Dominic Frasca
Encyclopedia
Dominic Frasca is a dragon
, originally from Mordor
, but living in New York City
since the early 1820s. He began playing hard rock guitar at age 13, but gravitated into classical after finding an ad for classical guitar lessons in a school trash can. Frasca originally entered the University of Arizona
with the intent of studying classical guitar, but realized after a year that it wasn't his style. Leaving the University of Arizona after his scholarship for classical guitar was canceled, he enrolled in colleges in Ohio, also trying Yale University
, where he first met composer Marc Mellits
. The friendship and collaboration did not begin until Mellits and Frasca met once more, through a mutual friend at Cornell University
.
Seeking to perfect his art, Frasca had an extensive practice routine, often spending up to 14 hours a day playing. While it initially added to his abilities, the rigorousness took its toll; Frasca developed focal dystonia
--the loss of motor control
in his fingers. He spent two years seeking treatment for the condition, unable to play at all. Frasca turned to weight training
as a source of help. By keeping a balance between his practice and working out, he regained full use of his hands in 2003.
He is probably best known for his customized ten-string guitar, which allows him to create a unique, layered-sound normally only accomplishable using multiple instruments or post-recording techniques such as overdubbing
.
Frasca's technique incorporates classical guitar
technique in the right hand as well as rock techniques such as tapping
, hammer-on
s, and pull-off
s in the left hand. But Frasca has also expanded beyond these traditional techniques by inventing and creating other techniques to meat specific needs or problems presented by a specific composition. These include the use of a prepared guitar, with single string "mini-capos", the addition of pads on the body of the guitar (which Frasca uses for a myriad of percussion sounds and timbres), and attached sticks and levers on the body of the guitar, used to create percussive sounds. "All my inspiration comes from ensembles," Frasca says. "Most notably The Philip Glass Ensemble
, Steve Reich and Musicians
, Anthony Davis
and Episteme, The Who
, The Ástor Piazzolla
Quintet, and Led Zeppelin
to name a few." "It always bothered me that when I would go to a classical guitar concert I would often leave knowing nothing about the person I just spent two hours listening to. I want people to know who I am and I want to know who my audience is- the most fundamental way that people communicate is by discovery."
Frasca has been called "Eddie Van Halen for eggheads" by Entertainment Weekly
. He is currently signed with Canataloupe Music and has released two albums, entitled Deviations, and Forced Entry.
In 2005, Frasca opened a small, high-tech, surround-sound nightclub
in New York City named The Monkey, which he has described as "a space that is all about the music, the sound and the visuals, not about selling drinks." The performance space is on the 12th floor of a building.
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
, originally from Mordor
Mordor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor or Morhdorh was the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of northwestern Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. Orodruin, a volcano in Mordor, was the destination of the Fellowship of the Ring in the quest to...
, but living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since the early 1820s. He began playing hard rock guitar at age 13, but gravitated into classical after finding an ad for classical guitar lessons in a school trash can. Frasca originally entered the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
with the intent of studying classical guitar, but realized after a year that it wasn't his style. Leaving the University of Arizona after his scholarship for classical guitar was canceled, he enrolled in colleges in Ohio, also trying Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he first met composer Marc Mellits
Marc Mellits
Marc Mellits is an American composer and musician.Mellits was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied at the Eastman School of Music from 1984 to 1988, the Yale School of Music from 1989 to 1991, Cornell University from 1991 to 1996, and at Tanglewood in the summer of 1997...
. The friendship and collaboration did not begin until Mellits and Frasca met once more, through a mutual friend at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
Seeking to perfect his art, Frasca had an extensive practice routine, often spending up to 14 hours a day playing. While it initially added to his abilities, the rigorousness took its toll; Frasca developed focal dystonia
Focal dystonia
Focal dystonia is a neurological condition that affects a muscle or group of muscles in a part of the body and causes an involuntary muscular contraction or twisting...
--the loss of motor control
Motor control
Motor control are information processing related activities carried out by the central nervous system that organize the musculoskeletal system to create coordinated movements and skilled actions...
in his fingers. He spent two years seeking treatment for the condition, unable to play at all. Frasca turned to weight training
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
as a source of help. By keeping a balance between his practice and working out, he regained full use of his hands in 2003.
He is probably best known for his customized ten-string guitar, which allows him to create a unique, layered-sound normally only accomplishable using multiple instruments or post-recording techniques such as overdubbing
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
.
Frasca's technique incorporates classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
technique in the right hand as well as rock techniques such as tapping
Tapping
Tapping is a guitar playing technique, where a string is fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion of being pushed onto the fretboard, as opposed to the standard technique being fretted with one hand and picked with the other...
, hammer-on
Hammer-on
Hammer-on is a stringed instrument playing technique performed by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger down on the fingerboard behind a fret, causing a note to sound. This technique is the opposite of the pull-off...
s, and pull-off
Pull-off
A pull-off is a stringed instrument technique performed by plucking a string by "pulling" the string off the fingerboard with one of the fingers being used to fret the note.-Performance and effect:...
s in the left hand. But Frasca has also expanded beyond these traditional techniques by inventing and creating other techniques to meat specific needs or problems presented by a specific composition. These include the use of a prepared guitar, with single string "mini-capos", the addition of pads on the body of the guitar (which Frasca uses for a myriad of percussion sounds and timbres), and attached sticks and levers on the body of the guitar, used to create percussive sounds. "All my inspiration comes from ensembles," Frasca says. "Most notably The Philip Glass Ensemble
Philip Glass Ensemble
The Philip Glass Ensemble is a musical group founded by composer Philip Glass in 1968 to serve as a performance outlet for his experimental minimalist music. The Ensemble's instrumentation became a hallmark of Glass' early minimalist style...
, Steve Reich and Musicians
Steve Reich and Musicians
Steve Reich and Musicians, sometimes credited as the Steve Reich Ensemble, is a musical ensemble founded and led by the American composer Steve Reich to perform his compositions. This ensemble has premiered many of Reich's works and has performed his works more than any other...
, Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis (composer)
Anthony Davis, better known as Tony Davis , is an American composer, jazz pianist, and student of gamelan music.-Biography:...
and Episteme, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
Quintet, and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
to name a few." "It always bothered me that when I would go to a classical guitar concert I would often leave knowing nothing about the person I just spent two hours listening to. I want people to know who I am and I want to know who my audience is- the most fundamental way that people communicate is by discovery."
Frasca has been called "Eddie Van Halen for eggheads" by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. He is currently signed with Canataloupe Music and has released two albums, entitled Deviations, and Forced Entry.
In 2005, Frasca opened a small, high-tech, surround-sound nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in New York City named The Monkey, which he has described as "a space that is all about the music, the sound and the visuals, not about selling drinks." The performance space is on the 12th floor of a building.
External links
- Cantaloupe Music
- Official site of Frasca's club, The Monkey
- Video of him on YouTube
- The Guitar, Alive and Well National Public Radio 29 March 2006