American Ballad

SKU: MB.30945

ISBN 9781513472744. 8.75X11.75 inches.

This collection of 19th and early 20th century airs and ballads is a celebration of American music that is ideal for guitar recitals and encores. Written in standard notation only, the pieces are arranged and fingered for ease of sight-reading and specifically designed to exploit the musicality of the classical guitar.The book features arrangements of the antebellum song, ôDarling Nelly Grayö by Benjamin Hanby, popular Civil War-era songs by Stephen Foster and other period songwriters, plus parlor music favorites like Edward MacDowell�s ôTo a Wild Roseö, Ethelbert Nevin�s ôMighty Lak� a Roseö, and ôAura Leeö, a melody by George R. Poulton that would resurface nearly a hundred years later as ôLove Me Tenderö.á.

SKU: CF.YPS60F

ISBN 9780825864544. UPC: 798408064549. 9 X 12 inches.

A fresh and spirited treatment of the traditional American ballad Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair, this fine piece for a developing band starts with a slow and atmospheric introduction featuring solos by flute and trumpet that hint at the tune. The main section sets the ballad to a driving Latin beat, but the slow reflective mood returns at the end with solos for clarinet, bass clarinet and flute.

SKU: MB.30906M

ISBN 9781513476643. 8.75X11.75 inches.

This solo collection presents 19 iconic melodies from the American traditional song book plus 6 modern original compositions by William Bay, president of Mel Bay Publications; all selections have been arranged in tablature for the 5-string banjo in gDGBD tuning by Catalonian multi-instrumentalist and bluegrass specialist, Llu?s G?mez.Any collection of American ballads would be incomplete without settings of the beautiful melodies penned by Stephen Foster, several of which appear here including Beautiful Dreamer, Darling Nellie Gray, I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, and Hard Times, Come Again No More. Some of these tunes are arranged in uncommon banjo keys, all without retuning the banjo or using a capo. These keys may be challenging at first but will teach you a lot about the banjo fretboard.The authorÃ?s generous preface offers tips on practice, performance and interpretation rarely found in tablature collections such as these, but this book has it all, including online recordings of each arrangement.