Philosophy

vihuela "louzao" from 1998: predecessor of the spanish guitar.

The spanish guitar is a challenging musical instrument for all musicians.

This instrument show us a world of possibilites (poliphony, melody, tone, etc.) But also meanwhile we feel these, we realize are surpises:

The poliphony is limited and partiularly on the instument, the "singing" capacity of the guitar not results as we imagine before, too many tone, but difficult to project to the listeners, etc.

The composer meet with an instrument truly difficult to understand, that offers multiple obstacles.

To "build" a masterpiece with the guitar, the interpreter must dominate perfectly the technique of guitar. The insturment is not absolutely permissive.

The most simple masterpieces from the repertoire have typical guitar problems: zero tolerance about the imprecise fingering touch, difficulty for obtain an equal legato, limited possibilities to control dynamics of the masterpiece, little "sustain" while melody is played, and for the length of certain notes required in certain harmonic paths.

Considerating things up to here, we can ask ourselfs:

What make this instrument so charming on the majority of the people? or which advantageous possibilities can offer over other instruments?

The second question have a more easy answer: the guitar is a transportable instrument, that can work as an harmonic comping instrument better than any other instruments, except the piano. Also give us the possibility to play with the melody, the harmony and rhythm, that is to say....with all the musical elements.
Possibilty of use different tunings, and play different music styles. Perhaps this can be the beginning answer for the fisrt question.

The guitar is connected in the deepest, of the majority, popular cultures.
Is a "close" instrument, that we can "take in one's arms" meanwhile we get to listen the most beautiful tone ...

And perhaps is in these "tones and colors" where we can find the major portion of the answer.

In this situation, the luthier have to know how generate an instrument that, keeping its own kindness, can resolve some problems (or characteristics) of the instrument.
Behind this utopia I´m walking, as so many other colleagues, this path full of challengings.

As an advantage we have the huge pleasure building guitars, and the possibility of play and experiment with creativity over an instrument that never ends...

The guitar of this new millenium, is just borning, and is for our luthiers generation the roll to be accoucheurs.