This past August 2006 I attended the guitar building workshop with Jose Romanillos in Sigüenza, Spain. This completes my third year since 2004 working along side Jose and his son Liam. I have been one of 20 students from around the world who prepare all year to attend his intensive, residential workshop. In the past three years, I have been the only woman attending his course.
Every year that I visit Jose and the rest of the Romanillos family, I return with great details and knowledge of the design and construction of the traditional style of building a Spanish classical guitar. Jose promotes the history and evolution of the Spanish guitar, and would love to some day see the Spanish government open a museum dedicated specifically to its wonderful national instrument.
I have always loved the classical and flamenco guitar. I have always appreciated and admired the old traditional style of building a Spanish guitar, so I believe that the best source of information regarding this tradition, has been the great Spanish master builder, Jose Romanillos.
I attended his first workshop in 2004 where I was first introduced to his work. Jose taught me to always stick to old traditions as much as possible. This meant that from the beginning you start with the solera, or the Spanish work board, and that will define the whole construction of the instrument instead of using other molds. He showed me how to study the details of past builders, such as Antonio de Torres, and appreciate the work done with the natural tones of the woods, like on the hand made rosettes and herringbone purflings.
As a result of the workshops, I have been able to build and understand the complexity of the Spanish guitar. I was able to bring back a third completed instrument signed by Jose that I can be very happy and proud to have built along side of him. The guitars I build today are based upon those traditions which I continue to study and follow.