Derek Hasted's News from 2020...

This pair of complementary and very accessible pieces will be known to many, if only because of their constant re-appearance in the Guitar Examination Syllabus! (Actually, constant re-appearance with different names, but that's another story...)

But despite being 450 years old, these are fantastic pieces with compelling rhythm. I've added a countermelody to make the pieces sound much more complex for very little extra effort...

 

I've written two different arrangements - which one suits your ensemble? You can see and hear more in the links below...

• Tanz & Hupfauf - 2 intermediate guitars
• Intermediate flute & guitar duet

T'Ain't What You Do

Although inspired by the Bananarama & Fun Boy Three re-work, the piece goes back a long way. In fact, in my arrangement, it goes back a lot further, with an introduction in the style of a Pavane and then a Madrigal.

My arrangement is easy to play but there's plenty of musical variety.

Ideal for a mixed ability group of 5 guitars - sounds great in a large ensemble too!

Read more/see/hear "T'Ain't What You Do" here ...

Isle of Capri

With its beguine-like rhythm, this will be a concert item the audience really enjoys!

My arrangement is easy to play but there's plenty of variety, including a passionate Tango section.

Ideal for a mixed ability group of 5 guitars, or 4 plus a bass instrument reading from treble or bass clef.

Sounds great in a large ensemble too!

Read more/see/hear "Isle of Capri" here ...

Amor, Amor, Amor

Set for four early intermediate guitars (or a large ensemble) this beguine-like love song is a real toe-tapper when played in concert!

Easy to play yet each chorus is a little different to the one before and there's a wonderful stereo effect at the end...

There's an additional bass-clef part to replace or complement Guitar Four's line.

Read more/see/hear Amor Amor Amor here ...

El Choclo (Guitar & Woodwind)

Following on from the success of my arrangements of El Choclo for 2 Guitars and for 3 Guitars (see below), I'm pleased to add versions for Flute & Guitar and for Bb Clarinet & Guitar. Nothing is too strenuous, so it's possible to really "get into the music".

Experienced players will find that the music comes alive still further if the articulation is tight and confident and the music is allowed a pause here and there to tease the listener...

 

• El Choclo for Flute & Guitar is intermediate standard, as is
• El Choclo for Clarinet & Guitar

Christmas Medley

This is a very playable compilation of 9 well-known Christmas tunes - they're arranged for 3 early intermediate guitars (or a large ensemble) and each part gets to take the tune in turn.

Running for nearly 5 minutes, the carols move seamlessly from one to another.

The arrangement features...

Deck The Halls

Once In Royal David's City

The Holly And The Ivy

O Come All Ye Faithful

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Good King Wenceslas

Silent Night

Angels From The Realms Of Glory

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells Reprise

 

Read more/see/here Christmas Medley here...

El Choclo (Guitars)

Said by many to be the definitive tango, this fantastic piece has three contrasting sections.

Experienced players will find that the accompaniment parts come alive if the articulation is tight and confident.

Ideal for intermediate guitarists and school ensembles, this will be a concert item the audience really enjoys!

I've arranged two versions of this very evocative Tango.

• El Choclo for 3 guitars (great for a mixed-ability group - lines to suit skill levels from beginner to intermediate). For a big and impressive sound, a large ensemble works really well.
• El Choclo for guitar duet (intermediate level). The roles are shared equally through the piece...

The Teddy Bears' Picnic

First published in 1907, this is a real crowd-pleaser in concert - ideal to close the first half or as an encore.

It suits 4 intemediate guitarists, or for a big and impressive sound, a large ensemble.

My arrangement, in the same keys as the original, is deliberately straightforward so that the piece works and can be played with the confidence and volume that the original demands.

Ideal for intermediate guitarists and school ensembles, this will be a concert item the audience doesn't forget!

Read more/see/hear The Teddy Bears' Picnic here ...

Open All Hours (TV Theme)

This very playable piece introduced the original UK TV Series featuring Ronnie Barker and David Jason - it's since reappeared on our screens a further generation down the line...

It's a perfect little "aside" in a concert and will suit a school ensemble or an adult duo - it makes a piece that works almost immediately!

 

I've written two different arrangements - which one suits your ensemble? You can see and hear more in the links below...

• Open All Hours - 3 early intermediate guitars
• Early intermediate flute & guitar duet
• Early intermediate clarinet & guitar duet

Fawlty Towers

This famous UK TV theme is great fun to play on three guitars (or in a large ensemble).

This is well-known as the theme to the UK TV comedy of the same name, but few realise that the suite contains 5 movements - the opening and closing movements are what's usually heard on TV, but there are 3 other movements which really deserve to be heard too!

Because of the speed of the original, this will suit an advanced Intermediate trio or a large ensemble, but it actually works well at a more modest pace too for players with a little less experience.

In concert, you can play just the well-known theme or, as a suite, this makes a refreshing and interesting longer item too!

Read more/see/hear Fawlty Towers here ...

Last Of The Summer Wine (not one but THREE arrangements)

This wonderful evocative melody is well known here in the UK from the TV series of the same name. It's a real "ear-worm" when played in concert.

I've produced three arrangements - which one suits your ensemble?

• Last of the Summer Wine - intermediate guitar trio
• Last of the Summer Wine - intermediate flute & guitar duet
• Last of the Summer Wine - intermediate clarinet & guitar duet

When A Child Is Born (3 guitars/large ensemble)

This wonderful melody is one of those pieces that will stay with an audience long after the concert finishes! The edition contains two arrangements that will suit an Early Intermediate trio or a large ensemble - ideal for School Concert or informal Adult concert!

Read more/see/hear "When A Child Is Born" here ...

Watching The Wheat (Traditional Welsh melody)

This wonderful melody is one of those pieces no-one can put a name to, yet many know...

The edition contains two arrangements that will suit an Early Intermediate trio or a large ensemble - ideal for School Concert or informal Adult concert!

Read more here...

Hymn To Hope - Secret Garden - more news!

Arranged during the Coronavirus Lockdown, this is a gentle moving and powerful piece.

 

I've written 4 different arrangements - which one suits you? See and hear more in the links below...

• Two advanced intermediate guitars
• Student/teacher duet (just a little easier)
• Intermediate flute & guitar duet
• Intermediate violin & guitar duet

Cinema Paradiso - Ennio Morricone

The sad news that Ennio Morricone has passed away means I've moved this post back to the top of my news...

With bittersweet timing, I completed two arrangements of his Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso less than three weeks ago. With the passing of Ennio Morricone, my arrangements have been snapped up and there's a warm feeling in my heart that all over the world the memory of his powerful music is being kept alive...

 

The Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso rightly won a BAFTA award - it is a moving and passionate melody underpinned with gentle but slowly building chords and arpeggios.

 

I've written two different arrangements - which one suits you? You can see and hear more in the links below...

• Two intermediate guitars
• Intermediate flute & guitar duet

Summer Holiday (Cliff Richard)

This piece has closed my Guitar Workshop Summer Charity Concert since the first concert in 1999. It reminds us that as the Summer Term closes, so it is, indeed, time for a Summer Holiday. Here in the UK, the easing of the 2020 Coronavirus Lockdown suggests that maybe we can indeed go on a summer holiday this year after all. And what a fun piece this is to capture that mood...

 

It suits an Early Intermediate quartet or a large ensemble - ideal for School Concert or informal Adult concert!

Read more/see/hear Summer Holiday ...

Octopus's Garden - The Beatles

What a gem this is - a ragtime, almost bluegrass, accompaniment underpins the bouncy and cheeky tune and this makes for a full length concert piece without page-turns.

 

I've written 3 different arrangements - which one suits you? You can see and hear more in the links below...

• Two intermediate guitars
• Student/teacher duet (just a little easier)
• Intermediate flute & guitar duet

Dream Of Olwen

You may not be familiar with this Film Theme written by Charles Williams (he of the Dick Barton Theme Tune), but it is a moving and passionate melody underpinned with wonderful chord sequences.

 

I've written three different arrangements - which one suits you? You can see and hear more in the links below...

• Two intermediate guitars
• Two advanced intermediate guitars
• Advanced intermediate flute & guitar duet

The James Bond Theme

This very atmospheric and instantly recognisable piece fits 3 guitars well; my arrangement locks together more tightly than some of the other 4-part arrangements for sale elsewhere and works well with a large mixed ability group.

It suits an Early Intermediate trio or a large ensemble - ideal for School Concert or informal Adult concert!

Read more/see/hear the James Bond Theme here...

We Have All The Time In The World

This gorgeous slow song by Louis Armstrong graced the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"

And what a perfect piece for the Coronavirus Lockdown.

I've arranged this piece in two ways...

• Very straightforward trio arrangement
• Slightly more ambitious quartet arrangement

Both versions are in the key of the original and contain all the thematic material and also the Flugelhorn solo, fitted rather comfortably onto the guitar.

The Munsters

This is a fun and very accessible arrangement of this quirky TV Theme tune. Wonderfully dissonant and yet pleasing to listen to!

• I've arranged The Munsters for two guitars
• and The Munsters for flute & guitar

Hernando's Hideaway

"We Know A Dark, Secluded Place..."

This is a fun and very accessible arrangement of this superb tango-style piece. My ensemble group have played this in concert and it always goes down well with audiences.

It suits an Early Intermediate quartet or a large ensemble.

Read more about Hernando's Hideaway

"Busy Doing Nothing"

What piece of music better captures the mind-numbing sameness of Coronavirus Lockdown than this Bing Crosby "Croonavirus" song!

I've arranged the music for 3 guitars (or large ensemble) and there are two versions

• One is all in first position to suit an ensemble with limited experience
• the other is slightly more complex and everyone has a chance at the tune as it has 3 verses.

While the world is in lockdown, the power of music to provide a heady mix of soothing and uplifting sounds is starting to assume a new significance.

My arrangement of this gentle but inspiring piece by Vangelis will work with 3 guitars, but there are additional lines that add more richness and sustain.

• This one edition will suit 3, 4, 5 or 6 guitars, or even better a large ensemble.
• I've also arranged Hymne for flute & guitar duet

Those Magnificent Men

I'm pleased to announce another fun arrangement for 4 guitars or large ensemble, at the early-intermediate to intermediate level.

This is the theme music to "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines", said to be the inspiration for the cartoon characters Dick Dastardly and Mutley.

 

Read more/see/hear "Those Magnificent Men" here ...

Uptown Girl - flute & guitar

Following the exciting uptake of my "Uptown Girl" arrangement for 3 or 4 guitars, I've now added a version for flute and guitar.

Read more/see/hear Uptown Girl for flute & guitar here ...

Uptown Girl - 3 or 4 guitars/large ensemble

This is a very accessible arrangement of Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl", but it contains all the verses, choruses and bridges of the original. And more importantly it includes all the uplifting key-changes of the original too, all now falling neatly into comfortable chord shapes, most of which are instantly familiar to an intermediate guitarist.

Read more/see/hear Uptown Girl here ...

New arrangement - Lady Madonna - 3 guitars

This is a very accessible and straightforward arrangement of The Beatles' "Lady Madonna", but it contains all the main thematic material of the original.

In a large ensemble, Guitar Two can split between players to suit novice guitarists.

Read more/see/hear Lady Madonna here...

Match Of The Day - 4 guitars/large ensemble

Instantly recognisable by many as the Theme Music to the Football TV programme of the same name, this is a great "early intermediate" quartet that's loads of fun. It has an uplifting key-change in the middle, and if you play the upper parts of my arrangement away from the first position, it's just a matter of sliding your left hand up two frets and playing the same fingering!

Read more here ...

Sleepy Shores - 4 guitars/large ensemble

This is quite a piece - Johnny Pearson, who was a prolific composer as well as running BBC's Top Of The Pops orchestra for 16 years, has produced some amazing music, and none more than this...

Used as the Theme Music to "Owen MD", this is a craftsman's journey round the circle of fifths - teachers will love explaining the journey from 1b to 6#, 4# 2# and more, and the textbook key-change from F# to C is exciting for players and audience alike.

Read more/see/hear "Sleepy Shores" here ...

Penny Lane - 4/5 guitars or large ensemble

This needs no introduction.

My arrangement is based on the version Hampshire Guitar Orchestra performed, and can be played on 4 guitars, or a 5th guitar can be brought into to add the Piccolo Trumpet part, which is styled on the original super-high descant. I've taken account of the strengths and weaknesses of the guitar to make the descant line comfortable to play. A concert performance will work whether or not the descant part is used.

Read more/see/hear Penny Lane ...

Chi Mai - Guitar duet

This is a wonderfully haunting piece for a concert.

My arrangement for 2 guitars moves the key of the piece very slightly to make an arrangement that fits two guitars like a glove. My arrangement suits intermediate (or higher) players.

See below for newa about a slightly easier arrangement for 3 guitars

Read more about Chi Mai for 2 guitars...

Chi Mai - 3 Guitars or large ensemble

This is a great piece for a concert - known to guitarists and a general audience in equal measure.

My duet arrangement (see above) follows the original closely. But this arrangement uses several arranger's tricks to make the piece accessible to many more players!

Read moresee/hear Chi Mai for Guitar Trio...

Danza (John Williams & Sky) - 4 Guitars

This is a great piece for a concert - known to guitarists and a general audience in equal measure.

My version (for 4 guitars or a large ensemble) isn't hard to play and the sound is big!

Read more/see/hear Danza here ...

Say You Love Me (Fleetwood Mac) - 4 Guitars

This fantastic piece has a bass-line to die for!

The original bass-line, played by John McVie, husband of Christine McVie who wrote the piece, is captured almost note-for-note in this arrangement, which suits an intermediate or advanced intermediate ensemble (the parts are of slightly different standards).

 

Ideal for a large ensemble, this piece generates a powerful sound and a strong beat.

 

Click see/hear/buy (on the right)Tap see/hear/buy below for sample score & audio

Ballad of Casey Jones (TV Theme) - 6 Guitars

Audiences will know this piece from the TV series Casey Jones and here we have a driving rhythm simulating the sound of a steam locomotive. The music is in 6 parts, ranging from "pretty much a novice" up to "intermediate". It suits a sextet or a larger ensemble.

 

Click see/hear/buy (on the right)Tap see/hear/buy below for sample score & audio

 

Here's Hampshire Guitar Orchestra playing their version - identical except a tone higher....

New music - Song from M*A*S*H

Here are two new arrangements of the TV theme tune "Song from MASH (Suicide is Painless)"

Click the links for more information

• Version for flute & guitar
• Version for two guitars