Preludio: 130 Easy concert pieces from 6 centuries. Edited by Martin Hegel. Published by Schott. ED 22626 Prefaces are good places to start books. They help reveal the intended purpose behind the didactic material. Martin Hegel explains that his anthology contains all the best-known pieces for beginners in the simplest arrangements possible. Well it’s true More Info »
Easy Concert Pieces Volume 3 edited bt Peter Ansorge and Bruno Szordikowski Published by Scott. ED 22558 There are 40 pieces of music here spanning from the16th to 20th centuries, and the music is sufficiently meritorious to include in a young player’s concert. Peter and Bruno suggest that they are accessible to players after More Info »
Martha Masters. Guitar 101 group course. Published by Alfred Martha Masters is a big fish in the guitar world. She is a wonderful prize- winning guitarist and head of the Guitar Foundation of America. Her credentials are impeccable. These books are by Martha with Tom Dempsey (a jazz guitarist.) It is not clear exactly how More Info »
Jens Franke and Stuart Willis. Baroque Guitar Anthology, Volumes 1 – 4. Published by Schott, Volume 1, ED 13357; Volume 2, ED 13437; Volume 3, ED 13446; Volume 4 ED 13489. This is a significant contribution to Baroque literature, not least by virtue of its size. Volume 1. Jens Franke and Stuart Willis are credited More Info »
Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer. Easy Folk Guitar. Schott ED 13847 This interested book was delivered from Schott, who are exploring world music. Although Vicki and Jonny are not guitar players, their musical credentials are very impressive so this offers the book some gravitas. This is an introduction to various folk tunes from around the More Info »
Aaron Shearer and Thomas Kitha. Classic Guitar Technique, volume 1. 3rd Edition. Published by Alfred. This is apparently the best selling guitar tutor in America. Aaron humbly acknowledges that the 1st edition had inaccuracies – largely due to his inexperience at the time of writing – about half a century ago. He has handed much More Info »
Review Duets for Fun ed. Martin Hegel Schott Ed 13883 £9.50 This new edition from Schott’s contains thirty pieces for guitar duet. The standard of difficulty is between grades three and five. Despite having such an extensive content the book is stapled rather than tightly bound and will open out easily on a music stand. More Info »
Luis Orlando Ochoa Graterol. Path of History. Published by Berben. E.5787 B. Luis Ochoa is a composer and guitarist from Venezuela. This prize winning composition is ingenious. It takes a theme from the middle ages and reincarnates it in the guise of a piece by a Renaissance composer, and then subsequently as if he is More Info »
Alfaro Company Las Seis Cuerdas per chirarra, second edition. Published by Berben. E.832 B. Angelo Gilardino’s very helpful foreword offers us a way into this difficult music. Angelo suggests that Alvaro entered “the realm of the guitar with the wisdom of a scientist and the innocence of a child”. Its lasting significance is probably Alvaro’s More Info »
Mark Delpriora. Fantasia Lagonegrese. Published by Berben. E. 5858 B. Marl Delpriora is probably unfamiliar to many UK teachers and players. He is a guitarist and prolific composer based in New York. “Youtube” videos reveal him to be a player of significant ability and he seems to have developed a following in Italy – hence More Info »
