New book series with guitar literature about J.S. Bach’s Inventions
The Inventions (BWV 772-786) for Guitar
Ambitious guitarists are always looking for new ideas to develop themselves artistically. Works that were originally composed for other instruments can prove to be real treasure troves. The Fifteen Inventions by J. S. Bach are also considered outstanding examples. These piano tunes offer all essential technical aspects for the guitar, such as scale studies, position playing, chord arpeggios and much more.
Sound and Inspiration
However, technique was not even the central concern of the famous teaching work. Bach was mainly concerned with sound and inspiration. In the foreword to the Inventions, he demanded that his students learn a “cantable” way of playing and get a “preview of the composition”.
The Book Series
In contrast to conventional guitar editions, Michael Schmolke‘s new book series is consistently oriented towards these core requests.
In the first volume he shows that good sound is a question of the “right” fingering, especially when it comes to position playing on the guitar. The clearly arranged score with tablature and the detailed fingerings are very helpful.
In the second volume, however, the focus is on the compositions. With the help of a newly composed third harmonic part, guitarists have the unique opportunity to reproduce the rhythmic structures, scales and chord connections on their own instrument. The insights gained form a valuable basis for the understanding of Bach’s music and provide important ideas for improvisation. A third volume is devoted to the sight reading. Further sequels are in preparation.