Athens Heat
Max Milligan describes his July 2003 examining trip to Athens…
As I headed towards Luton Airport on my first trip to examine guitarists in Athens, my first concern was how will my battered old '67 Telecaster get by on the infamous Easyjet airline. Well, as it happened I had no problem: they carefully put it in the forward-hold, so that it was last on and first off.
I was greeted in the arrivals lounge by Pandelis Gertsos (the RGT Rep. for Greece) who was to become like a brother over the next four days looking after me.
Feel The Heat
I
had remembered what fellow examiner Martin Donald had said about the immense
heat in Athens, but as I commented on the warm but pleasant temperature
in the airport I was greeted with those immortal words: "this is
air-conditioned Max, wait until you get outside". When the glass
doors parted I was blasted with 32C for starters in the evening; I felt
like prawn on the barby and I had just landed.
We soon got on the road, air con on and a Pat Metheny CD to keep us going. I viewed the construction work for the Olympics in 2004 and the ancient sites passing the window as Pandelis answered students' questions on his mobile phone: "No arpeggios are only to the 7th at grade four and it is one position two octaves". 'These Greek students are really keen', I thought. I felt like saying that it makes a change from "Sorry Max, I can't make the lesson I've got a nasty rash and the car's broken down".
Leading Players
The standard of the candidates was exceptional. There was an overall commitment to the guitar and the instruction the students had received was inspiring. The improvisational skills were often well beyond what is normally expected at the grade. The Greeks definitely have the flair for improvisation.
Some candidates did present some entertaining moments: when asked for a Bb major scale I was treated to almost every melodic phrase or intervalic exercise known to man, until I explained that all I wanted was the scale ascending and descending.
Some of the specialist section performances on the upper grades were exceptional, with many players choosing a jazz standard to amaze me with their fretboard skill. One student played 'Misty': I don't think there was a fret un-played by the time he had finished his excellent arrangement.
Concept Time
It was great to see so many excellent players and enjoy the evening RGT concerts that Pandelis had arranged. The first concert was open air and the standard of musicianship was excellent. Many of the candidates' parents had come to watch and several came over and hugged me – thanking me for coming from London to examine their offspring.
The following night I was treated to performances by some of the students from the conservatories who had taken the exams. The last number I heard that evening was Chick Corea's 'Spain' played by a lad of 16 and another guitarist who had such a mature tone for his age, with the whole tune played in harmony –brilliant! At the end of the evening I got up and played a Stevie Ray Vaughan song and jammed on Miles Davis' 'All Blues'. I was genuinely sad to leave after such a great time, but I had to leave the hotel at 4 a.m. to catch my early morning flight.
Thanks must go to all the staff and tutors I met at the conservatories who all helped to make my stay in Athens so enjoyable and to the students for their inspiration. Of course, a special thank you is due to Pandelis Gertsos – the man who organised the whole trip and who will always be remembered as the person who introduced the first electric guitar exams into Greece.
