Alexandre Lagoya once said: 'For one Guitar you can write what the Guitar will allow you to write. For two Guitars you can write what you choose.' While there is a measure of overstatement in this it remains true that themedium of two Guitars allows much greater creative freedom to the composer.There are many kinds of Guitar-duo works- at one extreme the very simple at the other the call for two virtuosi; those in this book inhabit themiddle of this spectrum. They are not in effect accompanied Guitar solos but equal duets in which two players of moderate technical ability converse with one another sharing the lead. This they do without sacrificing musicalinterest.Two of the pieces consist of variations on folk tunes - Shades of Green uses the Irish tune The Next Market Day while Varieties of Scotch is based on the well known Scottish tune YeBanks and Braes. The remaining duet is an affectionate nod in the ragtime direction of Scott Joplin. The two sets of variations are suitable for concert use and Joblinesque is a natural encore piece.

Concentrating on the melody or harmony of a piece is a great exercise for when you have to do both. For this book author James Douglas Esmond has chosen a dozen pieces out of the classical domain which are not found in the standard guitar repertoire. The pieces in this book start off fairly easy and progress to more challenging ones for intermediate guitarists. One guitar is great but two is twice as nice and working with other musicians is great fun. So get together with another guitarist and have a wonderful time discovering these guitar duet pieces! The accompanying CD features 24 tracks.

This book comprises fourteen originally composed guitar duets at equivalent standard to AB Grades 1-3. It offers repertoire that will interest adults as well as younger guitarists. Some pieces are published here for the first time since the 19th century other items are previously unpublished. Notes on performance practice are included throughout the book helping students to develop a sense of musical style.