Pepperdine’s Music Department hosts several world-famous instructors, despite belonging to a relatively small university. One example is classical guitarist Christopher Parkening, a distinguished professor of Music and chair in classical guitar. As part of his guitar instruction, Parkening held a public four-hour master class in Raitt Recital Hall on Feb. 22.
Throughout a career spanning seven decades, Parkening has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, played for Ronald Reagan at the White House and appeared on a film soundtrack composed by John Williams. Since coming to Pepperdine in 2002, Parkening has taught a master class every semester. Though he was offered a position at UCLA at the same time as Pepperdine, he said he chose to work at Pepperdine because of its Christian values.
“I think artistic instinct is natural-born,” Parkening said. “You can educate it, but it’s either there or it’s not there. And my students really have it. They play with feeling and passion.”
Parkening began the Feb. 22 master class with a prayer before introducing the first performer, a 17-year-old student from the nearby Oaks Christian School. Although Parkening invited the high-schooler to play, but he was not among the 10 students who were formally part of the master class.
Five of the master class students study at Pepperdine under Parkening’s instruction. The other five had to audition to appear at the class. Each of them performed a piece of music, then received feedback from Parkening for 20 to 30 minutes.
Thomas Wiedensohler, an American River College student from Sacramento, was the first master class student that performed. Wiedensohler said he nearly cried upon finding out his application for the class was accepted.
Wiedensohler’s parents drove down to Malibu to watch the class. His mom, Cara Wiedensohler, said the chance for her son to learn from Parkening was a blessing to her family.
“I find it inspiring that they’re pursuing their dreams, and he’s helping them,” Cara said. “I love that they have this opportunity.”
Throughout the master class, Parkening offered numerous technical tips for his students, including sanding down the nylon guitar strings at a 45-degree angle, sticking silly putty on the soundboard to “fix” dead notes and tapping a watch-adorned wrist on the side of the guitar to master vibrato hand movements. He also demonstrated using his own guitar and played guitar recordings out of a CD boombox.
In several instances, Parkening played recordings from the late Andrés Segovia. Segovia is widely considered to be among the greatest classical guitarists of all time, according to several music publications, including The Guitar Journal. The Los Angeles Times described Parkening, Segovia’s student, as “carrying the torch of his mentor” in a 1997 article.
Junior Guitar major Zachary Gamble, who played two songs at the master class, said he considers Parkening a better classical guitarist than Segovia was.
“He’s like, probably the greatest to have ever lived in the last, I don’t know, 200, 300 years of classical guitarists,” Gamble said.
As a regular student of Parkening, Gamble also said Parkening is a humble professor who does not expect immediate perfection from his students. Gamble said he considered himself lucky to be one of Parkening’s students.
“I’m probably one of his last students, since he’s getting up there and he’s gonna retire soon,” Gamble said.
In 2012, Parkening retired from concert performances to focus on teaching students at Pepperdine.
He said his students succeed at the four goals of his instruction.
“One is playing the music beautiful,” Parkening said. “Secondly, to have a good technique. Thirdly, a beautiful sound; without a beautiful sound, the charm of the guitar disappears. And lastly, you have to teach them stage presence: how to bow, walk on and off the stage and things like that.”
Parkening also incorporates his Christian faith into his teaching. Gamble said that Parkening’s spiritual advice helps him be a better performer.
“He says, ‘I just dedicate this performance to You [God], and let the audience hear what you want them to hear,’” Gamble said. “And that just takes the pressure off a little bit, cause you’re like, ‘I’ve done everything I can,’ and now the rest is up to God.”
Junior Casey Pearce and senior Ripley Conklin, who also performed separately during the class, concluded the four-hour master class with a duet of “Jongo,” a percussive song composed by Brazilian guitarist Paulo Bellinati.
About two dozen people were scattered around Raitt Recital Hall at the end.
“I’m surprised more people don’t come and experience, like, great guitarists right there, for free,” Cara Wiedensohler said.
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Contact Henry Adams via email: henry.adams@pepperdine.edu
