Van Eps transcriptions for download

[thomas]

The great Jordi Farres, who I don't know but who is clearly an outstanding gentleman, has transcribed a number of George Van Eps solo guitar performances. He makes the transcription book and accompanying CD available for free download at his web site:

http://www.jordifarresmusic.com/?page_id=153

[Steven Bornfeld]

On 2/2/2014 9:45 PM, thomas wrote:
> The great Jordi Farres, who I don't know but who is clearly an outstanding gentleman, has transcribed a number of George Van Eps solo guitar performances. He makes the transcription book and accompanying CD available for free download at his web site:
>
> http://www.jordifarresmusic.com/?page_id=153
>

Outstanding for sure. Quite an accomplishment.

[Mitch]

'And most generous!
Mitch

[Joe Finn]

On Sunday, February 2, 2014 9:45:45 PM UTC-5, thomas wrote:
> The great Jordi Farres, who I don't know but who is clearly an outstanding gentleman, has transcribed a number of George Van Eps solo guitar performances. He makes the transcription book and accompanying CD available for free download at his web site:
>
>
>
> http://www.jordifarresmusic.com/?page_id=153

Wow! Thanks for the link! ...joe

[Bill Godwin]

On Sunday, February 2, 2014 9:45:45 PM UTC-5, thomas wrote:

> The great Jordi Farres, who I don't know but who is clearly an outstanding gentleman, has transcribed a number of George Van Eps solo guitar performances. He makes the transcription book and accompanying CD available for free download at his web site:
>
>
>
> http://www.jordifarresmusic.com/?page_id=153

Thanks for sharing that!!!

[van]

On Sunday, February 2, 2014 9:45:45 PM UTC-5, thomas wrote:

> The great Jordi Farres, who I don't know but who is clearly an outstanding gentleman, has transcribed a number of George Van Eps solo guitar performances. He makes the transcription book and accompanying CD available for free download at his web site:
>
>
>
> http://www.jordifarresmusic.com/?page_id=153

Wow, Thanks, TB!
This will keep me busy for the rest of my Winter Hibernation period.;- )

[Gerry]

Jeez, this is beautiful work and Van Eps a marvelous candidate for the
project. Wow. Kudos to Jordi Farres!
--
Those who wish to sing always find a song. -- Swedish proverb

[SB]

On Sunday, February 2, 2014 7:45:45 PM UTC-7, thomas wrote:
> The great Jordi Farres, who I don't know but who is clearly an outstanding gentleman, has transcribed a number of George Van Eps solo guitar performances. He makes the transcription book and accompanying CD available for free download at his web site:
>
>
>
> http://www.jordifarresmusic.com/?page_id=153

Wow a big thank you to you Thomas, and especially to Jordi Farres. This is a great catch. I've been saving the 3 volume set of Van Eps' book for retirement. But now I am motivated to dig in and go with it. Perfect. I love to change up the source of my inspiration from time to time. Thank you.

SB

[Nil]

On 03 Feb 2014, SB <simon...@cox.net> wrote in
rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz:

> Wow a big thank you to you Thomas, and especially to Jordi Farres.
> This is a great catch. I've been saving the 3 volume set of Van
> Eps' book for retirement. But now I am motivated to dig in and go
> with it. Perfect. I love to change up the source of my inspiration
> from time to time. Thank you.

I've got vol. 1 of the Van Epps series. I've never made it past about a
quarter of the way through it. I admit that it's valuable and that I
get a lot out of it but... it's just so repetitive and tedious. That's
my failing, my short attention span, not really a fault of the method,
I guess. I hope that I get through it before I die, but I doubt I'll
ever make it through vols. 2 and 3.

This transcriptions book, though - I'm champing at the bit to run
through these.

[SB]

LOL. Too funny. Good for you !!

[van]

On Sunday, February 2, 2014 9:45:45 PM UTC-5, thomas wrote:

> The great Jordi Farres, who I don't know but who is clearly an outstanding gentleman, has transcribed a number of George Van Eps solo guitar performances. He makes the transcription book and accompanying CD available for free download at his web site:
>
>
>
> http://www.jordifarresmusic.com/?page_id=153

Van Eps' solo pieces got me through graduate school on classical guitar.
His shit is so solid musically, like Bill Evans, the classical people treat his solo guitar work as serious compositions.
Speaking of Bill Evans, the pianist in my duo/trio/quartet is going to France soon to visit The Bill Evans Institute of Music.
The truth is that which lasts...

[Bill Williams]

Incidentally although he does offer it all for free, Jordi Farres does have a Paypal donation system which is pretty painless.

[Jonathan]

Are the arrangements in this book difficult to play?
Are there many difficult left-hand stretches?

[Gerry]

On 2014-02-04 17:38:45 +0000, Jonathan said:

> Are the arrangements in this book difficult to play?
> Are there many difficult left-hand stretches?

They don't look easy by sheer evidence of density and motion.
"Difficult" is always a personal thing as are "left-and stretches".
From what I know of Van Eps approach a "better position" is more
suitable than a "left-hand stretch".

Check it out; it's free!

[thomas]

On Tuesday, February 4, 2014 11:37:25 AM UTC-5, Bill Williams wrote:
> Incidentally although he does offer it all for free, Jordi Farres does have a Paypal donation system which is pretty painless.>

Indeed. The least we can do is buy the fellow a drink.

[Steven Bornfeld]

On 2/4/2014 12:38 PM, Jonathan wrote:
>
> Are the arrangements in this book difficult to play?
> Are there many difficult left-hand stretches?
>

As "Johnny" (Señor Wences's left hand) used to say,
"Eeassy for yoo, deefeecult for mee!)

[van]

The fact that the transcriber failed to include any fingerings at all is going to make this pretty difficult to play the way GVE intended it to be played.
More than 30 years ago, my guitar teacher gave me a GVE solo to play, and I never could have figured out how to play it if the fingerings weren't provided in the sheet music.
Even though I had taken classical guitar in college at that point, I never ran into the concept of barring the pinky the way GVE did, and other difficult fingerings GVE used so that there would always be sustaining harmony behind every melodic line.
My concept of chord melody was fucking horrible before my teacher hipped me to GVE. While there are many guitarists who play virtuosic arrangements that tend to show off their technique, GVE and Johnny Smith's arrangements emphasize voice leading, contrary motion and more refined musical taste than those arrangements, and have stood the test of time.
This is proven by the fact that classical guitarists prefer their arrangements over others'.

[thomas]

These are transcriptions from seven string to six string, so GVE's fingerings may only be partly relevant.

[TD]

Use your own fingerings, which is what God (or Extraterrestrials who were here before us) meant you to do. If extra knuckles can't be bent at this late stage where calcium is king, "improvise" your own adaptation. The beauty is in how he thought and how voice-leading met bass lines and melody. Later, it may be best to escape the idea of "arrangements." Just learn from them.

[Jonathan]

That is good information to know.
Thanks.

[van]

On Wednesday, February 5, 2014 7:32:08 PM UTC-5, thomas wrote:

I didn't read the introduction that said he adapted them for 6 string guitar.
In that case, I'd recommend that anyone new to playing GVE music, first check out the books he wrote for 6 string guitar.

[Gerry]

On 2014-02-06 16:21:55 +0000, van said:

>> These are transcriptions from seven string to six string, so GVE's
>> fingerings may only be partly relevant.
>
> I didn't read the introduction that said he adapted them for 6 string guitar.
> In that case, I'd recommend that anyone new to playing GVE music, first
> check out the books he wrote for 6 string guitar.

Can you please name them or, even better, provide links?

[van]

He wrote stuff for six string in the early stuff; the GVE Guitar Method my teacher used and the Harmonic Mechanisms book.

[Gerry]

On 2014-02-07 04:18:03 +0000, van said:

> On Thursday, February 6, 2014 12:32:37 PM UTC-5, Gerry wrote:
>> On 2014-02-06 16:21:55 +0000, van said:
>>
>>
>>
>>>> These are transcriptions from seven string to six string, so GVE's
>>>> fingerings may only be partly relevant.
>>
>>> I didn't read the introduction that said he adapted them for 6 string
>>> guitar. In that case, I'd recommend that anyone new to playing GVE
>>> music, first check out the books he wrote for 6 string guitar.
>>
>> Can you please name them or, even better, provide links?
>

> He wrote stuff for six string in the early stuff; the GVE Guitar Method
> my teacher used and the Harmonic Mechanisms book.

I thought when you said "books for 6 string guitar" you meant books of
guitar arrangements.

[thomas]

GVE did a book of 6-string arrangements that first came out in the 40s and was reprinted and available for a long time.

[van]

On Friday, February 7, 2014 12:07:51 AM UTC-5, Gerry wrote:

Here's a place where you can download the Method Book:
http://robmackillop.net/george-van-eps-method-for-guitar/

[thomas]

The arrangements book was contemporaneous with that method book, and had a very similar cover. I wonder if Mel Bay still has it?

[Gerry]

Yeah, I bought that digital book just like Rob MakKillop from
DjangoBooks, and paid them for it too.

But in my response to discussion of his 6-string guitar arrangements, I
was asking about information regarding his 6-string guitar arrangements.

[thomas]

Looks like it's still in print, although my copy has the original cover art like the method book:

http://www.melbay.com/Products/94822BCD/george-van-eps-guitar-solos.aspx

[Gerry]

On 2014-02-08 02:47:15 +0000, thomas said:

>> But in my response to discussion of his 6-string guitar arrangements, I
>> was asking about information regarding his 6-string guitar arrangements.
>

> Looks like it's still in print, although my copy has the original cover
> art like the method book:
>
> http://www.melbay.com/Products/94822BCD/george-van-eps-guitar-solos.aspx

I have this volume and I think these are *Chapman's* re-edits for
6-string as opposed to Van Eps' charts. I'll dig it out and verify. I
thought he had some books he himself did from an earlier time for
6-string.

[thomas]

I don't know about this particular edition, but the tune list is the same as I remember from the old 40s book, which was originally for 6-string.

[Gerry]

On 2014-02-08 03:45:51 +0000, thomas said:

>> I have this volume and I think these are *Chapman's* re-edits for
>> 6-string as opposed to Van Eps' charts. I'll dig it out and verify. I
>> thought he had some books he himself did from an earlier time for
>> 6-string.
>

> I don't know about this particular edition, but the tune list is the
> same as I remember from the old 40s book, which was originally for
> 6-string.

Almost: The current volume has three additional charts:

Queerology
Squattin’ at the Grotto
Study in 8ths

[thomas]

On Saturday, February 8, 2014 12:31:48 PM UTC-5, Gerry wrote:
>
> Almost: The current volume has three additional charts:
>
>
>
> Queerology
>
> Squattin' at the Grotto
>
> Study in 8ths

Going from memory, MB put out an anthology called Masters of Plectrum Guitar or something like that, and these were the GVE entries in that book. It sounds like they decided to stick them into his old 40s folio, since they were already typeset.

[Gerry]

Yeah I was pimping hard for that volume when it was going out of print.
Then they kept it in print; still available at Amazon.

The first two (above) are there, but not Study in 8ths. The title
doesn't sound promising, but I'm going to read through these this week
anyway.

[Gerry]

Someone sent me a front page for ye olde antique folio of just three
tunes by Van Eps: The three above. So the current volume indicated on
the Amazon page seems the whole of Van Eps early 6-string publishing
efforts.