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Interesting thread!
Posture is important to the classical guitar world. I fantasize about creating chairs that would optimize support for the guitar and the guitarist. But my wood working skills are back at grade school level.
But, just a thought. One of my classical guitar "heroes" is the indomitable and brilliant classical guitarist, Julian Bream. In his wonderful DVD regarding his life as a classical guitarist, he speaks of performing a Sors etude for an interview for the Royal Academy of Music or whatever the proper name of the great British school of music, if memory serves me. And it is the etude that made me first really believe in the classical guitar as a performance instrument.
I will research the etude. Have to dig out my old Sors etudes. It is beautiful. In B minor.
Last edited by targuit; 03-18-2016 at 06:15 AM.
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03-18-2016 06:05 AM
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There's some great stuff in the Sor studies. I got a couple of Naxos CDs which had some good ones I hadn't heard before. But then I got fed up with rummaging for them in my various books. I had a battered old copy of Segovia's selection which someone gave me, but I knew Segovia probably made some changes to them (and the book was falling to bits anyway). Then there were various other studies in different guitar collections I had, but there was a lot of duplication, or I didn't have some of the more interesting pieces.
So eventually I bit the bullet and got the complete Sor studies (urtext version) published by Chanterelle. It's a great book, with all of Sor's studies, lessons, exercises etc. all organised according to the opus numbers in which he published them, and with really useful analysis and performance notes, etc. It was probably a bit expensive (can't remember now), but it's great having all the pieces in one volume.
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True enough.
I don't regularly play them much these days, yet the one I linked above may be my favorite. Always meant something special to me. And I suppose to Julian Bream. We have so much in common...we both play guitar... one of us is the greatest guitarist of the late twentieth century.
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I would recommend signing up for one month at Jason vieaux's guitar school at artist works. The videos are great, but mostly you get tons of free sheet music including:
Giuliani 120 right hand studies
Giuliani Op 1, 48, 50, 51, 100, 139
Sor Op 6, 31, 35, 44, 60, Mozart variations
Carcassi Method, Op 60
Segovia scales
Tarrega exercises and pieces
simple Carulli pieces
Assorted Villa lobos, Barrios, Bach, Dowland, Ponce, Scarlatti
Assorted renaissance pieces from Noad's anthology
Unfortunately trying to participate in the video exchanges sucks because it has lately been taking him over 6 weeks to respond. That's not helpful, especially to a beginner. But the sheet music and videos for a month or two are worth the $35 to get you in the right direction. If you use the link in my other thread (it's only a few below this one) you can get an additional month for free.
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If you are looking for a good source for Guiliani, Sor, and a number of guitar composers, I've ordered from Tecla Editions for 20 years now.
Giuliani: works published separately by Tecla Editions
you can find a lot of music there. I love playing Guiliani's music. I've ordered individual pieces, but they also publish collections. I have one of those that contains his Variations on a Theme From Handle and also the big rondo op 109 that I used to play in college.
they are all bound well and meant to be put an a music stand
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Yes that B minor study is a lovely piece, you can put a lot of expression into it. I do still play that one sometimes, it's sort of semi-memorised for some reason (probably because I learned it when my brain cells were still in the flush of youth!)
Originally Posted by targuit
True enough.
I don't regularly play them much these days, yet the one I linked above may be my favorite. Always meant something special to me. And I suppose to Julian Bream. We have so much in common...we both play guitar... one of us is the greatest guitarist of the late twentieth century.
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"One does not "dabble" in classical guitar. It's a rather serious pursuit, especially if you want to play jazz on it. " Ronjazz
Says it all . . . Play live . . . Marinero
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Nothin' scarier than a zombie thread during Halloween week!
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I disagree with a lot of what has been said above - not all. I was a Lecturer in Classical Guitar and Lute at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama for a good number of years, and have had 20 books published by Mel Bay. Here's my classical guitar website: rmclassicalguitar Let me know if you want Zoom lessons - I make my living teaching via Zoom, and have many students in the States. I play jazz too, and understand the similarities and differences. PM me if interested.
Actually, my latest (not yet released) book for Mel Bay is the complete cello suites by Bach arranged for pick/plectrum guitar, but obviously I also play them with classical technique too.
Cheers,
Rob
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Haha. I've just noticed this thread is from 2016!
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Hi Rob,
Cellist here.
Bach Suite Original Keys:
I - G
II - Dm
III - C
IV - Eb
V- Cm
VI - D
What keys are your guitar transcriptions?
Thanks
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I is usually transposed to D. My wife (cellist) can’t stand it haha
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1. D
2. Am
3. E
4. G
5. Am
6. D
Bach of course changed the key of the 5th suite from Cm to Gm for the lute, in fact there is growing opinion that the lute version came first. So changing key is not something alien to Bach. He chose good keys for each instrument, though cellists tell me Eb for the 4th is a bit scary. I've tried the original keys on the guitar, but the music suffers, in my opinion.
I dabble a little on the cello, enough to get a basic insight into what is going on. I play with an underhand bow technique (as was most likely done during Bach's time), on gut strings. I make a scratchy sound, but enjoy it all by myself, alone, with all the doors and windows closed
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BTW, I recorded the first three cello suites on the tenor banjo, for a Mel Bay book. The tenor banjo is of course tuned in 5ths, so I was doing pretty much the same fingering a cellist would. That was very interesting. I also made an edition of the 2nd suite for the baroque lute, which is being used by quite a few players.
But this is the one that surprises people:
That's a ukulele in 5ths tuning.
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Love that. You did a great job articulating many phrasing subtleties with a flatpick. I also appreciate your take on how and when you bend the tempo.
In my opinion, too many cello versions take far too many liberties with this aspect, rendering some phrases less intelligible to me.
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Thanks. We are lucky now to have so many cello versions to choose from. It was Anner Bylsma who really turned me on to all six suites, that was 30 years ago.
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Recently I have started ‘dabbling’ in classical guitar again, probably all that Julian Bream stuff prompted it.
Realising how rusty my technique is, but still enjoying it!
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Dangerous, Graham! Beware the bejewelled Jezabel! Nothing good lies therein, just hours and hours and hours of slog...
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"I disagree with a lot of what has been said above - not all." Rob MacKillop
O.K., Rob. Now that you've teased the Forum with your above comment. . . as a teacher, author, and professional, with what specific statement(s) mentioned ,previously, do you disagree?
Play live . . . Marinero
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Rob - Forgive my asking, but why did you choose E as the key for the 3rd suite? I play it in A and it fits the guitar very well - for example the final series of chords in the Prelude (A A7 D/A Ddim/A) are 'standard' guitar chords. It has the added advantage that you can read the (bass clef) original and simply imagine it being in treble clef. I think I got that idea from someone on the Acoustic Guitar forum.
As always, your versatility is an inspiration...
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Of course its a 'slog' – not only getting the notes, but when playing classical every little thing affects the sound: your hand position, the angle at which you strike the string, whether with flesh or nail (or a combination), etc. Great discipline, but woe to perfectionists or anyone wanting easy results. On the other hand, there can be happy moments of achieving something beautiful (however fleeting) along the way... Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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I've played it in A before, and it does work well. But it also works really, really well in E. As almost all guitar versions are in A, I thought it might be of interest to some to try it in E. The opening of the Prelude plunges down to the lowest note on the cello - it has a wonderful feeling of exploring the depth of the instrument - likewise the Allemande and Courante. Doing so on a guitar in E gets more of that feeling than when with A being the lowest note. Many editions put the basses down and up octaves, whereas I wanted to get as close to what Bach wrote.
Marinero...I really don't have the time for that. But thanks for the invitation.
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You’re absolutely right, at the moment I doubt I can play even the simplest piece without some kind of error. But I enjoy the process anyway, and my old technique is gradually coming back. Also I love the sound and the tactile feel when playing. Originally Posted by cmajor9
Fortunately I was taught classical guitar from age 12 to 18 by a good teacher, and I’ve never stopped playing it completely.
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but it looks so nice and sounds so lovely, I can’t resist... Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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Doomed. There goes a good jazz player...
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