Chapter 8: Extended Techniques for the Classical Guitar Irnamentation ans 112 Glissandi 116 Harmonics 117 Tremolo Note Bends i Percussive Effects. Left Hand Muting 124 Pizzicato or Etouffee 124 Bartok Pizzicato tts Tamboura tas Playing Behind the Nut 125 String Crossing 126 Golpe (and other strikes to the body) 127 Strumming 128 Scordatura 130 Summary of Chapter Eight 131 Chapter 9: The Classical Guitar in Ensemble ‘The Guitar in Ensemble- Introduction 134 Gi “oli 3 Guitar and Trombone 136 Guitarand Oboe BB Guitar and Voice Guitar Duets 144 Guitar and Orchestra 146Other Miscellaneous Ensembles Summary of Chapter Nine Chapter Ten: Conclusion Appendix 1: Recommended Listening for the Classical Guitar Appendix 2: Common Chord Voicings Appendix 3: Common Arpeggio Patterns Appendix 4: Full Size Fretboard Appendix 5: The Range of Techniques Used in the Third Movement of Malcolm Arnold's Guitar Concerto Illustrations: Segovia and Villa-Lobos Matteo Carcassi Agustin Barrios Mangore A page from Sanz’ Guitar Method Tarrega Performing to a Group of Guitar Aficionados The Guitar Player by Vermeer Miguel Llobet 147 148 149 152 154 163 174 176 12 22 54 110 132 150 173Preface Composers have traditionally been reluctant to write for the classical guitar. The reasons are due to the idiosyncratic nature of the instrument. The guitar is an immensely versatile instrument — it can be played in a melodic, chordal or polyphonic style. However, the logic of the piano keyboard cannot be immediately translated onto the classical guitar. In addition, it is not tuned in fifths, like most string instruments, so the chords and voicings on the guitar are unique to the instrument. For this reason, many of the great classical guitarists of the twentieth century struggled to commission guitar music from composers. However, it can be done. The guitarist Julian Bream worked with the composers William Walton and Benjamin Britten to produce some of the greatest works in the modern solo guitar repertoire. Neither composer played the guitar in any capacity. This book aims to help composers make their first steps in composing for the instrument. It covers the range of the instrument, and which range is best suited for composition. It also looks at key signatures, note combinations and a variety of playing styles. Examples of guitar music are extensive - composers are encouraged to get a feel for what works best on the classical guitar by studying and listening to the examples in this book. In addition, to overcome the vexed issue of voicing, an extensive appendix is included which covers the most common voicings for the classical guitar. If you need the guitarist to play a D- minor chord, but don’t know how to voice it, the answer is here. What this book does not contain is any form of instruction for guitarists themselves. You will find no advice on shaping nails or forming barres, etc. ~ these are issues for the player, not the composer. Composers only need to be aware of the possibilities and the limits of the instrument. Every example in this book is achievable for the trained classical guitarist, and some pieces in the early chapters can even be played by novices. After reading this book, you should be able to make an approach to writing for the guitar with less trepidation. The aspiring guitar composer is encouraged to study as much guitar music as possible, much of which can now be viewed online. In addition, problems can be overcome by consulting with a guitarist. Why notbuy a guitar and teach yourself the basics? - The “hands-on” method is another valuable approach. Finally, this book is envisaged to be an on-going project. No book like this can be truly exhaustive, as the combination of notes and vast diversity styles possible are almost infinite. Like Dorico (a piece of music software that is continually evolving), this book will undoubtedly expand over time to include more examples of music, voicings and styles. Please drop me a line to the email address provided on the copyright page; at your request, | provide free “updates” and additional pages every time this book expands, as it inevitably will. Your input and evaluation would also be appreciated — what else would you like from this publication? — Please let me know. Acknowledgements: | would like to thank Joseph Virgilio for his kind help and assistance; Elizabeth Anne Goodwin for looking at an early version of this book; Allan Jones for all his, help with my other publications and the members of the Delcamp Classical Guitar Forum for quickly coming up with all sorts of valuable suggestions. How to Use This Book Not every single page in this book needs to be digested in detail. You can move to a section of the book which matches your level of understanding of the instrument. The best advice is to study all of the musical examples to gain a fee! for what works best on the instrument. The musical extracts with a headphone symbol 6) can be listened to on my Soundcloud page at: https://soundcloud.com/adrianallan The main obstacle that potential composers face is knowing which voicing to use for chords and harmonies. An appendix at the end of the book on guitar chord voicings and arpeggio voicings will help in this regard. Composers are also advised to keep referring to the full-size fretboard diagram on pages 174-5, This will provide an insight into which notes are within easy reach for the guitarist at any point on the fretboard. Important pieces of advice in each chapter are contained within a text box.Chapter One: Introduction to the Classical Guitar Brief history of the classical guitar Comparisons with electric and acoustic guitar Structure and design The guitar’s tuning Treble and bass strings The guitar’s range Fretboard diagramThe Classical Guitar’s History - A Brief Resume Guitar-like instruments have can be seen in artefacts in many ancient civilisations, such as in Egypt and Babylonia. However, the classical guitar’s direct descendants are often traced back to the vihuela, with six double strings or “courses”, which emerged in the sixteenth century in Spain. The five-string Baroque guitar, from around 1600-1750, also had double courses, but had some similarity in tuning to the modern guitar. In the eighteenth century, it appears that a sixth string was added and the instrument had single courses, like the modern guitar. Composers such as Fernando Sor ial (1778-1839) and Mauro Guiliani (1781-1829) were at the forefront of a compositional school for the six-string instrument, and their style was based on the conventions of composers of the Classical period, such as Mozart and Haydn. ~ In the later nineteenth century, guitarist-composers embraced more of the chromatic harmonies of the Romantic period, and prominent among this schoo! were Giulio Regondi (1823-1872) and Johann Kasper Mertz (1806-1856). However, the guitar they used was smaller in shape than the modern classical guitar and is referred to today as a “parlour” guitar, due to its suitability to small rooms and middle- class parlours. The modern guitar shape as we know it today was pioneered , by the Spaniard Antonio de Torres (1817-1892). He also innovated the pattern of struts or braces on the under-face of the soundboard which help distribute vibration (and thus Ss sound) across the top of the guitar. The prominent Spanish guitarist-composer Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) used the new Torres guitar in his performances and as a basis for his compositions and arrangements.