The Collegian

Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Arts

Media Credit: Cody Ewers Alex de Grassi instructs a student in the guitar master class during his visit to Hillsdale.

Fingerstyle guitar innovator Alex de Grassi punctuated a busy Friday on campus with a guitar master class and a performance in Markel Auditorium for a capacity audience.

Hours before his show, which filled quickly and left some students turned away at the door, the 55-year-old Grammy nominee sat in Conrad Recital Hall with arms clasped in his lap, listening to 10 of Adjunct Guitar Instructor Larry Williams' students during a master class.

"He's bringing a phenomenal amount of wisdom," Williams said, and added that he waited a long time for de Grassi to make it to Hillsdale.

Known for alternative tunings, original songs and unique arrangements of traditional music, de Grassi said he wanted to add a "new dimension" to the playing styles of Hillsdale students.

"Some of it's technical and some of it's more conceptual," he said.



De Grassi opened the class with a George Gershwin composition, during which his pronounced round nails plucked along the extent of the guitar neck and his eyebrows jumped to accent the music.

The Redwood Valley, Calif. native, who first recorded in 1978, followed his performance with acute advice for students. He suggested different hand shapes and plucking styles and ventured into thoughts of voice and style.

Freshman Isaac Johnson called the class an "awesome, awesome opportunity."

"It added a lot to my experience as a guitarist," Johnson said. "Right afterwards, I went downstairs to work on what he recommended. It sounded better almost immediately."

Williams, who teaches about 70 Hillsdale players per week, invited guitar students from as far as Albion College and Spring Arbor University to attend de Grassi's class.

Johnson said the Friday night performance opened him to a wider variety of fingerstyle guitar songs and techniques than he had ever heard. Despite no conservatory training, de Grassi has recorded more than a dozen albums since his chance beginnings on guitar at age 13.
"What I've been able to do is really kinda broaden the musical material that I do…what you'll notice is there's quite a variety of music," de Grassi said of performances.

"He played almost flawlessly," Johnson said.

Go online to see and listen to an audio slideshow of Alex de Grassi's visit. His music can be heard at http://www.degrassi.com/.

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