New Books from WorkshopLive Teachers

Did you know WorkshopLive has a sister company in the book publishing business? National Guitar Workshop Publications has released two new additions to its Guitar Atlas series: Guitar Atlas: Italy, authored by WorkshopLive teacher Lou Manzi and Guitar Atlas: Cuba authored by WorkshopLive teacher Jeff Peretz.
Both book/CD kits are now available at www.guitarworkshop.com/books.

 

Guitar Atlas: Italy
By Lou Manzi

The music of Italy is noted for its lively rhythms and emotional melodies. Sadly, Italian music has been under-represented in the “world music” genre—until now! Guitar Atlas: Italy is the first compilation of guitar arrangements of traditional Italian music by a major English-language publisher.



Each chapter focuses on a particular region of Italy. You’ll learn about the history, cultural influences, and instruments of each area. Some of these songs were originally performed on instruments such as flute, mandolin, or bagpipes, and appear in guitar arrangements here for the first time. Each composition is written in both standard music notation and TAB. Special techniques such as grace notes, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and tremolo are explored. Both fingerstyle and pick playing are covered. Tips for accompanying Italian songs are included, and some of the tunes feature a second guitar part so you can play duets with a friend. There’s material here for ability levels from beginner to advanced. 



The CD demonstrates all the examples and compositions featured in the book.

Guitar Atlas: Cuba
By Jeff Peretz

Cuban music is currently experiencing a surge in international popularity. People from all over the world are drawn to its incredibly catchy rhythms. Playing Cuban music requires a relaxed, yet steady, feel for the clave, the underlying groove that is not always easy for newcomers to play. Author Jeff Peretz explores the clave in detail, helping you to understand this fundamental rhythm. You’ll learn how the guitar can be played as a rhythmic instrument for an authentic Cuban sound. Even if you don’t play Cuban music, you’ll find the ideas in this book will improve your sense of rhythm and syncopation in any style.

The CD demonstrates all the examples and compositions featured in the book.