California Guitar Archives

08/10/2022

Our first publication (in 1985) was Ernst Krenek's Eight Pieces for Two Guitars, transcribed by Theodore Norman from the Eight Piano Pieces (1946). Now, 37 years later, we release a new edition, newly engraved (including corrections to the original edition), with a complete facsimile of the original piano music, historical information, a reproduction of Krenek's letter to me authorizing the original publication, and photos courtesy of the Krenek Institut in Austria. I couldn't be more proud--this is outstanding music for two guitars and I look forward to hearing duos embrace these engaging works. "Concert" size (9x12in), perfect for viewing on an iPad Pro. Available in print and digital PDF download from https://www.calguitar.com/music/2
And check out our other new offerings from Canadian composer Amy Brandon, my late teacher Theodore Norman, and the Los Angeles Electric 8.

06/21/2022

One of the finest guitar quartets ever written, California composer Garry Eister's Chasing Light was written for and recorded by the San Francisco Guitar Quartet, and I wanted to publish it ever since I participated in a performance of it. Garry is both such a fine composer and knows the guitar so intimately that he can write idiomatically for it without sounding cliche, no easy feat. The three-movement score includes a full set of parts and is "Concert" size (9x12in), perfect for viewing on a iPad Pro. Also available in print form. https://www.calguitar.com/music/49

06/21/2022

Proud to finally publish a new edition of the very first twelve-tone music ever published for solo guitar, Theodore Norman's Two Twelve-Tone Pieces for Guitar, written in 1954. Norman composed these brief, improvisational works while also working on his score for a ballet based on Kafka's Metamorphosis, which also used the guitar. This newly engraved edition also includes the original hand-copied publication, along with performance notes and background information on the music. The cover photo by Edward Weston was achieved by bartering three hours of Norman playing Bach on the violin for Weston at his Carmel studio in 1934! Available in print and digital download (PDF) editions: https://www.calguitar.com/music/50

06/21/2022

So glad to announce the newly engraved edition of the very first Calguitar publication, Ernst Krenek's wonderful Eight Pieces for Two Guitars, in a new 36-page performance edition, including a facsimile reprint of the original piano score from which the transcription was done by Theodore Norman, along with rare photos of the composer from the decade during which he composed the music. Available for the first time as a digital download, formatted concert size (9x12in), ready for use in an iPad Pro. (Print version also available.) https://www.calguitar.com/music/2

09/20/2021

At last, the newly engraved edition of the stunning prepared guitar quartet by Buzz Gravelle, written in 1993. Available for the first time as a digital download, formatted concert size (9x12in), ready for use in an iPad Pro. (Print version also available.) Here's a live performance from 2012: https://youtu.be/UqQ04XkTxiQ

08/16/2021

Buzz Gravelle: Zer ef Kend for Solo Guitar. https://www.calguitar.com/music/36/

08/16/2021

NOW ALSO AVAILABLE AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, in a new concert format (9x12in) edition. Alan Duff Berman: The Syntax of Things: A Cummings Love Song Cycle for Low Voice and Guitar, 2015 (print publication). https://www.calguitar.com/music/44/

08/16/2021

NOW ALSO AVAILABLE AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD! New edition in concert format (9x12in) of Reynaldo Hahn: Three Songs for Voice and Guitar, transcribed by Chelsea Green (print publication). https://www.calguitar.com/music/45/

08/16/2021

NOW ALSO AVAILABLE AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD! New edition in concert format (9x12in). Erik Satie: Four Songs from 1886 for Voice and Guitar, transcribed by Chelsea Green (print publication). https://www.calguitar.com/music/46/

08/16/2021

NEW in 2021! Also available for digital download! First publication of a 1957 work by the late Los Angeles composer, guitarist, and professor Theodore Norman. It was written at the request of Pieter van der Staak, Dutch guitarist and professor whom Norman had met in Italy a year earlier. It's a brief, thrilling piece that requires solid rhythmic sense from both players, and features idiomatic writing for both instruments. https://www.calguitar.com/music/43/

01/08/2021

Our first digital download publication: Prepared Guitar Techniques, 2nd Edition, is now available as a digital download! Save the shipping charge and get the PDF instantly:
https://www.calguitar.com/music/41/
If you've been holding off because of the international freight charges (or local ones), you can now have a digital download of the ultimate quarantine companion for the adventuresome guitarist.

Instruction manual on how to prepare the guitar using ordinary household objects, such as paper clips, tin foil, bottle caps, and tape to create new sounds, such as gongs, drums, sitars, and kalimbas.

11/08/2020

30th Anniversary Edition of the Best-Selling Prepared Guitar Techniques! All you need to know about how to prepare your guitar to create uncanny, thrilling sounds! Written by Matthew Elgart and Peter Yates, this is an updated and enlarged edition with newly engraved music for guitar solo and duo, an expanded reference list, and full-page preparation setup diagrams. Coming soon in an e-edition; available now in print. https://www.calguitar.com/music/41/