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Invention 11 arr. classical guitar duo

J .S. Bach’s Invention 11 BWV 782 arranged for classical guitar duo is a work exploring the minor scale. The chromatic element in the movement is st Show More...

J .S. Bach’s Invention 11 BWV 782 arranged for classical guitar duo is a work exploring the minor scale. The chromatic element in the movement is strong and the accidentals make this a challenging score to read and memorise. The pdf sheet music download has parts notated in both staff & TAB notation. The best preparation for playing this movement is to play the minor scale appropriately in both its forms slowly until the sound of each is familiar. Ornaments are not in place in this arrangement. The full music score is presented in staff notation and the attached parts are in staff notation and TAB. The guitar is an instrument where the same note can be played on different strings so players may well wish to review the rather literal translation of the notes to TAB. The playback score in this arrangement for classical guitar duo has a tempo of 60 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. The suggestion is that the movement can be played both at slower and faster tempo. The inventions are concentrated demanding movements to play in an ensemble context but excellent for encouraging listening skills, good intonation and accurate playing. The movement is probably best learnt without the ornaments in place in the first instance. Legato playing is needed in a performance although there is scope to broaden the detail of how the notes are articulated. Any exaggerated playing does need to be avoided. Accompaniments are in place allowing classical guitar players to participate in ensemble activities as part of practice routines. Classical guitar 1 sounds on one side of the stereo channel and classical guitar 2 on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66 and 68 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is one bar count in /click track at the beginning of the accompaniment tracks. Instrumentalists should spend time listening to performances of the work by a range of musical instruments to understanding playing approaches. Players will possibly need to edit their scores with reminders about accidentals within the bar. The Bach Inventions are generally intermediate level movements when played on a keyboard instrument. Playing levels will perhaps need to be reviewed when different instrument combinations are involved. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part Inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst other processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as in most music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to the composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing a sound and secure keyboard technique. When played in an ensemble context there is not much other music that can better prepare players for this type of music activity. The inventions are quite uncompromising in their demands. Those learning how to use music notation software and improve their listening skills will find this an excellent study to copy simply because of the many accidentals that require attention from the listening and notation point of view. Accurate notation will suggest an excellent understanding of the staff notation system. Close

Invention No. 14 arr. classical guitar duo

J.S. Bach’s Invention 14 BWV 785 arranged for classical guitar duo in the original key key of Bb is a rhythmical work and a movement in which figura Show More...

J.S. Bach’s Invention 14 BWV 785 arranged for classical guitar duo in the original key key of Bb is a rhythmical work and a movement in which figuration is a substitute for ornamentation. The classical guitar is a transposing instruments sounding an octave lower than written. There are some octave transpositions in the classical guitar 2 part to keep to the range of the instrument. Guitarists have the choice of reading a notated or TAB score. TAB scores have a useful function because they locate the position of the notes on the fretboard although the same note can be played on different strings in different positions. The PlentyMusic TAB score is a literal translation of the score and not necessarily the best solution for playing the notes. Ornaments are omitted in this movement but are replaced by challenging and rhythmic figuration. Players need to have a vision and understanding of the phrasing needed before playing this movement. Bach’s music is from the baroque era in music history and presents the added challenge that there is generally minimal score detail in place in sheet music scores. What is important is to play the note values as written and acknowledge rests notated in the score. The realisation plays back at 56 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. The music editor suggests playing the movement with an awareness of an eighth note or quaver pulse. An 8/8 time signature would in many ways be very appropriate for this movement. Accompaniments are in place allowing electric guitar and bass guitar players to participate in ensemble activities as part of practice routines. The electric guitar sounds on one side of the stereo channel and the bass guitar on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 52, 54, 59, 61 and 63 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is one bar count in /click track at the beginning of the accompaniment tracks. There are generally similar approaches to playing this invention although instrumentalists should spend time listening to performances of the work by a range of musical instruments and instrument combinations on streaming media. The Bach Inventions are generally intermediate level movements when played on a keyboard instrument. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part Inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the key journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst other processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing secure performing techniques whatever the instrument being played. Close

J.S.Bach’s Invention 4 arr. classical guitar duo (No TAB)

J.S.Bach’s Invention 4 BWV 775 arr. classical guitar duo with a notated score as the download with guitar parts attached to the full score. In t Show More...

J.S.Bach’s Invention 4 BWV 775 arr. classical guitar duo with a notated score as the download with guitar parts attached to the full score. In the key of D minor this is an appealing work featuring an opening motif or melodic shape that combines a scale shape with the interval of a falling diminished seventh. The realisation plays back at 48 dotted quarter note or dotted crotchet beats to the minute. The time signature for this movement is 3/8 and the music editor suggests approaching playing the movement with a one in a bar feel or pulse rather than trying to count in eighth notes or quavers. The long trills bar 19 and bar 29 need to be played rhythmically and with control. There is some debate as to the notes to be played in the trill commencing in bar 29. The music editor suggests a written F natural but many alternate a F# with the E. The ornaments can always be omitted particularly in the early stages of learning the movement. Many guitarists edit the music score in how they play the ornaments finding it difficult to sustain the hammer technique for so long. Find a solution but do ensure that both parts and instruments are imitating each other. The voicing in this arrangement with the guitar 1 sounding an octave lower than written means that the contrapuntal lines are an octave closer together than in the original piano version. In the video score, which guitar players may wish to refer to on the PlentyMusic YouTube channel ornaments have been written out as they sound in the realisation to represent exactly what is being played. Accompaniments are in place allowing classical guitar duo players to participate in an ensemble activity as part of practice routines. Classical Guitar 1 sounds on one side of the stereo channel and Classical Guitar 2 on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 39, 42, 45, 48, 51 and for the brave 54 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is a four bar count in /click track for each of the accompaniment tracks. This is an invention where it is interesting to observe the different approaches to playing the movement particularly with regard to tempo and articulation. The Inventions are always worth revisiting and the collection should be understood to be one that benefits from this. Valuable time can be spent on streaming media listening to and perhaps watching different approaches that players have when performing this movement. Whilst there is considerable contrast to the tempo that the invention is played remember that movements cannot be played quickly until they be played slowly! The inventions offer excellent opportunities to improve ensemble playing in a duo context. Individual guitar parts are also appended to the full scores available as a pdf download from the PlentyMusic website. The Bach Inventions are considered to be intermediate level movements. The key journey that features in this movement embraces the closely related keys of the relative major, sub-dominant and the V7 – VI progression bars 48 - 49 further adds to the harmonic journey. Imitation, inversion and sequence are all in evidence as compositional processes. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing a sound and secure playing technique. This is a revision and update of a previous score posted on the website. Close

Invention 6 BWV 777 arr. guitar duo + TAB

The invention has been transposed to the key of G. The guitar as a transposing instrument sounds an octave lower than written. TAB scores are also ava Show More...

The invention has been transposed to the key of G. The guitar as a transposing instrument sounds an octave lower than written. TAB scores are also available. Accompaniments are in place allowing guitarists to participate in ensemble activities as part of their practice routines. Guitar 1 sounds on one side of the stereo channel and Guitar 2 of the other. A legato approach to playing is suggested for this invention. It is a movement that features figuration and an exploration of shapes rather than ornamentation. The two voices are frequently moving in contrary motion. This invention sounds so easy on the ear but it is a challenging to read because of the accidentals. The realisation plays back at 25 dotted quarter note or dotted crotchet beats to the minute. The repeats whilst indicated in the sheet music score are not played in the mp3 realisation or the accompaniments The reading of the notes and accidentals requires attention especially in the second section and note values need to played accurately. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Two Part Inventions and 15 Three part Sinfonias and many of them provide excellent opportunities for duo and trio playing. When played in an ensemble context there is not much other music that can better prepare players for this type of music activity. Close

Invention 1 BWV 772 arr. classical guitar duo

J.S.Bach’s Invention No. 1 BWV 772 is an intermediate level movement can be played on a range of keyboard instruments and by a number of instrument Show More...

J.S.Bach’s Invention No. 1 BWV 772 is an intermediate level movement can be played on a range of keyboard instruments and by a number of instrument combinations. In this arrangement for two classical guitars accompaniments are in place enabling guitar players to enjoy ensemble practice as part of their music practice routines. They play at 56, 58, 60, 62 and 64 beats per minute (bpm). Guitar 1 sounds on one side of the stereo channel while Guitar 2 sounds on the other side of the stereo channel. The music has also been transposed from the originally key of C to F purely on the basis that this explores the appropriate range of the instrument. Remember too that the guitar is a transposing instrument and sounds an octave lower than written. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce and inform musicians of the composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing a sound and secure technique as well as providing excellent ensemble playing opportunities. The playback tempo of the realisation is 60 beats per minute (bpm) and the music editor suggests omitting the ornaments when learning the piece. For those wishing clarification on how the ornaments should t be played refer to the piano version video score on the PlentyMusic YouTube channel. In this video score the ornaments have been written out in full to clarify how they should be played. The music editor suggests that they are probably not such a relevant addition in this arrangement. The music score is available as a pdf download from the PlentyMusic website whilst the accompaniments can be downloaded as mp3 files. The sheet music download has a Tab score in place on the appended indivual parts. The key journey of the movement is confined to the closely related keys of the dominant (bar 7), relative minor (bar 15) and sub-dominant (bar 20). Keys, understand, are not always established as such but are described as passing modulations in the baroque era. A key or change of key is generally thought of being established when there is a cadence which tends to be more the case in music from the classical era. Tempo is one of the most challenging questions when playing the Bach’s 15 Two part inventions. The music editor suggests that there is often a tendency to play these movements too quickly. The opening motif or melodic idea is quite short in this work whilst musical ideas are repeated and imitated by the two voices. The inversion of musical ideas is a particularly strong feature in this invention. The use of sequence is another compositional process readily identifiable. Close

Spanish Dance No.5 (Andaluza) arranged classical guitar duo

Spanish Dance No. 5 by E. Granados in an arrangement from PlentyMusic for guitar duo/guitar duet. This popular and appealing intermediate level moveme Show More...

Spanish Dance No. 5 by E. Granados in an arrangement from PlentyMusic for guitar duo/guitar duet. This popular and appealing intermediate level movement dates from 1890 and its use of the phyrgian scale gives it a characteristic Spanish identity. Granados (1867 - 1916) was a Catalan composer and his 12 Spanish Dances date from 1890. His music identifies so much with the sound world of Spain and he is often described as a nationalist composer. Interestingly much of his music is more familiar to audiences transcribed for classical guitar. Changing time signatures are a feature of the movement, with an emphasis on the second beat of the bar and the use of accents and pauses. Ostinato is a term that could be used to describe the accompaniment figuration that features strongly in the movement. An ostinato is a repeating pattern usually repeated through a composition. Both acciaccaturas (crushed notes) and appoggiaturas (leaning notes) feature in the arrangement. In the video score the ornaments have been written out to clarify how they should be played. The Spanish Dance No. 5 is a very appealing work in ABA (ternary form) which was very much the composing default for instrumental compositions for the time described as the late romantic or nationalist era in music history. The tempo indication given by the composer in the piano score is Andantino, quasi Allegretto indicating a pulse of slightly more than a walking pace with the middle section marked Andante. These markings possibly suggest the music should be played at a faster tempo than demonstrated in the realisation which plays back at a tempo of 50|100|50 beats to the minute. The first and last section are in 6/8 time whilst the Andante B section is in 3/4 time. The slowing downs at the end of phrases and the return to a tempo or tempo primo are not indicated or marked in the music score although they are an important and necessary aspect of any performance as is the use of tempo rubato. Pauses which are often introduced in a performance also are not indicated in the accompaniments and realisations. This is a great movement for instrumental players to explore tempo. Ideally the first and last section should also be played at the same tempo adding an additional performance challenge. The music can be played and given a more dance like character if some of the melodic notes are played staccato. The music editor suggests that this is an aspect of performance that can be explored although the suggestion is that playing should never be too exaggerated. The last note in the arrangement can possibly be omitted. The music editor suggests it is place as the dominant note of the succeeding Spanish Dance No. 6. The arranger has generally avoided doubling the melody part played by the solo instrument in the accompaniment. piano part. Representing the Spanish musical elements in the staff notation system is a challenge and clearly some comprises are needed particularly in respect to the notation of scales, harmonic colour, dynamics, tempo and ornamentation. The essential elements of Spanish music are its dramatic character often achieved by modal shifts from minor to major and vice versa, its use of the phrygian scale and rhythms derived from the popular dance rhythms of its diverse and rich culture. When music that identifies with a country or region is presented in a notated music score there are comprises to be made in respect to representing the musical elements. The music editor always suggests listening to performances of music to have an understanding particularly of contemporary practice. Accompaniments played by classical guitar 2 are available from the PlentyMusic website playing at the following beats per minute 47|94|47, 50|100|50, 53|106|53. The A section is in 6/8 (2 dotted quarter note or crotchet beats to the bar) and the B section in 3/4 (3 quarter note or crotchet beats to the bar). Performers should also understand that there are some ambiguities, contradictions and often errors in the available printed music scores. This is an appealing piece of music with many challenges from the performance, music setting and analysis point of view. The composer was clearly challenging the musical boundaries of his time in respect to how the music of his nation could be represented as notated music. Close

Manchega arr. mandolin & two acoustic guitars

This music was published in 1860. This arrangement for mandolin and two acoustic guitars has a playback tempo of 60 dotted quarter note (crotchet) bea Show More...

This music was published in 1860. This arrangement for mandolin and two acoustic guitars has a playback tempo of 60 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. The movement in ABA (Ternary form) which was very much the standard form during the romantic period. Composers needed to follow the conventions of their time to ensure the patterns of their music were readily recognized by audiences. The A section is in D and the B section in F. The repeat does not sound in the playback. There has been some re-scoring but not re-writing of the original material. This is an excellent piece for developing 3 v 2 playing which is such a characteristic element of Spanish and music based on Spanish models. The music editor suggests practicing the music slowly in the first instance so that all rhythmic shapes and patterns are secure. Gottschalk’s music is influenced by Chopin. As the repetitive element in the movement is strong there is an opportunity to explore articulation, tonal quality and dynamics in a performance. The music editor suggests that this movement along with much of Gottschalk’s music is worth discovering particularly in arrangements where the playing level allows ready access to the music. Individual parts for the three instruments are appended to the full score The small ornamental notes in the mandolin part (acciaccaturas or crushed notes) do not sound in the realization. The music editor suggests leaving them out certainly during the learning of the piece. It is then up to the player’s own discretion as whether to play them or not. The two acoustic guitar parts are available as accompaniments and can be downloaded as mp3 files at tempi of Accompaniment (1) 63 Accompaniment (2) 60 and Accompaniment (3) 57 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829 – 1869) was an American composer and pianist born in New Orleans who spent most of his performing career touring and giving concerts aka working hard. Manchega originates as a concert étude for piano – an etude in music is a study. Such movements are intended to improve and demonstrate technique and in the context of the original arrangement was intended to demonstrate the composer’s virtuoso piano playing. He was often referred to as the greatest pianist from the “New World.” Chopin, Liszt and Alkan were great admirers of his talent. His compositions established him as one of the first identifiable American composers. In his music it is possible to hear a mix of American Creole, African-American and European music traditions. His early works in particularly are imbued with the sounds that he heard in his youth in Louisiana. The syncopated nature of his music anticipates many of the characteristics of later American ragtime and jazz music. The mandolin may want to explore playing some of the sections at a different octave and in respect to this the PlentyMusic team would appreciate feedback. Close

Manchega arr. flute & two acoustic guitars

The music arranger is amazed that this piece of music was published in 1860! This arrangement for flute and two acoustic guitars has a plays back temp Show More...

The music arranger is amazed that this piece of music was published in 1860! This arrangement for flute and two acoustic guitars has a plays back tempo of 58 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute in the realisation. The movement in ABA (Ternary form) which was very much the standard form during the romantic period. Composers needed to follow the conventions of their time to ensure the patterns of their music were readily recognized by audiences. The A section is in D and the B section in F. The repeat does not sound in the playback. There has been some re-scoring but not re-writing of the original material. This is an excellent piece for developing 3 v 2 playing which is such a characteristic element of Spanish and music based on Spanish models. The music editor suggests practicing the music slowly in the first instance so that all rhythmic shapes and patterns are secure. The writing of Gottschalk is strongly influenced by Chopin. As the repetitive element in the movement is strong there is an opportunity to explore the tonal range and dynamics in a performance. The music editor suggests that this movement along with much of Gottschalk’s music is worth discovering particularly in arrangements where the playing level allows ready access to the music. Individual parts for the three instruments are appended to the full score. The small ornamental notes – acciaccaturas or crushed notes in the flute part but not the appoggiatura do not sound in the realization. The two acoustic guitar parts are available as accompaniments and can be downloaded as mp3 files at tempi of Accompaniment (1) 63 Accompaniment (2) 60 and Accompaniment (3) 57 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829 – 1869) was an American composer and pianist born in New Orleans who spent most of his performing career touring and giving concerts in what was a very hard working life. Manchega originates as a concert étude for piano – an etude in music is a study. Such movements are intended to improve and demonstrate technique and in the context of the original arrangement was intended to demonstrate the composer’s virtuoso piano playing. He was often referred to as the greatest pianist from the “New World.” Chopin, Liszt and Alkan were great admirers of his talent. His compositions established him as one of the first identifiable American composers. In his music it is possible to hear a mix of American Creole, African-American and European music traditions. His early works in particularly are imbued with the sounds that he heard in his youth in Louisiana. The syncopated nature of his music anticipates many of the characteristics of later American ragtime and jazz music. Close

None but the Lonely Heart arr. violin & two acoustic guitars

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for violin and two Show More...

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for violin and two acoustic guitars keeps close to the composer’s original version of the song and is an excellent piece for the soloist to develop both control and quality of tone in their playing. The accompaniment is played by two acoustic guitars with the off-beat or syncopated chords in the acoustic guitar 2 accompaniment adding both intensity and urgency to the music. The suggested phrasing is determined by the shape of the melody and the punctuation of the poetry. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 90 quarter notes or crotchet beats to the minute. Individual parts are appended to the full sheet music score and the guitar duo accompaniment is available playing at (1) 92 (2) 90 (3) 88 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute as an mp3 download. For a piece of just 54 bars in length there is a considerable musical and emotional range in the music and the music editor suggests that this is an excellent assessment piece. Close

None but the Lonely Heart arr. viola & two acoustic guitars

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for viola and two Show More...

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for viola and two acoustic guitars keeps close to the composer’s original version of the song and is an excellent piece for the soloist to develop both control and quality of tone in their playing. The accompaniment is played by two acoustic guitars with the off-beat or syncopated chords in the acoustic guitar 2 accompaniment adding both intensity and urgency to the music. The suggested phrasing is determined by the shape of the melody and the punctuation of the poetry. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 90 quarter notes or crotchet beats to the minute. Individual parts are appended to the full sheet music score and the guitar duo accompaniment is available playing at (1) 92 (2) 90 (3) 88 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute as an mp3 download. For a piece of just 54 bars in length there is a considerable musical and emotional range in the music and the music editor suggests that this is an excellent assessment piece. Close

None but the Lonely Heart arr. oboe & two acoustic guitars

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for oboe and two a Show More...

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for oboe and two acoustic guitars keeps close to the composer’s original version of the song and is an excellent piece for the soloist to develop both control and quality of tone in their playing. The accompaniment is played by two acoustic guitars with the off-beat or syncopated chords in the acoustic guitar 2 accompaniment adding both intensity and urgency to the music. The suggested phrasing is determined by the shape of the melody and the punctuation of the poetry. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 90 quarter notes or crotchet beats to the minute. Individual parts are appended to the full sheet music score and the guitar duo accompaniment is available playing at (1) 92 (2) 90 (3) 88 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute as an mp3 download. For a piece of just 54 bars in length there is a considerable musical and emotional range in the music and the music editor suggests that this is an excellent assessment piece. Close

None but the Lonely Heart arr. flute & two acoustic guitars

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for flute and two Show More...

None but the Lonely Heart originates as a song dating from 1869 and comes from the composer’s Opus 6 collection. This arrangement for flute and two acoustic guitars keeps close to the composer’s original version of the song and is an excellent piece for the flute soloist to develop both control and quality of tone. The accompaniment is played by two acoustic guitars with the off-beat or syncopated chords in the acoustic guitar 2 accompaniment adding both intensity and urgency to the music. The suggested phrasing is determined by the shape of the melody and the punctuation of the poetry. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 90 quarter notes or crotchet beats to the minute. Individual parts are appended to the full sheet music score and the guitar duo accompaniment is available playing at (1) 92 (2) 90 (3) 88 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute as an mp3 download. For a piece of just 54 bars in length there is a both considerable musical and emotional range which suggests that this is an excellent assessment piece. Close

Norwegian Dance No.2 arr. two acoustic guitars

An arrangement two acoustic guitar of this charming character piece. This movement is in ABA ternary form with the A section playing back at a tempo o Show More...

An arrangement two acoustic guitar of this charming character piece. This movement is in ABA ternary form with the A section playing back at a tempo of 66 quarter note beats to the minute in the realisation and the faster B section at 108 quarter note beats to the minute. The music has a regular 4 bar phrase structure and there are some chromatic elements in the writing. There is opportunity for some subtle changes in tempo particularly at the ends of sections and these feature in the realisations. The melodic and rhythmic shapes of the movement are both strong and although concisely written there is plenty of contrast. It is an excellent performance piece with the opening melodic shape having an almost teasing quality. There is always a sense of movement in Grieg’s writing and the ranges of colour in his harmonic writing make his music eminently suitable to being played by many different combinations of instruments. The humour in the music also invites an exaggerated performance although this is not featured in the realisation. Players should listen to performances to form their own view and explore different approaches to interpreting the music. Where appropriate some octave transpositions have been incorporated into the acoustic guitar 1 melody. Grieg’s Norwegian Dance No.2 was published in 1880 as a piano duet or more correctly music for piano four hands. Grieg was fortunate in being able to access several folk music collections and much of this collected material was incorporated into arrangements and compositions. Acoustic guitar 2 accompaniments are available with the following tempo options (1) 68/112/68 (2) 66/112/66 (3) 64/108/64 Numbers indicate the quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute for the ABA sections respectively. Close

Tarantella arr. 2 acoustic guitars + TAB

A tarantella is a fast energetic traditional folk dance in 6/8 time. It has a characteristic upbeat and is associated with strong emotions and passion Show More...

A tarantella is a fast energetic traditional folk dance in 6/8 time. It has a characteristic upbeat and is associated with strong emotions and passions in the many forms of the dance that exist. Some examples of the dance explore the supernatural and others magic and spirituality. Its origins are a dance for couples from Southern Italy with tambourines frequently used to accompany the dancers. This particularly arrangement for acoustic guitar + TAB and acoustic guitar + chord chart has 4 strains of music ABCD with each strain repeated. The playback tempo is 110 dotted quarter note beats to the minute. There are many melodic variants and arrangements of this music. Chopin, Gottschalk, Britten and others have contributed music to the tarantella repertoire. Guitar accompaniments can also be downloaded to provide an ensemble experience. These are at tempi of (1) 90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute (2) 100 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and (3) 110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close

Tarantella arr. two acoustic guitars

A tarantella is a fast energetic traditional folk dance in 6/8 time. It has a characteristic upbeat and is associated with strong emotions and passion Show More...

A tarantella is a fast energetic traditional folk dance in 6/8 time. It has a characteristic upbeat and is associated with strong emotions and passions in the many forms of the dance that exist. Some examples of the dance explore the supernatural and others magic and spirituality. Its origins are a dance for couples from Southern Italy with tambourines frequently used to accompany the dancers. This particularly arrangement for two acoustic guitars has 4 strains of music ABCD with each strain repeated. The playback tempo is 110 dotted quarter note beats to the minute. There are many melodic variants and arrangements of this music. Chopin, Gottschalk, Britten and others have contributed music to the tarantella repertoire. Guitar accompaniments can also be downloaded to provide an ensemble experience. These are at tempi of (1) 110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute (2) 100 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and (3) 90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close

La biondina in gondoleta arr. two acoustic guitars + TAB

The origins of this piece are as a Venetian song about gondolas (boats) and gondoliers (those steering and propelling the boats). Themes often express Show More...

The origins of this piece are as a Venetian song about gondolas (boats) and gondoliers (those steering and propelling the boats). Themes often expressed by gondoliers do tend to be about the romantic side of life. The words barcarola or barcarolle are used to describe the folk songs sung by Venetian gondoliers and they are usually in 6/8 time and played at a moderate tempo featuring a rhythmic pattern reminiscent of the gondolier’s stroke. Romantic composers were particularly fond of composing barcarolles and Mendelssohn’s “Song without Words” feature several. This is an improver level arrangement for two acoustic guitars sounding in the key of G with the realisation playing back at a tempo of 63 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. The appended guitar parts also notated in both conventional music notation and TAB. This is an excellent performance piece because the melody is appealing and familiar. Time spent listening to recordings of this melody particularly by singers will help players learn how to approach a musical performance. Accompaniments (Guitar 2) are available at tempos of 66, 63 and 63 dotted quarter note beats (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close

La biondina in gondoleta arr. two acoustic guitars

The origins of this piece are as a Venetian song about gondolas (boats) and gondoliers (those steering and propelling the boats). Themes often express Show More...

The origins of this piece are as a Venetian song about gondolas (boats) and gondoliers (those steering and propelling the boats). Themes often expressed by gondoliers do tend to be about the romantic side of life. The words barcarola or barcarolle are used to describe the folk songs sung by Venetian gondoliers and they are usually in 6/8 time and played at a moderate tempo featuring a rhythmic pattern reminiscent of the gondolier’s stroke. Romantic composers were particularly fond of composing barcarolles and Mendelssohn’s “Song without Words” feature several. This is an improver level arrangement for two acoustic guitars sounding in the key of G with the realisation playing back at a tempo of 63 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. This is an excellent performance piece because the melody is appealing and familiar. Time spent listening to recordings of this melody particularly by singers will help players learn how to approach a musical performance. Accompaniments (Guitar 2) are available at tempos of 66, 63 and 60 dotted quarter note beats (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close

Neapolitan Song arr. two acoustic guitars

This is an improver level arrangement for two acoustic guitars of Tchaikovsky’s Neapolitan Dance familiar as a theme from one of the dances in Act I Show More...

This is an improver level arrangement for two acoustic guitars of Tchaikovsky’s Neapolitan Dance familiar as a theme from one of the dances in Act III of Swan Lake. The musical material is based on the version found in Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album Opus 39 for piano that dates from 1878. The tempo of the first section Andantino in the realisation is 100 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and for the Vivace section the tempo is 120 quarter note beats to the minute. The voicing of the chord shapes for the acoustic guitar have been edited. There is an alternative ending provided for Acoustic Guitar 1. Close

Sururú na Cidade arr. two acoustic guitars with TAB and string/upright bass

Zequinha Abreu was a Brazilian musician and composer and Sururú na Cidade translates as Sururú in the City. The rondo form of Sururú na Cidade can Show More...

Zequinha Abreu was a Brazilian musician and composer and Sururú na Cidade translates as Sururú in the City. The rondo form of Sururú na Cidade can be summarised as Intro A B B A C C A. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 92 quarter note beats to the minute and the repeats are played. The music of Brazil is a fascinating mix of European and African cultures with the Choro or Lament instrumental style having its origins in C19th Rio de Janeiro (Chorinho = Little Lament). Whilst the inference of the title suggests a style that is sad, pieces can often have a fast and happy rhythms with syncopation, modulations and counterpoint. There are also particularly instruments associated with the performance of this music namely the flute, guitar and a small type of guitar with 4 strings known as the cavaquino or Portuguese ukulele which may have either play a melody or a chord rhythm. From the sheet music point of view this is a very concisely notated piece of music. In this arrangement for two acoustic guitars and upright/string bass individual parts for the three instruments are appended to the full score with the guitar parts notated conventionally and with TAB. The acoustic guitar 2 part plays a combination of countermelodies and chords. Close

Sururú na Cidade arr. two acoustic guitars and string/upright bass

Zequinha Abreu was a Brazilian musician and composer and Sururú na Cidade translates as Sururú in the City. The rondo form of Sururú na Cidade can Show More...

Zequinha Abreu was a Brazilian musician and composer and Sururú na Cidade translates as Sururú in the City. The rondo form of Sururú na Cidade can be summarised as Intro A B B A C C A. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 92 quarter note beats to the minute and the repeats are played. The music of Brazil is a fascinating mix of European and African cultures with the Choro or Lament instrumental style having its origins in C19th Rio de Janeiro (Chorinho = Little Lament). Whilst the inference of the title suggests a style that is sad, pieces can often have a fast and happy rhythms with syncopation, modulations and counterpoint. There are also particularly instruments associated with the performance of this music namely the flute, guitar and a small type of guitar with 4 strings known as the cavaquino or Portuguese ukulele which may have either play a melody or a chord rhythm. From the sheet music point of view this is a very concisely notated piece of music. In this arrangement for two acoustic guitars and upright/string bass individual parts for the three instruments are appended to the full score. The acoustic guitar 2 part plays a combination of countermelodies and chords. Close

Off To California arr. two acoustic guitars

The hornpipe is found in the folk music of England, Scotland and Ireland and has a traditional association with sailors in that dancing was used on se Show More...

The hornpipe is found in the folk music of England, Scotland and Ireland and has a traditional association with sailors in that dancing was used on sea journeys to keep personnel fit. Hornpipes are usually associated with other hornpipes in a performance context in what is described as a dance set. In this two part arrangement for two acoustic guitars performers should try and play from memory and develop their ensemble playing. The realisation plays at 132 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and the hornpipe is in AB (Binary) form. The music needs to be played with a triplet feel as demonstrated in the realisation. The repeats are not played in the realisation and there is no ornamentation of the melodic line. Folk music scores are generally presented with minimal score detail. Understand that the playing of ornaments whilst very relevant in repetitive music of this kind requires a special study and is governed by the instrument being played, the music tradition represented and sometimes geography/locality. A study of ornamentation in folk music the music editor suggests is not for the faint-hearted! There are also examples of hornpipes in baroque music including Handel’s Water Music. Three accompaniments are available, with repeats, with the acoustic guitar playing the bass line at tempi of (1) 132 (2) 120 and (3) 112 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. There is two bar click track introduction before the music starts to play. Close

Off To California arr. two acoustic guitars with TAB

The hornpipe is found in the folk music of England, Scotland and Ireland and has a traditional association with sailors in that dancing was used on se Show More...

The hornpipe is found in the folk music of England, Scotland and Ireland and has a traditional association with sailors in that dancing was used on sea journeys to keep personnel fit. Hornpipes are usually associated with other hornpipes in a performance context in what is described as a dance set. In this two part arrangement for two acoustic guitars with TAB players should try and play from memory and develop their ensemble playing. The realisation plays at 132 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and the hornpipe is in AB (Binary) form. The music needs to be played with a triplet feel as demonstrated in the realisation. The repeats are not played in the realisation and there is no ornamentation of the melodic line. Folk music scores are generally presented with minimal score detail. Understand that the playing of ornaments whilst very relevant in repetitive music of this kind requires a special study and is governed by the instrument being played, the music tradition represented and sometimes geography/locality. A study of ornamentation in folk music the music editor suggests is not for the faint-hearted! There are also examples of hornpipes in baroque music including Handel’s Water Music. Three accompaniments are available, with repeats, with the second acoustic guitar playing the bass line at tempi of (1) 132 (2) 120 and (3) 110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. There is two bar click track introduction before the music starts to play. Close

Skye Boat Song arr. flute & two acoustic guitars

In this arrangement for flute accompanied by two acoustic guitars, one guitar plays chords with standard guitar tuning whilst the other has its sixth Show More...

In this arrangement for flute accompanied by two acoustic guitars, one guitar plays chords with standard guitar tuning whilst the other has its sixth string tuned to D, (usually described as dropped down D tuning) and plays a patterned accompaniment. This familiar Scottish folk song begins and ends with a chorus (chorus-verse-chorus) and whilst the song’s text describes the escape of Bonnie Prince Charles it is often sung as a lullaby. This improver level arrangement is in 6/8 time. In this arrangement the accompanying chords have been updated to make the setting more contemporary. There is no introduction in order to keep the phrase structure balanced. There are three accompaniments featuring two acoustic guitars playing at (1) 52 (2) 50 (3) 48 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close

Sicilienne arr. electric guitar & acoustic guitar

A sicilienne is a slow tempo movement usually in a minor key with lilting rhythmic patterns and dotted notes enabling it to be described as a slow jig Show More...

A sicilienne is a slow tempo movement usually in a minor key with lilting rhythmic patterns and dotted notes enabling it to be described as a slow jig. This movement dates from 1893 and exists with several different instrument combinations. Fauré’s music possesses subtlety and as a composer he has a great awareness of instrument colour. Careful attention needs to be paid to the reading of accidentals as frequently different voices are sounding in what seem to be conflicting versions of a note. This is attributable to the modal element that it is a strong component of Fauré’s music. Apart from this, attention needs to be made to the reading of the notes and the score detail particularly in respect to knowing which notes are tied. In preparing the score the most appropriate ranges of the instruments are explored and consequently there has been some simplifying of the texture in the guitar 2 part. The realisation plays at a tempo of 50 dotted quarter notes to the minute – the music editor’s view is that many performances of the work are played too quickly. In this arrangement A minor is the chosen key although G minor is the natural and most appropriate key for the work. G minor is however a challenging key for the guitar player whilst the work is definitely playable in A minor although some of the chord voicing in the guitar 2 part may need to further simplified. The realisation features an electric and an acoustic guitar. Guitar accompaniments are available at 54, 50 and 48 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close

Jeanie with the light brown hair arr. two acoustic guitars

This is an arrangement for two acoustic guitars of a parlour song by Stephen Foster dating from 1854 and whilst it has become a favourite, the song w Show More...

This is an arrangement for two acoustic guitars of a parlour song by Stephen Foster dating from 1854 and whilst it has become a favourite, the song was not a commercial success and hardly known in Foster's own lifetime. A version by the violinist Heifetz became very popular in the 1940's. The musical arrangement retains the harmonic outline of Stephen Foster's song although some of the rhythmic detail of the melody has been edited. The small ornamental notes, apart from the acciaccaturas (crushed notes), in the melody line of the arrangement are optional and do not sound in the realisation. Close

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic arr. two acoustic guitars

This very familiar character piece dating from 1907 was originally composed in standard march form but the musical content has since been rearranged. Show More...

This very familiar character piece dating from 1907 was originally composed in standard march form but the musical content has since been rearranged. In this arrangement for two acoustic guitars in the key of C a tempo of 96 dotted quarter notes is used in the realisation. Instrumentalists have the option of playing a shortened form of the piece ending on the first eighth note (quaver) of bar 88 or playing the repeat section as demonstrated in the realisation. There isn't too much score detail in the arrangement and as the music originates as a march understandably in a performance there is not much variation of the tempo. The music for both guitar players is shown in the full score. There are three Guitar 2 accompaniments available playing at (1) 96 (2) 92 (3) 88 dotted quarter note beats (crotchet)to the minute. Close

Dedicatoria arr. two acoustic guitars + TAB

A short but quite charming piece from the composer's Opus 1 collection. In this arrangement for two guitars with TAB, the tempo of the realisation is Show More...

A short but quite charming piece from the composer's Opus 1 collection. In this arrangement for two guitars with TAB, the tempo of the realisation is 62 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute although there are some slowing downs and speedings up in the performance. As the piece is quite short only the full score copy is available as a download. The melody needs to be played in a legato singing style whilst the score needs to be studied so that the rhythmic intention of bars 9 and 11 is clearly understood by players. The melodic line in bars 10 and 12 needs to played as if as it is independent of the triplet figuration in the accompaniment. Understand that the music is conceived in three/sometimes four voices and dates from the late romantic period or nationalist period in music history. Close

Dedicatoria arr. two acoustic guitars

A short but quite charming piece from the composer's Opus 1 collection. In this arrangement for two guitars, the tempo of the realisation is 62 quarte Show More...

A short but quite charming piece from the composer's Opus 1 collection. In this arrangement for two guitars, the tempo of the realisation is 62 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute although there are some slowing downs and speedings up in the performance. As the piece is quite short only the full score copy is available as a download. The melody needs to be played in a legato singing style whilst the score needs to be studied so that the rhythmic intention of bars 9 and 11 is clearly understood by players. The melodic line in bars 10 and 12 needs to played as if as it is independent of the triplet figuration in the accompaniment. Understand that the music is conceived in three/sometimes four voices and dates from the late romantic period or nationalist period in music history. Close

Spring Song arr. two acoustic guitars

A joyous and uplifting movement both for the player and the listener. A tempo of 84 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute is suggested and used Show More...

A joyous and uplifting movement both for the player and the listener. A tempo of 84 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute is suggested and used in the realisation. Whilst a performance should not be rushed it also mustn't drag. Listen to performances of this work by different instrument combinations to form a musical picture of how the work should be performed. I would suggest that this an example of a piano piece that actually sounds much better played by a combination of instruments. Look for any repeating patterns in the music as an understanding of the formal patterns will assist players in their performances. Acciaccaturas and in the melody line are notated in the score but are nor realised in the playback scores. Close

Waltz in A minor arr. two acoustic guitars

A gentle lilting movement with a suggested tempo of 132 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute which is used in the realisation. This piece needs Show More...

A gentle lilting movement with a suggested tempo of 132 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute which is used in the realisation. This piece needs a needs to be played with a slight speeding up and slowing down of the tempo at appropriate places in the score which is described as tempo rubato and features in much of the best Chopin playing. Understand that the realisation doesn't apply rubato in a totally satisfactory way. The octave section that features in the melody of the piano score has not be transferred to the instrument writing in the arrangements. In Bar 21 the triplet option sounds in the realisation whilst the trill in the penultimate bar begins on the lower note and in the realisation 7 notes are sounded. The original piano work does have some additional ornaments which the performer may wish to consider adding after studying the solo piano score. The repeats are also played in the realisation whilst there is both stave score is notation with TAB and supporting guitar chords diagrams. Close

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star arr. two guitars

A very familiar melody used to introduce some of the elements of classical music performance in melody and accompaniment playing. This beginner arrang Show More...

A very familiar melody used to introduce some of the elements of classical music performance in melody and accompaniment playing. This beginner arrangement has both chord diagrams and TAB whilst the letter names of the notes also appear in the noteheads of the melody. This resource is intended to be used in group teaching situations. Close

Escovado arr. flute & 2 acoustic guitars

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece arranged for flute and two guit Show More...

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece arranged for flute and two guitars. The formal pattern used by the composer can be represented by the letters ABACA whilst the repeat signs have been retained in the realisation. Nazareth was an exceptionally gifted pianist and whilst the pianistic influence is understandably strong in his compositions his music which transfers well to other instruments particularly those of the plucked variety. The clarity of line in his musical textures is a strong feature of his compositional style. Escovado was composed in 1905 and dedicated to the composer's younger brother. The title is a common slang term which means smart or cunning and the composition became one of the composer's best known works. Close

Escovado arr. accordion & 2 acoustic guitars

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece. If an accordion is not availab Show More...

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece. If an accordion is not available a keyboard or melody instrument can be substituted.The formal pattern used by the composer can be represented by the letters ABACA whilst the repeat signs have been retained in the realisation. Nazareth was an exceptionally gifted pianist and whilst the pianistic influence is understandably strong in his compositions his music which transfers well to other instruments particularly those of the plucked variety. The clarity of line in his musical textures is a strong feature of his compositional style. Escovado was composed in 1905 and dedicated to the composer's younger brother. The title is a common slang term which means smart or cunning and the composition became one of the composer's best known works. The accompanying guitar players may wish to refer to the TAB score which is also available. Close

Escovado arr. mandolin & 2 acoustic guitars

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece. The formal pattern used by the Show More...

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece. The formal pattern used by the composer can be represented by the letters ABACA whilst the repeat signs have been retained in the realisation. Nazareth was an exceptionally gifted pianist and whilst the pianistic influence is understandably strong in his compositions his music which transfers well to other instruments particularly those of the plucked variety. The clarity of line in his musical textures is a strong feature of his compositional style. Escovado was composed in 1905 and dedicated to the composer's younger brother. The title is a common slang term which means smart or cunning and the composition became one of the composers best known works. Close

Escovado arr. mandolin & 2 acoustic guitars + TAB

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece. The formal pattern used by the Show More...

A tempo in the range of 84-90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended for this sunny ensemble piece. The formal pattern used by the composer can be represented by the letters ABACA whilst the repeat signs have been retained in the realisation. Nazareth was an exceptionally gifted pianist and whilst the pianistic influence is understandably strong in his compositions his music which transfers well to other instruments particularly those of the plucked variety. The clarity of line in his musical textures is a strong feature of his compositional style. Escovado was composed in 1905 and dedicated to the composer's younger brother. The title is a common slang term which means smart or cunning and the composition became one of the composer best known works. The notated guitar parts also have TAB charts. Close

Minuet in F K.2 arr. 2 acoustic guitars

Mozart's Minuet in F in an arrangement for two acoustic guitars in the original key of F. Both guitar parts have notated and TAB scores and Mozart's Show More...

Mozart's Minuet in F in an arrangement for two acoustic guitars in the original key of F. Both guitar parts have notated and TAB scores and Mozart's work is a simple structured binary form movement. The minuet is a dance of French origin in 3/4 time and in an expanded form became important in the Classical era by often being incorporated into many symphonies. The K numbers associated with Mozart scores refers to the Köchel or catalogue numbers that describe the chronologically order of his compositions. This catalogue was created some fifty years after the composers death and K2 understandably is his second published work composed when he was 6. Close

Rondo Alla turca arr. 2 guitars & bass

This is shortened version of Mozart's Alla turca in an arrangement for two guitars and bass. In the realisation the melody and bass are played by el Show More...

This is shortened version of Mozart's Alla turca in an arrangement for two guitars and bass. In the realisation the melody and bass are played by electric guitars and the accompaniment by an acoustic. The arrangement invites a mix and match approach as to whether electric or acoustic instruments are used. It should be an easy piece to learn in that it one of the the most immediately recognisable and popular pieces of music in the repetoire. It was Mozart himself who titled the piece Alla truce (Turkish March) as the music was intended to imitate the sounds of the instruments in the then familiar Turkish military bands. Understood to have been composed in 1783, a tempo in the range 110-120 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. It is a very adaptable piece stylistically and in the repetoire of classical musicians, folk bands, jazz groups and café style ensembles. In the realisation one guitar has steel strings whilst the other has nylon to enhance the tonal contrast. Close

Rondo Alla turca arr. 2 acoustic guitars

This is shortened version of Mozart's Alla turca in an arrangement for two acoustic guitars. It should be an easy piece to learn in that it one of the Show More...

This is shortened version of Mozart's Alla turca in an arrangement for two acoustic guitars. It should be an easy piece to learn in that it one of the the most immediately recognisable and popular pieces of music in the repetoire. It was Mozart himself who titled the piece Alla turca (Turkish March) as the music was intended to imitate the sounds of the instruments in the then familiar Turkish military bands. Understood to have been composed in 1783, a tempo in the range 110- 120 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. It is a very adaptable piece stylistically and in the repetoire of classical musicians, folk bands, jazz groups and café style ensembles. In the realisation one guitar has steel strings whilst the other has nylon to enhance the tonal contrast. Close

Rondo Alla turca arr. 2 acoustic guitars + TAB

This is shortened version of Mozart's Alla turca in an arrangement for two acoustic guitars with TAB. It should be an easy piece to learn in that it Show More...

This is shortened version of Mozart's Alla turca in an arrangement for two acoustic guitars with TAB. It should be an easy piece to learn in that it one of the the most immediately recognisable and popular pieces of music in the repetoire. It was Mozart himself who titled the piece Alla turca (Turkish March) as the music was intended to imitate the sounds of the instruments in the then familiar Turkish military bands. Understood to have been composed in 1783, a tempo in the range 110 -120 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. It is a very adaptable piece stylistically and in the repetoire of classical musicians, folk bands, jazz groups and café style ensembles. In the realisation one guitar has steel strings whilst the other has nylon to enhance the tonal contrast. Close

Rondo from Sonatina in G arr. two acoustic guitars

This is a very attractive piece which has in the recent past been used as the basis for a pop tune. This is an arrangement of the first section of the Show More...

This is a very attractive piece which has in the recent past been used as the basis for a pop tune. This is an arrangement of the first section of the piece for two acoustic guitars - one guitar plays the melody whilst the other strums the chord on the main beats of the bar. The melody line is written in staff notation and TAB whilst there are chord diagrams/symbols in place to assist the second player. The rondo was composed by Clementi, known in his own time as a teacher, composer, performer and even as a manufacturer of pianos spending most of his adult life living in England. His Opus 36 Sonatinas are a rich source of music for beginner players although originally composed for the piano. A rondo is a piece with a recurring theme although only the A or first section is featured in this beginner arrangement. Close

Romanze arr. two acoustic guitars

This is a charming piece of music in 6/8 time and taken from one of Beethoven's Sonatina's for piano. In this arrangement one guitar plays the melody Show More...

This is a charming piece of music in 6/8 time and taken from one of Beethoven's Sonatina's for piano. In this arrangement one guitar plays the melody whilst the other accompanies playing chords on the (two) main beats of the bar. There is TAB support for the guitarist playing the melody and chord diagrams are in place to show the chord positions for the second guitar player. A tempo of 66 dotted quarter beats to the minute is recommended Close

Serenade arr. classical guitar duo + tab

This is a “cut down” / shortened arrangement for #classicalguitar duo with TAB of this familiar piece by Hoffstetter from the string quartet reper Show More...

This is a “cut down” / shortened arrangement for #classicalguitar duo with TAB of this familiar piece by Hoffstetter from the string quartet repertoire. In this beginner / improver level arrangement the sounding key is C whilst the PlentyMusic #sheetmusic realisation & video score play back at 94 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. A complete version is also available to download from the website. The music possesses classical beauty and is sustained in its quality and whilst attributed to Haydn is now known to have been composed by Roman Hoffstetter. The melody does sound easy to play although there are challenges in playing music of this era well and musically. In performance, the articulation of the notes needs to be consistent - the melody is to be played legato (Andante Cantabile) and the plucked guitar accompaniment provides an appropriate sound. A tempo in the range from 90-102 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the bar is suggested whilst the score is marked Andante cantabile. This is an excellent movement for developing an understanding of performance practice and the understanding of dissonance, harmonic rhythm and other musical elements that feature in compositions from the classical era. One of the best reasons to play classical music is that it is a positive element in giving players an awareness of basic structures and shapes in music. Additionally, it is also one of the best ways of developing a secure performing/playing technique on an instrument. Classical style features elements of contrast particularly with regard to key and dynamics. There is also a strong repetitive element that requires the music to played with both simplicity and consistency. Roman Hoffstetter, the composer of this music, was interestingly a Benedictine monk, strongly influenced by Haydn in his music so much so that this perfect imitation of Haydn’s style has in the past been assimilated into Haydn’s own catalogue. Close

Serenade arr. classical guitar duo

Serenade by R. Hoffstetter is a movement from a familiar classical string quartet. In this improver / intermediate level arrangement for classical gu Show More...

Serenade by R. Hoffstetter is a movement from a familiar classical string quartet. In this improver / intermediate level arrangement for classical guitar duo the sounding key is C whilst the PlentyMusic sheet music realisation plays back at 94 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. mp3 guitar accompaniments are also available to download. This is an arrangement for classical guitar duo of this appealing movement from the string quartet repertoire. The music possesses classical beauty and is sustained in its quality and whilst attributed to Haydn is now known to have been composed by Roman Hoffstetter. The melody does sound easy to play although there are challenges in playing music of this era well and musically. In performance, the articulation of the notes needs to be consistent - the melody is to be played legato and the plucked guitar accompaniment provides an agreeable and appropriate sound. A tempo in the range from 90-102 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the bar is suggested whilst the score is marked Andante cantabile. A flute part is appended to the full score which is available as a pdf download from the website. The repeats do not play in the realisation. mp3 classical guitar accompaniments are available playing at 86, 90, 94, 98 and 102 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Similarly the repeats are not played in these recordings. The guitar part is based on the chord sequence used by Hoffstetter and requires a finger style approach. An ideal concert item because the music epitomises so much of classical style although surprisingly not composed by one of the famous and familiar classical composers. The repetitive element in the melodic writing is strong whilst the melody line combines chordal and stepwise shapes. The appoggiaturas do often create dissonance in the melodic line whilst the chromatic harmonic colour add to the music’s appeal and interest. In the PlentyMusic score the appoggiaturas (leaning notes) have been notated as they are to be played while the acciaccaturas (crushed notes) are indicated as ornaments with the appropriate symbol. Actually most of the crushed notes do not sound in the realisation due to the limitations of the samples used. This is an excellent movement for developing an understanding of performance practice and the understanding of dissonance, harmonic rhythm and other musical elements that feature in compositions from the classical era. One of the best reasons to play classical music is that it is a positive element in giving players an awareness of basic structures and shapes in music. Additionally, it is also one of the best ways of developing a secure performing/playing technique on an instrument. Classical style features elements of contrast particularly with regard to key and dynamics. There is also a strong repetitive element that requires the music to played with both simplicity and consistency. The melody can be played with some differences to the phrasing and articulations indicated and suggested in the score. The ornaments, acciaccaturas (crushed notes) which are always a confusing element in music performance are probably best omitted in the early stages of playing the movement. The melody can be played with a variety of articulations but in the first instance particularly as an ensemble piece a legato approach is suggested. How the melody is shaped and played in the opening section is how the melody should be played for the rest of the movement. Listening to a number of performances of the score the music it is surprising how different interpretations can be particularly in respect to tempo, articulation of the melody line, the range of dynamics used and particularly the interpretation of ornaments whether appoggiaturas or acciaccaturas. Instrumentalists should appreciate that classical music can be interpreted differently and what is indicated on the page particularly with regard to ornamentation, phrasing and articulation are discussion points. Listening to available recordings will give an awareness how differently the same music can be played but appreciate that the music editor has been intent upon producing a score that is both consistent and has clarity. Roman Hoffstetter, the composer of this music, was interestingly a Benedictine monk, strongly influenced by Haydn in his music so much so that this perfect imitation of Haydn’s style has in the past been assimilated into Haydn’s own catalogue. The score was updated in 2023. Close

Any Rags? arr. two guitars & bass

An arrangement for two guitars and electric bass of this song chorus that demonstrates many of the essential elements of an emerging popular music sty Show More...

An arrangement for two guitars and electric bass of this song chorus that demonstrates many of the essential elements of an emerging popular music style at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a characterful and musical piece suited to being played as a link between scenes in a show or something with a similar context. In the realisation the melody is played by a muted electric guitar the chords are played by an acoustic guitar and the bass by a fretted bass guitar. There are chord symbols/diagrams to assist the acoustic guitar player whilst the slash chord symbol is used to indicate the rhythm of the strumming pattern in conventional staff notation. Close

Any Rags? arr. two guitars & bass

An arrangement for two guitars and electric bass, all with TAB, of this song chorus that demonstrates many of the essential elements of an emerging p Show More...

An arrangement for two guitars and electric bass, all with TAB, of this song chorus that demonstrates many of the essential elements of an emerging popular music style at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a characterful and musical piece suited to being played as a link between scenes in a show or something with a similar context. In the realisation the melody is played by a muted electric guitar, whilst selected notes of the chord are sounded by an acoustic guitar and the bass by a fretted bass guitar. Close

The Good Time’s Rag arr. two guitars & bass guitar

An arrangement for two guitars & bass guitar of this piece intended to introduce players to the musical elements that feature in ragtime. The guitar p Show More...

An arrangement for two guitars & bass guitar of this piece intended to introduce players to the musical elements that feature in ragtime. The guitar playing the melody has TAB supporting the notation whilst the guitar playing chords has symbols/chord diagrams to assist the player. The bass guitar part is also has TAB supporting conventional staff notation. A tempo of 110 quarter notes (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended and it is suggested that the piece is is played through twice as it is in the realisation. Close

Wilson’s Rag arr. two guitars with TAB

An arrangement of this ragtime waltz for two guitars with Tab. In the realisation one electric guitar is featured and one acoustic. The second guitar Show More...

An arrangement of this ragtime waltz for two guitars with Tab. In the realisation one electric guitar is featured and one acoustic. The second guitar plays voiced chords and a bass line. A tempo of 110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested and is used in the realisation. Close

The Entertainer arr. two acoustic guitars

In this arrangement one guitarist plays the melody and the other plays the chords. Each player is helped by graphics in the form of guitar TAB and cho Show More...

In this arrangement one guitarist plays the melody and the other plays the chords. Each player is helped by graphics in the form of guitar TAB and chord diagrams. Chords are played on the main beats of the bar whilst the melody is syncopated. This is a cut down version omitting the final two sections which make up the trio. Described as Rag Time Two Step and composed in 1902, this music is instantly recognisable, which is a disadvantage to any instrumentalist because as a consequence it needs to played both accurately and musically. Ragtime is the first readily identifiable modern popular music in that it has elements and links with popular music that succeeded it. Unfortunately, much ragtime music is played very badly and frequently at too fast a tempo so I would suggest listening to Scott Joplin's own remastered piano rolls to obtain an understanding of the performance style. A tempo of around 72 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. Close

El Choclo arr. 2 guitars & double bass

This very popular tango dates from 1903. The English translation of El Choclo is the "The Ear of Corn". This version for two guitars with double bas Show More...

This very popular tango dates from 1903. The English translation of El Choclo is the "The Ear of Corn". This version for two guitars with double bass version has a playback tempo of 60 quarter note (crotchet) notes to the minute. Guitarists have the option of changing the chord positions on the fretboard to alter the chord voicing and improve the ensemble. The double bass is to be played pizzicato throughout the arrangement and can be substituted by bass guitar or an acoustic bass guitar. Ãngel Villoldo (1861-1919) was an Argentinian composer and a pioneer of tango which became very popular from both the music and dancing point of view towards the end of the nineteenth century. It is popular today both in Argentina from where it originates and is a familiar and recognisable music style around the world. Close

La Paloma arr. acoustic guitar duo in D with TAB

This improver level two part arrangement is for two acoustic guitars with TAB in the key of D. A tempo of of around 60 quarter note (crotchet) beats t Show More...

This improver level two part arrangement is for two acoustic guitars with TAB in the key of D. A tempo of of around 60 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. The melody needs to be played legato whilst the accompanying bass figuration should be played staccato or certainly in a detached manner. There are many different versions of this piece and the triplet figuration provides various options on how the music can be both notated and played. Sebastian Yradier was a Spanish born composer who despite the universal popularity of the piece died in obscurity in 1865. Based on the Cuban habanera rhythm, La Paloma (The Dove) was written after the composer visited Cuba around 1860 and became very popular world wide. Close

La Paloma arr. acoustic guitar duo in C with TAB

This improver level two part arrangement is for two acoustic guitars with TAB in the key of C. A tempo of of around 60 quarter note (crotchet) beats Show More...

This improver level two part arrangement is for two acoustic guitars with TAB in the key of C. A tempo of of around 60 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. The melody needs to be played legato whilst the accompanying bass figuration should be played staccato or certainly in a detached manner. There are many different versions of this piece and the triplet figuration provides various options on how the music can be both notated and played. Sebastian Yradier was a Spanish born composer who despite the universal popularity of the piece died in obscurity in 1865. Based on the Cuban habanera rhythm, La Paloma (The Dove) was written after the composer visited Cuba around 1860 and became very popular world wide. Close

La Paloma arr. acoustic guitar duo

This improver level two part arrangement is for two acoustic guitars accompanied in the key of C. A tempo of of around 60 quarter note (crotchet) beat Show More...

This improver level two part arrangement is for two acoustic guitars accompanied in the key of C. A tempo of of around 60 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. The melody needs to be played legato whilst the accompanying bass figuration should be played staccato or certainly in a detached manner. There are many different versions of this piece and the triplet figuration provides various options on how the music can be both notated and played. Sebastian Yradier was a Spanish born composer who despite the universal popularity of the piece died in obscurity in 1865. Based on the Cuban habanera rhythm, La Paloma (The Dove) was written after the composer visited Cuba around 1860 and became very popular world wide. Close

Soirée Polka arr. two acoustic guitars

The polka is a lively characterful dance that originated from the area now known as the Czech Republic (Bohemia) and its popularity spread widely thro Show More...

The polka is a lively characterful dance that originated from the area now known as the Czech Republic (Bohemia) and its popularity spread widely throughout Europe and subsequently North and South America. The dance is upbeat and celebratory in character and written in 2/4 time. Foster's Soirée Polka is rhythmic piece suited to being played by a wide range of instruments and instrumental groups although the musical material needs to be played lightly. A tempo of 110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended. Stephen Foster (1826-1864) is known as the father of American music, responsible for writing over 200 songs many of which are still very well known today. His My Old Kentucky Home has been the official state song of Kentucky since 1928. He began composing as a teenager and attempted to live his life as a professional songwriter at a time before copyright laws protected a composers work so it was impossible for him to earn a decent living. Close

Los Tres Golpes arr. 2 guitars and bass guitar

Ignacio Cervantes (1847 - 1905) was a Cuban pianist and composer and his music is an early example of nationalism. Los Tres Golpes (The Three Strikes) Show More...

Ignacio Cervantes (1847 - 1905) was a Cuban pianist and composer and his music is an early example of nationalism. Los Tres Golpes (The Three Strikes) originally composed for piano is one of his Danzas Cubanas exploring the habanera rhythm. It is a short piece usually played through twice in a performance. It has a haunting quality and is suited to being played by a number of different instrument combinations. His music combines Cuban, European and African elements and he was fortunate in being able to travel to Paris to further his music studies studying with Charles-Valentin Alkan and others. A tempo of 96 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. Close

Over the Waves arr. two guitars with TAB

A familiar waltz melody that lends itself to being played by a wide variety of instruments. This arrangement for two guitars has TAB support and with Show More...

A familiar waltz melody that lends itself to being played by a wide variety of instruments. This arrangement for two guitars has TAB support and with the realisation being played at 60 dotted half note (minim) beats to the minute by two acoustic guitars. Rosas was a Mexican composer and violinist who began his career as a street musician. After a visit to Cuba in 1894 he became very poorly and sadly died at the young age of 26. "Over the Waves" (Sobre las Olas) was published in Mexico in 1888 and has become one of the best known Latin American pieces interpreted by many stylistically different types of performing groups. This improver level (second year players) movement in ternary ABA form is an ideal ensemble piece. The realisation plays back at 60 dotted half note (minim) beats to the minute and players need to communicate a one to the bar feel in their playing. Guitar accompaniments are available at tempi of (1) 60 (2) 58 and (3) 56 dotted half note (minim) beats to the minute. Close

Over the Waves arr. two acoustic guitars

A familiar melody that lends itself to being played by a wide variety of instruments. Rosas was a Mexican composer and violinist who began his career Show More...

A familiar melody that lends itself to being played by a wide variety of instruments. Rosas was a Mexican composer and violinist who began his career as a street musician. After a visit to Cuba in 1894 he became very poorly and sadly died at the young age of 26. "Over the Waves" (Sobre las Olas) was published in Mexico in 1888 and is one of the most well known Latin American pieces. The waltz melody is nowadays played by many stylistically differing types of performing groups. The melody is very much associated with the music of funfairs, trapeze artists and fairground organs and has even featured in the MGM film "The Great Caruso." This improver level (second year players) movement in ternary ABA form is an ideal ensemble piece. The realisation plays back at 60 dotted half note (minim) beats to the minute and players need to communicate a one to the bar feel in their playing. Guitar accompaniments are available at tempi of (1) 60 (2) 58 and (3) 56 dotted half note (minim) beats to the minute. Close

Gymnopedie No.1 arr. 2 acoustic guitars

Erik Satie was a French composer and whilst he was considered to be something of an eccentric composed some very appealing and atmospheric miniatures. Show More...

Erik Satie was a French composer and whilst he was considered to be something of an eccentric composed some very appealing and atmospheric miniatures. His Gymnopedie No. 1 is an attractive melodic piece which was subsequently orchestrated by Debussy. Satie's writings and works influenced many of the avant-garde movements established in Paris in the early 20th century. This resource has TAB and chord diagrams. Close

Twinkle Variations arr. 2 acoustic guitars + TAB

A very familiar melody used to introduce some of the elements of classical performance style in melody and accompaniment playing. This intermediate l Show More...

A very familiar melody used to introduce some of the elements of classical performance style in melody and accompaniment playing. This intermediate level arrangement explores classical compositional techniques within a two part texture and can be played by either nylon strung or steel strung acoustic guitars. The realisation actually features steel stringed instruments and this score also has TAB. Close

Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star Variations arr. 2 acoustic guitars

A very familiar melody used to introduce some of the elements of classical performance style in melody and accompaniment playing. This intermediate l Show More...

A very familiar melody used to introduce some of the elements of classical performance style in melody and accompaniment playing. This intermediate level arrangement explores classical compositional techniques within a two part texture and can be played by either nylon strung or steel strung acoustic guitars. The realisation actually features steel stringed instruments. Close

Prelude in D minor BWV 999 arr. two acoustic guitars

In this arrangement for two guitars with TAB charts to support the conventionally notated score the chordal element of this piece is well suited to th Show More...

In this arrangement for two guitars with TAB charts to support the conventionally notated score the chordal element of this piece is well suited to this instrument combination. The movement was popularised by Segovia's solo guitar playing although the origins of the movement are as a lute piece. This movement has to be rhythmically secure and choosing a correct tempo is quite a performance challenge. IT is very easy to start playing this piece either too quickly or two slowly. Close

Prelude in D minor BWV 926 arr. two acoustic guitars

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars of this dignified movement with an outline chord shape that needs to be clearly articulated. It is supported Show More...

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars of this dignified movement with an outline chord shape that needs to be clearly articulated. It is supported by a contrasting and well defined bass line that has a toccata / cadenza like section near the end. The parts are presented in conventional staff notation and as TAB charts and players can refer to the piano copy to see and hear how the ornaments should be played. The TAB charts whilst useful are not perfect in that if two notes are sounding on the same string they will need some re-interpretation and clarification. The conventionally notated score should be understood as being the reference score. Close

Minuet in B minor BWV 1067 arr. two acoustic guitars

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars of this familiar movement. One guitar plays the melody whilst the other accompanies with strummed chords. Both Show More...

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars of this familiar movement. One guitar plays the melody whilst the other accompanies with strummed chords. Both parts are supported with either TAB or chord shape graphics. The binary AB form minuet is from the Orchestral Suite in B minor BWV 1067. In the Minuet in B minor (Two Part) version players can see the ornaments written out to clarify how they should be played and this Two Part score is supported by an mp3 realisation. Close

Invention 8 arr. electric guitar & bass guitar

J.S.Bach’s Invention 8 BWV 779 arranged for electric & bass guitar. One of the most popular of the two part inventions with scale runs and chord sha Show More...

J.S.Bach’s Invention 8 BWV 779 arranged for electric & bass guitar. One of the most popular of the two part inventions with scale runs and chord shapes to master. A sheet music score with both staff notation and TAB is available from the website. Accompaniments are also in place. This is an updated version of an earlier music score. An uplifting and appealing invention with many scale runs and chord shapes that make this an appropriate movement for guitarists to play to improve technique. There are some octave transpositions in the parts to keep to the range of the instruments. The guitar is an instrument where the same note can be played in different positions on the fretboard and whilst the TAB scores available maybe helpful in locating notes they do not provide the only solution. Acoustic instruments can be substituted for the electric. The realisation plays back at a reasonable 84 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. Many musicians play this invention faster and interestingly it is a movement usually played without ornaments. Guitar players need to choose a tempo at which the whole movement can be played consistently. It is a good test piece for players because this piece can very easily run away with itself requiring a tempo adjustment in the challenging sixteenth /semi-quaver sections. Remember that music cannot be played quickly until it can be played slowly. The electric guitar and bass guitar are both transposing instruments and sound an octave lower than written enabling the space between the contrapuntal lines to be retained. There are some octave transpositions in the parts to keep to each instrument’s range. Scores are available in both staff notation and TAB. The TAB scores are limited in that they are literal translations of the notated score and guitar players may well wish to review some of the note positions suggested in these scores. Ornaments are not generally featured in this movement whilst the realisation plays back at 84 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. Accompaniments are in place allowing guitar and bass players to participate in ensemble activities as part of their practice routines. The electric guitar sounds on one side of the stereo channel and the bass guitar on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 80, 84, 88, 92, 96, and for the very brave 100 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. This reflects the fact that this particular invention can be played at many different tempi. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is a two bar count in /click track for each of the accompaniment tracks. Again it is wise for players to listen to performances of this invention on streaming media to understand the different approaches that players have when performing this movement especially with regard to articulation. The Bach Inventions are generally considered to be intermediate level movements when played on a keyboard instrument. They are possibly more challenging works when played on other instruments. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the harmonic journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst other compositional processes and techniques are evident as in most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing ensemble playing in the duo format. Close

Bourrée in Em BWV 996 arr. two acoustic guitars

Arranged for two acoustic guitars with conventional notation with TAB support this particular bourrée shouldn't be played too quickly and a tempo Show More...

Arranged for two acoustic guitars with conventional notation with TAB support this particular bourrée shouldn't be played too quickly and a tempo of around 60 half note (minim) beats to the minute is suggested. The musical lines are of equal performance and technical difficulty and make it an ideal ensemble piece for a guitar duo. The realisation is lacking in tonal contrast. Close

Invention 8 arr. classical guitar duo

J.S.Bach’s Invention 8 BWV 779 arranged for classical guitar duo in the original key of F. One of the most popular of the two part inventions with s Show More...

J.S.Bach’s Invention 8 BWV 779 arranged for classical guitar duo in the original key of F. One of the most popular of the two part inventions with scale runs and chord shapes to master. A sheet music score with both staff notation and TAB is available from the website. Accompaniments are also in place. An uplifting and appealing invention with many scale runs and chord shapes that make this an appropriate movement for guitarists to play to improve technique. There are some octave transpositions in the parts to keep to the range of the instruments. The guitar is an instrument where the same note can be played in different positions on the fretboard and whilst the TAB scores available maybe helpful in locating notes they do not provide the only option. The realisation plays back at 96 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. Many musicians play this invention faster and interestingly it is a movement usually played without ornaments. Guitar players need to choose a tempo at which the whole movement can be played consistently. It is a good test piece for players because this piece can very easily run away with itself requiring a tempo adjustment in the challenging sixteenth /semi-quaver sections. Remember that music cannot be played quickly until it can be played slowly. The classical guitar is a transposing instrument and sounds an octave lower than written. The contrapuntal lines are an octave closer together than in the piano version. Ornaments are not generally featured in this movement whilst the realisation plays back at 84 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. Accompaniments are in place allowing guitar players to participate in ensemble activities as part of their practice routines. Classical Guitar 1 sounds on one side of the stereo channel and Classical Guitar 2 on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, 96, and for the brave 100 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. This reflects the fact that this particular invention can be played at many different tempi. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is a four bar count in /click track for each of the accompaniment tracks. Again it is wise for players to listen to performances of this invention on streaming media to understand the different approaches that players have when performing this movement especially with regard to articulation. The Bach Inventions are generally considered to be intermediate level movements when played on a keyboard instrument. They are possibly more challenging works when played on other instruments. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the harmonic journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst other compositional processes and techniques are evident as in most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing ensemble playing in the duo format. Close

Invention 4 arr. electric guitar & bass + TAB

J.S.Bach’s Invention 4 BWV 775 arr. electric guitar & bass guitar Both notated & TAB scores are available. In the key of D minor this is an appeal Show More...

J.S.Bach’s Invention 4 BWV 775 arr. electric guitar & bass guitar Both notated & TAB scores are available. In the key of D minor this is an appealing work featuring an opening motif or melodic shape that combines a scale shape with the interval of a falling diminished seventh. The realisation plays back at 48 dotted quarter note or dotted crotchet beats to the minute. The time signature for this movement is 3/8 and the music editor suggests approaching playing the movement with a one in a bar feel or pulse rather than trying to count in eighth notes or quavers. The long trills bar 19 and bar 29 need to be played rhythmically and with control. There is some debate as to the notes to be played in the trill commencing in bar 29. The music editor suggests a written F natural but many alternate a F# with the E. The ornaments can always be omitted particularly in the early stages of learning the movement. If In the video score, which guitar players may wish to refer to on the PlentyMusic YouTube channel ornaments have been written out as they sound in the realisation to represent exactly what is being played. As the electric The TAB score Accompaniments are in place allowing electric guitar & bass players to participate in an ensemble activity as part of practice routines. The electric guitar sounds on one side of the stereo channel and the bass guitar on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 39, 42, 45, 48, 51 and for the brave 54 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is a four bar count in /click track for each of the accompaniment tracks. This is an invention where it is interesting to observe the different approaches to playing the movement particularly with regard to tempo and articulation. The Inventions are always worth revisiting and the collection should be understood to be one that benefits from this. Valuable time can be spent on streaming media listening to and perhaps watching different approaches that players have when performing this movement. Whilst there is considerable contrast to the tempo that the invention is played remember that movements cannot be played quickly until they be played slowly! The inventions offer excellent opportunities to improve ensemble playing in a duo context. Individual clarinet parts are also appended to the full scores available as a pdf download from the PlentyMusic website. The Bach Inventions are considered to be intermediate level movements. The key journey that features in this movement embraces the closley related keys of the relative major, sub-dominant and the V7 – VI progression bars 48 - 49 further adds to the harmonic journey. Imitation, inversion and sequence are all in evidence as compositional processes. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing a sound and secure playing technique. This is a revision and update of a previous score posted on the website. The music score was revised in 2023. B. Close

Invention 4 arr. classical guitar duo + TAB

J.S.Bach’s Invention 4 BWV 775 arr. classical guitar duo with both notated & TAB scores available as pdf downloads from the PlentyMusic website. In Show More...

J.S.Bach’s Invention 4 BWV 775 arr. classical guitar duo with both notated & TAB scores available as pdf downloads from the PlentyMusic website. In the key of D minor this is an appealing work featuring an opening motif or melodic shape that combines a scale shape with the interval of a falling diminished seventh. The realisation plays back at 48 dotted quarter note or dotted crotchet beats to the minute. The time signature for this movement is 3/8 and the music editor suggests approaching playing the movement with a one in a bar feel or pulse rather than trying to count in eighth notes or quavers. The long trills bar 19 and bar 29 need to be played rhythmically and with control. There is some debate as to the notes to be played in the trill commencing in bar 29. The music editor suggests a written F natural but many alternate a F# with the E. The ornaments can always be omitted particularly in the early stages of learning the movement. Many guitarists edit the music score in how they play the ornaments finding it difficult to sustain the hammer technique for so long. Find a solution but do ensure that both parts and instruments are imitating each other. The voicing in this arrangement with the guitar 1 sounding an octave lower than written means that the contrapuntal lines are an octave closer together than in the original piano version. In the video score, which guitar players may wish to refer to on the PlentyMusic YouTube channel ornaments have been written out as they sound in the realisation to represent exactly what is being played. Accompaniments are in place allowing classical guitar duo players to participate in an ensemble activity as part of practice routines. Classical Guitar 1 sounds on one side of the stereo channel and Classical Guitar 2 on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 39, 42, 45, 48, 51 and for the brave 54 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is a four bar count in /click track for each of the accompaniment tracks. This is an invention where it is interesting to observe the different approaches to playing the movement particularly with regard to tempo and articulation. The Inventions are always worth revisiting and the collection should be understood to be one that benefits from this. Valuable time can be spent on streaming media listening to and perhaps watching different approaches that players have when performing this movement. Whilst there is considerable contrast to the tempo that the invention is played remember that movements cannot be played quickly until they be played slowly! The inventions offer excellent opportunities to improve ensemble playing in a duo context. Individual guitar parts are also appended to the full scores available as a pdf download from the PlentyMusic website. The Bach Inventions are considered to be intermediate level movements. The key journey that features in this movement embraces the closely related keys of the relative major, sub-dominant and the V7 – VI progression bars 48 - 49 further adds to the harmonic journey. Imitation, inversion and sequence are all in evidence as compositional processes. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing a sound and secure playing technique. This is a revision and update of a previous score posted on the website. Close

Invention 13 arr. electric guitar & bass guitar + TAB

J.S.Bach’s Invention 13 in the key of A minor is a movement with some quite delightful shapes to play particularly chord shapes including minor, maj Show More...

J.S.Bach’s Invention 13 in the key of A minor is a movement with some quite delightful shapes to play particularly chord shapes including minor, major, dominant 7th & diminished 7th also in their different positions (root, first & second inversion…) This is an excellent ensemble piece encouraging players to listen to each other. Acoustic instruments can be substituted for the electric ones. The electric guitar and bass guitar are both transposing instruments and sound an octave lower than written enabling the space between the contrapuntal lines to be retained. There are some octave transpositions in the bass guitar part to keep to the instrument’s range. Scores are available in both staff notation and TAB. The guitar is an instrument where the same note can be played in different positions and on different strings. The TAB scores are a literal translations of the notated score and guitar players may well wish to review some of the note positions suggested in these scores. Ornaments are not featured in this movement whilst the realisation plays back at 72 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. Accompaniments are in place allowing guitar and bass players to participate in ensemble activities as part of their practice routines. The guitar sounds on one side of the stereo channel and the bass on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70 and 72 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. This reflects the fact that the invention can be played at many different tempi. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is a two bar count in /click track for each of the accompaniment tracks. As in all the inventions it is a requirement to play accurate note values. Ends of phrases are deserving of particular attention. Legato playing is suggested in the first instance although players can offer their own playing and performance approaches which in many ways is the invitation offered in this and many other Bach music collections. There is no perfectly correct way to play this music and there is the added challenge of being able to re-visit and play the music again. Time spent listening to this work on streaming media will be invaluable to players wishing to understand the different approaches that players have when performing this movement. The principle behind J.S. Bach’s two part inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the harmonic journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst other processes are evident in Bach’s Two Part Inventions as in most music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. As concentrated and concise movements the 15 Inventions played in an ensemble context present excellent challenges and there is simply not much other music that can better prepare players for this type of music activity. An invention suited to being played by a wide range of instruments possibly with a combination of instruments belonging to different instrument families – a mix and match approach is invited. The 2023 music score is a revision of the 2013 PlentyMusic score. Close

Invention No.13 in A min arr. for 2 acoustic guitars + TAB

An ideal ensemble piece for two acoustic guitars. The Two Part Inventions are excellent training pieces but do require a secure technique if performan Show More...

An ideal ensemble piece for two acoustic guitars. The Two Part Inventions are excellent training pieces but do require a secure technique if performances are to be musically convincing. Whilst the realisations have a tempo of 72 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute the movement can be performed at tempi both faster and slower than this. The scores are notated both conventionally and with TAB. Close

Polonaise in G minor BWV App. 119 arr. two acoustic guitars

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars often described as guitar duo with tab of this characterful and rhythmic piece in binary (AB) form in the key Show More...

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars often described as guitar duo with tab of this characterful and rhythmic piece in binary (AB) form in the key of G minor. Close

Minuet in A minor BWV App.115 arr. two guitars

Arranged for two acoustic guitars both parts are conventionally notated and have TAB charts. The haunting quality of the movement is well suited to t Show More...

Arranged for two acoustic guitars both parts are conventionally notated and have TAB charts. The haunting quality of the movement is well suited to this instrument combination. The music has been transposed from the original key of G minor. Close

Minuet in G arr. for two acoustic guitars BWV App.116

An arrangement for two guitars of this uplifting piece which features imitation in the writing and like many of Bach's short works composed in two sec Show More...

An arrangement for two guitars of this uplifting piece which features imitation in the writing and like many of Bach's short works composed in two sections. This binary (AB) form dance form movement needs to be played fluently and all notes need to be clearly articulated. TAB charts support the notated guitar parts. Close

Minuet in D minor BWV App.132 arr. two acoustic guitars

An arrangement for two guitars of the melancholy piece attributed to J.S.Bach in the very expressive key of D minor. Much of the music that appears in Show More...

An arrangement for two guitars of the melancholy piece attributed to J.S.Bach in the very expressive key of D minor. Much of the music that appears in collections by Bach such as the "Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook"and attributed to him has often actually been composed by some else. Close

Musette in D BWV App.126 arr. for two acoustic guitars

A lively piece with strong repetitive elements, ideal for duet playing. Notes need to be clearly articulated and the ostinato/drone accompaniment allo Show More...

A lively piece with strong repetitive elements, ideal for duet playing. Notes need to be clearly articulated and the ostinato/drone accompaniment allows flexibility in the stylistic interpretation. This arrangement of this rhythmical piece is for two guitars with dropped down tuning and there are supporting TAB charts. Close

Minuet in G BWV App.114 arr for guitar

A melody and chord arrangement of this familiar melody which could quite easily be played as a duet. Arranged for the beginner this resource has lette Show More...

A melody and chord arrangement of this familiar melody which could quite easily be played as a duet. Arranged for the beginner this resource has letter names of notes written in the note heads and a guitar chord chart to support the melody. Close

Minuet in G BWV App.114 arr. for two acoustic guitars

A melody and chord arrangement of this familiar melody attributed to J.S.Bach which could quite easily be played as a duet. There is TAB chart to sup Show More...

A melody and chord arrangement of this familiar melody attributed to J.S.Bach which could quite easily be played as a duet. There is TAB chart to support the melodic notation and guitar chords symbols. Close

Minuet in G BWV App.114 arr. two guitars

An arrangement for two guitars also known as guitar duo of this familiar piece from the Anna Magdalena Notebook with TAB support.

March in D arr. two guitars

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars of this adaptable and lively movement requiring dropped down D tuning. Both parts are written in conventional Show More...

An arrangement for two acoustic guitars of this adaptable and lively movement requiring dropped down D tuning. Both parts are written in conventional staff nation and TAB. Close