WG100 - The Solo Lute Works of Johann Sebastian Bach for Guitar

All Bach's music is amazing and the lute suites are no exception. Learning to play any of these well will bring a huge grin on your face as you are transported to the divine domain of J.S.Bach!Awesome!

Generally quite well done, minor errors here and there but I have gotten much enjoyment from this music.

This the best and most accurate transcription of any Bach work for guitar available anywhere. A hallmark achievement in accurate Bach transcriptions. The fingerings are outstanding, and the large print with spiral binding layout makes this book a joy to sight read.This book is so important it deserves a place in every serious guitarist music book collection. Therefore, it would be amazing to see a special guitar Tablature edition of this book offered for guitar players who love classical, but perhaps don't have the economic means to take lessons or are self-taught. A guitar TAB version would sell well amongst a broad range of players and levels. No doubt it would also be well received by rock guitarist influenced by players such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Edward Van Halen and Randy Rhoads.

First of all, this is extremely well edited with very clear notation, and with complete and thoughtful left hand fingerings. It is perfectly designed for the music stand and minimizes awkward page turns. The fold out pages are a really nice touch. It is definitely a scholarly edition. There are extensive performance notes and when the editor has altered a passage for the sake of the guitar the original is always given as well. The facsimiles of the manuscripts at the end are interesting, but I didn't find it necessary to include all of them. They're an appendix though, and don't interfere with the flow of the book at all.The best part of this edition, by far, is the introduction, which should be thoroughly read and digested. The notes on Baroque notation, performance, ornaments, and interpretation are spot on. I can attest to this, as I studied harpsichord for several years. If you're not already familiar with Baroque performance practices, this section will be invaluable, since many modern performers of Bach's music (especially pianists) don't play it in an historically accurate way.Lastly, as many reviewers have mentioned, this music is HARD. Definitely not for beginners. Most of it is way too difficult for where I'm at right now, but Bach's music is so beautiful and rewarding to play that I don't mind working on it for a year or more!

It was Bach's Bouree alone that got me interested in classical guitar and a lifelong obsession and passion for his work and the classical guitar instrument. I started as a rock guitarist, but kept returning to these soul-enriching and sublimely intricate pieces.Enough has been written about this comprehensive and outstanding collection of Bach's Solo Works and this book and all the reviews are positively glowing. I understand why. Painstaking and detailed thought and attention to detail by the author certainly qualifies as a must have for the Bach and classical guitarist.If you want to learn Bach note-for-note and accurately look no further.I also like the smart design of spiral-bound choice since there are multiple pages in these compositions and the book is conducive to music stand sightreading.

I didn't care for the fingering so it was useless to me as I already have several editions.

The definitive edition of the lute suites. There's a reason every well-respected classical guitar instructor recommends this edition. The fingerings are modern, logical, and easy to understand. The layout of the book is great for practice/performance. The pages that fold out are ingenious. The historical context and performance notes are spot on. The spiral binding allows the book to lay flat on a music stand. They really thought of everything with this one.

I am only a middling amateur player who has to work hard to learn any of these Bach pieces, but I know a fair amount about classical music. So far, I've been concentrating on the E-minor lute suite and it will take me year, I suspect. I find the performance notes interesting and useful. The page layout and binding are really excellent. In places where the original notes are impossible on the modern guitar, such as playing bass E and G# at the same time, he provides alternative inversions from which to choose. It's important to remember that no modern edit is holy writ, and if you want to go back to the originals or near-originals, facsimiles are provided. For me, these versions are certainly close enough.

I learned these from the Willard edition but I have gathered a few different editions over the years and usually end up playing a mixture of several different fingerings stitched together - maybe I should publish my amalgamated edition!All guitarists should own at least one edition of the Lute Suites so why not this one?

The historical detail is fascinating and the music sublime. The fingering in some pieces seemed inefficient to me. My main gripe is that the pages fold out to fit an entire piece on a spread. Unless you have a very wide music stand this seems of little value and is actually quite annoying.

Good clear print and doesn't fall from the music stand

I like it a lot, and spiral are very intelligent way and is nice in order to have the book always easily opened and easy to manage on the score.

Great - Easy turn pages and enough string, finger and positional information