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Friday, September 22, 2017

Twelve strings guitar - a love for life!



My love for acoustic 12 strings guitars began many decades ago... even before Claudio Rocchi's Volo Magico n. 1, Shawn Philips' Collaborations, Faces and Contributions, where acoustic 12 strings was King, I heard one day an heavenly sound in the immaterial form of an italian TV screenplay title-track...

"Un certo Harry Brent" was the title and like many '60 and '70 b/w RAI Italian TV productions, the quality of the TV movie was quite high...

Other incredibly nice productions were, for example, "A come Andromeda" with a superb Paola Pitagora and Tino Buazzelli and Paolo Ferrari in Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe": both screenplays sported very nice soundtracks and title tracks music.

... but back to Harry Brent...



I don't remember nothing about the screenplay, itself;-)

... but sure it left something indelible, music wise.

I already had my guitar and I loved strumming, alone or with friends... but when I heard this full, complex, beautiful sound, these harmonics...

Donovan's "Roots of Oak" was B side to "Riki Tiki Tavi" and mr. Leitch's group was a trio, actually... acoustic guitars, six and a twelve strings and percussions.



I immediately found the 45 rpm 7" disc at a local records shop and I worned it out, listening and re-re-re-listening... the seed was in me.

The music - listened now - isn't so special, but special are the sounds and guitars blend and matching.

It was 1970 and I only owned 7" records at the time, my first long-playing was going to come, thanking my dad, who bought Le Orme's Collage for Christmas...

I bought a Yamaha 12 strings guitar, shortly after, and I was hooked forever.

... and I still am and I play mostly 12 strings, these days, as well, also if now I enjoy some sought-after Guilds' and Blazer & Henke's this complex sound resonates in me.

... after 47 years!






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