Guitar News

Variations sur un Thême de G. F. Handel pour la Guitarre, Op. 107 by Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829). Sheet Music & Tab for Classical Guitar with both a Notation-Only Edition and Notation + TAB Edition. Left hand fingering. PDF Download. Depending on your tempo I’d say the level is late-intermediate (Grade 7) in terms of basic playing but performing the whole work at a pro tempo is advanced (Grade 9-10).

Sheet Music or Tab (PDF)

• Buy Giuliani’s Handel Variations at Werner Guitar Editions, my dedicated sheet music store

Variations on a Theme by Handel Op.107 is one of Giuliani’s most popular set of variations. The theme comes from popularly nicknamed The Harmonious Blacksmith, the final movement, Air and variations, from Suite No. 5 in E major, HWV 430, for harpsichord by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). Giuliani does not follow Handel’s variations but simply uses the theme and writes his own set.

Bradford’s Performance Video – Coming 2020

Alex Park offers a nicely balanced approach to the work. A good starting model and solid overview of the work.

Stephanie Jones’s casual video offers some excellent alternative fingerings to my own.

I grew up listening to John Williams play this piece so I’m very settled into his tempos and articulations. The musical ideas are clear and exaggerated.

Pretty clean and clear playing with a rushed feel (not in a bad way). Almost a Glen Gould approach! Some intense tempos in the later variations!

Russian guitarist Artyom Dervoed plays La Campanella by Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840). This comes via his great YouTube channel. Transcription for the guitar by W. Lendle / A. Dervoed. Recorded live from Tchaikovsky Concert Hall: Moscow Philharmonic Society. An exciting and extroverted performance with lots of twists and turns and interesting articulation. What a rhapsodic and crazy piece and Dervoed doesn’t not hold back on the virtuosity!

João Luiz Rezende premieres a new work Los Guardianes de La Magia by Leo Brouwer (b.1939). This comes via his YouTube channel. You might already know João Luiz from the amazing Brasil Guitar Duo. Great to hear a new work from Brouwer and played with such energy, care, and virtuosity. Here’s what he had to say about the work in the YouTube description:

I am thrilled to share with you the world premiere of maestro Leo Brouwer’s piece “Los Guardianes de La Magia” written for and dedicated to me. It is my great honor to be the dedicatee of such a wonderful work by our esteemed maestro! The premiere took place this morning as the closing performance of the online graduation ceremony at Hunter College, NY where I am faculty. I was so happy to be part of this great event celebrating the accomplishments of Hunter College’s students during this difficult time.



The Virtual Guitar Orchestra is at it again with a second edition, Scient, Safe and Sane by Sergio Assad with organizers Mak Grgic and Uros Baric. The including the world’s greatest professional guitars and enthusiastic community members. The first edition Kaleidokithara by Sergio Assad (above video) with 144 players from over 50 countries turned out beautifully. This new edition will include 200 players! I was very happy to be able to take part in the orchestra section last time and just submitted my part for this round. 

It’s such an amazing project and will bring so many people together during this fragile time in our history. I just donated to their fundraiser. Maybe you will too?

• Visit their GoFundMe page for more info.

Scient, Safe and Sane

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Prelude by Molino Lesson Link.

Prelude en A mineur (Prelude in A Minor) by Francesco Molino (1768-1847) from his method Nouvelle Méthode pour la Guitarre. Molino was an Italian guitarist, violinist, and composer. This is an exciting little work filled with a variety of musical textures and a few small challenges. It’s the final piece in the book so I wanted to add a work that has a bit more complexity.

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Romance by Molino Lesson Link.

Romance (Andantino) in A minor by Francesco Molino (1768-1847) from his method Nouvelle Méthode pour la Guitarre. Molino was an Italian guitarist, violinist, and composer. This is an excellent little work filled with musical complexity but relatively easy shapes. I mainly discuss how to isolate the melody and shape the phrasing as well as some of the specific fingering required for the piece.

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Andante in C by Mertz Lesson Link.

Andante in C by Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856) from his method Schule für die Guitarre. This is an active piece with a nice melody but also some active accompaniment. Once you’ve learned the chord shapes and understand the fingering it is fairly easy and secure. Make sure to keep your left hand aligned so the C sharps in the bass don’t catch you off guard.

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Exercise 13 by Mertz Lesson Link.

Exercise No. 13 by Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856) from his method Schule für die Guitarre. This is a nice easy arpeggio work serving as a possible intro or prelude to the Mertz work that follows in my book. In my lesson I mainly discuss how to practice vs play smoothly when working on a piece that is mainly arpeggios.

An interview about the art of teaching with German musician, guitarist and pedagogue Stefan Schmidt, February 2020, Friedberg, Germany. This comes via the Kordiuk Guitar Platform via their YouTube channel. Just a shout out to those to made the film via Schmidt’s Facebook “Many thanks to Ihor Kordiuk for his energy and dedication! Thanks for the perfect synchronization to Julian Schmidt! Many thanks, too, for the nice words at the end of the video by Nadja Jankovicc, Jessica Kaiser and Sixstringmusic Frankfurt Frankfurt (Markus Paichrowski)!”

Stefan Schmidt has helped develop some of the world’s most amazing profession and emerging guitarists. From youth students to young adult professionals and adults he creates musical artists with refinement at every level. I’ve been so curious to hear more about his teaching, he gives workshops on it and hopefully one day I can attend one. Enjoy this 36 minute interview. So many great tips, this is essentially how to teacher properly with care and respect.

“The focus is on the work of a teacher rather than the work of a student. If a teacher is the one who is responsible for the success of a lesson then teaching is much more fun. You have it in your hands and are no longer dependent on whether the student has practiced or not. The student comes in, delivers, and I am the one who can change everything. So as a teacher I have to set myself a goal, where do we want to be at the end of the lesson. Make yourself comfortable, design your teaching in such a way that you enjoy every lesson you give.”

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Carulli Op.241. No.21 Lesson Link.

Waltz, Op.241, No.21 by Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841). This is a nice and exciting arpeggio work with a strong melody embedded in the texture. The first section is in E minor and the second in G major. The shapes are fairly easy but it sounds more advanced since it is very active. In the lesson I talk about the melody, balance, texture, right hand fingering and phrasing.

Rene Izquierdo plays Preludios Epigramaticos by Leo Brouwer (b.1939) at the Altamira Hong Kong Guitar Symposium. This comes via Izquierdo’s great YouTube channel. I was searching the site and I can’t believe I’ve never featured the amazing Rene Izquierdo before so this is long overdue. Fantastic playing with a refined sense of space and pacing in these meditative works. Bursts of virtuosity contrast with beautiful phrasing. Originally from Cuba, he studied with a long list of great teachers including Brouwer. Izquierdo now teaches at Wisconsin State University in Milwaukee.

Here’s a nice writeup on the preludes from Steven Thachuk via this NaxosNaxos Album. “Preludios Epigramaticos (1981-1983) are a set of six short preludes based on lines from poems by Miguel Hernandez: 1.Desde que el alba quiso ser alba, todo eres madre. 2. Tristes hombres si no mueren de amores. 3. Alrededor de tu piel áto y desato la mia 4. Rie que todo rie: que todo es madre lleve. 5. Me cogiste el corazón y hoy precipita su vuelo 6. Llego con tres heridas, la del amor, la de la muerte, la de la vida. The pieces are extremely concise in musical structure and compositional elements. There are shared musical themes between these Preludes and the Retrats Catalans (1981) for guitar and chamber orchestra.”

Sheet Music via Amazon: Preludios Epigramaticos by Brouwer

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Carulli Op.241. No.20 Lesson Link.

Andantino, Op.241, No.20 by Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841). This solid work in the key of A minor hits the all right spots musically. It has a nice melody but also some great harmonies and opportunities for accents and resolution of non-chord tones. In the lesson I mainly discuss the melody, right hand fingering, and some phrasing and articulation ideas.

Karmen Stendler and David Antigüedad play Letter from Home by Pat Methany, arranged by Antigüedad. This comes via Stendler’s great YouTube channel. beautiful little arrangement of this classic tune by famous jazz and all around amazing guitarist Pat Methany. Great lyrical playing and sweet tone by both players. Maybe Methany will see this!

Out of interest here is an old interview with Methany and performance of Letter from Home, the songs starts at 3:11. It’s been almost 10 years since I listened to my Methany albums, I’m digging them out today if I can find a way to play a CD!

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Sor Study Op.31. No.6 Lesson Link.

Leçon Op.31, No.6 by Fernando Sor (1778-1839). This is an excellent arpeggio study with a melody in the top voice. It is fairly straight forward in terms of chord shapes and fingering, however, it is active and morphing constantly so requires some extra practice and knowledge of what’s coming next. I give some tips about getting the shapes together and how the melody sneaks its way across and through the harmonies. Take it slow and give it time.

Fingers of Time Vol. 1 & 2 by Uros Baric
Recorded, Produced, and Performed by Uros Baric
2018 Baros Records

Learn More, Listen, or Buy: Fingers of Time Vol. 1 and Fingers of Time Vol. 2

Great to hear the release of two new albums by the amazing Slovenian guitarist Uros Baric. If you follow the site I’m sure you’ve seen his name pop up with his various high quality projects such as the recent Virtual Guitar Orchestra or the various albums he’s recorded via his label. You can check out his personal website, lesson site Guitarise, and his record label Baros Records featuring artists such as Matthew McAllister, Marko Feri, himself, and more.

Fingers of Time Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 features the music of Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841) performed on an original 19th century instrument. Baric is playing a beautiful Petitjean à Mirecourt guitar (c.1810) with Aquila 800 Ambra strings. It’s great to finally have a professional recording of these Carulli works played on a period instrument. I love the mellow quality of 19th century guitars. That plucky, woody sound balances and equalizes the guitar tone allowing me to hear the writing in a new light. I have similar realizations when I hear Mozart on fortepiano. Baric’s attention to musicality and gentle touch give this album a thoughtful and special charm. Students should listen carefully to his control over the form of the works and the musical ideas and dynamic shaping he uses to craft and delineate the phrases. With care and attention these little works can really blossom. I find Baric incredibly inspiring in all the things he does, he always gives his full attention and care to every project.

As Baric mentions in the below video, he’s been playing some of these works since he was ten years old but revisiting them over the years one hears them in new emotional, historical, and musical ways. That has also been my experience with Carulli. When I was younger I loved the activity and playability of Carulli’s works but in college I regulated him to a composer of student works. However, after more music study, listening, and maturity, I’ve grown to appreciate Carulli as one of the great classical era guitarists and composers who interacted and engaged with the time. His arrangements of great composers and range of solo works at various levels is astonishing. Plus, compared to many of his contemporaries, each piece by Carulli is well crafted and has its own charm. He wrote over 400 solo works and yet he is recorded by professionals so little. Vol.1 features Carulli’s 24 Pièces, Op. 121, and Vol. 2 includes Grand recueil de morceaux progressifs, Op.333 and Four Rondos from Op. 241 and Op.40.

Fingers of Time by Uros Baric is filled with charm, grace, and beautiful musicality. Hearing this music on a period guitar with pristine recording quality and thoughtful performances brings Carulli’s music to life. Baric’s playing is top notch as he navigates exquisite phrasing, musical shaping, and thoughtful articulations. Another great project by one of todays very special artists.

Here’s a beautiful video he posted about the album.

Make sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel where he’s been performing a new piece from the album everyday. He also posts other performances, reviews, recording tutorials, and more. Here are just two performances of works from this album.

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Sor Study Op.31. No.1 Lesson Link.

Andante, Op.31, No.1 by Fernando Sor (1778-1839). This a nice Sor Study in C major with a clear melody. I mainly discuss right hand fingering in this lesson as the work is otherwise straight forward. As always though, play the melody on its own to get the phrasing and shaping at a high quality before adding everything else.

Italian guitarist and lutenist Lorenzo Micheli plays Corrente prima from Intavolatura di liuto, et di chitarrone. Libro Primo Bologna (1623) by Alessandro Piccinini (1566-1638) on theorbo. Filmed in Palazzo Pignano, Italy by Drew Henderson. This comes via Micheli’s fantastic YouTube channel. I love Micheli’s playing and I especially adore lute and early music. Beautiful rhythmic flow and deleivery of the phrases here. You can also check out the other video of him on theorbo that I featured where he’s playing Toccata arpeggiata by Kapsperger.

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Double by Kellner Lesson Link.

Double by David Kellner (c.1670-1748) from Auserlesene Lauten-Stücke, (1747) arranged for guitar. The original tablature is for 11-course lute so there is some re-voicing of chords and octave changes. A double was usually a variation of the previous movement in a suite (often the same bass line and harmonic progression). The previous Sarabande in my book is the theme for this double so they make an excellent pair. Make sure to compare the two movements to see their similarity. They share an almost identical bass line and harmony. They occur right next to each other in the original Baroque tablature and are definitely linked in this fashion. I take a slightly faster tempo for the double.

Here’s the Sarabande again so you can compare them.

From Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 – 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. All works from guitar and lute sources. PDF Sheet Music and Tab for Classical Guitar. Includes both: Notation-Only edition & TAB edition, left hand fingering, some right hand fingering, online video lessons for each piece. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Sarabande by Kellner Lesson Link.

Sarabande by David Kellner (c.1670-1748) from Auserlesene Lauten-Stücke, (1747) arranged for guitar. The original tablature is for 11-course lute so there is some re-voicing of chords and octave changes. Bar 2: The last beat chord originally has an A in the middle voice just as the first beat does. Unlike the Double that follows, this work still has a fairly strong melody in the top voice so practice it on its own for phrasing. The combination of legato, sustain, and a relaxed pulse is key to the special charm of this work.

Chris Hirst from Quatrapuntal plays three pieces from Le Papillon by Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829). This comes via Quatrapuntal’s YouTube channel. The mandora, or gallichon, is a type of 18th century lute, with six to nine courses. Point of interest, the mandora was present in Vienna during the 18th and 19th century as desribed below (via the above YouTube link):

The mandora is a type of lute which appeared in the early 18th century and initially had a number of names (gallichon, colachon, calcedon etc.), tunings, sizes and number of strings. It usually had double strings (courses) in the 18th century. In the second half of the 18th century the instrument is almost always referred to as mandora, and was tuned either in D or E, like the guitar, although the two instruments developed in parallel and the tuning was not taken from the guitar.

Viennese guitarist Simon Molitor mentioned that the mandora was played in Vienna in his guitar method published in 1812, the same year and city these Giuliani pieces were written in. Molitor said by that point the mandora and guitar had similar tuning and single strings, but that the mandora typically had 2 extra bass strings. Mandoras were also played in other places in Austria, Germany and Italy in the early 19th century.

The mandora I am playing is an early 19th century design, as described by Molitor with 8 single strings. There are several points in these pieces, especially the first, where the bass line has to jump up or down a 7th because the guitar runs out of notes. Having the extra range on the mandora, I can follow the logical pitch of the bassline and put those notes an octave lower which gives it a full, rich sound. The instrument was built by British luthier James Marriage.