Piano and Cello Suites arranged for Classical Guitar
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Cello Suite in G major: Prelude
J.S. Bach
2022. Colorado. One of the best known pieces in the classical world. After hearing Yo Yo Ma’s performance at Red Rocks, I arranged this right off the original score. Since guitar can’t match a cello’s depth, my goal was to maximize sympathetic vibrations by letting the open strings resonate. Tablature
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Cello Suite in G major: Courante
J.S. Bach
2022. Massachusetts. Yo Yo Ma’s recorded performance of this catchy piece blew me away. I listened to it obsessively on my back porch trying to understand how Bach packed so much movement and structure into a solo cello piece. Playing it is a blast!
03
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Cello Suite in G major: Largo
J.S. Bach
2022. How do you arrange a slow cello piece on to the guitar so that it resonates as deep as a cello? This is my attempt to create maximum sound overlap between open and fretted strings, and to hold them for as long as I can.
04
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French Suite Overture in B minor: Bourrée
J.S. Bach
2000. Massachusetts. This achingly beautiful piece from Bach’s Overture in the French Style is sometimes included with the French Suites and sometimes not. This arrangement is based on a performance by the Brazilian pianist João Carlos Martins who plays it much slower that Glenn Gould. I play it even slower and find it to be on of the rare pieces that sounds even better on guitar than piano.
05
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Cello Suite in D minor: Prelude
J.S. Bach (Crane Suite I)
2024. Platte River Nebraska. Its five below zero with fresh snow and an orange sunset fading to dusk. Thousands of sandhill cranes are circling the tumultuous Platte River which is churning with huge chunks of ice. Unwilling to land in the river, the racket they make is unforgettable. I was working on this beautiful melancholic Bach piece at the time and the music became inextricably linked with this scene.
06
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Cello Suite in D minor: Courante
J.S. Bach (Crane Suite II)
2024. Platte River Nebraska. With a flurry of wings, the cranes give up circling and splash into the frigid water, deftly navigating the dangerous ice flows. This fiery courante, which I was arranging at the time, became linked with the landing cranes. Maybe that’s not what Bach was thinking… but who knows.
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French Suite in E major: Allemande
J.S. Bach
1992. California. I have been obsessed with Bach’s French Suites since hearing a recording of Glenn Gould playing them in Tacoma Washington. This one works out wonderfully on the guitar having an intricate chordal structure and manageable counterpoint. I constantly admire its music-box like perfection. Tablature
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Well Tempered Clavier: Prelude in G# minor
J.S. Bach
2024. Still learning to play this one
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Well Tempered Clavier: Prelude in C major
J.S. Bach
1987. Very draft recording. The opening prelude in Bach’s legendary Well Tempered Clavier got a shot of quirky promotion when it starred in the cult favorite Bagdad Cafe, filmed at a remote truck stop in the Mojave Desert. My transcription is about as literal as I get but its tricky to play. Its all about holding down close-voiced chords so every note stands out, something that is easy to do on the piano but the opposite on guitar.