Les Productions d'Oz Methode progressive, vol. 1 - Camisassa - Guitar - Book

Composer: Claudio Camisassa
Format: Book
Languages: French, English, Spanish
Instrumentation: Guitar
Level: Easy

"This well-presented volume takes students from the very beginning with four main objectives of Classical Guitar Magazine developing technique, sight-reading, basic chord accompaniments and duo playing, and assumes the student is working with a teacher.

It is very methodical, beginning with photographs of hand positions etc, and gives explanations of both rest and free stroke from the start. The first musical examples are open string melodies with added chord symbols with plenty of varied examples, and blank staves are given for note-writing exercises and also for aural tests, both of which are useful ideas for reinforcing general musical understanding. Apart from chord symbols, the left hand is first introduced with natural harmonics at the twelfth fret in an effective two-part exercise Carillon, which requires right fingers and thumb. Combinations of open strings and right-hand arpeggios follow and the opening section is brought to a natural close with Valse des Harmoniques - nicely shaped and quite complex with its use of natural harmonics, but a bit over-long.

Camisassa now introduces notes on each string, in turn, in first position, and more complex arpeggio patterns, illustrated by pieces utilising each new group of notes. 2-guitar arrangements of tunes including Frere Jacques and Au Clair de la lune and Alouette, gentille alouette work quite well with straightforward accompaniments. I liked Camisassa's Tango, and Recuerdo de mi infanta, a two-part milonga reminiscent of Cardoso. Favourites such as Greensleeves and Malaguena are also included, and there are many pieces by Camisassa included which aim to enforce musical ideas.

I found the way this book progresses, and the technical and musical aspects it teaches, very good and very thorough. I found myself using it a lot as supplementary material to demonstrate technical points and for sight-reading. However, the majority of pieces written by Camisassa did not inspire me musically and would need to be supplemented with pieces of more characterful musical interest, particularly for young players, but this volume does have much to offer." - Linda Kelsall Barnett, Classical Guitar Magazine, June 2002)