Tag: bach

  • A Bach Menuet for you + why I went quiet

    A Bach Menuet for you + why I went quiet

    Just a few blinks of the eye, and it’s already almost FOUR MONTHS since I last sent out a regular newsletter. Sorry about that.

    I’m sure you know how this goes. You miss once, but it doesn’t matter, you’ll just do it next time. Then you miss it again, and you promise to yourself that NEXT TIME, you’ll make it for sure. And then you miss it again. You really start to feel guilty. But you simply forget it / suppress it. Then you realize four months have passed.

    Sounds familiar?

    Yeah, that’s probably a very common pattern. Whether it’s writing a newsletter or practicing guitar 😀

    But it doesn’t matter. No use in crying over spilled milk. What matters is starting again. Rebuilding the habit.

    So here we are 😀

    And I wasn’t idle either. I played live with my band, started writing a new book, organized a few local rock jam sessions, watched lots of football the last month, and I’ve almost finished my complete re-write of the Bach Cello Suites for Guitar. As always, things take a LOT longer than planned, but I want it to be the best I can produce.

    I’m quite happy with how it turns out. As a preview, here’s the 2nd Menuet of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No.1 for you.

    CLICK HERE to download the PDF with the score in standard notation and tablature, along with the MIDI-generated audio files

    Enjoy!

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    What’s your version of the four-month gap? Guitar or otherwise, I’m curious. Let me know!

    BTW, If you’re struggling with rhythm, how to read it, how to play it, how to understand it, I’ve got something for you. My rhythm book “TCHA-KA TCHA – Understand and master rhythm on guitar through vocalizing” lays out the surprisingly simple method that has helped hundreds of my students understand rhythm, and it can help you too.

    GET IT HERE: https://amzn.to/46AarCE

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  • Let’s start 2026 with some Bach.

    Let’s start 2026 with some Bach.

    The year is slowly getting into gear after the quiet and leisurely holidays. And the days are finally getting longer again.

    I managed to dodge it for a while, but now I’ve come down with a cold. It’s Sunday, and I’m stretched out on the couch. Since I’m self-employed, there aren’t really any true days off, but I’m trying to take it slow. I’ll finish this newsletter, then I’ll head to bed.

    So don’t forget to stay warm, keep away from germs, and take your vitamins! 😀

    And practice guitar! 😀

    ​

    To kick off the year on a good note, I’ve transcribed the third movement, Presto, from Bach’s Concerto in D minor, BWV 1059, for you. Only a fragment of nine bars of this piece for harpsichord, oboe, and strings initially survived. In the 1980s, an concerto for oboe was reconstructed using several of Bach’s sinfonias and cantatas.

    Download the PDF with the score in standard notation and tablature, along with the MIDI-generated audio files, here:

    ​https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LV_ySVygwVz6M12bVN9Dix56Bnivd8Eu/view?usp=drive_link​

    ​

    Happy practicing!