Derek Hasted's News from 2024...

December

December 2024

Christmas Wishes

RHS Bridgewater - the Christmas Glow

Thank you to all the many people who've bought one of my guitar ensemble or guitar+woodwind arrangements in 2024 - it's certainly been my busiest year - sales are up over 30% on last year.

Compliments of the Season to all my visitors from across the globe. May you have a peaceful time ahead and may 2025 bring you everything you wish for!

Photo : The RHS Bridgewater Glow - 14th December 2024

New Arrangement - Here Comes The Sun (The Beatles)

This joyful piece will suit an intermediate quartet (or a larger ensemble) and has instant appeal for audiences of all ages.

And just to top it off, I arranged this piece on the Winter Solstice, when a sunny Summer starts to get closer day by day.

Browse all my music...

Here Comes The Sun (George Harrison + The Beatles) - arranged for intermediate guitar quartet by Derek Hasted

Here Comes The Sun
George Harrison

Here Comes The Sun
The Beatles

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

Having posted the sentence below, just yesterday, I discovered this video today!

Sales of my Christmas Guitar Ensembles this year are the highest they've ever been - let's hope we can see some performances on YouTube soon!

November

November 2024

New Arrangement - Chiquitita (Abba)

Running for almost 5 minutes, this is a perfect concert item for 4 guitars (or a larger ensemble).

Set for an intermediate ensemble, my arrangement uses the full range of the guitar neck for a big, big, sound, and is a real foot-tapper for players and audience alike.

Browse all my music...

October 2024

Revised Arrangement - Gymnopédies 1-3 (Erik Satie)

I've had Satie's famous Gymnopédie No 1 on sale for some time, with an arrangement that's a little more under the fingers than some of the rather literal transcriptions.

My publisher has brought in new minimum prices, and weirdly, solo guitar music is currently more expensive than ensemble music. I felt the least I could do was to mitigate the rise by adding Gymnopédies 2 and 3 to the download so that you get all 3 pieces for a very reasonable price.

Browse all my music...

Gymnopedie Nos 1-3 for solo guitar arr. Derek Hasted

Gymnopédie Nos 1-3
Satie

Gymnopédies 1-3 solo guitar
Satie

$5.99 Early intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - Ebb Tide (Righteous Brothers and Naked Gun 2 1/2)

I've made 3 different arrangements of this moving piece, which also featured in a ludicrous Love Scene in Naked Gun 2 1/2

The version for two guitars is in the key of D, and both guitars are tuned to 6=D to give a rich sound. The roles of tuned and accompaniment change over as the piece progresses.

I've also arranged the piece for woodwind and guitar, and here the guitar has the accompaniment all the time. In order to make the very best sound with playability for both instrumentalists, each is in a different key, but the guitar simply fits a Capo on either fret 1 or fret 3.

Browse all my music...

New Arrangement - Blue Moon - Guitar Quartet

My arrangement of this "Standard" takes a romantic stance with some lush chords and countermelodies. Taking its inspiration from Laurindo Almeida's sughtly jazzy arrangement, I've expanded on the inner voices of his arrangement and added a deeper bass line. I've changed the key to make this accessible to a wide range of quartets and abilities.

Guitar 4 can be played on either a treble clef or bass clef (or both).

Browse all my music...

Blue Moon (Rodgers and Hart) - arranged for intermediate guitar quartet by Derek Hasted

Blue Moon
Rodgers & Hart

Blue Moon
Guitar 4 in both Treble & Bass clefs

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy
September

September 2024

New Arrangement - Viva La Vida (6 guitars and optional bass)

My arrangement for Coldplay's Viva La Vida (4 guitars/large ensemble) has always been a best seller. By request I've now made a second arrangement. Exactly the same notes, but the lower parts have their workload spread amongst more players, so that it suits a mixed ability group from early intermediate up to almost advanced intermediate. Guitar 6 can be played on either a treble clef or bass clef (or both).

Browse all my music...

New Arrangement - Feliz Navidad ("Merry Christmas")

Following on from the massive interest in my Guitar Quartet version of Feliz Navidad, I've added a version for Flute & Guitar duet and a version for Bb Clarinet & Guitar which I know will be popular too.

Browse all my music...

August

August 2024

New Arrangement - Feliz Navidad ("Merry Christmas")

Us teachers like to prepare for Christmas well in advance, and the majority of my music sales right now are, indeed, Christmas pieces.

And here's one more!

This is a modern day Christmas Classic - easy on the ear, uplifting, joyful and fun to play. What's not to like?

Browse all my music...

New Arrangement - Succession (TV theme)

There's something about this piece that makes it a real ear worm - perfect for the final item before the concert interval!

This arrangement is intermediate, though reaching the speed of the original needs good technique. But played slightly slower, the lush sound of two guitars still makes this a compelling piece!

Browse all my music...

July

July 2024

New Arrangement - Let It Be

My arrangement suits an intermediate quartet or a larger ensemble. Guitar 4 is in two formats - treble clef (6=D) and also in bass clef (normal tuning) - either or both can be used in a large ensemble.

Browse all my music...

Let It Be (The Beatles) - arr. for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Let It Be
The Beatles

Let It Be
(Lennon & McCartney)

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy
June

June 2024

New Arrangement - Perfect Day

My arrangement suits an intermediate quartet or a larger ensemble. Guitar 4 is in two formats - treble clef (6=D) and also in bass clef (normal tuning) - either or both can be used in a large ensemble.

Browse all my music...

Perfect Day (Lou Reed) - arr. for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Perfect Day
Lou Reed

Perfect Day
(Lou Reed)

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - The Fool On The Hill

I wanted to make this arrangement accessible to the largest number of guitar groups that I could - it's a really straightforward but pleasing arrangement for 4 guitars (or a larger ensemble), and guitar 4 is presented in both treble and bass clefs.

Browse all my music...

The Fool On The Hill (Lennon and McCartney) - arr. for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

The Fool On The Hill
The Beatles

The Fool On The Hill
(Lennon & McCartney)

$4.99 Early intermediate level

See / hear / buy
May

May 2024

New Arrangements - The Lonely Shepherd from "Kill Bill"

If there's one interesting fact about Quentin Tarantino, it's that he chooses excellent music for his film soundtracks.

The Lonely Shepherd (composed by James Last) is a charming and haunting melody set above a bubbling accompaniment.

I've arranged this as a guitar quartet (two parts are intermediate and two are easier - the bass line is supplied in both treble and bass clefs), and also as a trio for 3 intermediate players)

Both arrangements also work well with a large ensemble!

Browse all my music...

New Arrangement - Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire - 4+ guitars

Set for 4 guitars, this will also work well in a larger ensemble.

You might not know this piece of music, but it's a gorgeous little melody from a film that defied the critics and was a box-office success.

Weirdly, the little tiny road half way down the cul-de-sac where I live is also St. Elmo's ...

Read more about the Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire here ...

Browse all my music...

Love Theme from St Elmo's Fire - arr. for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Love Theme
from St Elmo's Fire

Love Theme
(from St Elmo's Fire)

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - Nothing Else Matters (Metallica) - 3+ guitars

Set for 3 guitars, this will also work well in a larger ensemble, making the dynamic changes all the more impressive.

This is the full 6-minute piece, in the same key as the original. Guitars 1 & 3 are intermediate. Guitar 2 (the electric guitar in the original) is a little bit harder and has page turns (each page turn is preceded by a bar of open strings and a bar of rests, so they're not stressy to do!)

Read more about Nothing Else Matters here ...

Browse all my music...

Nothing Else Matters - Metallica - arr. for 3 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Nothing Else Matters
Metallica

Nothing Else Matters

$6.99 Advanced Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - Barnacle Bill (the Blue Peter TV Theme) - 4+ guitars

Virtually everyone in the UK will know this piece, so it's a perfect concert piece!

It's fast, but the smooth sound of guitars means that it actually works better if you don't rush it.

Perfect for an intermediate ensemble, though Guitar 1 will require a more proficient player if you want to really crank the speed up!

Read more about Barnacle Bill here...

Browse all my music...

Barnacle Bill (Blue Peter theme) - for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Barnacle Bill
The Blue Peter TV Theme

Barnacle Bill
Herbert Ashworth-Hope

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy
April

April 2024

New Arrangement - Love Story by Taylor Swift - 4+ guitars

When I looked at the date this track was released, I realised it was further back in time than I thought possible - 2008!
My arrangement for 4 guitars is in the same keys are the original and runs for over 4 minutes. A larger ensemble would make the crescendi even more dramatic.

Perfect for a mixed ability group with lines varying between intermediate and a little bit easier.

Read more about Love Story here...

Browse all my music...

Love Story (Taylor Swift) - for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Love Story
Taylor Swift

Love Story
Taylor Swift

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

I was asked to arrange this piece and I have to say that exploring it was quite an education - all sorts of semi-sophisticated chords in a piece that most people think is a four-chord wonder.... Oh and some lovely interplay at the end too, just like the original.

Read more about God Only Knows here...

Browse all my music...

God Only Knows (Beach Boys) - for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

God Only Knows
Beach Boys

God Only Knows
The Beach Boys

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - Africa by Toto

I've wanted to arrange this piece for some time, and I particularly wanted to create an arrangement that made the piece accessible to the largenest number of guitar ensembles I could... So with a tiny key change, here's an arrangement to suit ensembles of intermediate standard...

Read more about Africa here...

Browse all my music...

Africa - Toto - for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Africa
Toto

Africa (Toto)
Guitar 4 in treble & bass clefs

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy
March

March 2024

New Arrangement - The Taskmaster Theme

This is what happens when you go to see Alex Horne and The Horne Section at the start of their latest UK tour - you end up arranging perhaps their most famous (and also perhaps their shortest) piece of music - the theme to the award-winning UK TV series "Taskmaster"

Read more about The Taskmaster Theme here...

Browse all my music...

Taskmaster - THe Horne Section - arr. for 3 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

The Taskmaster Theme
The Horne Section

The Taskmaster Theme

$4.99 Advanced Intermediate level

See / hear / buy
February

February 2024

New Arrangement - Foot Tapper (The Shadows)

The title is absolutely spot on - it's a foot tapper for any audience, and it was The Shadows' last number one hit, way, way back!

My arrangement will suit an early intermediate trio or a large ensemble, and guitar 3 is suitable for treble or bass clef instruments.

If you listen to Radio 2 in the UK, you may know this piece - it was the opening and closing music to Brian Matthew's "Sounds of the 60s" for over 30 years!

Read more about Foot Tapper here...

Browse all my music...

Foot Tapper - Marvin and Welch - for 3 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Foot Tapper
The Shadows

Foot Tapper
Guitar 3 in treble & bass clefs

$4.99 Early Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - The Glory Of Love (Peter Cetera)

Just a little harder than many of my arrangements, this is still accessible to quartets and large ensembles and the strong intermediate level.

This is a long piece with an absolutely massive sound - the full range of the guitars, with double stopping and chords to lift the volume still higher.

Famous as the theme music to Karate Kid II (if you are keep on Karate films), and famous as a crowd-pleasing chart song (if you're not).

Read more about The Glory Of Love here...

Browse all my music...

The Glory Of Love - Peter Cetera - for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

The Glory Of Love
Peter Cetera

The Glory Of Love
Exciting Power Ballad

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy
January

January 2024

Portsmouth Music Festival

Just 10 months ago, I said goodbye to my Guitar Workshop - a group of adult guitarists that meets in Lovedean, in SE Hampshire.

I founded the group in 1988 (the story is here).

Peter Rogers has taken over the hot seat and I'm delighted to report that a small band of Workshop players competed in the Portsmouth Music Festival on Sunday 28th January, and walked away with a Distinction.

Well done everyone, and I'm pleased that Workshop is in safe hands!

Workshop at Portsmouth Music Festival

New Arrangement - Hard To Say I'm Sorry (Chicago)

This power ballad fits guitar like a glove and it's such fun to play!

My arrangement (read more here) will suit a mixed ability ensemble at an intermediate standard. The bass part is supplied in both treble and bass clefs, and in a large ensemble, either or both can be played.

Browse all my music...

Hard To Say I'm Sorry - Chicago - for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Hard To Say I'm Sorry
Chicago

Hard To Say I'm Sorry
Exciting Power Ballad

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

New Arrangement - Follow You, Follow Me (Genesis)

This has become an absolute classic.

My arrangement (read more here) has been conceived to work with a variety of different guitar groups.

This will suit a mixed ability ensemble from early intermediate to intermediate, with an optional arpeggio part to suit an advanced intermediate player.

Browse all my music...

Follow You, Follow Me - for 4 guitars arr. Derek Hasted

Follow You, Follow Me
Genesis

Follow You, Follow Me 4 guitars
with additional 5th part
Also listed under 5 guitars

$4.99 Intermediate level

See / hear / buy

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my visitors - may your year be full of joy and good music!