ISBN 9781619117143.

This is the flagship book in Mel Bay's Achieving Guitar Artistry series. Herein you will find an extensive collection of linear pieces with interesting melodic content. Frequent performance of these etudes will not only enhance technique, but offer the guitarist a wonderful opportunity to improve tone, touch and lyrical phrasing.We suggest playing each etude at a slow tempo at first, the goal being to achieve a clear and beautiful tone on every note. The next objective is to develop a sense of lyrical completeness to each musical phrase. Make the phrases sing! Once you have achieved the desired quality of tone and expression, increase the tempo to work on the technique.Mel Bay's Guitar Journals - Mastering the Fingerboard: The Reading Book (MB20903) would make an ideal supplement to Linear Guitar Etudes as it presents etudes in all keys and positions.The pieces in Linear Guitar Etudes are multi-positional. That is, the player will be required to move from position to position on the fingerboard. The music is presented in standard notation only, with left-hand fingering included on the more complex passages, and circled numbers to indicate the strings where certainnotes and passages are to be played.These etudes sound good on both nylon and steel-string guitars, and will be a valuable addition to the music library of any guitarist, enhancing their abilities regardless of the style of music played.

ISBN 9781619113619. The twenty classic guitar etudes in this book are melodic and "guitaristic". I composed them in guitar friendly keys. They were written to be fun to play and also to provide short pieces ideal for recitals or concert preludes and encores. The pieces should be played with freedom and expression. They are intermediate in difficulty and will present a diverse array of moods and textures for the guitarist.

ISBN 9781619117549.

The arts flourished in the Baroque period. Music from that time is still performed worldwide by symphonies, opera companies, choirs, chamber ensembles and soloists on many instruments. The period was characterized by the works of such great artists as J. S. Bach (b. 1685), Handel (b. 1685), Telemann (b. 1681) and many others. These composers defined the rich, ornate and melodic Baroque style of music which we categorize in the classical realm. There was another genre of music flourishing during this period, and that was the common or folk music style characterized by such composers as Ireland's legendary harpist, Turlough O'Carolan (b. 1670).In composing music for this book the author recreated harmonic and melodic elements of this great musical age, while adding some contemporary twists. All of the etudes are original and will serve to enhance guitar technique, phrasing, expression, note- reading ability, and knowledge of the entire guitar fingerboard. Fingering and string markings are included where appropriate.In addition to facilitating the many technical and aesthetic aspects of performing at an advanced level on the guitar, these etudes may be used successfully in concerts or recitals. This book is an ideal companion for the other books in the Mel Bay Achieving Guitar Artistry series, which is designed to condition and guide the developing guitarist to an advanced level of proficiency, regardless of the style of music performed.

ISBN 9781619117303.

Achieving Guitar Artistry - Concert Solos is a collection of 56 solos reflecting a wide array of colors, textures and moods. These were originally written for plectrum or flatpick guitar but may be played by the classical or fingerstyle guitarist. The solos range in difficulty from intermediate to advanced and will work wonderfully in recital or concert settings. Many of the solos encourage creativity with tone, expression and phrasing. Others are up-tempo and utilize Latin, jazz, bluegrass and Celtic rhythms. An ample amount of fingering and string markings are presented on each solo.This is the third book in the Mel Bay Achieving Guitar Artistry series. It follows Linear Guitar Etudes and Triads. The goal of this series is to present material able to develop the serious guitar student into a very accomplished player.