The Flying Guitar (anteprima)

S. Rocco, 14

74011 Castellaneta

Presentation

This method is the result of years of personal experience, trial and research.

While respecting the importance of other existing teaching methods, many teachers feel that it is sometimes necessary to adjust their approach to the current times.

Nowadays young people are used to immediate gratification and results, lest what started as an engaging hobby becomes a series of boring music lessons, with the inevitable rejection and withdrawal.

The students themselves, far from accepting a passive role, attempt to imagine, manipulate and create; the teacher and the method used play thus a crucial role in supplying the right input, so that the student can achieve independence of thought.

The basic tenet of this book is that “in music, theory must follow practice”, that is, the student must learn the rules only after having experienced first hand the facts that gave origin to them. As such, all music theory topics are offered as needed and practiced directly on the guitar, thus speeding up the learning process.

Completing the volume is a substantial anthology of original pieces for solo guitar, which serve to consolidate the work done in the first part of the method, and the multimedia package, which enables the student to listen to audio tracks during the study phase (complete and accompaniment bases) via playlists on the Edizioni Curci Digital app (see instructions on the last page) and to vary the playback speed as needed.

The selection of original compositions in a wide variety of genres that draw on different geographic and historical sources is not only educational but exciting for students. Discovering places, styles, and cultures through music makes the students more mindful of what they are doing. And it does so without ever losing sight of the accuracy of a ‘classical’ approach to the instrument, which can provide all the skills necessary to continue their studies in high school or at the conservatory. The method proposes a playful approach to the guitar precisely at the stage when the student falls in love with music, thus enabling them to learn quickly while at the same time acquiring proper basic training.

Teacher’s guide

The purpose of these brief suggestions is to facilitate and streamline the teacher’s task.

As mentioned in the preface, the principles of music theory and instrumental technique have been deliberately kept to a minimum to allow the teacher to approach each topic in their own personal way. The difficulty of the pieces increases very gradually, so that the student can grasp all the theoretical and technical challenges in a simple and effective way.

In addition, each new topic can be reinforced by the new ANTHOLOGY FOR SOLO GUITAR (at the end of the book) and REVIEW TESTS (distributed among the different topics) that in some cases are also a pretext to encourage the student’s creativity and imagination.

As a supporting activity, for the rhythmic exercises called SERVICE STOPS, it is advisable to repeat them several times, tapping with the right hand on the body of the guitar while vocalizing the notes with simple syllables, and rests with numbers, for example:

TA TA ONE TA TA-A ONE-TWO

Orchestral backing tracks are provided for all the pieces. These are available in the special playlist accessible on the Edizioni Curci Digital App (see last page) and, like the guitar parts, the playback speed can be adjusted.

I would also recommend encouraging the student to sing the melodies of the first part, pronouncing the names of the notes.

The size of the guitar is of primary importance. Depending on the age and size of the student, I suggest using either a smaller guitar or, with a full-size guitar, placing a capo on the third or fourth fret, which not only ‘shortens’ the fretboard but demands less pressure on the strings from the fingers of the left hand.

Now let’s get started!

Hello!

My name is Rino Guitarino.

Hello!

My name is Rina Guitarina.

... and we are brother and sister. With a guitar and with you we shall discover the best planet ever.

If you want to play with us, grab a guitar and get ready to travel.

Before picking up a guitar you need to sit on the front edge of a chair, holding your body up straight and resting your left foot on a “FOOTREST”. Then the guitar will need to rest on four parts of the body.

THE RIGHT HAND

The right hand produces the sounds, plucking the strings with the fingertips. There are two ways to touch the strings: the free stroke and the rest stroke. In the following pieces we shall use both.

Look carefully at the pictures and try to do the same position. As you can see, the wrist is bent and the thumb must always be separate from the rest of the hand.

THE POSITION OF THE HAND

NAMES OF

For now, we shall use

fingers. Later we shall also use the

finger and the thumb. The

finger is never used. To know what finger to choose, we shall use their initial letters.*

2 1

1

At the start of each staff you’ll always find a key that will help you to enter. It’s called “TREBLE CLEF”

You can try and copy the treble clef on the staff.

During our trips we shall find lots of “BARLINES” that split the staff in separate spaces called “BARS” or “MEASURES”

BAR

FINAL BARLINE

Immediately after the treble clef at the beginning of each new piece of music you’ll always find a “TIME SIGNATURE” that tells you how many equal “beats” make up the measure.

FILLING UP THE TANK BEFORE LEAVING Elements of theory

Travelling to different countries we will find many different habits and traditions, and the following exercises will help us to find our way around.

SERVICE STOP # 1

The note values

In musical language, the sounds and the silent bits are written with these symbols, called notes. Learn them well, and try and follow the symbols below with hand claps, or touching any string on your guitar.

NOTE VALUE REST NAME SOUND SILENCE worth 1 beat crotchet worth 2 beats minim worth 4 beats semibreve

Table of contents

Greeting and presentation of the two characters

THE GUITAR

The travelling instrument

The position of the body

THE RIGHT HAND

The position of the hand

The names of the fingers

THE SCORE

map

FILLING UP THE TANK BEFORE LEAVING

of theory

SERVICE STOP # 1 – The note values

LET’S LEARN THE FIRST THREE NOTES Open strings

THE NOTES “E – B – G” – On open strings

INTENSITY OF SOUND

THE LEFT HAND

The position of the hand

The names of the fingers

THE NOTE “A” on the 3rd string

REVIEW TEST – On note values

SERVICE STOP # 2 – Quavers

THE NOTE “C” on the 2nd string

THE NOTE “D” on the 2nd string

THE NOTE “G” on the 1st string

REVIEW TEST – On the knowledge of the notes

SERVICE STOP # 3 – The dotted note

THE NOTE “F” on the 1st string

STACCATO

REVIEW TEST – On finding the notes

SERVICE STOP # 4 – The tie 26 REVIEW TEST – On finding the notes

SERVICE STOP # 5 – Accidentals 28

REVIEW TEST – On accidentals 31

LET’S LEARN THE THREE LOWER Open strings 32 MAJOR AND MINOR KEYS With chord positions 35 REVIEW TEST – On the chord positions 36 NOTES PLAYED SIMULTANEOUSLY Double stops 36

POSITION CHANGES 40

THE NOTE “A” on the 1st string 40 REVIEW TEST – On Roman numerals 41

SERVICE STOP # 6 – Syncopation 41 THE LOW NOTE “G” on the 6th string 44

THE LOW NOTE “F” on the 6th string 45

THE LOW NOTE “B” on the 5th string 46 NOTES PLAYED SIMULTANEOUSLY Triple stops 47

THE LOW NOTE “C” on the 5th string 47 THE NOTE “E” on the 4th string 48 THE NOTE “F” on the 4th string 49

REVIEW TEST – On the low notes 50

REVIEW TEST – On finding the notes 57 SERVICE STOP # 7 – Compound time signatures 57

PART II

Greeting of the two characters

ENSEMBLE

PART III

ANTHOLOGY FOR SOLO GUITAR

The ten commandments of guitar posture 108 Song index and tracklist 110 Guide to using the online content

About the author

Song index and tracklist

TITLE COUNTRY AUTHOR PAGE TRACK*

ACCIDENTAL ROCK USA V. N. PARADISO 94 83 ALMA DEL NUEVO MUNDO Peru V. N. PARADISO 105 96 AMERICAN DANCE USA POPULAR ETHNIC 46 47 ANCIENT BATTLES Greece V. N. PARADISO 60 59 AULD LANG SYNE Scotland POPULAR ETHNIC 66 64 AULOS Greece V. N. PARADISO 15 5 AURORA BOREALIS Norway V. N. PARADISO 96 87 BAHÍA DE SAN MIGUEL Baja California V. N. PARADISO 86 75 BALKAN BASS Bosnia – Herzegovina V. N. PARADISO 106 97 BARCAROLE Hungary V. N. PARADISO 23 15 BEYOND THE OCEAN Portugal V. N. PARADISO 95 85 BOOGIE WOOGIE USA POPULAR ETHNIC 51 51 BORA BORA BEACH French Polynesia V. N. PARADISO 92 78 CELTIC MELODY Ireland V. N. PARADISO 34 30 CHA CHA BUM BUM Caribbean Islands V. N PARADISO 88 76 CHERRY BLOSSOMS Japan V. N. PARADISO 103 94 CIELITO LINDO Mexico POPULAR ETHNIC 72 68 COSSACK DANCE Russia V. N. PARADISO 43 44 COWBOY SONG USA V. N. PARADISO 21 14 CUBAN DAWN Cuba V. N. PARADISO 33 28 DANCE OF THE ELVES Finland V. N. PARADISO 100 91 DANZA DE LAS MARIPOSAS Costa Rica V. N. PARADISO 93 81 ENCHANTED CASTLE Scotland V. N. PARADISO 44 45 ESCONDIDO Argentina POPULAR ETHNIC 55 55 FLIGHT OF THE EAGLES Albania V. N. PARADISO 93 80 FLOWERS ON THE RIVIERA Italy V. N. PARADISO 47 48 FLYING OVER THE GLACIERS Greenland V. N. PARADISO 56 56 FOREST OF THE GNOMES Germany V. N. PARADISO 90 77 FRÈRE JACQUES France POPULAR ETHNIC 64 62 GREENSLEEVES England POPULAR ETHNIC 68 65 GUARDIA INGLESE Inghilterra V. N. PARADISO 13 1 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU USA POPULAR ETHNIC 28 HOLY TEMPLE India V. N. PARADISO 17 7 JUNGLE ECHOES Congo V. N. PARADISO 45 46

JINGLE BELLS USA POPULAR ETHNIC 25 19

JUNGLE DRUMS Kenya V. N. PARADISO 14 3

KOREAN PRANK North Korea V. N. PARADISO 84 74

LA CUCARACHA Mexico POPULAR ETHNIC 80 72

LA GRANDE ROUE France V. N. PARADISO 98 89

LEYENDA Spain I. ALBENIZ 49 50

LIMBO South America POPULAR ETHNIC 54 54

LITTLE BLUES USA V. N. PARADISO 78 71 LOTUS FLOWER Japan V. N. PARADISO 17 8

LULLABY Germany J. BRAHMS 70 66 LULLABY Italy POPULAR ETHNIC 58 57 MAGYAR DANCE Ungheria V. N. PARADISO 25 20 MALAGUEÑA Spain POPULAR ETHNIC 53 53 MARCH USA POPULAR ETHNIC 19 9 MEXICAN BAILE Mexico POPULAR ETHNIC 61 60

TITLE COUNTRY AUTHOR

TRACK*

MINIMAL HIP HOP USA V. N. PARADISO 96 86 MOZART’S THEME Austria W. A. MOZART 20 11

MYSTERIOUS MONASTERY Tibet V. N. PARADISO 34 31

NIGHT BLUES USA V. N. PARADISO 62 61

ODE TO JOY Germany L. VAN BEETHOVEN 24 17 OH! CHE BEL CASTELLO Italy POPULAR ETHNIC 26 OH! SUSANNA USA POPULAR ETHNIC 42 42 OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM USA POPULAR ETHNIC 20 12

OPERA ARIA Italy W. A. MOZART 37 36

PAN PIPE Bolivia V. N. PARADISO 15 6 PIVA PIVA Italy POPULAR ETHNIC 23 16 QUADRILLE Italy POPULAR ETHNIC 59 58

RAINBOW Australia V. N. PARADISO 101 92

RAINDANCE USA V. N. PARADISO 38 37

REINDEERS IN THE SNOW Sweden V. N. PARADISO 29 24 ROCK MY SOUL USA POPULAR ETHNIC 42 43 ROMANZA Spain POPULAR ETHNIC 40 41

RUSSIAN STEPPE Siberia V. N. PARADISO 19 10

SAD SONG Bulgaria V. N. PARADISO 35 33

SAMBA LELE Brazil V. N. PARADISO 102 93 SCARAZULA MARAZULA Italy POPULAR ETHNIC 37 35 SING SING CIÚ China V. N. PARADISO 13 2 SONEROS DE HAVANA USA V. N. PARADISO 95 84 SPRING HARMONY France V. N. PARADISO 35 32 TANGO PORTEÑO Argentina V. N. PARADISO 52 52 TANGO PORTEÑO (reprise) Argentina V. N. PARADISO 107 98 TARANTELLA Italy POPULAR ETHNIC 74 69 TE DEUM France M. A. CHARPENTIER 24 18 THE BARREL ORGAN Italy POPULAR ETHNIC 71 67 THE CHINESE LANTERN China V. N. PARADISO 30 25 THE DANCE OF THE CLOCKS Switzerland V. N. PARADISO 38 38 THE DANCE OF THE TARTARS Mongolia V. N. PARADISO 30 26 THE DANCE OF THE VEILS Syria V. N. PARADISO 48 49 THE FIRST NOWELL England POPULAR ETHNIC 29 23 THE KANGAROO WALTZ Australia V. N. PARADISO 36 34 THE LAST BATTLE Scotland V. N. PARADISO 99 90 THE LEGEND OF PINATUBO The Philippines V. N. PARADISO 92 79 THE MAYA PYRAMID Mexico V. N. PARADISO 31 27 THE MEDIEVAL CASTLE Italy V. N. PARADISO 97 88 THE PERFUME OF THE MIDDLE EAST Turkey V. N. PARADISO 33 29 THE RANGERS’ SONG Canada V. N. PARADISO 27 22 THE RED RIVER VALLEY USA POPULAR ETHNIC 27 21 THE SNAKE DANCE Arabia POPULAR ETHNIC 39 39 THE TIRED CAMEL Morocco V. N. PARADISO 39 40 THE WHITE HORSE Slovakia POPULAR ETHNIC 21 13 TROPICAL DANCE Trinidad POPULAR ETHNIC 82 73 TROPICAL SEA Madagascar V. N. PARADISO 94 82 TRUMPET CALL Egypt V. N. PARADISO 14 4 VALS PANAMENSE Panama V. N. PARADISO 76 70 VIKING LEGEND Iceland V. N. PARADISO 104 95 WHISTLING Germany POPULAR ETHNIC 65 63