A Must for Classical Musicians Who Want to Gig
592302
If you are a freelance classical musician looking to increase your income by organizing a classical gig group -- a trio or quartet to play for weddings, corporate and charity events, and private parties -- this is your step-by-step guide. Liz Brooks has managed and performed in her group, The Village Quartet, for many years and knows all the pitfalls - because she admits to having made many typical beginner's mistakes. She is a cello teacher also, and it was the teacher in her that decided to put it all down in a book that would provide the guidance up-and-coming musicians need.

Included in the book are checklists for the manager of the gig group, as well as for the event planner. The book, which takes you from choosing a name and what to wear, to equipment purchases, creating demos, marketing and business development, and musician etiquette, also includes lists of standard repertoire of classical pieces, especially for weddings, a sample contract, and the best resources for sheet music. Bonus: some hilarious stories of things that went very, very wrong.

Full disclosure: I'm the editor and publisher, so I'm a bit biased. But I don't think you will find anything like this anywhere.
3667565
I have been playing classical guitar for many years.  Like many players I got to the point of being "pretty good" but could never break through the invisible wall of getting to "really good".  Anyone who has been playing for a while knows just how hard that is. I finally started a systematic search to find the resources to get me there.  I found this book in a roundabout way.  I was watching William Kanengiser's excellent DVD "Classical Guitar Mastery".  In my opinion it is one of the best instructional videos I have ever seen for intermediate players.  He pays tribute at the end to Lee F. Ryan and his book "The Natural Classical Guitar"  which is also excellent but hard to find.  Ryan's book has a bibliography which made reference to Charles Duncan, and he gave this book a high recommendation..

The reason I like this book is that it deals with the finer aspects of the mechanics of playing well in great detail.  That includes right and left hand position issues and proper finger movement in relation to the strings. If you were to read the book as a beginner it would probably be too much information and it would not mean that much.  After you have struggled for a while with the instrument you can better appreciate the significance of what he is saying.  To me the section dealing with issues in shaping your nails is worth the price of the book by itself.

This is not a guitar method.  If you don't know how to play it is not going to teach you.  You need Frederick Noad or Aaron Shearer for that, but this book does a great job of filling in gaps and bringing clarity to things discussed in those guitar method books.
3961990
I ordered these books after seeing some of John Ferrara youtube videos.  These books cover key music theory elements that are needed to get that more professional sound.  I often read sections of the book while traveling ot work.  John sells Videos on his website.  There are very powerfully, and reasonably priced.  I also take lessons with him periodically. Cant beat that combination
120856
Beautiful, well performed versions of this famous suite. When I was a poor student I picked up a great many albums of Classical Music like this one from these inexpensive collections by Hungarian and other Eastern European orchestras. Perfect introduction to Classical Music, and European Classical culture. This music got me through many all night study sessions - and I am convinced, was like a retrorocket for my GPA. Now that I am (thankfully) no longer a student and have a real job - I can afford more expensive collections. But I still love this one. You will too.
1621022
This capo is perfect for the classical guitar. I was initially using a "classic" capo with a strap. It was very tedios to insert and remove the strap. This capo solves the problem. Highly recommended.
989378
I played violin for years but dropped out when I realized that I didn't want to spend my life playing classical music in an orchestra.  That was back when there weren't many options that I knew about.  That has changed.  This book provides the violinist with a plethora of styles and artists.  Some I'd heard about and some were new to me.  The book provided resources and inspiration.  The book would help a music teacher or a self - guided student.
742312
This book is for people who love classical music, play the piano for their own enjoyment and want to challenge themselves.  There are good suggestions for exercises, expanding repertoire, improving rhythm, etc. There are also suggestions for studying a new piece, tips for learning the hard parts and memorizing.

There are also breakdowns of some specific works at the end that should prove helpful for learning those pieces.

I'm so glad I found this book. It's full of the kind of information I had been looking for. It was written by a serious and accomplished amateur, and I'm very grateful to him for sharing what he has learned.
4041923
A large part of my repertoire is playing lute music on the guitar, so I was looking forward to seeing how successfully these pieces, many of which I know, can be transferred to the thinner atmosphere of the uke. I am happy to say the author's transcriptions work very well. Some of the arrangements work better than others, but for the most part, the author is successful in creating very playable, reasonable simulations of the lute arrangements (although execution of a trill on the uke seems to be beyond the range of my fat fingers). The lovely arrangement of Praetorius's stately Ballet is almost worth the cost of the book by itself.
1120005
I have over 4000 songs on my library classical section with 14 albums.  I love to set my Amazon music on suffle  and play excerpts from these albums at random for hours while I read.  The Big Baroque Choral Box has 8 hours of rarely played music which fits well with other classic music and is well worth having in your library.
2415654
I haven't used these cards exactly as Philip Glaser instructs, but the beauty is that these cards can be used in many ways.  They are terrific.
In my case I have decades of experience playing woodwinds and brass.  I don't need simple music theory or note-name flash cards (although these cards could easily and effectively used to learn note names).  Most flash cards have a combination fretboard and beginners theory - a waste for me.

As a newbie to a fretboard, I learned reasonably quickly to find any note anywhere.  I just couldn't do it fast enough to make it useful as a player.  Repetition would remedy that, but like so many people I am impatient.  I needed a little support in speeding up the response time between seeing a note, and my brain sending my fingers to the note  -  any position, any time.  These cards are doing the trick, and in even in the first 48 hours made a significant difference for me.  They are not a silver bullet but a tool in the learning arsenal.

I have used these cards is AWAY from the instrument.  I use them for mental practice (see http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/does-mental-practice-work/)  Using these cards has cemented my knowledge, With even brief use the difficulties translating  knowledge of where the notes are and the automatic response of my fingers, has begun to vaporize.

These cards are well worth the money and effort.
810506
This is one of the best guides I have read on this subject. To me it is a great reference for anyone who is interested in creating their own music studio. This is quite an old book and has not been updated, but it does fulfill my every need.  I have not aggressively kept up with the latest technology and hardware now available for composers,  so I am happy to give "Build Your Own PC Recording Studio"  five stars.
Computer music has advanced much in the past few years, it is a pity that a new companion book similar to the informative quality of this particular book has not become available to explain the latest computer music technology now available. Despite this the book is still a worthwhile purchase as I am sure there are a few out there that have similar older equipment to myself will find it very useful to help optimize the music creativity.
.
793609
This book includes just about everything a composer or clarinetist needs to know about "extended techniques." The many pages of fingerings for mulitphonics and descriptions of the qualities of multiphonics are invaluable. I wish the book included a CD, but there are many sites on the internet containing aural examples of the techniques included in this book. The lack of examples is the only reason I give this book 4 instead of 5 stars. An excellent tool for musicians!
1092204
Naxos is one of the few music labels that I think of as a distinct label, they have a distinct "flavor". Naxos eschews popular classiscal artists, knowing that there are talented artists, virtually unknown, who can deliver intense performances. With good sound recording, they deliver intense performances for standard repertoire as well as more "modern" artists such as Alan Hovhannes, Philip Glass, and Arvo Part.

This disc gives witness to the diverse concerns of the Naxos label and their obvious success.

All this for a price that is genuinely economical. If you want to explore classical music with excellent recording technique, this is a good disc to start with.
896143
If you've ever wanted to venture past the standard repertoire and dabble in different style on classical guitar than this is definitely the book for you. It deals with slapping, tapping, pizzicatos and percussion techniques that will allow you to further your understandings of them by giving various excerpts from pieces and studies to practice them on.
538367
I know this is long, but I hope it will help someone out there.  Until I needed a new gig bag to replace the badly worn and airline-damaged Gator Gig Bag that "came" with the deal I made for my 4-year-old Takamine acoustic electric guitar, I had no idea about the Seagull brand of instruments, cases, or gig bags.  The options available at Amazon on guitar cases and gig bags were pretty overwhelming to say the least.  But none offered the critical information that we require in the field to make sound purchasing decisions:  detailed measurements or product specifications.

For that essential information, we have to rely on the community of musicians out there.  Thanks to Kirk Lawler, who took the time to measure his guitar and gig bag and inform me of the details I was able to make a decision on this purchase.  Kirk had a very unique and interesting review of the gig bag that made me realize that I can also make certain adjustments to the gig bag rather than return a bag if it is not "perfect."  Perfection in a market that is so saturated is difficult to achieve with the information currently available; so some of us are mentally prepared for adjustments.

As guaranteed by Amazon, the Seagull Folk Reinforced Gig Bag/Taupe arrived yesterday, 05/30/2013; in excellent conditions.  I could not be more pleased with this purchase.  This gig bag requires no adjustments or modifications.  The 40" Long by 14 " Wide by 4 " thick Takamine acoustic electric guitar fits perfectly.  I already took it to its first outing; and I was able to carry the accessories I require for practice.

On the outside, the gig bag has two divided (zippered) pockets.  BTW all zippers are of superior quality.  The largest pocket can be zippered in two directions, which is perfect to anchor a protruding item in the center.  Its interior has some small compartments that can house a regular metal capo, two 9.5V batteries, nail files, and numerous guitar picks.  In this large pocket I carry two long guitar cables, a collapsible metal foot rest, a folding miniature guitar stand protruding but anchored in the middle, and an extra set of strings.

I still have the outer pocket available.  Be careful as this outer pocket has an attractive outer mesh construction that can be cut with sharp objects such as the end of guitar cables.  It is probably an excellent pocket for extra strings or paperwork.  The gig bag sports a very nicely padded handle in the middle to carry on its side and two shoulder straps.  The shoulder straps are of superior construction with excellent, long padding.  The hooks sustaining the two guitar straps are metallic not plastic, which is a step up from my previous gig bag.  As tough as they seem, plastic hooks break easily on airline trips.  I repaired the hooks in my older bag with metal Bluecell Quick Release Trigger Snap Hook Rings made for camera straps (at Amazon). It is still early and I'm trying to figure the use for the small strap at the top (perhaps to hang the gig bag in a closet).  The ultimate test for this gig bag would be on an airline trip if I have to check it at the gate in smaller airplanes; as I never check in my guitar as luggage.
Thank you Kirk Lawler, Crystal R and Mike Blanger for your help and responses.
1392850
This is a nice CD, specially for those who study the Classical Guitar. There lots of etudes of Sor, lots of etudes of Aguado and Tarrega's highlights, like Recuerdos de La Alhambra, Lagrima and Adelita, etc. The  recording is very nice, with no noise. The guitarrist is Norbert Kraft, a  tremendous guitarrist. You won't be disappointed if you buy this, even  that, it's a cheap CD
286884
The classical guitar can struggle against the volume of an orchestra and that fact is evident in this CD.  Isbin's masterful skill is often overwhelmed by the orchestra, something that perhaps could have been  lessened with better remastering.  Nonetheless, if you appreciate classical  guitar played by a real talent, this CD is for you.  The unaccompanied  Latin Romances illustrate Isbin's work at its best, clean and precise with  pure tonal production.  Her technical mastery as well as her lyricism are  often on display.  I found the Schwantner composition, written at Isbin's  request, somewhat heavy-handed and hard to listen to.  The Rodrigo  recordings, even allowing for the occasionally overwhelming orchestra, are  bright and crisp.  Isbin's feeling for Rodrigo's music comes through  clearly in these recordings.  Despite the somewhat onerous orchestations, I  would recommend this CD to anyone who appreciates clear, precise, lyrical  classical guitar.  There's definitely enough in here to make this a  worthwhile purchase.  Two CD set.  PS: to get the second CD out, open the  inner door from the center out!  I'm an engineer, and it took me several  tries to figure it out (may because I'm an engineer!).