Choose the Right Edition the First Time

by Dave Nagy (Guitar Instructor)

Much of the classical guitar repertoire is transcribed for the instrument from scores originally written for other instruments. This presents a challenge to the advancing guitarist who must wade through competing choices and select the appropriate transcription to invest his/her time into. It is critical to learn a piece correctly the first time, as relearning a piece (and playing it differently) can be enormously time consuming and can cause confusion and memory slips in performance. The most important consideration in a transcription/arrangement is the notes (the key, whether contrapuntal lines are kept intact, etc…). Also important are the fingerings (although a guitarist should ALWAYS approach given fingerings with a grain of salt). Many anthology books (eg. 1 000 001 Classical Guitar Favorites) are fine as general reference material, but should be avoided when taking on larger, concert-type pieces (such as a Bach suite).

Things to keep in mind when choosing a transcription/arrangement:

1. Is the source trusted? (Is the editor a specialist in the composer/time period?)
2. Are independent lines maintained? (Most of the time, melodic voices and the bass line are intact, but what about inner voices?  Also check for poorly placed octave leaps in the bass line.)
3. Do the fingerings make sense? (I have seen multiple versions of the same piece, by the same arranger, with vastly different fingerings.  Presumably this is done to avoid copyright infringement.)

Take care, and get it right the first time!

Elite Music offers private guitar lessons for students of all ages and skills. For a free half an hour guitar consultation contact the main desk at 416 406 5355. Choose your style of music from classical, jazz, blues, to funk, R & B, soul, ethnic and improvisation.