SKU: UT.CH-387

ISBN 9790215328235. 9 x 12 inches.

Opus 114 is certainly one of Carulliâ??s most important didactic works, so much so that the author himself made a point of writing in the second edition of his famous Method op. 27 (1819): The student, when moving on to the second part, must continue to practise on the easy pieces which are to be found in opus nos. 50, 15, 35, 36, 93, 7 and above all in opus 114. He maintained this indication also in later editions of the Method itself, unlike what he did with other collections of studies which were no longer recommended.
The purpose of op. 114, in particular of the preludes, is clearly explained by the author himself in the preface of op. 265: I have already offered preludes in my opus nos. 71 and 114 to people, but they serve to study and learn to play all sorts of difficult passages, to practise modulating, and learn to improvise on the guitar. Carulli seems to want to provide his students with a large handbook of formulas typical of his musical writing and he does so by making use of the keys which, in his opinion, are most congenial to the guitar. In his Method he points out: Each instrument has its favourite keys: the guitar can be played in all keys, but the best ones are: A major and minor, D major and minor, E major and minor, C, G, F. The others are difficult; [â?¦]. However, some of the difficult ones are included but only in the fourth part. Of course, the easiness of a key essentially depends on the possibility of extensive use of the open strings, especially in the low notes, ensuring the accompaniment on the main degrees.
This edition has some unique features. First of all, it is the first complete modern edition of Carulliâ??s op. 114; it presents an important critical apparatus in which the Carullian technique is presented and analysed; finally, Carulli's original fingering is indicated in the score (including that of the thumb of the left hand) and the missing one was obtained from the comparison of his other fingerings present in other works. All this allows an easy and complete reading both for those who perform the pieces following the nineteenth-century performance practice with a historical instrument, and for those who play a modern instrument.

SKU: MB.31060M

ISBN 9781513468051. 8.75x11.75 inches.

As aspiring fingerpicking guitarists started expanding their horizons from folk, blues, and ragtime in the 1970s, it was only logical to look towards early jazz tunes as a vast source for new possibilities. For one thing, they could follow the same evolutionary path from ragtime to jazz that had been taken by pianists such as Jelly Roll Morton and Harlem stride players like James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. These musicians all composed in a variety of styles, but their most ambitious piano solos expanded on the classic ragtime format developed by the likes of Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb, using several strains that usually changed keys at least once. Morton, the self-proclaimed inventor of jazz, would record versions of tunes like King Porter Stomp and The Original Jelly Roll Blues that are similar to straight ragtime performances, and others where there is lots of room left for embellishment and jazz improvisation.

The present collection is a bonanza for guitarists who want to tackle advanced arrangements along the lines of ragtime but featuring jazz age harmonies from the playing of Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, WC Handy, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and other early jazz legends. The 32 arrangements included are by a wide assortment of guitarists including Ernie Hawkins, Pat Donohue, Lasse Johansson, Duck Baker, Ton Van Bergeyk, Sandy Shalk, Steve McWilliam, and Dorian Henry.

Titles include: Oh, You Beautiful Doll, I’ve Got The Blues, High Society, St. Louis Blues, Davenport Blues, Poor Butterfly, Dixie Jass Band One-Step, Memphis Blues, Big Foot Ham, Grandpa’s Spells, The Original Jelly Roll Blues, Midnight Mama, Milenberg Joys, Fizz Water, Back Home in Indiana, Sweet Georgia Brown, Red Wing (An Indian Intermezzo), There’ll Be Some Changes Made, Way Down Yonder In New Orleans, Charleston, Where The Morning Glories Grow, Limehouse Blues, Susie (of the Islands), I Need Some Pettin’, Weather Bird, Cornet Chop Suey, Kansas City Stomps, King Porter Stomp, Jubilee Stomp, Take It Easy, If I Had You, Moonlight Serenade