Reviving the Strings: derek Gripper’s Transformation in Classical Guitar
South African musician and composer Derek Gripper identifies as a reformed classical guitarist. He reflects, “In the classical world, guitarists often find themselves in conflict with the instrument. They aspire to integrate into a classical tradition that predominantly celebrates the violin and piano, yearning for the guitar to transcend its perceived limitations.”
Embracing Oral Traditions
Gripper’s musical perspective has been profoundly influenced by his exploration of a genre that was never originally composed for the guitar-specifically, the orally passed down music of West African griots, traditionally performed on the 21-string kora.
Over a decade,Gripper meticulously transcribed the works of renowned Malian kora virtuoso toumani Diabaté,adapting these intricate pieces for the six-string classical guitar.The outcome is a mesmerizing sound that evokes the sensation of multiple guitars harmonizing,while consistently highlighting the graceful melodies characteristic of kora music.
Groundbreaking Albums and Collaborations
Through his two pivotal albums, One Night On Earth (2012) and Libraries On Fire (2016)-the latter winning the Songlines Best Album Africa and Middle East award-Gripper has forged a distinct musical identity. His collaborations include luminaries such as egberto Gismonti, John Williams, Tommy Emmanuel, Debashish bhattacharya, and notably, Diabaté, who has been a meaningful influence on his artistic journey.
A Journey from Violin to Guitar
Gripper’s musical journey began at the age of seven with the violin in Cape Town. He soon transitioned to the guitar, drawn in by the allure of academic music studies. However, he quickly discovered a disconnect between the classical repertoire and the guitar’s capabilities.
he notes that many compositions where tailored for more harmonically intricate instruments, rather than a quiet, fixed-fret, six-string guitar that is typically plucked rather than bowed. The composers he studied were predominantly pianists who wrote for orchestras, not aspiring guitar soloists like himself.
Discovering New sounds
A pivotal moment came when a friend introduced him to Diabaté’s debut solo album, Kaira (1988). “I was astonished,” he recalls. “It was as if I was hearing a guitar played by Keith Jarrett during The Köln Concert!”
Diabaté, hailing from a lineage of West African storyteller-musicians, embodies an oral musical tradition that spans centuries. He became Gripper’s unexpected guide out of the rigid confines of classical music.
Gripper began to reinterpret Diabaté’s works for the classical guitar, diverging from the expectations of his university instructors. He discarded conventional music theory and Western harmonic structures.
Innovative Techniques and Unique Style
Gripper’s approach involves listening to Diabaté’s recordings at reduced speeds, meticulously identifying and transcribing the unique melodic phrases. He experimented with various tunings until he settled on a dropped D tuning with the G string lowered to F#,which he later discovered is a common flamenco tuning known as rondeña.
This tuning allows him to utilize open strings extensively. “my technique frequently enough contrasts stopped notes with open ones,” he explains. ”In a 90-minute performance, I rarely play barre chords; that’s what capos are for.”
His right thumb typically establishes a bassline, while his other fingers execute rapid melodic passages, enhanced by accented and ghost notes. Interestingly, he relies on his left hand for much of the articulation, despite the rapid movements of his right hand.
creating a Unique Soundscape
Gripper’s playing features a mix of staccato notes achieved by quickly lifting his fretting finger after plucking a note, then muting the string with the same finger. “This technique allows for highlighting different melodic lines,” he notes, “creating a sense of polyphony within the natural rhythms across the strings.”
He emphasizes that the essence of the music lies not in rigid time signatures but in the fluidity of melodic lines and their interactions. “The organizing principle is not about adhering to a grid in 4/4 or 3/8,” he asserts. “It’s about the melodies and how they intertwine.”
instrument and Sound Philosophy
Gripper has played the same guitar since 2004, a model that may appear unassuming but is crafted by Herman Hauser III, a luthier from a lineage that produced guitars for the legendary Andrés Segovia. “Initially, I thought the guitar was too quiet and technically flawed,” he admits.
he found that medium-tension Hannebach nylon strings worked well, allowing him to focus on enhancing the guitar’s sound. While he appreciates the warmth of ribbon microphones recorded directly to tape, he acknowledges that this setup isn’t always practical for live performances. Instead, he opts for a Schoeps mic or a Shertler stick-on microphone for solo gigs.
Embracing Imperfection in Music
Gripper’s disdain for the precision of digital recordings leads him to use vintage Neve pre-amps, which provide “lovely artifacts from real transformers and real electronics,” along with a Nagra reel-to-reel tape recorder. to achieve the rhythmic doubling effect prevalent in many African musical styles, he employs a legacy tape delay machine from Echo Fix and a Moog 500 Series Analog Delay from two decades ago.
“I indulge in small, costly, and somewhat eccentric choices, but the results are gratifying,” he reflects.
Collaborative Performances and Future Endeavors
Currently, Gripper is touring the United States alongside Ballaké Sissoko, another kora virtuoso from Mali, with whom he recorded an album set for release in 2024. This collaboration has been a creative highlight for Gripper, especially given their lack of a shared spoken language. “We’ve never discussed music or rehearsed together. We’re like the Grateful Dead of kora and guitar!” he exclaims.
On stage, they engage in extensive improvisational dialogues, blending the 21-string kora with the six-string guitar, united by their mutual understanding of the kora repertoire.
From Sissoko and other world music artists, Gripper has cultivated an recognition for the imperfect and a focus on musical possibilities rather than strict rules.
Conclusion: The Human Element in music
“I’ve performed Bach in Germany,and peopel frequently enough ask,’Why did you play that note,down an octave,on the third page?’ In the kora realm,when I make a mistake,they respond with curiosity,’Oh,that’s intriguing! How did you do that?’”
As part of his artistic evolution,Gripper has shifted away from thinking in terms of intervals,rather relying on instinct to guide his note choices. His metronome has been out of batteries since the 90s; he draws inspiration from the rhythmic patterns of Carnatic music. Above all, he trusts the innate human logic of melody over the constraints of written notation.
“If a computer can do it,that’s not my role. Computers can play perfectly in time, but that’s not my job,” he states. “What we can do as humans is play imperfectly, out of tune, or with a G string that’s slightly off, and that’s what makes it beatiful!”
- Derek gripper will be touring the United states later this year as part of a trio with sardoist Alam Khan and fellow South African guitarist Guy Battery. For more information, visit his Patreon page.
