Solo Guitar - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1444613

Composed by Traditional. Arranged by Richard Hirsch. Folk,Instructional,Multicultural,Ragtime,Spiritual,World. Individual part. 13 pages. Richard Hirsch #1024507. Published by Richard Hirsch (A0.1444613).

I offer an arrangement of the Spiritual “Rock My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” for acoustic fingerstyle guitar. The arrangement is in the ragtime style of guitar playing reminiscent of Reverend Gary Davis. The melody is played with alternating middle, index, and ring fingers over alternating bases played by the thumb. The melody is repeated in different major keys starting in the key of D and moving through the keys of A , G, and C, returning at the end to D.

The arrangement is intended as a fun instructional introduction to the various keys that are good for fingerstyle guitar with alternating bases in normal tuning. There are lots of little ornamentations like pulls-offs, slurs, and trills that liven up the piece and are good practice for the intermediate to advanced student of fingerstyle guitar.

I have given Presto as the tempo as that is the tempo in which I first conceived of the arrangement, but the piece can also be played at a slower tempo, i.e. Allegro.

In a number of instances in the notation harmonics are marked as sounding one or two octaves higher than notated. These notes are notated and tabulated at the position they are to be found on the fretboard. When played as harmonics they will sound one or two octaves higher.

The piece would I think work well also in contexts where the guitarist might like to have some audience participation in the way of hand-clapping of the beat while moving through the various key changes. 

The piece also works well as a warm-up. I really enjoy playing the piece. It makes my day!

Guitar (fingerpicking) - Intermediate-Advanced - Digital Download Celtic / Irish. Blues. E-book and online audio. 236 pages. Mel Bay Publications - Digital Sheet Music #94561EB. Published by Mel Bay Publications - Digital Sheet Music

Handbell - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.953733

Composed by Frank M. Davis, Henry Smart, John Hughes, Robert Lowry, William B. Bradbury, and and George A. Young. Arranged by G. R. Adkison. Christian,Sacred. Score. 10 pages. Gary Ray Adkison #14705. Published by Gary Ray Adkison (A0.953733).

God: Our Leader Medley is a 120 measure arrangement for 4-5 octave handbell choir and 3 octaves of OPTIONAL associated handchimes, although the handchime parts can also be played by handbells. The overall theme is the leadership of God in the life of the Christian. This is a medley of 7 Christian hymns. The first 4 are requests---requests to God to lead us. The last 3 are descriptions of God leading us (responses by God). The 1st request is presented by the handchimes playing Savior Lead Me. This is a simple, easy to play section in the key of D. Still in D, the 2nd request is Lead on, O King Eternal. After a false modulation, the 3rd request is Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us. This features a few bass runs. After a modulation to the key of G, the 4th request starts with Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehova. Also featuring some bass runs, it also makes use of descant lines. The 1st response, also in G, is All the Way My Savior Leads Me. This section is not in the original 3/4 time, but in 4/4 time, although near the end it reverts to the normal 3/4. It makes heavy use of fills and a brief descant line. The 2nd response is a 6/4 version of God Leads Us Along in the key of C. Again, there is a brief descant line. The last response is He Leadeth Me, also in C, that features two descant passages, and bass runs in the last two lines. After the first section of the overall arrangement, the chords used are often significantly more interesting than the chords normally used with these 7 hymns. This arrangement uses various dynamic and tempo markings, in order to achieve musical contrast, and still be true to the character of the original hymns. (The MP3 audio demonstration file provided is in a piano patch (voice), although the actual arrangement is for (and, of course, will sound better with a) handbell choir.) This arrangement is probably a level 2+ (2 plus) degree of difficulty.