Guitar News

Xuefei Yang plays her own arrangement of one of Guang Ren’s 任光 (1900-1941) best known orchestral works. Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon (彩云追月, Cǎi Yún Zhuī Yuè) was composed by Ren Guang in 1935 for a Chinese instrumental ensemble. This comes via her great YouTube channel. I haven’t featured Xuefei for awhile but I’m always super impressed with her creative playing, arranging, and guitar orchestration. I saw her perform years ago and was shocked at her unique and virtuosic performance. One the greats of our day. As she mentions in her YouTube description: “The leisurely and graceful piece develops a poetic scene of clouds chasing the bring moon in the vast night sky. The piece uses folk melodies from China’s Yangtze delta.”

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Adam Cicchillitti (Guitar) and Lara Deutsch (flute) perform Toward the Sea (海へ, Umi e) by Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996). The work is divided into three sections: The Night, Moby-Dick, and Cape Cod.  This comes via Cicchillitti’s YouTube channel. I always enjoy Takemitsu, happy to see this nice performance by Cicchillitti and Deutsch. Takemitsu’s interest with the subject of water was an ongoing theme in his works, dating back to his 1963 electronic work, Water Music. Takemitsu composed three versions of Toward the Sea, the first for flute and guitar, then harp and string orchestra, and then flute and harp. Here’s the YouTube writeup by Cicchillitti:

Toward the Sea is a three-movement work by Toru Takemitsu, written for the Greenpeace “Save the Whales” campaign in the 1980s. The word S E A is spelt out throughout the course of the work using the motive (Eb E A). Takemitsu is known for evoking nature through his use of musical silence and rest – all three movements feature this dialogue of sound and silence, where gestures culminate in periods of complete rest. Takemitsu also chose the guitar and flute likely as an evocation of the native shakuhachi and biwa instruments, which are of traditional Japanese origin. The use of folk instrumentation, evocation of nature, and Debussy-esque harmonies are typical of Takemitsu’s writing style in the later part of his life.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.9 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 3 level depending on your tempo. Keep in mind that this study is the same chord progression as No.8 but now with a more active texture. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.8 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 2 level depending on your tempo. Keep in mind that this study is the same chord progression as No.9 so, although easier, it sets you up for success in No.9. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Thomas Viloteau plays Etude No. 1 from Ten Études by Giulio Regondi (1823–1872). This comes via his fantastic YouTube channel. Wonderful performance by Viloteau on a Lacôte-inspired guitar made by Mark Usherovich for the Peabody Institute. The Regondi etudes and works are a set above much of the repertoire of the time so always nice to hear it. I like his handling of the upper section and chords near the end, a little more exciting than most performances. I’ve been wanting to put an edition of the ten etudes but haven’t found originals for all ten just yet. The Ophee edition is the standard though which you can find at Sheet Music Plus.

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Drifting by Aaron Larget-Caplan
Vol.3 of the New Lullaby Project
Aaron Larget-Caplan, 2021.
New Lullaby Project

Another fantastic volume from the New Lullaby Project by Aaron Larget-Caplan. The New Lullaby Project actively commissions new music lullabies by contemporary composers. It’s amazing he’s already on Volume 3, what a monumental amount of commissions and performances. He’s also been publishing the sheet music as he goes (see below). With wonderful performances, beautiful compositions, and the scores allowing you to perform your favourite works, this is a must-follow project.

Buy or Listen to Samples: bandcamp, Spotify and more.

From the Liner Notes via bandcamp:

The requirements were simple: a beautiful 3-5minute guitar solo in the genre of a lullaby… a malleable definition. So simple and yet after 65 premieres by over 55 composers in nine countries, no two lullabies sound the same.

The New Lullaby Project began in 2007, and the 15 guitar solos featured on this album were written between 2010 and 2020. In the debut album New Lullaby (2010) the compositions can be divided into warm and safe versus dark and foreboding. Nights Transfigured (2020) highlights a wealth of compositional languages and extended techniques, while the lullabies are tinged with melancholy.

In Drifting, some plead to or reflect humanity, while others testify to a memory and affirmation of a time passed by. There are lullabies born from an improvisation (Rivchun), patience and hope in love (Turner), a nod to Francisco Tarrega (Pence) and sleeping beauty (Drozd). One was written while I gave a lecture (McDonald), and others inspired by a nodding head (Green) and a dancing baby (Veloso). Some tell us to let the day be (Scharf), others acknowledge the troubles that await outside of our dream world (Schreiner), and then we hear a prayer and plea (Odriozola/Warren) and touches of love and friendship (Trester/Wiese). All the time a gorgeous 12-tone lullaby (Mashak) sits quietly to be discovered. The compositional language leans tonal and the tuning remains mostly standard, but don’t worry, harmonics still abound.

Repertoire

• The Sleeping Guitar by Tim Pence
• Counting Backwards by Anthony R. Green
• Canción de Niñez by Frank E. Warren
• Lullaby For Children Of The New World by Ricardo Odriozola
• Drifting by Stefanie Lubkowski
• White Potatoes by Charles Turner
• Lulubye by Jacob Mashak
• Seeketh Not Its Own by Ian Wiese
• Lullaby For Letting The Day Be What It Is by Scott Scharf
• Upward by John McDonald
• Dreams by Boris Rivchun
• Little Dancer by Michael J. Veloso
• Dreamcatcher by Francine Trester
• Le Belle Addormentate by Gerard Drozd
• A Lullaby In Restless Times by Martin Max Schreiner

HUSHED – SCORES of the New Lullaby Project Anthology, Volume 2

Music of the New Lullaby Project, Volume Two
Sixteen 21st-century works for solo guitar.
Commissioned, curated, and edited by Aaron Larget-Caplan

The scores for the second volume of lullabies are available via the American Composers Alliance. You can also buy it along with other releases via his bandcamp merch store.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.7 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 3 or 4 level depending on your tempo. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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When is it okay to repeat fingers in the right hand on classical guitar? Plus some context about learning to alternate your fingers and my thoughts as a teacher. Short answer, if you choose to repeat fingers for a specific musical reason it’s probably fine but if you are repeating fingers accidentally you should examine the reason why. Here’s the YouTube lesson link if you want to watch it there.

Need right hand practice and good habits? Check out the 100 exercises from my technique book. All the individual lessons are also listed below the description on the book page. After those exercises you can proceed to Giuliani’s 120 Right Hand Studies, also in my book: Classical Guitar Technique: Essential Exercises, Scales, & Arpeggios

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.6 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 4 level if you are muting the basses, otherwise grade 3 without. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Canadian guitarist Emma Rush plays Air Varié de Vive Henri IV by Julia Piston (ca.1800-1842). This comes via her excellent YouTube channel and this piece is available on her excellent album Wake the Sigh that I reviewed. This is one of the works from her album that I thought was particularly good and overlooked in terms of the traditional repertoire and I’d love to make an edition of it. Wonderful playing by Rush on a period instrument Stauffer replica by Canadian luthier Miodrag Žerdoner. Make sure to subscribe to her channel and check out the album.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.5 in A Minor, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 3 level. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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David Russell performs Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro BWV 998 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) recorded in Monforte de Lemos in Northwestern Spain. This comes via the Omni Foundation and their Youtube channel via the Omni On-Location series, Concerts from Historic Sites. Love the introduction to the location and, of course, the wonderful playing by Russell. You can also see his recording of BWV 996 here and BWV 997 here.

They also did a great interview with the great David Tanenbaum which is super informative and full of interpretation ideas.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.4 in C Minor, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 2 level. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.3 in C Major, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 2 level. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.2, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

I would place this study around the grade 1 level. Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Performance and Lesson for Study No.1, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition for classical guitar: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

Here’s the YouTube Link for this lesson in case you want to watch it there.

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Introduction and Orientation to 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839). This is from my PDF or hardcopy sheet music or tab edition: 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor.

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures.

The post Introduction to Fernando Sor’s 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Fernando Sor (1778–1839) – Original Title: Introduction à l’étude de la guitare. PDF Sheet Music or Tab for Classical Guitar. Comes with both a notation-only edition and a tab edition. Left hand fingering. Early to Late-Intermediate (Grades 1-7). This is a PDF download.

Buy my PDF Sheet Music or Tab

• 25 Progressive Studies, Op.60 by Sor from Werner Guitar Editions

Hardcopies via Amazon: Coming Late-September

Fernando Sor’s Op.60 is one of the most famous of all etude collections in the classical guitar repertoire. Each study covers a different pedagogical concept but the primary goal of the collection as a whole is the ability to play legato across various textures. I have kept Sor’s left hand fingering concepts but updated and modernized some to maximize legato phrasing. There is no right hand fingering in the original and therefore has been omitted here for a clean and flexible score. However, a thorough technique routine of scales and arpeggios should be more than enough to accomplish these studies. Some right hand concepts are explored in the video lessons.

Video Performances and Lessons

All videos estimated to be completed in 2021. Stay tuned.

• Introduction and Edition Info for Sor’s Op.60
• Study No.1, Op.60, Grade 1
• Study No.2, Op.60
• Study No.3, Op.60
• Study No.4, Op.60
• Study No.5, Op.60
• Study No.6, Op.60
• Study No.7, Op.60
• Study No.8, Op.60
• Study No.9, Op.60
• Study No.10, Op.60
• Study No.11, Op.60
• Study No.12, Op.60
• Study No.13, Op.60
• Study No.14, Op.60
• Study No.15, Op.60
• Study No.16, Op.60
• Study No.17, Op.60
• Study No.18, Op.60
• Study No.19, Op.60
• Study No.20, Op.60
• Study No.21, Op.60
• Study No.22, Op.60
• Study No.23, Op.60
• Study No.24, Op.60
• Study No.25, Op.60

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Rene Izquierdo plays Canción y Danza by Antonio Ruiz Pipó (1934-1997). This comes via Izquierdo’s great YouTube channel. Here he’s playing an Altamira Double Top at Tanner Monagle Studios with post-production by Drew Henderson. Amazing playing by Izquierdo with a beautifully lyrical song followed by a brilliant dance with tight rhythms and articulations. Here’s his description on YouTube:

Virtuoso pianist and composer Antonio Ruiz Pipó was born in Granada, Spain. In his youth he played the guitar a little and this provided him with a working knowledge of the instrument, for which he wrote numerous works. His music is consistently tonal, his treatment and harmonization of his thematic material is sophisticated, and he revels in sharp contrasts of mood and color. This composition was his main legacy for the guitar.

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Tariq Harb performs the 36 Caprices Op. 20 by Luigi Legnani (1790–1877). This comes via Harb’s fantastic YouTube Channel. I wrote him saying that he was freaking me out with how fast and well he’s presenting these works. He mentioned that he might be making educational lessons for them and putting out an edition so we can all look forward to that in the future. The 36 caprices for guitar may have been inspired by Paganini’s Twenty-four Caprices for violin, Op. 1. All the major and minor keys are present in his caprices making them an important collection for the guitar which rarely ventures outside of the regular keys. Bonus points for the Douglass Scott guitar!

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