Fundamentals of Organ Playing

SKU: AD.ADG244

ISBN 9781958017333. UPC: 663389124424. 9 x 12 inches.

The Blues Scale for Organ is one of a series by Andrew D. Gordon is a comprehensive collection of educational books that explores the intricacies, techniques, and applications of the blues scale in contemporary music. Designed for musicians of all levels, this series serves as an indispensable resource for guitarists, pianists, saxophonists, and other instrumentalists looking to delve into the expressive and soulful world of blues music. Andrew D. Gordon, an accomplished musician and renowned educator, combines his vast knowledge and experience to provide a step-by-step guide for mastering the blues scale. Each book in the series offers a well-structured curriculum, progressing from fundamental concepts to advanced improvisation techniques, ensuring a thorough understanding of the blues scale's potential. Through detailed explanations, musical examples, exercises, and play-along tracks, readers will embark on a transformative journey, gaining fluency and confidence in playing the blues. The books cover various styles showing how the blues scale can be used, including , jazz, funk , new age, Latin, pop, gospel, acid jazz and rock enabling musicians to expand their repertoire and adapt their skills to different musical contexts. The Blues Scale series not only equips musicians with the technical aspects of playing the blues but also emphasizes the importance of creativity and personal expression. Gordon encourages readers to develop their improvisational skills, providing tools and strategies to create unique solos and express their musical personality within the framework of the blues scale. Whether you are a beginner seeking to explore the foundations of the blues scale or an advanced player looking to refine your improvisational abilities, The Blues Scale series by Andrew D. Gordon offers a comprehensive and accessible approach to learning and mastering the blues. With its clear instruction, engaging exercises, and practical examples, this series is an invaluable resource for musicians passionate about incorporating the soulful and timeless sounds of the blues into their playing.

SKU: GI.G-9605

SKU: GI.G-9603

SKU: CF.BF126

ISBN 9781491150009. UPC: 680160907502. 9x12 inches.

Written by world renown pedagogue, Roland Vamos, this collection of double-stop exercises fill a void in the literature of technical exercises for cellists. These etudes feature a systematic series of fixed double-stops that enables the player to practice and master every possible combination of finger patterns across two strings without shifting. Mr. Vamos says of the book, The most important accomplishment is the development of a strong left handà These exercises, when practiced slowly and carefully, will help to develop a keen sense of pitch and intonation. Adapted for cello by Horacio Contreras, teacher, chamber musician, and recitalist.
When I first became familiar with Roland Vamos’ Exercises, I was impressed with itsclarity and effectiveness. The book focuses on a few important fundamentals of string playing,and it is accessible to students of every age. Moreover, its tonal organization in C major makesit simple and easy to understand. I recognized the potential this book could have for cellists,and after spending several months working on an adaptation, I witnessed its results in buildingand maintaining important fundamentals of technique.Mr. Vamos’ Exercises is comprised of simple patterns of double-stops in sevenpositions. There are two basic groups of variations: seven double-stop variations in differentcombined rhythms that develop finger coordination and independence of the left hand, andnine bowing variations that use détaché at the frog, middle and tip of the bow to work onstring crossings, coordination, and balance of the bow. The whole work provides training thatimproves intonation, sound, and ease of playing in all positions and all parts of the bow.In order to adapt Mr. Vamos’ book for cello, I needed to make some modifications tothe original. To address the different needs of the neck and the thumb positions, I chose to writetwo separate books. I kept the original ascending stepwise motion for subsequent variationsin Book I by following a diatonic scale on the top line of the patterns. However, I modifiedthe tonal framework to adjust to the more limited range of the cello. Therefore, unlike in Mr.Vamos’ book, variations in Book I do not ascend through the positions in a uniform pattern.I also switched the order of patterns to create a gradual increase in difficulty. In Book II, Iadded options that work on the fourth finger and an extended left hand frame, and at the end, Iincluded five sets of variations with different bowing alternatives.Mr. Vamos provides a number of specific instructions regarding left hand techniquein his exercises. For his original version, two fingers must remain down for almost the entireset of variations, providing a solid reference for the frame of the hand. In variations H and I,he instructs students to lift these fingers when they are not being used. In the case of thumbposition on cello, lifting the thumb could make the hand unstable; therefore, I suggested thatthe thumb remains down while the other fingers are lifted alternately in H and I. I have foundthis exercise quite useful to work on thumb independence and relaxing the thumb while usingother fingers.Mr. Vamos gives precise instructions for the bowing exercises as well. Following hisdirections, the exercises should be performed with a relaxed hand and flexible fingers. Thenotes should be consistently connected even when crossing strings. The bowing patterns shouldbe performed at the frog, the middle and the tip of the bow in every position.

SKU: BT.EMBZ20085

English-Hungarian.

Bartók's Mikrokosmos has been one of the milestones in pedagogical piano repertoire for 80 years - and yet it is also far more than a classical piano primer. These 153 piano pieces, organized in ascending order of difficulty, engage not only with technical aspects of piano playing but also with the fundamentals of composition - from Imitation and Inversion, Ostinato, and Free Variations, concerning compositional technique, to mood pieces and pieces with programmatic ideas such as Notturno, Boating, From the Diary of a Fly, or the famous Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm. Mikrokosmos first appeared in 1940 in six volumes. Based on volume 40 of the Bartók CompleteEdition published in 2020(Z. 15040), the present Urtext edition offers the series gathered in three volumes. This edition includes Bartók's preface, exercises, and notes written for the first edition. Furthermore, it also features a preface and comments by the editor, which not only discuss the genesis and the compositional sources but also provide performers, teachers and pupils alike, with authentic and detailed information about Bartók's notation and the specific performing problems of Mikrokosmos.

SKU: HL.50606821

ISBN 9798350114355. UPC: 196288188216.

Mikrokosmos is perhaps the 20th century's most influential set of piano pieces and one of the milestones in pedagogical piano repertoire. These 153 piano pieces, organized in ascending order of difficulty, engage not only with technical aspects of piano playing but also with the fundamentals of composition. In addition, they include character pieces and even pieces with programmatic ideas. The Microcosm of String Ensemble Music provides 148 transcriptions from this series for making music for various string ensembles and graded in four volumes according to level of difficulty. Volumes 1 to 3 also include one copy of each part in additionto the full score. For performances with orchestra, further printed parts can be ordered individually. The parts are also available. 1. Elementary (first position): for three violins and cello or children's string orchestra (50605347) 1. Intermediate: for three violins and cello or string quartet or junior string orchestra (50605348) 3. Advanced: for string quartet and quintet or string orchestra (50605349) 4. Advanced: for string orchestra (50605350) Following Bartók's example, Volume 1 includes preparatory exercises, designed for practicing the more challenging technical and musical tasks, in the appendix. At the end of the volume, there are also notes on some of the pieces. This publication is printed on high-quality, age-resistant paper that is produced in an environmentally-friendly, climate-neutral manner using renewable raw materials.