flamenco guitar soloist, composer, professor, luthier and string constructor, the Greek
Canadian Yorgos Kertsopoulos is also a researcher, inventor, author and founder of "the Guitar's
mathematic model and Geometric progression" (DAS MUSIKINSTRUMENT, Heft 9/ Sep. 1984, in
German and English "The Physics of the Guitar"- Presentation of the same at the International Music
Messe-Frankfurt, College of Furniture-London and seminars to respected luthiers and guitarists of
England invited by GUITAR magazine). his work is so unique in its scientific approach but also so full
of traditional truths, it includes everything...Jose Ramirez (at the press conference given by
Y.Kertsopoulos at the Music Messe in Frankfurt-1983). His work as Kertsopoulos aesthetics involves
the constructional revival of the different forms, tunings and sound timbres the guitar possessed in its
history.
These guitars possess antique sounds, sounds with an ancient charm. Amalia Ramirez 7 Feb. 2009.

Blog: http://kertsopoulosaesthetics.blogspot.com/
Kertsopoulos Aesthetics on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/gkertsopoulos
http://www.youtube.com/user/sgregoriadou
https://www.facebook.com/kertsopoulosaesthetics/
https://www.facebook.com/gkertsopoulos

Yorgos is the author of: "Space-Time Theory Vol. A' The Philosophy of Space-Time"