Non Brewed Condiment (A. Holdsworth), theme and solo by Robert “Rob Guz“ Ritchiesse

Well, I hope you like my 11-stringed guitar rendition of Allan Holdsworth’s tune Non Brewed Condiment, the Atavachron-album version. This video is only a video-camera recording with a stereo microphone carefully positioned in the room, with carefully tested signal checks form the surrounding sound sources the loud-speakers and the guitar-amp – no more recording preparations what so ever. In the sound ”picture”, Allan’s Synthaxe seems to be panned from full left to full right. My guitar is positioned in the ”middle left” appr. ’between 10 and 11 on a clock board’. I do not wanted to let my guitar dominate in the room ”mix”; that would sound weird and ”uncomfy” to me, especially when playing along the tune. Instead, I wanted to enjoy some kind of feeling of ”playing with the great guys” – almost the feeling of playing solo-duet with the great Allan. *haha* Therefore, I let my guitar blend in into the music real nice, in balance with all the other instruments. Well, If I can hear my guitar loud and clear with my trippel tinnitus and impaired hearing, then you guys can hear my guitar as well, even if your impaired hearing are as bad as mine … or better. Period! I have studied, practiced and exectued Allan’s music, his solos and way of dealing with chords, for almost 30 years. I’m studying his music in order to learn from it and make something of my own from it – that’s it! I’v also practiced and executed other kinds of music and other kind of instruments. As an example, check out my solo-album Fragmentism Project, available here on You-tube. In my opinion, the solo in the tune Non Brewed Condiment ”beats” all of Allan’s other solo stuff. Right or wrong of me, I simply can’t see any comparison with other solo stuff by A. Holdsworth – I just … can’t. My purpose of this video is – of course – to perform, to make my act, as an artist. And as an artist, there has to be a show, right? ; But my purpose is also to hopefully inspire other guitar-players who are struggling in one of the most demanding guitar-”schools” ever: the Holdworthian-”school” – a never ending education for every guitar-player. Hang in there, guys in the Holdsworthian-”school”, no matter which ”graduation” you are upp to make. All of you are most needed, in order to keep the Holdsworthian-”school” tradition in guitar-playing alive, into the future. And don’t let the ”trolls” talk you down like: ”Who do you think you are?! Only Allan Holdsworth himself is capable of playing that music with elegance and accuracy on the guitar!” and so on with that pseudo-intellectual bullshit – . I bet that these ”trolls” do not reflecting over other great (but dead) Master’s music like Mozart, Rachmaninov, Paganini, Bill Evans, Charlie P., Duke Ellington and many more. There were only ”one of ’em” too. So?! … That don’t stop virtuoso instrument-players today of playing these Master’s music. Allan‘s music is not an exception; there are many guitar-players who studies Allan’s music today. Allan’s music is not sacred and therefore should be left alone (like comparable to the ”unspeakable word” in the Jehova-scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian). Allan’s music should be treated as any Master’s music; it should be played of any skillful musician who wants to play it, without being ridiculed by anyone – without being ridiculed by any ”trolls”. (In my experience, ”trolls” usually don’t play any instrument at all, or maybe playing an instrument but don’t have any knowledge of exectuing any advanced and virtuoso music – or they simple are not happy with themselves. In another words: To have an ”opinion about” advanced and virtuoso music does not mean – and is not the same – to ’have the knowledge and experience about’ the work behind of advanced and virtuoso music, to practice and to execute advanced and virtuoso music. It is as simple as that. In this video I’m using a Digitech 2101 GSP Studio Tube Processor; Allan Holsdworth Overdrive Boost-pedal and a Fender Twin Amp. The guitar-sound in the intro and outro is simply a metal-music set tube-screamer dist. program, which is totally dry from reverb and echo, and with ”pushed up” noise-gate. The guitar sound in the theme is also a tube-screamer program with a one-octave-up pitch – pretty similar to the Synthax-sound in that theme. The guitar-sound in the solo is an overdrive program with a some level of echo, a little bit of chorus and a little bit of boost from Allan Holdsworth-Overdrive-Boost-pedal. That pedal is the best overdrive pedal that I’ve ever used; very ”stealthy” and with very high quality overdrive caracter. And that 11-stringed ”ax” of mine … Well, in short: That 11-stringed guitar is my “main ax“ since almost 20 years. The guitar was made by luthiers on my commission and from my performance requirement. The tuning system, from “top to bottom“ followed by string dimensions: g 0,007, d 0,010, bb 0,013, f 0,018w, C 0,026, G 0,036, D 0,046, G 0,062, Eb 0,074, D 0,074, C 0,074.