”Transformations”

I April 2023 har jeg udgivet mit første album for solo guitar. Albummet hedder ”Transformations” og indeholder musik fra den ’rytmiske’ verden arrangeret for solo guitar. Musikken er af så forskellige kunstnere som Radiohead, Tom Waits, Pat Metheny, Nick Cave, Nirvana, Dylan, The Beatles, The Pixies, m.m.   

For noget tid siden blev jeg interviewet til et radioprogram på P2 om ’transformationer’. Det slog mig, at det abstrakte koncept om transformationer, er en fast følgesvend af vækst i det hele taget. Når vi udvikler noget, det kan være en egenskab, et forhold eller endda os selv, så finder en transformation sted, hvor vi bevæger os fra et stadie til et andet og vi forandrer hvad der engang var, til noget nyt.

Det samme sker ofte i musik.
I løbet af de sidste seks år har jeg spillet sange på den klassiske guitar som ikke originalt hører hjemme på instrumentet, endsige i den klassiske musikverden. Dette kommer fra et ønske om at udtrykke følelser som eksisterer i disse sange, følelser som den klassiske musik ikke udtrykker helt på samme måde. Disse sange stammer fra så forskellige genrer som rock, grunge, filmmusik, new wave, pop, jazz og folk, og er sange jeg mener er stærke nok til at stå på egne ben på den klassiske guitar og jeg håber at de gør deres ophav retfærdighed.

I arbejdet med at transformere disse sange fra deres originale udgangspunkt, har jeg været nødt til at finde kernen af sangene og derefter finde en måde at få dem til at fungere på guitaren. Den klassiske guitars styrke er primært dets polyfoniske og idiomatiske egenskaber. Dette betyder, at guitaren kan spille bas, akkompagnement og melodi på samme tid, og bruge det for guitaren særlige teknikker, såsom flageoletter, akkordanslag og særlige omstemninger af strengene. På denne måde, kan en sang transformeres, ikke blot i den måde sangen bliver spillet på, men også hvad den udtrykker, da guitarens mange udtryksmuligheder kan udfoldes i et nyt arrangement.

Arrangement*, indspilning, redigering, producering: Undertegnede
Post-redigering: Leif Hesselberg
Coverart: Lillian Nordbø
Distribution: Gateway Music
* En særlig tak til Gary Lutton for arrangementet af tredje nummer “Songbird”, og track #1, #5, #6 er arrangeret fra Maxence Cyrins arrangementer for soloklaver.

Jeg håber I vil nyde denne udgivelse, lige så meget som jeg har nydt at kreere den.

Allan Sjølin, april 2023.

In English:

“Transformations”

In April 2023 I released my first album for solo guitar. It’s called “Transformations” and consists of ‘non-classical’ music arranged for solo guitar. The music is by artists such as Radiohead, Tom Waits, Pat Metheny, Nick Cave, Nirvana, Dylan, The Beatles, The Pixies, and so on.

Some time ago, I was interviewed for Danish national radio about the concept of ‘transformations’. It occurred to me, that the abstract notion of a transformation, is a steady companion of growth in general. As we develop something, be it a skill, a relationship or even ourselves, a transformation takes place in which we progress from one stage to another, and we change what once was into something new.

The same thing often happens in music.
For the last six years or so, I have been playing music on the classical guitar that originally is not written for the instrument, and not even belonging to the classical world in the first place. This comes from a desire to express the emotions that are inherited in these songs, emotions otherwise not present in classical music. The songs stem from genres of music that are as diverse as rock, grunge, film music, new wave, pop, jazz and folk, and are songs I believe are strong enough to exist on their own for classical guitar and I hope they do the original version some sort of justification.

In the work of transforming these songs from their original outset, I had to find the core of the song and find a way to make it work on the guitar. Mainly the strength of the classical guitar, is its polyphonic and idiomatic capabilities. This means, that it can play melody, accompaniment, and bass at the same time, often employing guitar techniques such as harmonics, strumming and alternate tunings. In that sense, a song can be transformed, not only in the way that it is played, but also in the mood it conveys, as the many expressions of the guitar can unfold in a new arrangement.

Arrangement*, recording, editing, production: Yours truly
Post-editing: Leif Hesselberg
Coverart: Lillian Nordbø
Distribution: Gateway Music
* A special thanks to Gary Lutton for the arrangement of track no. 3 – “Songbird” and track #1, #5, #6 is arranged from the solo piano arrangements by Maxence Cyrin

I hope you enjoy this release as much as I enjoyed making it.

Allan Sjølin, April 2023