A2Z GUITAR .com

Joe Pass - jazz guitar player

2011-12-10T08:42:00.001-08:00

One thing I admire is a good jazz guitar playing. Watch Joe Pass (1929 - 1994), performing All the Things You Are. Take this video as a true guitar lesson.

Did you notice the change of groove when he switched from finger style to flat picking (plucking the strings with a guitar pick)? Amazing improvisations! It's also clear the great knowledge of jazz harmony here applied to jazz guitar.

In case you wonder that's a Gibson guitar. More precisely, an Epiphone - a sub-brand of the Gibson guitars.

Source: http://www.bestguitarclips.com/2007/11/joe-pass-jazz-guitar-player.html

Prelude for guitar

2011-12-08T12:23:00.001-08:00

> Download the score (pdf, 2 pages)

This piece is basically an arpeggio study with the main theme presented in the bass.

The video bellow presents a previous version of this guitar study. Soon I'll upload a video with the newer version.

Bellow is a copy of some correspondence between me and an Internet friend regarding some details of the piece:

by Eric - May 31, 2007 2:31 PM

Pedro,

I like your prelude; it's fun to play and it's certainly a good technical study of what I guess I'd call 'campanella' playing. But why do you drop this style briefly in the second half of bars 25 and 33?

OK if you particularly want to vary the sound at those places, but in bar 25 you could shift down 2 positions to play the C with finger 3 on string 3 and the D with finger 2 on string 2 - you've got to shift back up to play the next bar, but for anyone with the technical ability to sustain campanella fingering it's not going to be difficult.

In bar 33 the slide makes it slightly easier to get in position for the next bar, but I would do the same fingering as in bar 25.

my reply - May 31, 2007 3:07 PM

Hello Eric!

Thank you for trying my piece!

Bars 25 and 33 are bridges (or passages) that bring you to the opening motif of the B section (a tempo). They create an impulse towards that motif - like an upbeat bar (the eight bar of the sentence).

The harmonic structure of the first two sentences in this B section is a very basic one: 2 bars in the sub-dominant, 2 bars in the tonic, 2 in the dominant and 2 bars in the tonic of which the second contains the already mentioned bridge that leads to the beginning of the following sentence.

Those bars are still in campanella style but do not have the apoggiatura-like pattern that I used throughout the first 2 sentences of section B.

Now, tell me something: wasn't it enough clear that in bar 25 the C note is on the 3rd string stopped by 1st finger, A on the 4th stopped by 3rd finger, and B on the 2nd open string creating thus the campanella effect? I didn't write the fingering for those notes because I thought that the fingering in the previous bar would be enough to suggest the hand to stay in position.

Maybe the adjacent sequence of the notes suggests a scale-like playing instead of campanella? If it is so then I should immediately add fingering marks to bars 25 and 33.

About making the same fingering for both bars; no way! Each fingering is fine the way it is. They depend on the events of the previous and following bars. My chosen fingerings create a better fluency. I can guess what your argument is - making a similar fingering for similar parts.

Bars 25 and 33 are bridges to two differently structured sentences and don't come from exactly two same sentences although they share the same harmonic structure (first two sections of section B). They don't exactly mean the same.

You see, music justs develops like a story. Each moment is a new moment - that is many times presented exclusively through interpretation and many other times through composition.

I visited your website and I only have one word to describe it: EXCELLENT!!!!! It's very informative, unpretentious and... just excellent!

Cheers!

Eric's reply - June 1, 2007 3:49 PM

Hi Pedro,

I think I see what you're saying. Now you point it out I can see that the slide in bar 33 acts as a bridge to the next passage (it makes me want to pause on the open E), but I can't quite see it in bar 25 where the next two bars are a repeat of bars 18 and 19.

However the fingering is clear - the first half of bar 25 is campanella, it's just that the 1-3 slur stops the campanella in the second half of the bar (even more than a 1-4 slur would), but I guess that's what you want.

Thanks for your kind comments about my website which, by the way, is at http://www.GuitarLoot.co.uk; I haven't put anything new up on it recently, but I am currently working on several pieces that should eventually appear there.

Good Morning to All - arranged for guitar

2011-12-08T03:44:00.001-08:00

Download files:

> "Good Morning to All" in C
> "Good Morning to All" in D

Explanatory notes

These are 2 different guitar arrangements of "Good Morning to All" which is the title of the original tune of "Happy Birthday to You". One is written in C major, and the other one in D major.

Each one of this arrangements presents a particular technical issue. Here follows some notes about them:

"Good Morning to All" for classical guitar in C

In this version the guitar student learns how to play in the first position of the fingerboard with a violin-like left hand posture. A good premeditate exercise is to play the diatonic natural scale in the 1st position of the fretboard - all the available notes that are not affected by a flat or a sharp signal.

When playing this scale the third finger should stop the notes G, C and F on the third fret of the sixth, fifth and fourth strings respectively. The fourth finger should stop the notes D and G on the third fret of the second and first strings.

I guess some of you (the beginners) still don't know where to locate all the notes of the diatonic natural scale in the first position of the fingerboard.

Here's a little help:

E - 6th open string
F - 6th string; 1st fret
G - 6th string; 3rd fret

A - 5th open string
B - 5th string; 2nd fret
C - 5th string; 3rd fret

D - 4th open string
E - 4th string; 2nd fret
F - 4th string; 3rd fret

G - 3rd open string
A - 3rd string; 2nd fret

B - 2nd open string
C - 2nd string; 1st fret
D - 2nd string; 3rd fret

E - 1st open string
F - 1st string; 1st fret
G - 1st string; 3rd fret

First finger should stop the notes located in the first fret. The second finger will, logically, stop those notes located in the second fret. To what concerns the third finger, read above.

By practicing this scale with the indicated fingering the guitar beginner will develop a basic hand posture that is used in a huge part of the guitar literature. This guitar version in C major is written with the purpose (in fact just one of several purposes) of learning that left hand posture.

The fingering for the right hand is a very simple and comprehensive one. The p finger plays the basses - of course! The upper voice is played with the fingers m and i which alternate constantly. Finger a is used only once in a quite logical situation in guitar playing.

For those guitar beginners who are not acquainted with the fingering terminology here it goes:

p = thumb of the right hand
i = index of the right hand
m = middle finger of the right hand
a = ring finger of the right hand
e = little finger of the right hand

1 = index of the left hand
2 = middle finger of the left hand
3 = ring finger of the left hand
4 = little finger of the left hand

"Good Morning to All" for classical guitar in D

This version frees the left hand fingers from stopping the bass notes. They're all on open strings. The contrast here is that the guitar beginner will use a left hand posture parallel to the fingerboard located in the second position. By this I mean that all the fingers of the left hand will be distributed within an interval of four frets.

Each of the fingers should be well positioned above each fret. In this case (2nd position) the first finger should stop all eventual notes located in the second fret. Second finger will take care of all the notes located in the third fret and so on.

Watch for the palm of the left hand, it should stay parallel to the fingerboard - hence the term. This is very important because of the fourth finger. It must be well located above its corresponding fret so that it can function well.

Final words

It can be a great lesson for the guitar beginner to learn these 2 guitar arrangements. Presented are the 2 basic left hand postures - the violin-like and the parallel. On the other hand he will get acquainted with the concept of key transposing - a very useful tool for guitarists and musicians overall.

And lastly, but not less, it should be a great pleasure to be able to entertain your family and friends during a birthday party.

Jingle Bells arranged for guitar

2011-12-07T00:47:00.001-08:00

> Download link (pdf, 1 page)

Explanatory notes

It is hardly needed to present this melody for everyone knows it, I guess. Jingle Bells, although sung mainly by the Christmas time, is not a religious song. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893). I don't know exactly the date it was created but it is recorded that in the year 1857 J. L. Pierpont published it under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh".

Throughout the time the song has departed from its original form and today the chorus melody doesn't sound exactly as the original. This is what one can call the evolution of a song, which is most of the time inevitable and unpredictable.

But what it matters is that people sing it, play it, and enjoy it. And my contribution to it is this guitar arrangement.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2011-12-06T01:56:00.001-08:00

Arranged for guitar duo.

> Download link (pdf, 1 page)

Explanatory notes

It is one of the most famous English nursery rhymes. The original melody is from the 1761 French tune "Ah ! vous dirai-je, Maman". Today is better known with the English text "The Star" - a poem written by Jane Taylor (1783 - 1824).

My version of it is a score for guitar duo. The melody is played by the 2nd guitar and it is meant for the student. The 1st guitar should be played by the teacher or an advanced student. It is basically a counterpoint in a higher pitch.

For those who don't know the song lyrics (is it possible?), here is the most widely known verse:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Some classical composers used this song in their works. Maybe the most famous usage of it is Mozart's Variations on "Ah vous dirais-je, Maman".

This guitar duo version is a very simple one for it was written with the pedagogical goal of introducing the guitar beginner with melody playing, making it so an amusing way of using the C major scale in the first position of the fingerboard.

La Catedral - a guitar monument

2011-12-01T04:37:00.001-08:00

Without question one of the most famous guitar compositions is La Catedral. It is one of the most preformed guitar pieces written by Agustín Barrios Mangoré.

This impressive work (a real guitar monument) was written in 1921 as two-movement piece without the famous Preludio.

The work got even highly praised by the very own Andrés Segovia - the biggest authority on the classical guitar at the time. An unusual fact, considering that Segovia didn't admire much Barrios' guitar opus.

Barrios dedicated this work to a beautiful cathedral located downtown in the capital of Uruguay - Montevideo. For many years it was thought that the piece was dedicated to the Asunción Cathedral in Paraguay or to the San José Cathedral in Uruguay. One of the possible reasons for such assumption is the fact of the three Cathedrals being very similar.

Barrios played this piece quite often throughout his performing career. In fact, more often than any other guitar pieces. That points to the assumption of how praised the piece became.

Many years after writing La Catedral, Barrios added the exquisite Preludio thus completing one of the finest guitar compositions I've ever heard - and played.

This new movement is subtitled as Saudade which means nostalgia. It was written in Havana in 1938, when Barrios was suffering from a decline in health. Lack of money and a consequent stress to his marital life even more worsen his health. By hearing this lovely guitar movement, one can feel the nostalgia for better times just as Barrios did, I'd guess.

Barrios performed La Catedral with the prelude for the first time in San Salvador on 25th of July, 1938.

The second movement of this incredible guitar work is called Andante. Its character is religious and mystical and in some way works as an introduction to the third movement - an impressive Allegro Solenne. It's not surprising that the Andante and Allegro Solenne sound as a one unit itself because La Catedral was originally a two-movement guitar piece.

Where to find this piece?

Bellow follows a couple of links to some scores of Barrios' music that I have found at Sheet Music Plus. This online music shop has some nice offers.

La Catedral

This is an edition by Richard D. Stover - the most qualified person to do the job in my opinion. It's in standard notation (no tablature) and includes fingerings and an introductory text. It was published by Alfred Publishing.

The Complete Works of Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Vol.1

Again by Richard D. Stover! This man dedicated his entire life investigating about Barrios. As a result here is Barrios' complete opus in a two volumes. For the first time in one edition you are offered with the complete collected works of Barrios. This is the first edition of Barrios music based on all available sources: manuscripts, phonograph recordings and published editions (pre-1970s). The two volumes are illustrated with period photographs, concert programs and Barrios own drawings. This volume contains 67 musical works including La Catedral.

The Complete Works of Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Vol.2

This volume includes 65 original compositions in standard notation plus a unique CD featuring Barrios himself playing 21 original works among which is La Catedral. Included are also 82 pages of exhaustive Critical Notes on the Barrios catalog.

Have you ever heard the very own Barrios playing his own compositions?!

I've also found his complete guitar recordings. The first one was made in 1913!, and the last one in 1942. Now they are re-mastered and available in a 3 CD set - more than 3 hours of music. And included in it is, of course, La Catedral. Click here to purchase it or get more information from Sheet Music Plus.

I sincerely hope I've provided you with some valuable insight on this beautiful guitar work, La Catedral. In my opinion one of the most incredible pieces of music ever written for the instrument.

Boije collection of classical guitar music

2011-12-01T04:27:00.001-08:00

Carl Oscar Boije af Gennäs (1849-1923) was an insurance agent as well as an amateur guitarist. His collection includes printed editions from the early 19th century and manuscripts, e.g. autographs by J.K. Mertz.

The collection, which was donated to the library in 1924, consists of guitar music only. It is currently being digitized in the form of pdf files by the Music Library of Sweden.

> Direct link to the Boije Collection's page

Pat Metheny - Are You Going With Me

2011-11-30T00:35:00.001-08:00

Pat Metheny's outstanding guitar performance of "Are You Going With Me".

Accompanied by the Metropool Orchestra at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2003.

> Video taken from BestGuitarClips.com