Download pdf - Bach Pour Deux Guitares Electriques

8/3/2019 Bach Pour Deux Guitares Electriques

1/31


2/31

i

Introduction

This book will be very helpful to the rock guitar player who wants to learn some Bach, but doesnt

know much of classical music. An advanced level of technique is required to play these pieces,but the interpretation has been done. In addition, I have written analytical insights which require a

basic understanding of music theory. The purpose of this is to teach you to how to analyze. Hope-

fully you will appreciate this music more because of it. The primary emphasis in this book is

performance.

All of the transcriptions contained in this book are found in Johann Sebastian Bachs The Well

Tempered Clavier. These are not transcriptions of classical excerpts, but complete transcriptions of

entire pieces. Since position playing is such a rare occurrence, I have included tablature.

The upper lines are notated at actual pitch (middle C=G string, first fret) and the lower lines

are notated in treble clef, transposed up an octave (middle C=A string, third fret). Tablature is

included below each staff. It would be best to have a partner to rehearse with. Each player should

learn one line thoroughly. After that, the two players should rehearse together, eventually from

memory.

Once you are satisfied with your performance of all of the pieces that you have decided to learn,

the next step for you will be to transcribe a piece on your own. This will be challenging and in

the future, I may transcribe some three and four voice fugues in a less simplified format without

the tablature. This should help facilitate the transition from being a TAB reader to being musically

literate.

Why is this book better than other TAB books available? I can play most of the pieces fluidly

from memory, they are not just possibilities, but actual performance transcriptions. I convey an

understanding of the musical intent of the composer through notation and explanation. The nota-

tion is at actual pitch, rather than transposed up an octave-the conventional method- and cluttered

with octava signs.

Why did I decide to write this book and how did I write it? While at Berklee College of Music,

I had a project consisting of three guitars and a bass. We played keyboard music by Bach, includ-

ing some of the pieces in this book and also some three and four voice pieces. Jon Finn, after

hearing my solo performance of the upper voice of the prelude in D minor, suggested that I write

out my transcriptions. I also had realized that there werent many neoclassical shred guitar books.

In making this book, I used Finale 98/2000 to notate the music, Adobe InDesign for the text and

layout, Acrobat Distiller to convert the Postscript file to PDF.


3/31

Table of Contents

Prelude 2, C Minor

Prelude 3, C# Major

Prelude 6, D Minor

Prelude 15, G Major

Prelude 20, A Minor

1

7

14

20

24

ii


4/31

Prelude 2, C Minor

For two six-string guitars. Because of the tempo changes and the endurance needed to get through

this piece, it is probably the most difficult one in this book to perform.

How to learn this pieceFirst, play it all the way through without stopping. Try to get through it five times. Second, Look

at the whole piece. Third, work on the sections one at a time. I have notated the upper line at pitch

and the lower line one octave higher and in treble clef.

Looking at the pieceSee that it is divided into three main sections. The first section extends through measure 24. Ill

call this section 1. Measures 25, 26, and 27 break up the sections. Ill call this the arpeggio part.

The next section begins in measure 28 and extends through measure 33, Ill call this the Presto.

Measure 34 is a kind of solo cadenza which bridges the Presto to the final section. Ill call measure

34 the Adagio part. Ill call the final section the codetta.

Now that you have looked at this and played through it, you are ready to begin working on the

individual sections. Pay attention to how it sounds. You may need to spend a lot of time on a par-

ticular measure to get it to sound right. Just as you approached the whole piece, you can approach

each section by first playing it through and then playing groups of measures. This strategy works

Section 1

Use distortion

Both guitars must play in sync

On beats one and three, give the first sixteenth note a slightly longer dura-

tion and a stronger attack.

Arpeggio part

inhale before this section to create a slight pause.

hold first note of each measure slightly longer than its notated value.

Your choice: solo, in unison, in octaves.

Presto

should be played fast and accurately at a tempo not less than 120

Adagio

The adagio part should be played rubato, either picked or legato

the lower guitar part should clean up and quiet during the adagio part

Working on the sections

1


5/31


6/31


7/31


8/31


9/31

6

&

&

bb b

bb b

T

A

B

T

AB

Gtr I

Gtr II

34Adagio

n m b

m

15 17 15 1314 15 17 18 18 17 15 17 15 15 17 15 14 15 17 17 15 13 12 13 15 12 13 15

15 17 19 19

34 b

13 15 33 3

&

&

bbb

bbb

T

A

B

T

A

B

Gtr I

Gtr II

35 .n

9 9 12 9

8 11 10 8 8 8 11 10 810

35

.J jn( ) 43

n b b

6 58 5 6 6 5 8 5 6

7 8 7 8 5 8

n n

35 5 5

7 7 8 5 5 3 5 78 7 3

3O

n nU

4 87 8 3

6 3 6 6 3 55

6

wu3O


10/31

Use a clean sound for both parts

Count the sixteenth note subdivisions when you play eighth notes and

when you rest. This will be especially helpful in mm 63-96.

Theory Notes

Rhythm Notes

Emphasize the downbeat of each measure.Practice with a metronome set for qk =62-68 and feel three as one.There is a trade-off of the motor rhythm between the voices in beginning

at measure 60, and this is where the metronome will really help.

Performance Notes

An inverted major third is a minor sixth, minor thirds inverted become

major sixths.

7

Prelude 3, C# MajorFor two six-string guitars. I have transposed this piece down a diminished unison to the key of C.

This is one of the easiest pieces in this book to play.How to Learn this PieceFirst, play all the way through it without stopping. Try to get through it correctly five times. You

should not be able to do this in one session, but at most, it should take one week Second, Look

at the whole piece. I have notated the upper line at pitch and the lower line one octave higher and

in treble clef. Remember, notated at pitch means that it should be played an octave higher than

guitars written pitch. (See TAB)

Looking at the PieceThe first eight measures have been reused, transposed, inverted and modified up to measure 96.

This reuse will make memorizing the 100 plus measures a lot easier. The keys ascend in fifths

every eight bars and the voices, which are written in double counterpoint, trade the melody andthe accompaniment back and forth. Measure 55 begins an exact restatement of the head. Likewise,

mm 87-96 correspond to mm 63-72.

Double CounterpointLook at the first beat of the first measure. Notice how the lower note in the bass, C, harmonizes

with the top note of the upper line, E. This interval, C-E, is a major third. Look at the second

measure. D in the bass harmonizes with F in the upper line (D-F), a minor third. Look at measure

3. See the pattern? In measure 9, the first notes are B and G, a minor sixth. Here, what was the

lower line in measure one is now the upper line in measure 9 transposed up a fifth (C to G), and

the upper line in measure 1 is now the lower line in measure 9 transposed up a fifth (E to B). Play-

ing measure one, lower line and then measure 9, upper line will help you see the pattern on the

fret board. The reason that measure 9 has a minor sixth is that G and B form a third interval, but

inverted, you get B and G; a minor sixth. This process of reusing material where the top line and

bottom line switch is called double counterpoint.


11/31


12/31


13/31


14/31


15/31

12

&

&T

A

B

Gtr. I

Gtr. II

63 r r R R1612 12 12

63 j J Jj j j

1012

10

r r R R1612 12 12j J Jj j j

1012

10

r r R R1312 12 12j J Jj j j

910

10

r r R R1312 12 12j J Jj j j

910

10

r r R R

13

12 12 12

j J Jj j j

79

10

r r R R

13

12 12 12

j J Jj j j

79

10

r r R R

12

12 12 12

j J Jj j j

910

10

&

&T

A

B

Gtr. I

Gtr. II

70 r r

R R12

12 12 12

70 j J J

j j j9 1010

# r r

R R14

14 14 14

j Jb J

j j j8 1010

# r r

R R14

14 14 14

j Jb J

j j j8 1010

R R R R

1512 12 12

j J J

j j j7 910

R R R R

1512 12 12

j J J

j j j7 910

r R

R R15

13 1312

j J J

j j j9 1010

R R R

R R R12 15 17

j j jj j j

10 710

&

&T

A

B

Gtr. I

Gtr. II

77b 181715

181715

77 j# j jj j

j7

79

b

151817151718

J# J Jj j j

9 1211

r r

R R

1715

1415

J J jj j j

1012

12

R R R

R R R13 15

15

j j jj j j8

10 8

b b 161513

161513

j j jj j j

107 10

b b

131615131516

J J Jj j j

7 109

Rb R R R

1513 16 13

Jb J jbj j j8 5

6


16/31

13

&

&T

A

B

Gtr. I

Gtr. II

84 rb r R

R R R15

1315

84 j J Jj j j

79

8

r r

bR

R R R13

1213

jb Jjb

j j j5

66

rb r rR R R

1315 12

j j jj j j3

5 2

r r R R

910 10 10

jj j

jj j3

53

r r R R

910 10 10

jj j

jj j3

53

r r R R

1010 10 10

jj j

jj j2

33

r r R R

1010 10 10

jj j

jj j2

33

&

&TA

B

Gtr. I

Gtr. II

91 r r

R R

10

10 10 10

91 jj j

j j j5 23

r r

R R

10

10 10 10

jj j

j j j5 23

r r

R R

9

10 10 10

jj j

j j j2 33

r r

R R

9

10 10 10

jj j

j j j2 33

# r r

R R

11

12 12 12

jjb j

j j j1 33

# r r

R R

11

12 12 12

jjb j

j j j1 33

&

&T

A

B

Gtr. I

Gtr. II

97

sl.

b

3 6 953 7

97

b #sl.

b

11

7 10 138

10

10131012 12 12

j j3

10

12 12141014

89 12 12 9 10

j j5

# b

7 9 6 6 98

J. J.

J J13 1212 1214 12

j j jjj j0 02 33 2

3

...

131210

...023


17/31

Rhythm Notes

Although it can be felt as 24/16, The upper line was originally notated in 4/4 Count each measure as four groups of six, rather than eight groups of three

Solo Cadenza

inhale before this section to create a slight pause

hold first note of each measure slightly longer than its notated value

Play this part faster than the rest of the piece

measure 28 utilizes a Dmaj.7 Shape with tapping on each four note group

Prelude 6, D MinorFor six and seven string guitar. This upper line can work as a solo piece, and is perhaps more

difficult to perform than either line of the Prelude in C Minor.

How to Learn this PieceFirst, play it all the way through without stopping. Try to get through it five times. Second, Look

at the whole piece. Third, work on the difficult parts. Like the other pieces in this book, the upper

line is notated at pitch. Here, the lower line is also notated at pitch is bass clef. The tablature of the

lower line is for a seven-string guitar, but is easy enough for a bass player to learn. Remember, the

bass line is notated at pitch, which means that it should be played an octave higher than bass usual

written pitch. Use distortion on the upper line. Although the tempo indicated in the Bach Gesell-

schaft edition is 76, try to play at 80 to 96 bpm. Note: the solo cadenza is the authors improvisation

based on unplayable chords.

Looking at the PieceThe upper line is a compound line of three voices all the way through. This creates some difficult

fingerings on the guitar and makes position playing an infrequent option. See how measures 6 and

7 relate to measures 8 and 9. Measure 20 has a descending diminished lick. It is very easy to play

this by moving down one fret for each triplet figure. Pay attention to how it sounds. You may need

to spend a lot of time with new fingerings to be able to execute these difficult harpsichord licks.

Try to make the hardest part your strongest part. By doing this, you will be able to eliminate weak

spots. Once you learn the arpeggio shapes, not only will you be able to play this piece more fluidly,

you will be know some cool arpeggio shapes to plug into your own playing.

14


18/31


19/31


20/31


21/31


22/31


23/31

Prelude 15, G MajorFor six and seven string guitar. The upper line works well as a solo piece. The lower line is more

difficult to play than the upper line. The upper line is notated at pitch and the lower line is notated

one octave higher an treble clef To play the arpeggios at the speed required (q .=96), I use botheconomy and alternate picking. As with the other pieces, I recommend first playing through thepiece entirely.

Looking at this PieceThe first thing to be noticed is that there are two time signatures. The upper line has a time signa-

ture of 24/16 while the lower line has a time signature of 4/4. This is an old notation style which I

have chosen to preserve from the original copy. This notation shows the relationship between the

two time signatures.

24/16 Time Signature24/16 can be felt as four groups of six. I have separated each beat with a dotted

line. This is how the measure is divided.one two three four

Economy PickingWhen two consecutive notes fall on adjacent strings, pick the strings with the

same picking direction and stroke.

& #

T

AB

#v

v

v

v

v

v

77 8 10 10 87 6 7 9 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7

String Crossing

Outside string cross

Inside string cross

&

&

#

#1624

c

j

j

Picking Techniques Used

Lets face it, Alternate picking doesnt always work. Try the picking I have indicated. If you find

another way that works better for you, then use it.

20


24/31


25/31


26/31


27/31

Prelude 20, A MinorHow to Learn this Piece

First, read this. Next, try to play through it once or twice. To be able to do this, youll have to know

how to feel 9/8. If youre not sure about how to feel 9/8, then first read the 9/8 time signature

explanation in the box below. I have notated the upper line at pitch and the lower line one octave

higher and in treble clef.

Looking at the PieceYou have noticed by now that this piece is in 9/8. Another thing that will catch your ears attention

is sound of the pedal on A with the G# neighbor tone in the Bass of the first three measures. This

pedal point is held against other harmony. The harmonic rhythm is one harmony, or chord per

measure. The first measure outlines A minor, important for establishing the A minor tonality, or

key of the piece. The second measure outlines B diminished harmony with A in the bass, which

makes it B half diminished, in third inversion. But look at the bass clef, the arpeggio figure on

beat three has been changed to a D minor triad (D,F,A). Is this a polychord? No, the note A workshere because it is suspended and treated as a pedal point, and the notes D and F are a part of the B

diminished harmony. The third chord is G# diminished with the A pedal in the bass. Beat three of

measure three still has the A pedal, but it also has two chord tones D, the diminished fifth, and F,

the diminished seventh. After the cadence, or harmonic resolution to the tonic occurs in measure

four, the piece modulates to the key of the fifth scale degree, E minor. Another four measures of

repeated material, this time in the key of E minor, takes us to the development of the piece,

where the head motives are used in new ways.

Performance Notes

Make sure to play this fast enough, qk=72-80, otherwise, each measure will havea tendency to sound like three measures of 3/4 and the piece will drag.

Use a clean sound

24

one e and a two and a three and a& 89

9/8 Time Signature9/8= three groups of three, like triplets in 3/4, with the strongest beat being one.

Count, One and a, two and a, three and a, placing the most emphasis on the beat

one. The next thing to count are the sixteenth note subdivisions, which I will call

e. Set your metronome to 3/4, and try to tap or clap your way through the rhythms

in time. Its not as easy as it sounds, but is very helpful in learning this piece.


28/31


29/31


30/31

27

&

&

T

A

B

T

A

B

Gtr I

Gtr II()

16

12

1513 1213

12

16 j

j

5 35 4 2 2

2 5 3 25 3

1

b

17

17 15

14 15 17 15 14 14 15 17 15 14 14 15 17 15 14

#

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

&

&

T

AB

T

A

B

Gtr I

Gtr II

18 b # .. .

1514 12 11 1212

18 j b #

j3 1

3 2 3 3 2 05 4 5 0

3

1212 10

9 10 12 10 9 9 10 12 10 9 9 10 12 10 9

#

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

&

&

T

A

B

T

A

B

Gtr I

Gtr II

20

.

15 18 171510 14 14 1716 141415

20

7 75 7 8 8 5 5 8

5

.# # n 16 17 19 1716 1917 1817 15

17 16

#

6 65 7 8 8 5 5 8

5


31/31