Contemporary Baroque Etudes-The arts flourished in the Baroque period. Music from that time is still performed worldwide by symphonies opera companies choirs chamber ensembles and soloists on many instruments. The period was characterized by the worksof such great artists as J. S. Bach (b. 1685) Handel (b. 1685) Telemann (b. 1681) and many others. These composers defined the rich ornate and melodic Baroque style of music which we categorize in theclassical realm. There was another genre of music flourishing during this period and that was the 'common' or folk music style characterized by such composers as Ireland's legendary harpist Turlough O'Carolan (b. 1670).In composing music for this book the author recreated harmonic and melodic elements of this great musical age while adding some contemporary twists. All of the etudes are original and will serve to enhance guitar technique phrasing expression note- reading ability and knowledge of the entire guitar fingerboard. Fingering and string markings are included where appropriate.In addition to facilitating the many technical and aestheticaspects of performing at an advanced level on the guitar these etudes may be used successfully in concerts or recitals. This book is an ideal companion for the other books in the Mel Bay 'Achieving Guitar Artistry' series whichis designed to condition and guide the developing guitarist to an advanced level of proficiency regardless of the style of music performed.