top of page

ENTER A WORLD OF 

ZITHER AND GUITAR

MUSIC

00:00 / 02:35

Theme from Laputa 

(Joe Hisaishi - CASTLE IN THE SKY)

Etienne is a Melbourne-based musician. He plays both Chord-Zither and classical guitar in his own style, which is quite unique: he combines western classical music and traditional folk music from all over the world, portraying the versatility of these sometimes forgotten instruments in a modern way. The music he creates is always coupled with captivating stories.  It calms the mind, helps to relax and meditate... but is also hauntingly beautiful, awakening deep feelings from inside. A spiritual, almost mystical energy emanates from his many compositions. They gather both incredible technique and a fine musical taste - he explores all types of genres and musical traditions. His main aim is to share and teach music, learning a lot along the way.

​

Discover his work, buy instruments and learn from sheet music, videos & more... 

INSPIRATION FROM ELSEWHERE

One day, I had an idea and started composing a serie of guitar pieces called after different planets : Pluto, Saturn, the sun... and the melody from "Orion" came to me in a dream.

 

I woke up one morning remembering it being played - I only heard the tremolo section and I could not see the player in the dream - but when I woke up, I jumped to my desk, grabbed pen and paper and immediately wrote it down. I built the piece around that melody, embellished it and gave it a name.

 

" The five Seasons of Guitar "  is my most complete work to this day. It's a 5 CDs box set which includes all of my guitar pieces, gathered around the theme of seasons.

A SONATA FOR A FORGOTTEN INSTRUMENT

This is one of my most substantial pieces.

 

It is fairly classical in style, composed for the 5-chord Zither and is also discursive: not having a melodic theme but rather, meandering. One special feature of this piece is the interval of a second (two notes apart) whether it is minor or major. The ringing effect of the zither allows for these two consecutive notes to blend and the resulting discord adds a lot of spice to the piece. For example: ecb ecb... eba eba... etc. 

​

The entry phrase is brought back at the end and wraps up the piece.

MUSIC TO EXPRESS

This is the third study of a series reflecting the mood during covid-19 confinement. The word “ponderoso” or ponderous implies a state of uncertainty, hesitancy, weighing the pros and cons, a state many would find themselves in when the ground seems to have been lifted from under one’s feet due to the present pandemic.

 

I was seating by the heater one night with my guitar and my fingers softly plucked a few easy chords, and I kept on writing in the same vein, always keeping my students in mind, making sure nothing was going to be to tricky for them.

​

It teaches us that, sometimes, beauty can emerge from hardships.

bottom of page