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      • The Arts

        The Guitar in Tango / La Guitarra en el Tango

        Fundamental method for playing tango music

        by Sebastián Henríquez

        “Método de Tango” (Spanish for “Tango Method”) is the first fundamental book series that teaches how to play tango music, published in English and Spanish since 2014 by Tango Sin Fin in Buenos Aires, Argentina.This book series is the only collection which provides any musician, arranger, composer or ethnomusicologist from around the world a methodological and pedagogical approach to tango language, using academic terms, exercises and musical studies.   CONTENTS» Each volume is focused on one instrument: violin, bass, bandoneon, piano, flute and guitar. » All the tools and techniques for playing tango music are covered throughout specific chapters and exercises. » 5 to 8 original works for ensemble are included in each book. Parts for other instruments are included on a separate insert. » Audio and video recordings and play-along tracks for each exercise and pieces are available for free on Tango Sin Fin’s YouTube channel.   THE GUITAR IN TANGO CONTENTS » Rhythmic melody. Different ways to articulate and accentuate a rhythmic melody in tango. » Expressive melody. Fraseo and ornamentation as essential expressive devices. » Milonga and vals, connecting passages, guidelines for playing in a tango ensemble, the history of the guitar in tango, tango orchestra styles, and more. » 8 original works for guitar and ensemble. » 350 audio & video tracks.

      • The Arts

        Unstrung

        Rants and Stories of a Noise Guitarist

        by Marc Ribot

        Throughout his genre-defying career as one of the most innovative musicians of our time, iconoclastic guitar player Marc Ribot has consistently defied expectation at every turn. Here, in his first collection of writing, we see that same uncompromising sensibility at work as he playfully interrogates our assumptions about music, life, and death. Through essays, short stories, and the occasional unfilmable film “mistreatment” that showcase the sheer range of his voice, Unstrung captures an artist whose versatility on the page rivals his dexterity onstage. In the first section of the book, “Lies and Distortion,” Ribot turns his attention to his instrument—“my relation to the guitar is one of struggle; I’m constantly forcing it to be something else”—and reflects on his influences (and friends) like Robert Quine (The Voidoids) and producer Hal Willner (Saturday Night Live), while delivering an impassioned plea on behalf of artists’ rights. Elsewhere, we glimpse fragments of Ribot’s life as a traveling musician—he captures both the monotony of touring as well as small moments of beauty and despair on the road. In the heart of the collection, “Sorry, We’re Experiencing Technical Difficulties,” Ribot offers wickedly humorous short stories that synthesize the best elements of the Russian absurdist tradition with the imaginative heft of George Saunders. Taken together, these stories and essays cement Ribot’s position as one of the most dynamic and creative voices of our time.

      • Fiction

        The Blind Guitar

        -

        by Mehrzad Jobbehdar

        Absurdism is a philosophical school that states that man’s attempt to find meaning ultimately fails. That is because the net amount of information and the very wide range of unknowns make certainty impossible; and yet some nihilists believe that despite such a fact, one must accept absurdity but also continue to search to find some meaning. As a philosophy, nihilism examines the fundamental nature of absurdity and how people should react after encountering “absurdity”. Absurdism holds that human endeavors to find intrinsic meaning ultimately fail, hence they are absurd since there is no meaning in terms of existence, at least concerning the individual. It is the absurdity that human beings struggle with, and many people commit suicide or euthanasia to give meaning to their lives because they think it is the only way out. The play The Blind Guitar depicts many people meeting on Poplar Street. While the atmosphere of the play contrasts Absurdism with optimism, there are strawberries as a symbol in the text of the play and by picking them from a tree in a nursing home, it tells the people who have hit the wall, and “So there is still hope that they see strawberries as a remedy for their sufferings.” Sufferings that are intertwined with the tragedy of life. In Absurd Theater, words are repeated over and over again, and the writers of this writing style try to portray the useless and machine-like relationship of people in a dramatic way and constantly emphasize these absurd themes. The book The Blind Guitar is a play in Absurdism style and tells the story of a blind man named Victor who plays musical menos on Poplar Street. In this play, everyone in turn bears problems and sufferings, sufferings that have afflicted the human body and its roots, and on the other hand, one wants to pursue a hope that has come out of the context of life. With all his disabilities, Victor wants to be friends with others. He is a dignified and noble human being who is rarely found in any society. In the play, The Blind Guitar, Victor, after years of blindness and abundant suffering, is still eager to reach his beloved and the power and greatness of his love have been preserved. A love that is not perceptible to everyone and they do not understand its meaning. Finally, in the game of life, one goes, one dies, one wanders, one lives but does not want to, one is born, one falls in love, one loses his love, one waits . . . The themes in the play The Blind Guitar include: escaping from a mental asylum, beheading in the middle of the city, seabirds committing suicide, discovering cancer medicine, lions dying in cages, waiting for newspaper news, and death. In the play, The Blind Guitar the author challenges wealth and poverty, in which rich people do not have an enriched and honest nature with all their possessions, and cultivate jealousy and depravity in them, and it raises a question in people’s minds as to why society’s only concern has become money. So what about human values? In a part of the book The Blind Guitar, we read: Henry: What’s this? Victor: Strawberries . . . Henry: What should I do with it? Ernest: This is a medicine for creating hope . . . Henry: I’ve nothing to do with hope. Victor: If you eat this, from now on you’ll become friends with hope, my friend . . . Henry closed his eyes quietly and put another strawberry in his mouth. Victor: How was it? Henry: I may not be well, I’m sick, but I’m still alive and I want to live. Ernest: What sound do you hear now? Henry: That the seagull didn’t kill itself . . . it killed life. Where do you find so many life berries?

      • Educational: Music

        Higgledy Piggledy Jazz for classical guitar ensemble

        by Elena V Cobb

        Searching for new ensemble pieces? Looking for groovy new music to get your pupils playing together and improvising? This classical guitar ensemble edition is a new and exciting resource for guitarists and is suitable for teachers of all styles with standard notation. Ten Higgledy Piggledy Jazz tunes are excellent for using on top of classical training and will make a fun-filled addition to more traditional learning. This book is ideally suited for mid-beginner to intermediate and advanced levels.

      • Lifestyle, Sport & Leisure
        March 2009

        The Nitty Gritty Guitar Book

        by Robin Turner

        Most guitar books focus on playing the guitar but this one helps people making their first purchase to understand why some guitars are better than others, how to buy the right instrument, maintain it, and avoid expensive mistakes. ‘The Nitty Gritty Guitar Book’ is designed to help newcomers quickly understand and develop confidence in all key aspects of the guitar so they can concentrate on learning to play. With 120 pages of easy to follow guides and plenty of helpful illustrations, ‘The Nitty Gritty Guitar Book’ is ideal for the first timers and anyone who'd like to know more about how guitars work.

      • November 2017

        Petrolina

        by Carlos Eduardo de Magalhães

        PETROLINA - Synopsis Zeca lives a tangle of routes, trips and accidents. With a background in classical guitar, which he switched when he was a teenager to a rock band, Zeca began to dedicate himself to composing soundtracks for cinema when his eldest daughter, Carmen, was born. He goes on a trip from São Paulo to Petrolina (2.178.6 kilometers)  in his Caranga (the way he named his car)  with Carmen, now 21, with Pedro, 5, his youngest son from his second marriage, and with Mr. Oscar, his second wife's uncle's grandfather. Mr. Oscar is a retired classical guitar teacher who has made a career at an American conservatory and wants to go to Petrolina to find Sebastião who, 50 years earlier, in the same Petrolina, in that dry hinterland northeastern, he heard playing in an audition and was impressed. Instead of accepting the huge talent of the boy, he dismissed it. Sebastião, then, became Tião Cruz do Acordem, a famous accordion player. The journey is made of many searches, of many stories. In a world dominated by technological impersonality and an affective coexistence restricted to satiation and self-saturation, Zeca's accidental trip to Petrolina, with his sun and daughter,  triggers many questions and discovers. ? In this road novel, changes in the world, and in relationships, come through music. Especially music played on guitars.

      • Techniques of music / music tutorials

        1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist

        by Bruce E. Arnold

        1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist is a comprehensive method for guitar students who have no prior musical training. Whether you are playing acoustic, electric or twelve-string guitar, this book will give you the information you need, and troubleshoot the various pitfalls that can hinder the self-taught musician. The author knows, from over 20 years of teaching experience, that it is extremely important to use a method book that clearly and concisely covers the important subjects of proper playing technique, tuning, picking, strumming, music theory and rhythm. Furthermore, the only way a student can remember the information learned is to apply it. [] This unique method book contains chord progressions using both “open” and “barre” chords that gradually take a student from beginning to advanced. The publisher’s website also has mp3 and midi files to be played along with, for developing the strumming, time and feel for each chord progression. The chord progressions presented give the student a solid harmonic foundation in all these styles. We are committed to making your experience with the guitar as positive as possible and hope you will give us a chance to prove it.

      • Biography: arts & entertainment
        April 2014

        The Original Guitar Hero and the Power of Music

        The Legendary Lonnie Johnson, Music, and Civil Rights

        by Dean Alger

        GeneralLonnie Johnson (1894–1970) was a virtuoso guitarist who influenced generations of musicians from Django Reinhardt to Eric Clapton to Bill Wyman and especially B. B. King. Born in New Orleans, he began playing violin and guitar in his father’s band at an early age. When most of his family was wiped out by the 1918 flu epidemic, he and his surviving brother moved to St. Louis, where he won a blues contest that included a recording contract.  His career was launched.  Johnson can be heard on many Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong records, including the latter’s famous “Savoy Blues” with the Hot Five. He is perhaps best known for his 12-string guitar solos and his ground-breaking recordings with the white guitarist Eddie Lang in the late 1920s. After World War II he began playing rhythm and blues and continued to record and tour until his death.  This is the first full-length work on Johnson. Dean Alger answers many biographical mysteries, including how many members of Johnson’s large family were left after the epidemic. It also places Johnson and his musical contemporaries in the context of American race relations and argues for the importance of music in the fight for civil rights. Finally, Alger analyzes Johnson’s major recordings in terms of technique and style. Distribution of an accompanying music CD will be coordinated with the release of this book.

      • Fiction

        Menuet za kitaro/Minuet for Guitar

        by Vitomil Zupan

        Minuet for Guitar is an intense exploration of the horrors of war, of morality and of historical forces propelling men this way and that. Using his life experiences for much of the action in the novel, Zupan introduces us to Jakob Bergant Berk, a man lost in two places and times. Slip-sliding between occupied Slovenia in the 1940s and a Spanish resort in the 1970s, we move from harrowing wartime guerrilla fighting to Berk’s curious encounter with Joseph Bitter, a former German soldier, during vacation in Spain. In the war, Berk is an apolitical non-conformist swept along by events over which he has little control, and some thirty years later, still traumatised by his wartime experiences, he tries to make sense of his memories in discussions with his old enemy Bitter. Once rumoured that it was used by the CIA as a manual for guerrilla warfare, Minuet for Guitar is a powerful examination of war on par with Céline’s Journey to the End of the Night, a modern Slovenian classic filled with philosophical ruminations and told in Zupan’s casual, ironic and even seductive voice.

      • September 2020

        La chanson de Martin

        Martin's song

        by Jane Méry / Chantal Jean / Sylvain Robin / Camille Claris / Laure Guillebon

        Rose comes back from a trip to New York. On the way, she meets Woody, a guitarist. He sings her a ballad, Martin’s song, which in the tradition of protest songs, tells the story of a black boy in the racist and segregationist United States of the 1930s. When the plane reaches Paris, Woody disappears. Rose can’t stop thinking about him and the story of Martin.    A journey in folk music (banjo, guitar, double bass) between New York and Paris, between the 1930s and today, to discover Martin Luther King, racism and the Civil rights movement, for children from 8 years old onwards.   https://soundcloud.com/trois-petits-points/sets/la-chanson-de-martin-martins-song

      • October 2020

        A Great Big Night

        by Kate Inglis (author), Josée Bisaillon (illustrator)

        When three travelling frog musicians roll through the forest on their painted bicycles, the other animals know they’re in for a great big party. Only one of them is not having fun: grumpy old grouse. Just as he’s telling everyone to stop with their foolish racket, their ruckus, their riff-raff, a great big storm rolls through the woods and puts an end to all the fun. When they emerge in the sleepy, dewy dawn, the animals see that grouse’s home is ruined, and quickly band together to help him. Together, the frog musicians and their friends show grouse that music is for more than just a party: a fiddle, a golden guitar, and a drum, when played just right, can do just as much good as the knock-knock-bang of fixing and making brand-new.

      • September 2018

        Contes d'Afrique de l'Ouest

        by Valentin Elsa / Kuchenbuch Paul

        Elsa and Amala Valentin tell us stories with two soft, warm and emotional voices and happily interpret the little songs of each story. The sound setting (insects, monkeys, birds, jungle) and music (valida, doun-doun, djembe and mini-guitar) is signed by Paul Henrik Kuchenbuch and takes us on a trip to Africa. We walk alongside sensitive, courageous and particularly determined African girls and women.    -1- « Abiba », -2- « Thiti Koumba », -3- « How Yandé defeated the witch »,  -4- « Marimba or the bird woman »   https://soundcloud.com/trois-petits-points/sets/4-extraits-de-contes-dafrique-de-louest

      • February 2010

        The Replacement Guitarist

        Out of Print

        by Lori Toland, Mara McKennen

        Blaze Shinozuka, a hot talent who auditions as a replacement guitarist for world famous pop star Cassie, is thrilled when he draws the attention of celebrity manager Jason Stockton—and not only because it could make his career. His instant attraction to Jason sends his world careening off its axis and drives him to make a move. But Jason reacts by trying to put distance between them, and Blaze finds himself thrust into the gritty world of rock 'n' roll while falling for a man he shouldn’t touch, let alone love.Straight-laced Jason Stockton is always professional and never dips his pen in the company ink. But there's something about Blaze that leaves him wanting what he shouldn't, and the guitarist’s exotic beauty and compelling innocence turn out to be the temptation Jason can’t resist. But just one lie in the national media sets off a chain of events that pushes Jason and Blaze apart. Can they find a way to be together in the cutthroat, jealous world of rock 'n' roll even after the music stops? ;

      • Techniques of music / music tutorials

        Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One

        by Bruce E. Arnold

        Chord Workbook for Guitar is an excellent learning tool for both the beginner and the intermediate/advanced student. The theory section uses simple, easy to understand language to help a beginner through the basic theory of chord building. Chord progressions are provided to show how to apply chord voicings to common song forms. Advanced students will find the chord reharmonization section to be of particular interest, providing a lifetime of musical possibilities. All chord progressions are presented with both chord symbols and music notation to show smooth voice leading. The notated chord voicings also provide professional guitarists an opportunity to strengthen their sight reading. Muse Eek Publishing Company hosts two online resources in conjunction with this book. Unlike traditional situations where the reader is left on their own after the purchase of a text, Muse Eek Publishing seeks to keep the reader/student engaged and interactive with the author. With each book you are beginning a relationship in which help and direction are always available to make sure you are learning correctly.

      • PURPLE MEETS ANGEL CAT SUGAR

        by Gail Skroback Hennessey

        Angel Cat Sugar™ was introduced in 2002 by the original creator of Hello Kitty,Purple who is learning to play the guitar is encouraged and appreciated by Angel Cat Sugar.Yuko Shimizu, who hopes all children can fulfill their dreams and be happy,just like Sugar!

      • Children's & YA
        August 2018

        Christmas in Holly Pond Hill

        by Detlef Rohde, Marianna Korsh, Sebastian Lohse, Susan Wheeler

        A Christmas book for the whole family. - Beautifully illustrated stories to read aloud and for yourself - With music sheets and guitar accompaniment - Creative craft ideas - Recipes for Christmas treats - A live advent Calendar - With beautiful and special Christmas songs on CD

      • Carlotta and the Electric Uncle

        by Federico Appel

        Carlotta certainly does not imagine theterrible puzzle that’s about to upset hersummer! Uncle Arturo, the most dazedmusician that exists, takes her on a road tripon a tractor and under the banner of music.The mission? Find all the pieces of the guitarby Big Mama Wolf, the greatest artist of alltimes. Few clues, characters definitely outof the ordinary, but above all ... the “electric”uncle will he have told the whole truth?Guitars, drums, tractors, loves: they are allthere the ingredients for an unpredictablestory, full of laughs and rock’n’roll!

      • The Arts

        The Bandoneon in Tango / El Bandoneón en el Tango

        Fundamental method for playing tango music

        by Eva Wolff

        “Método de Tango” (Spanish for “Tango Method”) is the first fundamental book series that teaches how to play tango music, published in English and Spanish since 2014 by Tango Sin Fin in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This book series is the only collection which provides any musician, arranger, composer or ethnomusicologist from around the world a methodological and pedagogical approach to tango language, using academic terms, exercises and musical studies.   CONTENTS » Each volume is focused on one instrument: violin, bass, bandoneon, piano, flute and guitar. » All the tools and techniques for playing tango music are covered throughout specific chapters and exercises. » 5 to 8 original works for ensemble are included in each book. Parts for other instruments are included on a separate insert. » Audio and video recordings and play-along tracks for each exercise and pieces are available for free on Tango Sin Fin’s YouTube channel.   THE BANDONEON IN TANGO CONTENTS » Rhythmic melody. Different ways to articulate and accentuate a rhythmic tango melody. » Expressive melody. Fraseo as a fundamental constituent element of the tango language. » Time-marking models. The role of the bandoneon as part of the rhythmic base. » Ornaments and variations. Melodic embellishments and their use. » Milonga and vals, the use of percussive effects, guidelines to play in a tango ensemble, the history of the bandoneon in tango, the different styles of the genre. » 7 original works for ensemble. » 350 audio examples.

      • Picture books

        The dragon who breathed anything but fire

        by Brice Follet, Sylvain Zorzin

        Bernard is a strong and brave dragon. But one day, the most unbelievable thing happens: he can’t breathe fire anymore. He breathes all sorts of things except beautiful, scorching flames: out of his terrible mouth comes out a vase, an electric guitar, a boomerang, a basketball… How will he defend himself against knights in shining armours, how will he roast his marshmallows? And more importantly, what’s going on?

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