Fingerstyle Guitar Tunes An Early American Christmas

This collection of Christmas carols includes 17 iconic and lesser-known holiday songs arranged in standard notation and tablature for the intermediate fingerstyle guitarist. The compilation is unique in that its selections reflect the soundscape of the Precolonial Era of American history. While many of these carols originated in 17th and 18th century Europe, some are homegrown spirituals, and one is a Huron melody. In these lyrical arrangements, author/guitarist Raymond Gonzalez applies his gift for combining traditional harmonies with occasional harmonic and rhythmic twists, adding freshness and color to traditional music. All pieces are in standard or dropped-D tuning and are suitable for both steel and nylon-string guitar performance. Includes access to online audio of every tune as expertly recorded by the author.

This collection of Christmas carols includes 17 iconic and lesser-known holiday songs arranged in standard notation and tablature for the intermediate fingerstyle guitarist. The compilation is unique in that its selections reflect the soundscape of the Precolonial Era of American history. While many of these carols originated in 17th and 18th century Europe, some are homegrown spirituals, and one is a Huron melody. In these lyrical arrangements, author/guitarist Raymond Gonzalez applies his gift for combining traditional harmonies with occasional harmonic and rhythmic twists, adding freshness and color to traditional music. All pieces are in standard or dropped-D tuning and are suitable for both steel and nylon-string guitar performance. Includes access to online audio of every tune as expertly recorded by the author.

The joyous Christmas season has inspired musicians in many countries and in many eras to compose beautiful songs. This book contains 18 Christmas carols and songs from the American Christmas repertoire arranged for solo plectrum/flatpick guitar. Each solo can also be played by the classical or fingerstyle guitarist. All of the solos are in notation and tablature. Includes access to an online audio recording of each solo.

This collection presents 22 lyrical American tunes including traditional 19th century songs, melodies from the WWII era, and modern-day pieces by William Bay, president of Mel Bay Publications. Whether it’s a Civil War ballad or a jazz inspired tone poem, Raymond Gonzalez has a gift for creating unique settings that occasionally blend harmonics with normally fretted notes and open strings. The end result is a flowing melody/chord/bass arrangement that is challenging but accessible to the intermediate guitarist. All of the notation and tab settings in this book appear in standard or dropped-D tuning and are suitable for both steel and nylon-string guitar performance. To keep page clutter to a minimum, the reader is referred to the tablature for string, fret, and harmonic locations. Includes access to online audio of every tune recorded by the author.

Christmas Carols in the British Isles presents 20 songs from the Renaissance through early 20th century. It includes familiar compositions such as the “Coventry Carol”, “Away in a Manger”, and the “Wexford Carol”, and incorporates some lovely pieces that may be new to the listener. The melodies for these lyrical pieces appear in their most easily recognized form before any variation is presented. Raymond Gonzalez has a gift for combining traditional harmonies with occasional harmonic and rhythmic twists, providing freshness, color, and new life to familiar tunes. All arrangements are in standard or dropped-D tuning, suitable for both steel and nylon-string guitar performance and should be comfortably accessible to the intermediate guitarist. The reader is referred to the tablature for string, fret, and harmonic locations. The book includes access to online audio of every tune recorded by the author.

The name of this book is no exaggeration. It includes some of the most gorgeous music that the authors El McMeen and Sandy Shalk know. To make things even more interesting, none of the music was originally written for guitar! In addition to Celtic favorites, El includes his arrangements of two of the most beautiful arias in all of opera: "Che Gelida Manina" from Puccini's "La Boheme" and "My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice" (“Mon Coeur S'ouvre à ta Voix”) from "Samson and Delilah" by Camille Saint-Saëns. Sandy's contributions range from Celtic to French love songs to Stephen Foster, manifesting Sandy's gift for chordal subtleties and innovation. Each piece is in either standard tuning (EADGBE) or Drop D tuning (DADGBE). Written in standard notation and tablature with computer generated audio files of each arrangement.

Twelve classic holiday songs for solo fingerstyle guitar. Includes performance notes, multi-level arrangements in both standard notation and tab, and CD accompaniment. Titles include: The First Noel * Go Tell It on the Mountain * In Dulci Jubilo * Joy to the World * O Little Town of Bethlehem * Silent Night * Winter Wonderland and more.

In this popular book concert guitar soloist Gerard Garno presents a variety of guitar solo arrangements on 25 hymn and gospel favorites. A unique feature of this book is the inclusion of a simple fingerstyle solo, an advanced fingerstyle solo, the hymn text and tune with chords shown and historical notes on each selection. Written in notation and tablature, these solos sound equally good on steel or nylon string guitars.

This fingerstyle guitar collection features 20 engaging lyrical tunes from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales plus three original pieces by accomplished guitarist, trumpeter and composer William A. Bay, president, and editor-in-chief at Mel Bay Publications. Tasked with writing intermediate-level arrangements in either standard or dropped-D tuning, guitarist/arranger Raymond Gonzalez displays uncommon music rethinking skills while preserving the plaintive and lilting nature of these enduring melodies. Unique to these settings, you will find sparse, open-chord harmonies accentuated by double hammer-ons and pull-offs, and the odd harmonic mixed with normal tones within a melodic line— all reminiscent of gentle waves washing up against a rocky island shore. Conceived to be played on either steel or nylon-string guitar, these pieces are written in both standard notation and tablature. Includes online access to the author’s own audio recordings.