Mark’s Charts & Transcriptions
Jazz/Electric
Take The Coltrane (Coltrane/Ellington) - Guitar Solo by John McLaughlin
"Take the Coltrane" is the opening cut on the 1995 recording "After the Rain" by John McLaughlin, with Elvin Jones on drums & Joey DeFrancesco on Hammond B3 (doing bass with his feet, to boot!). The whole recording is great, straight-ahead jazz, very much a Coltrane-inspired bop-fest, and I love the tone McLaughlin uses too.
I became completley obsessed with this guitar solo, and have had a lot of fun transcribing it... about as close as I can get to a jazz guitar lesson with John. I can't play it as fast as Johnny, of course, but there is some really elegant stuff here, a lot of very cool stuff happening in the course of the solo.
"Take the Coltrane" is the opening cut on the 1995 recording "After the Rain" by John McLaughlin, with Elvin Jones on drums & Joey DeFrancesco on Hammond B3 (doing bass with his feet, to boot!). The whole recording is great, straight-ahead jazz, very much a Coltrane-inspired bop-fest, and I love the tone McLaughlin uses too.
I became completley obsessed with this guitar solo, and have had a lot of fun transcribing it... about as close as I can get to a jazz guitar lesson with John. I can't play it as fast as Johnny, of course, but there is some really elegant stuff here, a lot of very cool stuff happening in the course of the solo.
Hip Side (Y. Terry)
This is my attempt at a chart for "Hip Side" by Yosveny Terry, as recorded on Gonzalo Rubalcaba's 2008 CD "Avatar". I was totally knocked out by this tune when I first heard it, and have been listening to it obsessively for a couple of years now. The Avatar recording is great, with fantastic performances all around; drummer Marcus Gilmore delivers a particularly outstanding groove.
The chart (not done yet) basically just has bass line (or piano LH) and the horn lines - I haven't tried to notate anything from the drum track (maybe later). I intend to try to do a home recording version of this (if I can cobble together a midi drum track that can make this work at least at some level).
This is my attempt at a chart for "Hip Side" by Yosveny Terry, as recorded on Gonzalo Rubalcaba's 2008 CD "Avatar". I was totally knocked out by this tune when I first heard it, and have been listening to it obsessively for a couple of years now. The Avatar recording is great, with fantastic performances all around; drummer Marcus Gilmore delivers a particularly outstanding groove.
The chart (not done yet) basically just has bass line (or piano LH) and the horn lines - I haven't tried to notate anything from the drum track (maybe later). I intend to try to do a home recording version of this (if I can cobble together a midi drum track that can make this work at least at some level).
Eternity's Breath (J. McLaughlin, arr. J. Beck)
On the recent CD/DVD "Jeff Beck Live This Week at Ronnie Scott's", Beck and his band play this nice little arrangement of an old Mahavishnu Orchestra piece (from the "Visions of the Emerald Beyond" record in the early 70s). You can see Beck and group performing this tune on YouTube (search on "Jeff Beck Ronnie Eternity").
I actually have a score of the MO version (in a book that McLaughlin published more than 30 years ago), but Beck's version is a bit different; the intro passage is a little different, and they just play the main part a few times and then segue into another tune (but it's still cool!).
On the recent CD/DVD "Jeff Beck Live This Week at Ronnie Scott's", Beck and his band play this nice little arrangement of an old Mahavishnu Orchestra piece (from the "Visions of the Emerald Beyond" record in the early 70s). You can see Beck and group performing this tune on YouTube (search on "Jeff Beck Ronnie Eternity").
I actually have a score of the MO version (in a book that McLaughlin published more than 30 years ago), but Beck's version is a bit different; the intro passage is a little different, and they just play the main part a few times and then segue into another tune (but it's still cool!).
Blast From The East (T. Hymas)
"Blast from the East" by Tony Hymas performed by Jeff Beck. This might be my favorite tune from the whole Ronnie Scott's gig set - the irregular rhythms and squonky guitar lines are just so cool (though I have to confess this one was something of a pain to work out where the meter changes are). You can see JB and crew playing this on You Tube (search on "Jeff Beck Ronnie Blast).
"Blast from the East" by Tony Hymas performed by Jeff Beck. This might be my favorite tune from the whole Ronnie Scott's gig set - the irregular rhythms and squonky guitar lines are just so cool (though I have to confess this one was something of a pain to work out where the meter changes are). You can see JB and crew playing this on You Tube (search on "Jeff Beck Ronnie Blast).
Blue Wind (J. Hammer)
Digging into Jeff Beck again, this is a Jan Hammer thing from the 1976 "Wired" album.
Reasonably straightforward, once I figured out where the meter changes are (or at least, where I *think* they are).
Digging into Jeff Beck again, this is a Jan Hammer thing from the 1976 "Wired" album.
Reasonably straightforward, once I figured out where the meter changes are (or at least, where I *think* they are).
Guardian Angels (J. McLaughlin)
This was the the opening track of the 1978 album "Electric Dreams, Electric Sighs" by John McLaughlin and the One Truth Band, which was a late 70s return to electric guitar for McLaughlin (after the extended period playing strictly acoustic guitar with Shakti following the disbandment of the Mahavishnu Orchestra).
This tune knocked me out when I first heard it back then, and I still think it is a stunning gem, one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, even if it is less than one minute long. For years I thought "I should transcribe that" but never did until a couple of years ago, so here it is.
My recording of this piece can be found on my electric noise page.
This was the the opening track of the 1978 album "Electric Dreams, Electric Sighs" by John McLaughlin and the One Truth Band, which was a late 70s return to electric guitar for McLaughlin (after the extended period playing strictly acoustic guitar with Shakti following the disbandment of the Mahavishnu Orchestra).
This tune knocked me out when I first heard it back then, and I still think it is a stunning gem, one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, even if it is less than one minute long. For years I thought "I should transcribe that" but never did until a couple of years ago, so here it is.
My recording of this piece can be found on my electric noise page.
Red (R. Fripp)
"Red" by Robert Fripp, the title track from the 1974 King Crimson album of the same name, featuring Fripp with John Wetton and Bill Bruford. Last summer I was getting together with a bass player and a drummer I met from a musicians email alias at work, and we thought we'd try to work this up, so I decided to make up a chart.
"Red" by Robert Fripp, the title track from the 1974 King Crimson album of the same name, featuring Fripp with John Wetton and Bill Bruford. Last summer I was getting together with a bass player and a drummer I met from a musicians email alias at work, and we thought we'd try to work this up, so I decided to make up a chart.
Pavane pour une Infante Défunte (M. Ravel, arr. J. Tomás)
This is a wonderful arrangement of Ravel's well known "Pavane for a dead Princess" by José Tomás; it was published in the 60s by some Japanese music publisher (?) that Tomás had a publishing contract with.
By the time I was studying with Tomás in Alicante in 1984, all those arrangements were already out of print. He gave me a copy of his manuscript when I was learning and playing the piece.
A few years later, when I started using Finale to do guitar transcriptions and arrangements, I made this version from my fading photocopy.
This is a wonderful arrangement of Ravel's well known "Pavane for a dead Princess" by José Tomás; it was published in the 60s by some Japanese music publisher (?) that Tomás had a publishing contract with.
By the time I was studying with Tomás in Alicante in 1984, all those arrangements were already out of print. He gave me a copy of his manuscript when I was learning and playing the piece.
A few years later, when I started using Finale to do guitar transcriptions and arrangements, I made this version from my fading photocopy.
Zambra Granadina (I. Albéniz, arr. J. Tomás)
Another wonderful arrangement by José Tomás (the original publication has been out of print since the early 80's). As was typical of his arrangements & transcriptions, there is meticulous care to include all information that might have been in the original version, and the fingerings are Tomás's as well.
This is another piece I worked on with Tomás in Alicante in 1984 & 1985, working from a photocopy of his manuscript that he gave me. A few years later, when I started using Finale to do guitar transcriptions and arrangements, I made this version from my fading photocopy.
My recording of this piece can be found on my classical guitar page.
Another wonderful arrangement by José Tomás (the original publication has been out of print since the early 80's). As was typical of his arrangements & transcriptions, there is meticulous care to include all information that might have been in the original version, and the fingerings are Tomás's as well.
This is another piece I worked on with Tomás in Alicante in 1984 & 1985, working from a photocopy of his manuscript that he gave me. A few years later, when I started using Finale to do guitar transcriptions and arrangements, I made this version from my fading photocopy.
My recording of this piece can be found on my classical guitar page.
Rumores de la Caleta (Malagueñas) (I. Albéniz, arr. R. García Blasco)
This is a very nice arrangement by my dear friend Rob Garcia, which he made when we were both studying classical guitar with Tomás in Alicante in 1985.
These days Rob works for music publisher Schott / Boosey & Hawkes, but is still an excellent player, focusing on mandolin as part of the Na-Mara folk duo. The Na-Mara website has a brief bio for Rob as well (though I have to state that I think my tortilla will give his a run for the money!)
My recording of this piece is available on my classical guitar page.
This is a very nice arrangement by my dear friend Rob Garcia, which he made when we were both studying classical guitar with Tomás in Alicante in 1985.
These days Rob works for music publisher Schott / Boosey & Hawkes, but is still an excellent player, focusing on mandolin as part of the Na-Mara folk duo. The Na-Mara website has a brief bio for Rob as well (though I have to state that I think my tortilla will give his a run for the money!)
My recording of this piece is available on my classical guitar page.
Ouverture to La Grotte de Versailles (J. B. Lully, arr. M. Basinski)
"La Grotte de Versailles" (the Grotto of Versailles) was an opera (actually a ballet dramatique) by Jean-Baptiste Lully, the titan of the French Baroque, first performed in the 1660's, and successfully revived in the early 1680's.
Robert de Visée, one of the best-known performers and composers for the five-course French baroque guitar, was often summoned to play guitar in the evenings in the private chamber of Louis XIV, who suffered from insomnia. de Visée's intabulation of the opening "Ouverture" was probably made at the time of the later revival of the opera in the early 1680's.
This guitar arrangement is based on de Visée's intabulation, but is more concerned with a successful realization of the music on the modern guitar rather than a literal transcription of the baroque guitar version.
My recording of this piece is available on my classical guitar page.
"La Grotte de Versailles" (the Grotto of Versailles) was an opera (actually a ballet dramatique) by Jean-Baptiste Lully, the titan of the French Baroque, first performed in the 1660's, and successfully revived in the early 1680's.
Robert de Visée, one of the best-known performers and composers for the five-course French baroque guitar, was often summoned to play guitar in the evenings in the private chamber of Louis XIV, who suffered from insomnia. de Visée's intabulation of the opening "Ouverture" was probably made at the time of the later revival of the opera in the early 1680's.
This guitar arrangement is based on de Visée's intabulation, but is more concerned with a successful realization of the music on the modern guitar rather than a literal transcription of the baroque guitar version.
My recording of this piece is available on my classical guitar page.
Three Movements from Dix–Septiéme Ordre (F. Couperin, arr. M. Basinski)
Three movements from François Couperin's "17th Ordre" - I was knocked out by these when I first heard them played on guitar, by my friend James Kline, back in 1984 in Alicante. I made these transcriptions some years later, at the time I was getting a real education about French Baroque style from James Anthony at UA.
Couperin (1668-1733) is best known for his many suites or "Ordres" for harpsichord, which epitomise French Baroque keyboard style. The music is heavily ornamented - Couperin provided a detailed table of "agréments" in his published music - and often the individual movements have fanciful names, as seen here.
The titles translate as follows:
i - "the Superb One, or the Forqueray" (dedicated to Antoine Forqueray, a contemporary of Couperin)
ii - "the Little Windmills"
v - "the Little Milk-Maids of Bagnolet"
My recording of these pieces can be found on my classical guitar page.
Three movements from François Couperin's "17th Ordre" - I was knocked out by these when I first heard them played on guitar, by my friend James Kline, back in 1984 in Alicante. I made these transcriptions some years later, at the time I was getting a real education about French Baroque style from James Anthony at UA.
Couperin (1668-1733) is best known for his many suites or "Ordres" for harpsichord, which epitomise French Baroque keyboard style. The music is heavily ornamented - Couperin provided a detailed table of "agréments" in his published music - and often the individual movements have fanciful names, as seen here.
The titles translate as follows:
i - "the Superb One, or the Forqueray" (dedicated to Antoine Forqueray, a contemporary of Couperin)
ii - "the Little Windmills"
v - "the Little Milk-Maids of Bagnolet"
My recording of these pieces can be found on my classical guitar page.
Ouverture (Suite) BWV 1067 (J. S. Bach, arr. M. Basinski)
When I was studying under Tom Patterson at UA, we did a lot of guitar ensemble stuff, but there just wasn't much good music available for guitar ensemble. Looking for music I might transcribe for guitar quartet, one day in the music library I came across some "string quartet" arrangements of Bach which turned out to be reductions from some of the middle movements of BWV 1067, the Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor.
I ended up transcribing the entire suite for guitar quartet, transposing the music to E minor (to better suit the pitch range of the guitar). Note that there is a score for each movement, but I only made individual parts for the Ouverture, as that is quite long; the other movements are brief enough that copies of the score can be used as performance parts with no need for page turns.
The suite consists of 7 movements:
i - Ouverture
ii - Rondeau
iii - Sarabande
iv - Bourree I & II
v - Polonaise & Double
vi - Menuet I & II
vii - Badinerie
Performance note:
This arrangement is based on the 1885 Bach-Gesellschaft edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor. Special attention should be given to the interpretation of the dotted rhythmic figures in the opening and closing section of the Ouverture (first movement). In this first movement J. S. Bach has taken the form of the french ouverture, as created in the previous century by Jean-Baptiste Lully, and expanded the middle section into a Corelli-like concerto, as well as being a four-voice fugue. As such, this movement represents a remarkable combination of French (Lully), Italian (Corelli), and north German (fugal) styles. One could hardly hope to find a more brilliant example of J. S. Bach's works as a culmination of baroque style.
When I was studying under Tom Patterson at UA, we did a lot of guitar ensemble stuff, but there just wasn't much good music available for guitar ensemble. Looking for music I might transcribe for guitar quartet, one day in the music library I came across some "string quartet" arrangements of Bach which turned out to be reductions from some of the middle movements of BWV 1067, the Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor.
I ended up transcribing the entire suite for guitar quartet, transposing the music to E minor (to better suit the pitch range of the guitar). Note that there is a score for each movement, but I only made individual parts for the Ouverture, as that is quite long; the other movements are brief enough that copies of the score can be used as performance parts with no need for page turns.
The suite consists of 7 movements:
i - Ouverture
ii - Rondeau
iii - Sarabande
iv - Bourree I & II
v - Polonaise & Double
vi - Menuet I & II
vii - Badinerie
Performance note:
This arrangement is based on the 1885 Bach-Gesellschaft edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor. Special attention should be given to the interpretation of the dotted rhythmic figures in the opening and closing section of the Ouverture (first movement). In this first movement J. S. Bach has taken the form of the french ouverture, as created in the previous century by Jean-Baptiste Lully, and expanded the middle section into a Corelli-like concerto, as well as being a four-voice fugue. As such, this movement represents a remarkable combination of French (Lully), Italian (Corelli), and north German (fugal) styles. One could hardly hope to find a more brilliant example of J. S. Bach's works as a culmination of baroque style.
Partita No. 2 BWV 1004 (J. S. Bach, arr. M. Basinski)
This is my arrangement of J. S. Bach's Partita No. 2 for solo violin, in D minor (the saddest of all keys).
For anyone who might be interested in looking at this, the good news is that I did add additional basses, and some very minimal additional harmony. I am not one who thinks that it is appropriate for a guitarist to just play the violin notes. I can just imagine what the old wig would say if you played it for him like that: "Have you not studied harmony?" (and after all, we have some lovely examples in Bach's own hand, such as the 5th lute suite, where he added bass notes for a lute version of a cello piece). Of course, it isn't clear what he would think of *my* choices for bass notes, but I think they work pretty well.
The bad news is that I have not indicated any fingering at all. In fact this is good news too, as I find fingering to be so very personal, I think it's best that we all work out our own.
This set, like the other violin Partitas, follows the baroque sonata da camera format with 4 dance movements (alternating slow / fast / slow / fast), and then closes with a 5th movement, the monumental Ciaccona:
i - Allemanda
ii - Corrente
iii - Sarabanda
iv - Giga
v - Ciaccona
This is my arrangement of J. S. Bach's Partita No. 2 for solo violin, in D minor (the saddest of all keys).
For anyone who might be interested in looking at this, the good news is that I did add additional basses, and some very minimal additional harmony. I am not one who thinks that it is appropriate for a guitarist to just play the violin notes. I can just imagine what the old wig would say if you played it for him like that: "Have you not studied harmony?" (and after all, we have some lovely examples in Bach's own hand, such as the 5th lute suite, where he added bass notes for a lute version of a cello piece). Of course, it isn't clear what he would think of *my* choices for bass notes, but I think they work pretty well.
The bad news is that I have not indicated any fingering at all. In fact this is good news too, as I find fingering to be so very personal, I think it's best that we all work out our own.
This set, like the other violin Partitas, follows the baroque sonata da camera format with 4 dance movements (alternating slow / fast / slow / fast), and then closes with a 5th movement, the monumental Ciaccona:
i - Allemanda
ii - Corrente
iii - Sarabanda
iv - Giga
v - Ciaccona
Suite XXV "L´Infidéle" (S. L. Weiss, arr. M. Basinski)
This is my arrangement of 4 movements from Suite XXV "L´Infidéle" by Sylvius Leopold Weiss, a contemporary of J. S. Bach, and one of the last great baroque lutenists and lute composers.
Overall, this is a nice set, very french, and suitable for florid ornamentation in the slow movements.
The suite consists of 6 movements; I have arranged only 4 (the other 2 were just too hard to make work):
i - Entrée
ii - Courante
iii - Sarabanda
vi - Paysane
This is my arrangement of 4 movements from Suite XXV "L´Infidéle" by Sylvius Leopold Weiss, a contemporary of J. S. Bach, and one of the last great baroque lutenists and lute composers.
Overall, this is a nice set, very french, and suitable for florid ornamentation in the slow movements.
The suite consists of 6 movements; I have arranged only 4 (the other 2 were just too hard to make work):
i - Entrée
ii - Courante
iii - Sarabanda
vi - Paysane
Classical Guitar