James Piorkowski is a performer and composer based in New York. He has toured internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, and has recorded several albums. In addition to his performance activities, James is an active teacher and runs the SUNY Fredonia guitar program. Connect with James on Youtube. (part one of this interview)

Can you tell us a bit about what instrument(s), strings and other accessories you use? And why?

I play a spruce top “Wedge” model by Jim Holler, (photos), who makes guitars in Jamestown, NY, which is close to Fredonia. I’ve played on Jim’s guitars, both cedar and spruce, for many years now, because I like the clarity, sound color, and projection of his instruments.

My current guitar is unusual in that it’s asymmetrical (from soundboard to back). This design creates two strong improvements. Number one, the guitar is narrower from the soundboard to the back at the place where your right arm rests on the guitar. This allows for the ball end of the humerus (in the shoulder) to sit more naturally and comfortably in the glenoid (shoulder socket), which subsequently allows the right arm to relax and function more easily. Jim made the other side of the guitar, (that would rest on your legs), wider between front and back, so that the internal air volume of the guitar body remains the same as a traditional symmetrical model. The second benefit from this design is that now there are a great number of different reflecting distances and angles from soundboard to back. This produces unusual strength and consistency for all of the notes on the guitar, with no weak notes or wolf tones. It is quite remarkable and satisfying to hear.

When Roland Dyens was here in April, he couldn’t stop playing my guitar (we were almost late to the airport – no joke), because he loved the equal strength of notes and loved the clarity of voices. These things are very important to him because he plays highly contrapuntal repertoire. Before he left for Paris, he called Jim and commissioned a virtual copy of mine. I heard Roland play a recital on his new Holler guitar in Toronto in June, and it sounded really beautiful. He has since toured with it in Italy and Greece, and he now claims that the guitar is Parisian )

As for strings, I use Oasis GPX normal tension. In my assessment, they blend the strengths of carbon (sustain, power, clarity) with a nylon like warmth and richness. Also, they don’t scratch as easily as other carbon strings that I’ve tried.

What are you looking for in a prospective guitar student at SUNY Fredonia?

Solid training, teachability, good ears, some imagination, sincerity, and a willingness to work countless hours in order to improve.

Tell us a bit about the guitar program at Fredonia.

We have, on average, from 22-25 guitar majors in the program at any time. It’s mostly an undergraduate enrollment, but we do offer a master’s degree, mainly in performance, composition, and music education. In addition to private studio lessons, a student will participate in some of the three ensemble offerings that we have for guitar: Guitar Ensemble (about 10-12 members), Chamber Guitar (for guitar and voice, guitar and flute, etc.), and by audition, the Fredonia Guitar Quartet, which recently (May, ‘09) did a concert tour of Spain, and has been invited back for 5 more concerts next spring! I was so proud of how they played on this tour.

In the past, I’ve taken my ensembles to perform on concert tours in Romania, Bulgaria, Venezuela, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and in the U.S. We also have exchange programs set up with the Conservatory of Music in Seville, Spain, and with the Institute of Music in Caracas,Venezuela.

In your teaching, what’s the biggest issue or problem that most incoming guitar undergrad students have to deal with?

The lack of proper training, both in technique and in practice/learning skills. I become very frustrated that there are teachers out there that don’t realize what they don’t know, but they continue to improperly guide a student on the classical guitar. A very gifted student can be technically corrupted and consequently frustrated because his or her teacher acted like they knew what they were doing. This drives me nuts!

How about graduate students?

I don’t think that there is any one thread with grad students. At that point, it is more varied.

Any other tips for the aspiring guitarist?

Your aim should be to learn to become a solid musician who plays the guitar very well, and not simply a good guitarist. There is a big difference between the two mindsets and approaches.

What are your upcoming projects?

I have just finished writing a work for cello and guitar, entitled “El Camino a Oviedo”. It was inspired by the scenery when driving northward to Oviedo, Spain, through the majestic Cantabrian Mountains. The premiere performance will be next month. I will then prepare the manuscript for publication.

After many concerts this past spring with Susan Royal. my flute partner, in the U.S., the Caribbean and in Europe, I now will be performing a solo program which feature some of my own works, plus some of Ortiz’s, in the U.S.

Also, I have enough new compositions of mine to record another cd, so I have to start organizing that project.

Furthermore, I plan to prepare some older, unpublished works of mine for future publication, which guitarists have been asking for. I have to find the time for that project, though, and hopefully soon.

Did you enjoy this article? Check out An Interview with James Piorkowski, part 1 .

About the Author

Christopher Davis founded The Classical Guitar Blog in 2008. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in guitar performance. In addition to his studies, Chris is an active teacher and performer based in Middle Tennessee. Connect with Chris on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and the Classical Guitar Network.

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