50 Baroque Solos for Classical Guitar [Paperback]

Mark Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

50 fantastic guitar solos in notes and tab from 18 Baroque composers, including Bach, Corelli, Couperin, Handel, Purcell, Rameau, Scarlatti, Telemann and others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Cherry Lane Music (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575607409
• ISBN-13: 978-1575607405
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Phillips is an author, guitarist, arranger, and editor with more than 35 years in the music publishing field. He earned his bachelor's degree in music theory from Case Western Reserve University, where he received the Carolyn Neff Award for scholastic excellence, and his master's degree in music theory from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda, the most prestigious U.S. honor society for college and university music students. While working toward a doctorate in music theory at Northwestern, Phillips taught classes in theory, ear-training, sight-singing, counterpoint, and guitar.

During the 1970s and early '80s, Phillips was Director of Popular Music at Warner Bros. Publications, where he edited and arranged the songbooks of such artists as Neil Young, James Taylor, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. Since the mid-'80s he has served as Director of Music and Director of Publications at Cherry Lane Music, where he has edited or arranged the songbooks of such artists as John Denver, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica, and has served as Music Editor of the magazines Guitar and Guitar One.

Phillips is the author of several books on musical subjects, including Guitar for Dummies, Metallica Riff by Riff, Sight-Sing Any Melody Instantly, and Sight-Read Any Rhythm Instantly. In his non-musical life, Phillips is the author/publisher of a series of 'fun' high school English textbooks, including The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder, The Pinocchio Intermediate Vocabulary Builder, Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar, and Conversations in Early American History: 1492-1837.

Phillips' publishing company, A. J. Cornell Publications, was named in honor of, and publishes selected works by, two favorite early 20th century authors, A. J. Cronin and Cornell Woolrich.

For the reference value of his numerous publications, Phillips is profiled in Who's Who in America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality intermediate material, June 2, 2006

By 

Henri Adams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 50 Baroque Solos for Classical Guitar (Paperback)

This is a well-produced package overall... The transcriptions are clean and precise, the music well-selected to reflect a clear picture of the Baroque guitar at an intermediate level... Only drawback is the lack of any commentary regarding the pieces or background of Baroque guitar in general by the author... Other books supply that information, though (the Noad Baroque Guitar Anthology includes a wonderful disseration on the subject) so it's only a minor complaint in this context. This book will sit nicely alongside other classical guitar books of this genre, and it will also prove appealing to rock guitarists who enjoy classical guitar and want to play beautiful pieces without undergoing a huge learning curve. The CD is well-recorded and is a nice listen in and of itself as well. All in all, well done!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for intermediate players, August 7, 2007

By 

Rigo Berto - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 50 Baroque Solos for Classical Guitar (Paperback)

50 Baroque solos for classical guitar seemed to be a great buy, but after I began playing the first songs, I realized they were not a big challenge. I was hoping for something more challenging and hard, instead I found a book great for intermediate players. If you are learning classical guitar in high school or have one or two years of experience, then this is a good buy. More experienced players can take advantage of it by using it to practice and hone sightreading.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good practice for the beginner or intermediate player, July 28, 2006

By 

R. Faloppa "lorewill" (São Paulo, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 50 Baroque Solos for Classical Guitar (Paperback)

The tablatue notation of the works teaches you to play the songs on the first position of guitar, your fingers will work around the 5 frets most of the time; some of the fingering might feel a bit clumsy if you have practiced mainly cords or scales. There is no indication on which finger to use to plunck the strings, you will need to figure that out by yourself.

The pieces arrenged by Mark Phillips were in major modes and when you listen to the audio cd they sound rather beautiful. Whether your aim is to learn some songs or feel a bit of how the baroque and renaissance music were, both books (50 renaissance or 50 Baroque Solos for Classical Guitar) will suit you. The serious enthusiast might feel suspicious but if you want to show off for a date, family or friends it will do the trick and those books are not really that expensive.