Filippo Bertipaglia

Filippo Bertipaglia attended the "A.Buzzolla" Conservatory of Music in Adria where he

studied classical guitar where he fnally degreed with 10/10. Later he studied modern

guitar at the CPM Musical Center of Franco Mussida (PFM) in Milan.

During the years he attended many masterclasses. He also won classical and modern

musical competitions both as a soloist and as a member of a group and got the Kiwanis

scholarship as the best student of the Conservatory.

He was the only opening act artist for the Italian tour 2018 of Corrado Rustici.

He had also the chance to open for the acoustic guitar player Jon Gomm.

He is the guitar player of the Australian Hit Show Dublin Nights that performed in

important venues such as Maag Halle of Zurich and Kampnagel Theater of

Hamburg.

He is a Godin, LR Baggs, John Pearse Strings, Gokko Audio and DVMark

endorser and he played at Namm Show (Anaheim, California) in 2019 and 2020.

Important magazines such as Fingerstyle Guitar Journal and Guitar Club interviewed

him or published transcriptions of his compositions.

He collaborates with important Italian magazines such as Accordo, “Strumenti Musicali”

and Guitar Club as transcriber, reviewer or tutor (“Outside Guitar Playing” guitar book

by Osvaldo Lo Iacono was transcribed entirely by himself).

In 2021 he transcribed the full album “Interfulgent” by Corrado Rustici.

He played in Musicals such as Spring Awakening and Musica Ribelle (music by Italian

songwriter Eugenio Finardi) and he toured in some of the most important Italian Theaters.

He collaborated as model and musician for Trussardi brand and appeared in magazines

as Vogue, Lampoon and some advertisements.

He's the guitarist of fusion band FP Ensemble and he appeared in the album “Ayexit” with

Marco Minneman (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steven Wilson) on drums.

The track “What Is It That Really Matters” co-written with Italian songwriter Rita de Cillis is

featured in the short flm “I've Lost my Phone” by New York-based director Leo Fiorica.

He played with Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Emma Marrone, Caparezza, Rocco Tanica,

Daniele Tedeschi (Vasco Rossi), Eugenio Finardi. He appeared on TV (Rai 2, Canale5,

Italia1, Class TV) and some radio transmissions (Radio Rock, Rock'n'roll radio…).

Recently he played in the Baroque/prog project “Romanza Criminale” in prestigious

venues such as “Aula Magna of La Sapienza” in Rome.

The Project and the Musical Aesthetic

Filippo Bertipaglia can be defned as a “Six Strings Explorer” for his research

upon the guitar, meant as an exploration of every possible source that the guitar can

offer in order to produce in a concrete way the musical image that arises inside the

composer as a past and present thought. Every technical means has its place and

worth and are used where necessary to achieve a well focused arrangement of musical

landscapes. In contrast to the standard acoustic guitar repertoire, the frequency

range is wider with many high pitched sounds, usually belonging to that

of the electric guitar scenario. Thinking about the guitar as a piano (even if

limited) and to its possibility of creating sonic overlays as an appropriate

juxtaposition. The use of the pedal on a piano is replaced with natural and

artifcial harmonics that are a useful tool to sustain the music in terms of harmony

and to leaden character to the compositions. Depending on the demands of the

sound, the ability to switch between using either fngerstyle or picking technique are

major infuences in evolving musical and guitar exploration. This originates from the

non-guitar players that composed music for the six strings in the first half of the

Twentieth century, without quoting anybody in particular. Their effort to collocate

on a limited instrument such as the guitar was born from concepts mostly composed

on the piano, this has heavily infuenced Bertipaglia as he strives in his compositions

to not adopt idiomatic solutions, if not conceived by natural and

authentic inspiration.

The majority of his compositions are written without using the guitar at all.

Specifc guitar infuences are Steve Morse, Ty Tabor and Jim Matheos that inspired,

although partially, many compositive directions.

Perhaps one of the most evident characteristics of Bertipaglia's musical style is a well

defined presence of a linear melody that is inscribed into unpredictable

harmonies, turning on the listener's curiosity. We are not talking about dissonant

harmonies that are more closely related to contemporary music but about ethereal

and imaginative landscapes.

Another peculiarity is the tremendous use of polyphony in most of his tracks, looped

melodic patterns played simultaneously with counterpoint melodies that are spread

on a horizontal profle, remarking minimal solutions.

Producer Corrado Rustici is fundamental for unitary direction of the

compositions. The use of ambient effects inside the pieces, with more evident

electronic sounds in some places, enabled it to have more depth and coherence but

even more so to offer a more modern and personal musical offering.