This fine solo guitar text, written in notation and tablature, offers a brilliant array of music from many centuries. Composers represented (Aguado, Tarrega, Sanz, Angurea, and others) present a colorful spectrum of the melodies, styles, moods, and temperaments that have characterized guitar music of Spain. the instrumentation on the recording is the solo classical guitar. It is a stereo recording, and it does contain every selection in the book. None of the repeats suggested in the printed scores have been taken off or put on the recording. It is up to the discretion of the individual performer to add or delete these as necessary.

This fine solo guitar text, written in notation and tablature, offers a brilliant array of music from many centuries. Composers represented (Aguado, Tarrega, Sanz, Angurea, and others) present a colorful spectrum of themelodies, styles, moods, and temperaments that have characterized guitar music of Spain. The instrumentation on the recording is the solo classical guitar. It is a stereo recording, and it does contain every selection in the book. None of the repeats suggested in the printed scores have been taken off or put on the recording. It is up to thediscretion of the individual performer to add or deletethese as necessary

This is a story about the lust for gold and treasure," Fine writes. In the 1600s and 1700s, Spain dominated the oceans with its fleet of galleons. Coming to the New World, these ships filled their holds with gold and silver and treasures beyond imagining. The seaway between Spain and the New World was dubbed The Golden Highway. On their journeys back across the seas, many were wrecked on reefs or destroyed by hurricanes. The watery depths now hold their treasures. Today, treasure divers seek their fortunes by attempting--sometimes successfully, sometimes fatally--to retrieve these hordes of riches. In Treasures of the Spanish Main, readers relive each voyage of long ago as well as witness the modern wreck diver's efforts to extract their secrets. Included are: The 1622 fleet * The Concepcion * The Maravillas * The Shipwreck off Jupiter Beach * The San Jose * the 1715 Fleet * and the 1733 Fleet The voyages of centuries ago come alive with Fine's excellent historical detail. Readers will experience the wild storms and the results of unfortunate choices made by long-ago sailors. The eccentric treasure hunters of today, along with those of the past, create a mosaic of suspense and drama on the high seas. A must for everyone interested in pirates, treasure, sailing, history, or just plain fun.

One might think that it would be impossible to arrange the music of Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen, for solo classic guitar, but Néstor Ausqui has done it! While the guitar is an intimate and sweet-sounding instrument, it does not have a broad dynamic range; yet, as Dionisio Aguado proclaimed in his Nuevo Método para Guitarra of 1843, the classic guitar’s expansive palette of tone color gives it the ability to emulate “a miniature orchestra”. These characteristics make the guitar the ideal instrument to reflect both the character and sensuality of the dances that occur throughout Bizet’s Carmen—Aragonaise, Habanera, Seguidillas, and Danse Bohéme—as well as Carmen’s sober “Chant de la Mort”. Recommended for the advanced guitarist, Carmen Suite is written in standard notation with extensive digitation and occasional drop-D tuning. In Néstor Ausqui’s Carmen Suite, “…the guitar both sings like a human voice and accompanies itself, giving the work an irrefutable guitar identity. The characteristic feeling manifested in Spanish dance is now expressed through the guitar with a full and defined instrumental singularity.” — Guillermo René Alvarez Musicologist, Professor at the Instituto Superior de Música, Universidad Nacional del Litoral-Argentina

Nestor Ausqui hails from the picturesque Argentinian city of Santa Fe: a robust and vibrant city catering to the arts and culture, most notably music. Definitive de Falla is Ausqui's second book from Mel Bay Publications, following the release of the Nestor Ausqui Collection (MB99894EB). This book and accompanying audio represent an important collection in the classical guitar genre. Guitarists fromaround the world will enjoy Ausqui's faithful attention to detail in the transcriptions, making this book an excellent addition to any guitarist's library.

Sardinian flamenco guitar virtuoso, Dario Piga, delivers 18 intermediate to advanced exercises in this progressively arranged book addressing: arpegio, pulgar, picado, rasgueo, alzapua, and trémolo techniques. Dario himself studied in Spain with several prominent guitarists and singers, so is fluent with the authentic rhythms and techniques essential to effective flamenco guitar soloing and song and dance accompaniment. The pulgar (thumb) exercises in this volume will be of particular interest to flamenco aficionados as they explore various rhythms and chord inversions throughout the fretboard. Following his studies in Spain, Dario added jazz harmony to his lexicon of musical resources and frequently participates in the Time in Jazz festival in Sardinia. His affinity for jazz is also reflected in the appealing modern harmonies that occur in these studies. Two stunning Piga flamenco guitar solos provide a magnificent ending to this collection, written in standard notation and tablature. Includes access to online audio.

Classic and flamenco guitarists alike will benefit from these etudes as they bridge the gap between traditional mechanical studies and engaging practice and concert material. Although relatively short in duration, a few of these etudes could be combined in a medley to form an effective suite or set. In addition, fourteen of the twenty etudes are provided with chord accompaniment for harmonic analysis, improvisation, or performance with a teacher or second guitarist. The companion online audio for this book has been masterfully recorded by the author using a flamenco guitar to authentically render the typical picado, double-arpeggio, arpeggio-legato, and horquilla techniques as well as the quintuplet flamenco tremolo. Traditional classical elements like octave, interval and arpeggio studies are also thoroughly explored, with one piece in dropped-D tuning—all with a flamenco flavor. In addition to accomplishing its mission of offering a fresh regimen of appealing practice etudes, the truly unique feature of this book is that everything from basic technique to exotic harmony and modal scales has been aflamencado or “flamenco-ized”. Towards that end, a comprehensive glossary of mostly flamenco terminology is provided along with standard notation and tablature for each piece. As a bonus for those new to the flamenco genre, or for the serious aficionado or audiophile, a generous “Recommended Listening” list is included. Practice-related quotations from prominent guitarists in various styles complete this exceptional collection. Includes access to online audio.