All about the guitar music you can buy

Guitar Ensemble School

www.derek-hasted.co.uk

About my ensemble guitar music

I have a simple philosophy in creating music - music is to be enjoyed.

• If a piece is to be enjoyed it needs appeal for the listener on its first hearing.
  
• If a piece is to be studied it needs appeal for the player on its first playing.
  
  And there's an added constraint when writing for novice and intermediate Guitar Ensemble groups...
  
• If a piece is to work as an Ensemble item it needs success for the players on its first run-through.
  Accessible is the fashionable word. Accessible music is fun music.

To address all this, my music has a strong melody, a supportive bass-line and under-the-finger harmonies. Many of the pieces have a lively rhythm, so that they motor along and hold tightly together.

I've placed the best of my music with publishers, and more is on the way.

Each of my 75 Ensembles has been tested on willing (and unwilling, come to think of it) volunteers to check that there's a fighting chance that each piece comes together at a first playing. And there is!

Much of my music is single-line, and in the practical sessions, you see that this is both an advantage when learning, and a great opportunity when playing. When you try the incipits here, don't just play the few bars. Try them in different positions, with different tone and different articulation. Compared to Solo Guitar, an Ensemble can hit much wider endstops of tone, volume and articulation - something which should be applied in your every playing. You will be surprised how much more can come from simple music when you attack it up the neck, with confidence and volume.

Tthere is nothing more demoralising for a newly formed ensemble than to purchase inappropriate music and then to hear the fruits of a week's individual practice at home culminate in a complete and utter pig's breakfast when the group meets together. I hope my incipits will assure you that your purchases will never be inappropriate.

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