Master Guitarist Christopher Parkening on Segovia, Guitars, God and Fly Fishing

By: Brad Conroy

Photos courtesy of C. Parkening mgt.

Christopher Parkening – photo credit: Phil Fewsmith

Celebrated as one of the finest of the world’s elite cohort of classical guitarists, Christopher Parkening, is perhaps the closest heir to the Andres Segovia legacy.

His world-wide reputation, as both a technical master who presents emotionally nuanced performances and a mentor for young classical musicians, is a professional benchmark for all to aspire.

The Washington Post referred to him as, “the leading guitar virtuoso of our day combining profound musical insights with complete technical mastery of his instrument”, while the L.A. Times noted, “Parkening is considered America’s reigning classical guitarist, carrying the torch of his mentor, the late Andres Segovia.

Twice nominated for Grammy Awards, Parkening records the prestigious EMI label and has released over 20 albums.

For decades, Mr. Parkening has served as a Distinguished Professor of Music with Pepperdine University, CA, and holds the Christopher Parkening Chair of in Classical Guitar.

He is also the Artistic Director of one of the most prestigious classical guitar competitions in the world, The Parkening International Guitar Competition, which gives young players the exposure they need in order to jump start their career’s while also awarding a very generous $50,000 first place prize, the largest of any guitar competition.

Those who have followed the career and life of Christopher know that when he’s not playing guitar, he kicks back by wading in streams, strategically presenting flies to targets, with expectations of hitting the strike zone and landing a big one. Indeed, the world class guitarist is an avid lover of fly fishing.

So, we were obliged to test the waters and delve into this particular interest of the master.

Guitar International is pleased and honored to present our conversation with Christopher Parkening to our readers.

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Brad Conroy: As a novice guitarist, what kinds of practice habits and methods did you find most useful for developing your techniques and style?

Christopher Parkening: I was raised in a very disciplined home. When I started guitar at the age of 11, my father said, “You need to get up at 5:00 a.m. every morning, and start practicing at 5:30.  Your mother will have breakfast for you at 7:00.  Then after school you need to practice another hour and a half.”  I remember thinking, “This sounds a little like the Army.  I thought this was supposed to be ‘fun!’”

From the beginning, I started out every morning with a half hour of exercises, scales, and speed studies, which included playing each note of the scale four times up and down at a fast tempo.

I often heard my dad say, “Slow it down until you can play it right!  Isolate the difficult passages.  Start slow with the metronome, and play it seven times in a row cleanly, before increasing the speed.  Above all, play it beautiful.  Play it beautiful.  If it’s not beautiful, it’s not music.”

Brad: What were some of the best lessons learned you gained from Segovia, with respect to musicianship and professionalism?

Christopher Parkening: Andrés Segovia was a pivotal influence in my life and career.  I have always believed that he was the greatest guitarist of all time.  He moved millions with his poetic, lyrical phrasing, beautiful sound, and romantic, musical spirit.  I never worked on technique with Segovia.  It was always about the interpretation of the music.  I was fascinated by his beautiful sound and the incredible variety of tonal colors.  I heard him say, “Without a beautiful sound, the charm of the guitar disappears.”

I was able to see many concerts he played, and was so appreciative of his stage presence and the rapport he had with the audiences, something I would try and emulate in later years.  But above all, it was his beautiful, lyrical playing that moved me.

I was told by the great cellist, Gregor Piatigorsky, to “sing the phrase,” because the voice was the perfect instrument.  I remember sitting in the second to the last row under the balcony at a sold-out concert that Segovia played in Los Angeles, and what came through, above all else, was this beautiful, singing melody.

Brad: With students at Pepperdine, have you found that your expectations and their expectations of the learning experience complement one another or are there always adjustments to make to keep them inspired and growing as musicians?

Christopher Parkening: Most of my students, when they come to Pepperdine University, have a very good work ethic.  They are already used to practicing hard.  But a few are surprised at the intensity of study they have here, and what is expected of them.  They have a “suggested repertoire” list; however, I am very open to other pieces they love and want to learn.

 I have found that if you love a piece of music, the time spent practicing goes by very fast. I try to balance the negative comments with positive reinforcement.  And, I am pleased to say, they are all very supportive of one another.  There is no sense of “one-upmanship” between the guitarists that I can see.  They want everyone to succeed.

Christopher Parkening’s “Bernstein” cover – photo credit: Beth Herzhaft

Brad: Given the depth and breadth of your own experience, what core insights that you’ve learned about musicianship do you hope they will embrace?

Christopher Parkening: When you say “musicianship,” I define it as the passion, soul, or “feeling” that you impart to the music.  Musicianship is, above all else, singing the phrase and playing it beautifully.

Brad: What are some of the challenges you find unique to recording classical guitar?

Christopher Parkening: I have always taken one complete recording session just to “set the sound.”  In search of a more beautiful sound, a Neumann representative brought 12 pairs of TLM-170 microphones to Capitol Records for us to compare.  My recording producers, David Thomas and Patrick Russ, all chose one pair that was very warm and beautiful, even though the representative claimed they were all the same.

Years ago, Segovia gave me this advice: Burnish, or polish a piece of music at least one year on tour before recording it.  You need to have that time to mature musically with that composition.

I have one interesting story.  When I recorded the piece, “Allegro” for the album, Parkening Plays Bach, I had found some surfer’s wax on the beach in California, and applied it to the inside of my jeans in order to stabilize the neck of the guitar for better technical accuracy, and it worked.  Of course, I had to throw away those jeans!

Also, playing as noise-less as possible, without string squeaks, is important.  Guitarists don’t notice squeaks very much because we are used to hearing them, but audiences do.  In my autobiography, Grace like a River, I tell the story of how my father initially came up with the idea of sanding the bass strings to avoid squeaks, which helped a great deal.

Brad: Most of us would expect that a classical guitar recital is supposed to be rather calm, maybe even sedate. What kinds of experiences have you had that challenge that notion?

Christopher Parkening: Planning a program is really an art, to have the kind of “ebb & flow” necessary so that the audience is kept engaged.  Occasionally, I will announce something that is interesting about a piece or the composer before I play it.  And about every five years, a string breaks that snaps the calm out of the audience!

Brad: What have been some of your favorite highlights from your career?

Christopher Parkening: A few highlights include studying privately with Andrés Segovia and later, becoming his friend, performing for the President of the United States at the White House, receiving two Grammy® nominations for “Best Classical Recording,” playing twice on the live broadcast of the Grammy® Awards, performing to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall, and last but not least, winning the Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament [the “Wimbledon” of fly fishing]!

Brad: What kinds of pressure do you feel, if any, being one of the most respected classical guitarists?

Christopher Parkening: In a Musicians Union magazine I read that the pressure and stress applied to a classical artist to play perfect is tantamount to a jet fighter pilot in combat.  However, there’s really no comparison, because with the latter, you could lose your life, but with the former, the worst you could get is a bad review.

Since I became a Christian, I have been more concerned with dedicating my concerts to the Lord and worrying much less about what the people thought.  As J.S. Bach said, “The aim and final reason of all music is none but the glory of God,” and at the end of many of his compositions, he wrote the initials, S.D.G. which stand for Soli Deo Gloria—to God alone the glory.”

I was very honored to receive the Guitar Foundation of America’s “Artistic Achievement Award” last June.  After thanking the GFA, I chose that time to share what, for me, was a rather difficult announcement.  After nearly five decades as a concert artist, the time had come for me to step away from the concert stage.

For the past few years, I have had some physical issues resulting in numerous back surgeries, so at this time in my life, I would like to focus more on my family, and on my commitment to teaching and mentoring young guitar students at Pepperdine University, and in master classes, sharing the insights and experiences—both musical and professional—as I work with young artists.  Therefore, I don’t feel the pressure of the concert stage any longer.

Christopher Parkening – photo credit: Ron Hall

Brad: What advice can you give musicians on handling nerves or stage fright before a performance?

Christopher Parkening: As a Christian, I find it helpful to contemplate verses from the Bible before and even during a performance.  Some of my favorites are:

Philippians 4:6-9  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Brad: Let’s navigate different waters here for a moment.  How about telling us your best fishing story?

Christopher Parkening: I love to fly fish for tarpon [a 6-foot long salt water fish], and one year won the Florida Keys’ International Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament [the “Wimbledon” of fly fishing] by landing a 137 pound fish.

At that time the tournament rules required competitors to bring in their catches for weighing. Because of the fish’s size, neither I nor my guide were able to gaff the tarpon at boatside. So, I leapt into the water and captured the tarpon by shoving my fist and arm into the fish’s gill and out through its mouth, holding my fist against my chest.  We got the fish and won the tournament, and I ended up with my forearm torn and bloodied by the fish’s gill rakers, but it was worth it!

Brad: How would you compare playing the guitar well, with fly fishing at its best?

Christopher Parkening: Both involve a pursuit of excellence and the discipline to perfect their art.  I love this definition: discipline is the bridge between thought and accomplishment—the glue that binds inspiration to achievement.  When I am able to do something with excellence, I feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that the hard work has paid off.

Brad: What is your take on the modern classical guitar scene?

Christopher Parkening: Every three years, Pepperdine University hosts the Parkening International Guitar Competition, with a cash prize purse of over $65,000.  Guitarists from well over 20 nations apply, so I have had the opportunity of hearing some of the finest young guitarists in the world.  In recent years, however, I believe there has been a growing trend away from the legacy of beauty, warmth and lyricism in musical performance, to a colder, mechanistic, purely intellectual playing.

And in many cases, the guitar has been reduced to a “miniature keyboard instrument” rather than the beautiful, romantic, and poetic instrument that it really is.  In dedicating myself to working with and training future generations of guitarists, it is my goal to reverse this trend and emphasize to my students the importance of beauty, warmth, and lyricism in musical performance.

Brad: With an eye to the diversity of classical guitar, what guitarists should students study in order to appreciate the full nature of the guitar in a classical setting?

Christopher Parkening: My students can learn from all of them.  I tell my guitarists, “Take what you like, and don’t take what you don’t like.”  At Pepperdine, I invite outside guitarists to teach my students in master classes at the university.  It’s always profitable for them to learn new ideas from good players.  I would never want to keep them in a bubble, but rather, to expose them to the many fine guitarists there are today.

Brad: What character traits do you think best serve a musician in being successful?

Christopher Parkening: Perseverance and excellence (being the best that you can be), are the character traits which, I think, best serves a musician in being successful.  Also, Segovia told me years ago, “Artistic instinct is inborn.  You can educate it, but it’s either there or it’s not.”

Brad: Do you ever find beauty in a single note, so much so that you wish that some would resonate forever?

Christopher Parkening: Yes, there are certain places in a piece of music—down to even a single note—which, when played right, with the right timing, and exactly the right sound and rubato, can “make it or break it” for me.

Brad: What about the spaces between notes…when somebody’s cell phone rings…do you ever get used to that?

Christopher Parkening: Actually, it amuses me!  Life is imperfect, and so extraneous noises happen in a concert hall.  When someone slams a door, or an annoying cough, or, as you say, a cell phone rings, you just have to go with the flow and don’t let it bother you.

Brad: What projects do you have underway at the moment that you can tell us about?

Christopher Parkening: Hal Leonard Corporation published two method books, a number of folios, and most recently, a collection called Solo Pieces and another titled Duets and Concertos.  And besides my teaching at Pepperdine University, I have had quite a number of invitations to give master classes and lectures around the country; most recently, the 50th Anniversary of the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society.

Brad: What compositions do you still find quite challenging to play, with the technique and feel that you think best present the spirit of the music?

Christopher Parkening: Many years ago, I was sitting next to Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.  I was quite young at the time, and said something like, “Gee, that ‘Chaconne’ sure is a nice piece of music,” to which the great composer responded, “It is the single greatest piece of music ever written!”

When I studied that piece at age 16 with Segovia, he told me I would not be able to play it well until I was at least 50 years old.  Even though I recorded the piece at age 19, to this day, I still do not feel that I could do it justice.