This renowned Portuguese guitarist was born in 1925 and died in 2004, but during his life, he became a crucial symbol of Portuguese culture by blending traditional fado elements with classical and modern influences, leaving an indelible mark on Portuguese music. The Portuguese guitar he played and composed on (guitarra portuguesa) is fundamentally different from an ordinary classical or acoustic guitar in its shape, 12-string configuration, tuning, and purpose, with a distinctive teardrop or pear shape with a flat back, resembling a mandolin in appearance.

This remarkable man was known as ‘O homem dos mil dedos’ (The man with the thousand fingers), who composed iconic music for film, theatre, and solo guitar, including ‘Canção Verdes Anos’, the soundtrack for the 1963 film’ Os Verdes Anos,’ which if you have never listened to it, you should, as it is a beautiful, haunting piece of music.

He was born in Coimbra in 1925, into a family already immersed in guitar - his father, Artur Paredes, was a renowned musician who taught him to play, following his grandfather, Gonçalo Paredes.
Carlos became a renowned Portuguese guitar composer, but he maintained artistic dialogues with other musical genres. He released several albums as a solo artist, performed all over the world, and composed numerous soundtracks for both movies and plays.

Author: Museu do Fado;

Revolutionised Portuguese Guitar

Paredes revolutionised the Portuguese guitar by blending tradition with his own innovations, taking it to a level never seen before. By the time he was 14, Carlos Paredes was performing with his father on a weekly national radio programme. Despite his remarkable talent and recognition in the music industry, Paredes always preferred a discreet life, having worked for many years in the X-ray archives of Lisbon’s S. José Hospital. He lived a perfectly normal life - was married twice: first to Ana Maria Napoleão Franco (1960) and later to Cecília de Melo and had six children. He is remembered for his dedication to his craft and his unassuming, down-to-earth character, and for his personal choice to assume the life of a common citizen over the fame of a typical musician.

Arrested

He lived most of his life under the Estado Novo dictatorship and, in 1961, was involved with anti-fascist activities, which led to his being arrested by the PIDE (political police) while at work in September 1958. He was detained for 18 months because of his involvement with the then-illegal Portuguese Communist Party and apparently spent some of this time in solitary confinement. While imprisoned, it is said that he famously continued composing music, pacing his cell and pretending to play the guitar, which led some to believe he was losing his mind. This experience had a profound impact on his life and music, as reflected in his compositions and outlook on society.

Credits: Wikipedia;

Great Influence on Portuguese Music

He has had a great influence on Portuguese popular music, as well as on Coimbra’s Fado, and has never rejected it. He was responsible for the renewal and reinvention of new tones in Portuguese guitar and worked closely with renowned fado singers and musicians, including José Afonso, Adriano Correia de Oliveira, Luís Goes, and António Bernardino, and composed for Amália Rodrigues.

As a non-Portuguese person, you may probably be unfamiliar with this man’s music, but you should take the time to listen. He possessed exceptional technical ability on the Portuguese guitar, and the reference to his ‘thousand fingers’ ability suggests incredible speed, dexterity, and precision. He rarely used sheet music, composing entirely by ear and creating intricate, often improvisational pieces that expanded the expressive, emotional potential of the instrument beyond traditional fado accompaniment.

His work lives on, inspiring new generations of musicians who continue to explore and innovate on the Portuguese guitar, respecting his innovations and contributions. His work is considered a symbol of resilience and of the Portuguese soul.