Students of Segovia

02/22/23 • 29 min

1 Listener

Andrés Segovia was born on February 21, 1893. To mark his 130th birthday, we spoke with three contemporary guitarists who each studied with the Maestro: Lily Afshar, Liona Boyd, and Michael Chapdelaine. Each of our guests shares their unique (or infamous) experience and how playing for Segovia when they were students impacts the way they see music today.

Support the show:

Listen to Part 2 on Patreon, where Liona Boyd and Michael Chapdelaine debate what Segovia’s legacy will be in another hundred years.
Make a one-time donation on PayPal
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts (This helps other guitarists find the show and helps us. We really appreciate it!)

Additional resources:

Learn more about Lily Afshar at her website and read her “Letter from Tehran” here.
Learn more about Liona Boyd at her website and read about the ups and downs of her journey with focal dystonia.
Learn more about Michael Chapdelaine at his website and check out his “Steel-String Guitarist’s Introduction to Nylon-String Techniques and Repertoire” and video lesson on how to play the classical guitar standard “Romanza.”
From the Classical Guitar magazine archive, a 17-part centenary celebration of Segovia.

The Acoustic Guitar Podcast theme music is composed by Adam Perlmutter and performed for this episode by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers.

This episode is hosted by Nick Grizzle and Blair Jackson, produced by Tanya Gonzalez, and directed and edited by Joey Lusterman. Executive producers are Lyzy Lusterman and Stephanie Campos Dal Broi.

The Acoustic Guitar Podcast is produced by the team at Acoustic Guitar magazine, including:

Publisher: Lyzy Lusterman
Editor: Adam Perlmutter
Managing Editor: Kevin Owens
Senior Editor: Blair Jackson
Creative Director: Joey Lusterman
Digital Content Director: Stephanie Campos Dal Broi
Digital Content Manager: Nick Grizzle
Marketing Services Manager: Tanya Gonzalez

Special thanks to our listeners who support the show on Patreon.

Support the show

Support the show:

Listen to Part 2 on Patreon, where Liona Boyd and Michael Chapdelaine debate what Segovia’s legacy will be in another hundred years.
Make a one-time donation on PayPal
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts (This helps other guitarists find the show and helps us. We really appreciate it!)

Additional resources:

Learn more about Lily Afshar at her website and read her “Letter from Tehran” here.
Learn more about Liona Boyd at her website and read about the ups and downs of her journey with focal dystonia.
Learn more about Michael Chapdelaine at his website and check out his “Steel-String Guitarist’s Introduction to Nylon-String Techniques and Repertoire” and video lesson on how to play the classical guitar standard “Romanza.”
From the Classical Guitar magazine archive, a 17-part centenary celebration of Segovia.

The Acoustic Guitar Podcast theme music is composed by Adam Perlmutter and performed for this episode by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers.

This episode is hosted by Nick Grizzle and Blair Jackson, produced by Tanya Gonzalez, and directed and edited by Joey Lusterman. Executive producers are Lyzy Lusterman and Stephanie Campos Dal Broi.

The Acoustic Guitar Podcast is produced by the team at Acoustic Guitar magazine, including:

Publisher: Lyzy Lusterman
Editor: Adam Perlmutter
Managing Editor: Kevin Owens
Senior Editor: Blair Jackson
Creative Director: Joey Lusterman
Digital Content Director: Stephanie Campos Dal Broi
Digital Content Manager: Nick Grizzle
Marketing Services Manager: Tanya Gonzalez

Special thanks to our listeners who support the show on Patreon.

Support the show

Previous Episode

Steve James

Join us for a rollicking conversation and to hear some original tunes performed by the late legendary roots-and-blues raconteur Steve James.

In this episode, he shares stories and insights about his guitars and guitar heroes, treats us to some favorite songs and explains the writing process behind them, and entertains and educates us in the way that only Steve James can.

Please note: James passed away in January 2023; this recording session took place in August 2022. Read more about the life of this great musician and our cherished friend here.

Additional resources:

Listen to Part 2 of this episode, where you’ll hear more stories from the road and more songs.
Explore our book collaborations in the Essential Steve James collection.
Buy albums through Hobemian Records and Antone’s Records (or stream on Spotify or Apple Music.)
Learn more about the National Guitars ResoRocket.

You'll find expanded show notes, including photos and articles, on AcousticGuitar.com.
This episode is hosted by Nick Grizzle and David Lusterman, produced by Tanya Gonzalez, and directed and edited by Joey Lusterman. Executive producers are Lyzy Lusterman and Stephanie Campos Dal Broi.

The Acoustic Guitar Podcast is brought to you by the team at Acoustic Guitar magazine, including:

Publisher: Lyzy Lusterman
Editor: Adam Perlmutter
Managing Editor: Kevin Owens
Senior Editor: Blair Jackson
Creative Director: Joey Lusterman
Digital Content Director: Stephanie Campos Dal Broi
Digital Content Manager: Nick Grizzle
Marketing Services Manager: Tanya Gonzalez

Special thanks to our listeners who support the show on Patreon.

Support the show

Next Episode

Writing Songs with Sunny War, Madison Cunningham, and Adam Levy

Join our illustrious panel for an in-depth conversation on songwriting. Each of our guests has a unique perspective and process – Sunny War forged her singular folk-punk style busking on the Venice Beach Boardwalk; Madison Cunningham won this year’s Grammy for Best Roots Performance; Adam Levy is a songwriter and guitarist who’s worked with Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman, and many others. What they all have in common is commitment to their craft and the belief that you can write songs, too.

Thanks to PRS Guitars for sponsoring this episode. Check out PRS Guitars' full-line of acoustics at www.prsguitars.com/products/se_acoustics.

Support the show:

Listen to Part 2 on Patreon, where our guests discuss how and when to share songs-in-progress, co-writing, and more. Plus, Sunny War shares the first song she ever wrote as a kid (spoiler alert: it’s a real banger!)
Make a one-time contribution to the show on Paypal
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts (This helps other guitarists find the show and helps us. We really appreciate it!)

Additional resources:

Learn more about Sunny War at her website and read our 2018 profile here. Listen to Anarchist Gospel.
Learn more about Madison Cunningham at her website and learn to play her song “Life According to Raechel.” Listen to Revealer.
Learn more about Adam Levy at his website and learn to play his composition “Clandestino (Elegy for a Cheesemonger).” Listen to Marie (EP).
Check out our book Play Guitar Like the Great Singer-Songwriters (featuring lessons by Adam Levy, Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, and other great teachers).
Download Songwriting Basics for Guitarists

The Acoustic Guitar Podcast theme music is composed by Adam Perlmutter and performed for this episode by Adam Levy.

This episode is hosted by Nick Grizzle and Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, produced by Tanya Gonzalez, and directed and edited by Joey Lusterman. Executive producers are Lyzy Lusterman and Stephanie Campos Dal Broi.

The Acoustic Guitar Podcast is produced by the team at Acoustic Guitar magazine, including: