ISBN 9781619114036. The Romance Anonimo ("Anonymous Romance") is one of the most popular pieces in the classical guitar repertoire. Also known as Spanish Romance, Romance de Amor, Jeux interdits and Estudio de Rubira, this 19th century work has continually delighted lovers of the instrument around the world and has become a standard part of guitar pedagogy.In this Mel Bay publication guitarist/composer Rico Stover offers his original composition Romance Variations in a 25 page score of the work with accompanying audio. Different "flavors" of guitar styles are heard in these variations which are inspired by guitarists/composers whom Rico admires: Mateo Carcassi, Joe Pass, Heitor Villalobos, Luiz Bonfa, Chet Atkins and Atahualpa Yupanqui.After a short introduction, the Romance theme is heard, after which the variations commence. Each variation follows the minor/major pattern:Variation 1: Arpegiado - classical arpeggiosVariation 2: Bordoneo - bass line texturesVariation 3: Villalobosiana - in the style of the masterVariation 4: Bossanova - Brazilian syncopationsVariation 5: Chet's Pick - country style fingerpickingVariation 6: Aire de Danza - Latin American dance rhythmsThe essay "Romance Anonimo: Who Composed It?" explores the different theories regarding the question of authorship, including an analysis of seven different editions of the Romance that date from 1900 to 1958.

Presenting the first volume of the Flat Key Series for guitar: Five Studies in F Major.

I - A short Fernando Sor inspired waltz with a simple melody and sequential interlude.
II - This study features two-voice counterpoint with a brief arpeggiated interlude.
III - This full-on arpeggio study in sextuplets incorporates hammer-ons and pull-offs and includes a brief exploration of the relative minor.
IV - This study fuses a flowing syncopated pattern with extended and altered chords and a smooth melody.
V - Inspired by Astor Piazzolla, this study opens with a chromatic sequence leading into a resolute melody supported by a rich harmony and decorated with quintuplet embellishments.

The Flat Key Series features not often seen keys for guitar to expand the guitarist's harmonic vocabulary and experience. Keep an eye out for additional volumes or contact KPMP for more information.

ISBN 9781609744168. These twelve "mechanical studies" for guitar are intended as an atmospheric modern counterpart to the classical arpeggio study, a fundamental aspect of right-hand training. Accordingly, the left hand is kept relatively in the background while the right hand explores a particular pattern, texture, or technique.The companion audio with this book features pieces from two Mel Bay Publications titles by Stanley Yates: En Mode - 22 Easy Character Pieces for Guitar and Etudes Mecaniques - 12 Easy-Intermediate Studies for Guitar.

ISBN 9781609740993. Transcriptions from Neshamah, Tim Sparks's ground-breaking recording for Tzadik Records of traditional Jewish melodies arranged for solo guitar. Neshamah is a Hebrew word meaning "soul," and in these soulful pieces, Sparks explores the music of the Jewish Diaspora, from the Caucasus to the Carpathians, from the Black Sea to Bosnia, from Jerusalem, Istanbul, Sarajevo, to New York's Lower East Side. Using a unique blend of bluesy string bends, jazz harmony and middle-eastern scales, he sheds new light on these tunes through the prism of fingerstyle guitar. Neshamah received wide critical acclaim in many publications around the world, including Fingerstyle Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Player, Akustik Gitarre, Acoustic Guitar Japan, Dirty Linen, The Wall Street Journal, CDNOW, All Music Guide and the Amazon.com Editor's Top 100 CDs of 1999. The entire recording has been transcribed here, including an appendix with the complete solos. Several of the arrangements are accessible to intermediate level players while some are better suited to the advanced player. Some of these transcriptions are slightly different than the CD recorded versions and reflect how the composition is currently played by Tim and are notated as such in the Performance Notes.