Fallabella, Monkey Blues

Description

"Fallabella - a swing trio with a very lazy 'bluesy feel' - is a delightful two-minute piece that would suit two fairly inexperienced players with perhaps their teacher or a more senior player on the bass line. With some easy pentatonic and chromatic motifs I think the major obstacle facing a learner classical guitarist in a piece like this is letting go of the rhythm enough to really enjoy it! Although the metronome mark is 120, the piece definitely still works its magic when taken more slowly and so it's an ideal non-classical work for the novice.(.) There's enough of a 12-bar blues structure to the piece for a teacher to use this as a good way in to non-classical form.

It's hard to tell from a few notes on the page whether Monky Blues is about monkeys or tonsured brethren in habits but the piece makes me smile even without the rather bizarre mental imagery that either interpretation conjures up. A little harder than Fallabella - in four sharps with some double sharps the piece is still nicely under the fingers and the walking bass will, I'm sure, delight learning children in particular. And me. The middle part would best be placed with the teacher, with three note arpeggios as high as the sixth position, but again, this is also a ripe teaching topic, as it shows a descending progression that's easier to play than it is to read. Except when thinking about dancing monks. Or monkeys.

Two delightful pieces that are bound to please."

(Derek Hasted, Classical Guitar Magazine)