Music Blog Posts
Jarabi (Passion)
Here's my performance-ready version of this amazing endless melody of a piece. I've been enjoying Derek Grippers arrangements of Kora music for classical guitar for years, and finally got a chance to try some of them out. Someone once said (I forgot who) that it's...
Classical Guitar Repertoire Reading: Guardame las Vacas by Luis de Narvaez
Read up on Luis de Narvaez at his Wkipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_de_Narv%C3%A1ez This deservedly well-known work the first known written example of the musical form "variations on a theme." It's always been one of my favorite pieces! The theme upon...
Classical Guitar Music: Simbi (Haitian Dance) by Frantz Casseus
Frantz Casseus (1915-1993) was a Haitian classical guitarist who move to New York City in 1946. Many of his pieces derived elements from the music of his homeland, including this gorgeous piece. His complete works have been edited by Mark Ribot and published by...
Classical Guitar Music: Matteo Carcassi, Etude No. 6–Allegretto Grazioso
Yes, I know that these "daily" classical guitar repertoire readings are not actually daily. Sue me. I do read through repertoire a lot, simply for the joy of it, the curiosity of it. As. result of spending so much time in my life eagerly "reading music," I've gotten...
Working Through the Waves
This is a Last Minute Concert Announcement for New Yorkers Are you musically adventurous? If you are in the New York area, and are into interesting, beautiful, creative music, go hear this concert at the historic Old Stone House in Brooklyn. There are two...
Classical Guitar Music: Moto Perpetuo by Jay Kauffman
Occasionally I'll be sneaking in some repertoire by yours truly, because yes, I am a composer who loves to compose. This one is part of a set of 5 short preludes, and I'm particularly proud of it. I set forth writing it as an exercise in pull-offs and hammer-ons...
Classical Guitar Music: A Rondo by Matteo Carcassi
Matteo Carcassi wrote a lot of charming little short pieces, and here is one that I've not heard many people play. It's so short that it's not even really a Rondo---the main theme only comes back one time. Its form is basically A-B-A. I found it in an obscure...
Classical Guitar Music: El Testament D’Amelia by Miguel LLobet
This is a famously beautiful arrangement of a Catalan folk song, by Romantic Era guitarist/composer Miguel Llobet. He wrote/arranged a set of 13 such songs, and this is probably the most famous one, frequently played as an encore. One of the most lovely special...
Classical Guitar Music: Aire de Milonga by Jose Luis Merlin
If you want to be tunely, practice afternoonly. I have to admit something. I haven't been practicing as much as I would like. I haven't been practicing afternoonly. In fact, I haven't been practicing regularly at all lately. I love practicing, and I love playing. It's...
Classical Guitar Music: Aire de Estilo, by Jose Luis Merlin
There is a whole lot of music sitting around in my studio, and I love nothing more than to rifle through it, find something that suits my inclination for the day, and start reading it. Daily sight-reading is a great idea for developing your skills as a...