I’ve been curious about arranging material for solo guitar for ages. It started with hearing a montuno piano groove in a jazz improvisation class (something like this). It was impossibly cool, and I had to learn it. My piano skills were incredibly subpar (today, I’m proud to say today they’re only subpar), so I made a go at figuring it out on guitar…and it worked. It was an inspiring moment, figuring out how to translate something from one medium to my own. Of course, I knew about the slew of transcriptions and arrangements of classical guitar (Bach, Albeniz, etc.) as well as the endless well of solo jazz guitar masters (Joe Pass, Gene Bertoncini). Still, I never really made the connection that arranging material could quite literally be in my hands until that moment. Since then, it’s been a venture that’s inspired much of my musical direction to this point in my life.
What inspires me the most about arranging is the idea of translation. Specifically, how to translate musical work from its source (solo piano, cello, lead sheet, recording, etc.) to solo guitar while retaining its core ideas and spirit. Translating the performance medium opens up a wide scope of variety in nuance, color, and interpretational possibilities.
Below is a collection of things I’ve arranged for guitar available commercially (or free). Enjoy!
Sheet Music Publications
Magazine Publications
Recordings
