Is this Gaspar Sanz book/CD set (Tab) modernized?

[Frei]

Ok, I would like to take the plunge for this book set, as it is so cheap, and I have been practicing some baroque music on the guitar (phew!) and love all the counter-point etc...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0825616956/ref=ord_ca...

Does this have standard notation (tab for idiots) I only read tab after I rewrite it down. I could not just translate standard music notation.

If not, what is the good book for Sanz-standard tab. It would still be worth getting this for the CD's.

All the parts for my first baroque guitar are cut, and humidified/equalized!! Gluing begins soon!

[Fábio Vianna Peres]

On the sheetmusicplus website they have a look inside tool.
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Complete-Works-Of-Gaspar-Sanz-2...
It's not clear if all material is in tabs.

But you should try the facsimile edition by minkoff!
http://www.minkoff-editions.com/musique_musicologie/pages/r-s.htm#SANZ,

[Martin McDowell]

If you zoom in on the book cover it gives full description of contents... it says it contains the complete works in tablature and music notation, plus some pieces arranged for classical guitar. The tablature version would be according to the original italian style tab, i.e. upside down compared to modern tab. I always copy tablature out in my own hand anyway, endless copying out is all part of the game. I find those early period facsimile books delightful to study but not so brilliant to sit and play from. The minkoff book is lovely but there are some difficult to decipher bits. I'd say get that 2vols book, apart from the cds it also has plenty of commentary... looks good to me, and then if the minkoff version comes your way in the future so much the better. P.S. thanks for your comments re bridge unstuck - I ordered some hide glue, it arrived today, and I've made a new bridge already, so me too, I have some glueing soon (if not so much). Good luck with that!

[Frei]

Wow thanks, your fast with the building! Got the parts, just designed an inexpensive thickness sander, hoping it works, then I can really crank!

[Jamie Holding]

I beleive you may be wrong Martin.

I've seen and opened the book in Banks Music a while back. One volume I think is in complete tab - the other in complete standard notation. I THINK that you get different music in tab/notation so not everything in everything. The tablature is modern guitar TAB, not anything original I beleive.

The book is intended for the modern guitarist, not baroque guitarist and I think the pieces may be 'arrangements'.......

All that said, I am NOT entirely sure... - sorry!



Jamie

[Martin McDowell]

Quite possible indeed I could be wrong... I'll find out soon enough, I ordered a copy myself! Will report what I find when it arrives. I'm rather curious to hear the same performer playing Sanz on a baroque guitar, and then re-arranged upon classical. I myself have lots of fun playing with arrangements for classical guitar (and more recently ukelele) and I'm doubly curious to see a different arranger's solutions with some these pieces.

[Chris Despopoulos]

Alright... Another ukulele person! I'm inspired by Rob's arrangements of Sanz for the uke. I also was surprised to learn that the uke is tuned the same as the Ren. Guitar (except the uke has re-entrant tuning). In that spirit, I've been hunting on the web for Ren. Guitar manuscripts I can try on the uke. So far I found one that works with minor adjustments...

[Chris Despopoulos]

The Biblioteca Digital Hispanica (http://bibliotecadigitalhispanica.bne.es/) has the first of the three Sanz books online. These are scans of the facsimiles. I think they're more interested in the text than the music, which is why they concentrated on this volume. Still, I just got a Baroque Guitar (finally!), and I'm using this as the cheap way to get started.

2 cents' worth... Free access to some of the manuscript, anyway.

I will add that I used my Bach Lute Suites for Guitar by Jerry Willard in a class, and the transcriptions received kudos from the luminaries in attendance... For what's that's worth.

[Martin McDowell]

My copy has arrived, so I can report .....volume 1 sets out complete works in regular music notation (treating 4th and 5th courses as bass strings, which is the sensible way to do it) with all the tablature version set out below the regular notation, all according to the normal manner for publications that provide music notation + tablature. The tablature is in the italian style, set out on five lines, lowest line = top string, i.e. following the original. Translations of all the important text are included which makes the book very useful to those who can't follow the original spanish text. Jerry Willard's introductory bit is a little superficial and not altogether accurate but anyone exploring the baroque guitar properly can easily find more info elsewhere, getting all the music down is a huge undertaking, so I'd let him of the hook over this little point. For some reason though, he assumes Sanz's preferred tuning to be in the manner as used by de Visee, but actually it sounds quite good to me (on one play through of cd) and a lot of the musical threads make more sense than when played with the usual Sanz re-entrant stringing, so that's very curious. Volume 2, much thinner, contains some of the pieces transcribed to modern classical guitar. This is all personal choice etc., so no point making comment, in any case, Jerry Willard urges that players should inspect the the first volume at all times, i.e. scrutinize and make your own decisions if you play transcriptions. One does notice a general lack of ornaments in these transcriptions but, players are then able to add these when and if they want to, helps keep it simpler for beginners perhaps. The cds are for demonstration purposes, only 16 and 17mins each, played in quite matter-of-fact manner, which I think is totally appropriate (baroque guitar is the clear winner!). One or two moments on the modern guitar disc had me heading for the hills, so if anything, these volumes will have many classical players wanting to take up the baroque instrument. All in all, any real enthusiast is not going to be relying on this publication as the one and only source of all info, it seeks to present all the music as clearly as possible, for everyone, and I for one think he makes a very good job of it.... of course there may be terrible errors I didn't spot yet......I don't know how to set paragraphs to my text!

[Frei]

Thanks Martin, got mine comming in a few days! I have the Renaissance Guitar CD/book also, and the cd is pretty flat, but man o man, some of those songs really teach you about perfect counterpoint. They just blow my mind!