Bach Prelude BWV 999
This prelude was orginally written by Bach for the lute in C sharp. It works incredibly well on the guitar and utilizes the full range of the instrument.
J.S. Bach represents the culmination of the Baroque era, though it wasn't always this way. Born on March 21, 1685 to a musical family in Eisenach Germany, Bach was left an orphan by the age of ten and went to live with his elder brother Johann Cristoph. He spent the early part of his life being introduced to German, French and Italian composers. Most of his adult life was spent as Kapellmeister at various important churches. He was known as a virtuoso organist and improviser, but his fame as a composer was reduced to a select few and family during his lifetime. Highly appreciated by composers following him such as Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin, Bach did not gain the attention he receives today until Felix Mendelssohn brought him back in the spotlight by tirelessly performing his works.
We are working very hard to get a lot of classical guitar sheet music. What does that mean for you? Simple, you buy your stuff and get it on the spot. Right now we have a couple of titles in e-sheet music format (notation and tab) and hope to have many more very soon. We thank all the people that praised our "Play it NOW! Notation & Tab" series. It helps to know that you appreciate the effort we put into each transcription and the performance notes that are designed to get you playing that particular piece fast and easy. We are a classical guitar shop ran by classical guitarists, so we know the importance of providing you not only with a certain guitar sheet music piece, but also the instructions so that you can actually play that piece, not sell you a piece of sheet music that gathers dust in your book case. Whether you love spanish guitar material or the baroque musings of Bach or Vivaldi, the important thing is that you not only get the sheet music you want, but also the advice and guidance that makes the difference between easily learning it or frustration.
As always, we want to know what YOU want! So feel free to drop us a line and tell us what material in e-sheet music format you're looking for. We're all classical guitarists - nylon string lovers here... and we're very friendly at that.
What Can Bach Do For You?
The Difference Between Playing And Interpreting
Bach's music is one of the best way to develop your musical skills. To go from simply executing a piece to artistic playing.
Developing musical flow and ability to express your inner feelings on the guitar is not a given. Just because you can play the music does not mean you are a good interpreter.
To illustrate this point better let's use the following analogy: Imagine a rookie actor reciting Shakespeare's lines. He may be doing a good job of actually saying the words, but somehow they mean NOTHING coming out of his mouth. Then a master walks on the stage and recites the same words and suddenly... the come ALIVE.
What was the difference. Surely it cannot be mouthing the words, for both the master and the rookie spoke the same words. But it was the master that interpreted them, while the rookie just delivered them. It was the master that "breathed life" into those words, whereas the rookie just did a mechanical rendition of them.
Thinking in this way, we can see that in music (especially classical) interpretation is everything. But what is interpretation? Is it speed? Is it technique? Actually it's none of the two, even though certainly both are required for a proper performance.
In truth interpretation goes far beyond simple execution and concentrates on communicating and connecting with the audience.
For the purpose of acquiring interpretation skills, Bach represents an essential step. The master's work seems tailor made for teaching musicality and notions of aesthetics on the instrument.
You may be surprised to learn that Bach was not always revered as the musical genius we look at today. Go here to learn more about Bach's life.
Metronome Power
Get Your Free Software Metronome
A metronome is essential to any classical guitarist. Knowing how to work with it is even more crucial to becoming a pro.
Here is a software version of a metronome. You can unzip it and put it on your desktop. It does not require installation. Just double click it and away you go.
Download it HERE.