James Tyler offers a practical manual to aid guitar players and lutenists in transitioning from modern stringed instruments to the baroque guitar. He begins with the physical aspects of the instrument, addressing tuning and stringing arrangements and technique before considering the fundamentals of baroque guitar tablature. In the second part of the book Tyler provides an anthology of representative works from the repertoire. Each piece is introduced with an explanation of the idiosyncrasies of the particular manuscript or source and information regarding any performance practice issues related to the piece itself -- represented in both tablature and staff notation. Tyler's thorough yet practical approach facilitates access to this complex body of work.

In this update of the Acoustic Guitar Answer Book, Sharon Isbin, the classical guitar virtuoso who heads the Juilliard School Guitar Department, answers 50 essential questions about performing, practicing, and choosing and caring for your guitar. The questions were asked by Acoustic Guitar magazine readers and answered by Isbin in four years of Master Class columns in the magazine. This book collects all this vital information together in an easy reference format - an absolute must for every classical guitar player. Includes new appendices of resources for classical guitarists and students. 88 pages, 9 inch. x 12 inch.

The most comprehensive, authoritative work on understanding and building authentic lutes, by a world renown luthier and scholar. Historical section covers the development of the lute from the 15th through the 18th century with over 100 photographs of ancient lutes and 50 diagrams; practicum section covers the construction of the lute in minute detail with over 600 step-by-step photographs and a dozen diagrams. Includes a list of historic makers, catalog of extant historic lutes, bibliography and index, plus complete reduced images of seven lute plans.

The following research is an investigation of the baroque guitar stringing used by Spanish composer Gaspar Sanz and many of his Italian contemporaries. In contrast to previous scholarship centered on baroque guitar stringing, this paper attempts to clarify the problems inherently associated with ambiguous terminology, incorrect stringing designations, and the currently accepted baroque stringing options. The confusion and disagreement amongst modern scholars about what Sanz wrote regarding the subject of stringing has severely hindered subsequent related scholarship. As a result, it was absolutely necessary for the following research to include a historical background on Sanz, as well as his commentary on this subject, which has been translated, cautiously dissected, and explained. Additionally, this paper offers a direct challenge to the specious claim of many notable scholars that Sanz used the totally re-entrant stringing for the creation of his compositions. It was my sole intention to make this the most exhaustive research supporting the employment of upper octaves to date. This research also contains my newly proposed baroque guitar stringing options. Comparative transcriptions of original tablature from several composers including Sanz, Corbetta, Colista, Kapsperger, Granata, and Murcia have been included in order to add visual clarification of the results produced by different re-entrant stringings. Several other related issues are discussed including an examination of the original definitions of gut string names, the guitar's close development and association with the lute and chitarrone, and a closer look at the 17th century usage of the term "unison." Also proposed is a new right-hand technique whereby the guitar is approached as a nine (or ten) -string instrument. As part of the conclusion, I have also offered my personal instrumental set-up, showing both my current guitar's string spacing at the nut and bridge, along with the string type and diameters that I consider a suitable compromise for performance on a modern baroque guitar replica.

Gaspar Sanz (1640 –1710) is the most famous baroque-period guitarist. His works are tuneful and memorable, with fiery cross-rhythms and cascading scale passages. He published three books of guitar music.The baroque guitar could be viewed as a close relative of the ukulele. Indeed, the two instruments have much in common. the smaller four-course guitar actually had the same tuning as the ukulele, for example, although it was largely double-strung.Sanz enjoyed playing scales in the campanella style, with the notes of a scale set out on different strings, sonically overlapping slightly in the style of little bells. This is a technique the ukulele excels at, and is used to good effect in these arrangements.Sanz' music for baroque guitar transfers exceptionally well to the uke, as these arrangements demonstrate. It is hoped that this repertoire will bring a refreshing addition to the repertoire of the ukulele, just as the little instrument can bring a freshness to these old but lively pieces.