The Brahms guitar, or cello-guitar, is an
eight-string guitar with a conventional resonating body, but also an external, box-shaped
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. That is, it naturally oscillates with greater amplitude at some frequencies, called resonant frequencies, than at other frequencies. The oscillations in a reso ...
. Classical guitarist
Paul Galbraith, in collaboration with
luthier
A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments.
Etymology
The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...
David Rubio, invented the instrument in 1994. David Rubio's protégé, luthie
Martin Woodhouse innovated the design and continues to build Brahms guitars. Galbraith originally conceived it specifically to perform
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...
' Theme and Variations, Op. 21.
The instrument adds two strings to the standard six—a low B (a 4th below the standard low E), and a high A (a 4th above the standard high E), giving B E A D G B E A. The guitar's
frets are fanned to allow for the different string lengths. The Brahms Guitar was designed by David Rubio to be played in the traditional position and can be held like a classical guitar. Its pioneer, Paul Galbraith, at a young age, developed a unique technique while playing the standard 6-string guitar, allowing for greater freedom of the right arm. He held the guitar in a vertical position, initially sitting on the floor and later using an endpin like a cello. Paul adopted this technique with the Brahms Guitar as well, adding an external resonance box that enhances the instrument's resonance and provides a richer sound.
Other adopters includ
Giacomo Copiello Gustavo Silveira Costa, Lucas de Almeida
Joseph Ehrenpreis Aleksey Dukhovich, Yoni Garmider, Alan Guerreiro, Vincenzo Giura,
Everton Gloeden, Spyros Kaniaris,
Matthew Korbanic, Stanley Levi, Mettew Linder, Alf Wilhelm Lundberg,
Luiz Mantovani,
Redmond O'Toole, Rafael Ohira, Kyle Throw, Alexander Vynograd; and the formations Dúo Masciolick,
Dublin Guitar Quartet,
Brazilian Guitar Quartet, Progetto Zenobia.
In November of 2020, Joseph Ehrenpreis released "New Music with Brahms Guitar, Vol. 1"
funded by an IAS grant from the
Illinois Arts Council. The project includes entirely new compositions from an international cast of composers, including
Dai Fujikura, written specifically for the 8-string Brahms Guitar.
See also
*
Classical guitar making
References
Sources
Paul Galbraith's website
{{Classical guitar
Guitars
1994 introductions