Product Description
This concerto is in the traditional three movement format
with the first and third movements being fast and the middle movement
slow. The second and third movements are
most like a blues work. The first
movement is a rondo format, is not particularly "bluesy". A Les Paul guitar would play particularly
well in this movement. The second
movement switches between the "soloist" as the distorted guitar sound to the
"vocalist" as the clean guitar sound.
The final movement is happy, upbeat, and lively good time blues. In the second and third movements in
particular, the basses (cello, double bass) should be easily heard. At the end
of the third movement, the precisionist on the drum set should improvise a
loud, untimed measure, solo utilizing all the drums and cymbals in the set
ending with four moderately paced and slowing beats on the snare drum. A momentary pause, then the final chord.
The guitarist will need at least one foot pedal for distortion
enabling him/her to switch between a "clean" sound and a distorted sound. The guitar should be the equivalent of a
Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster guitar; a Gibson Les Paul would do nicely
also. The music is partially fingered
leaving the player the opportunity to interpret the part. The work is after the fashion of "Chicago"
style blues of the 1960s. The conductor
and guitarist may wish to listen to recordings by the Paul Butterfield Blues
Band, John Lee Hooker, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, B.B. King, etc. to
get a feel for the music of the 1960s blues bands. It would be highly desirable to use an organ,
for the 3rd movement, that can produce a Hammond B3 with Leslie
sound, as that instrument was widely used in blues of that period. Although some of the notes notated as
harmonics (h) in the score can be played as fretted notes, playing them as
natural and artificial harmonics provides an interesting change of tonality. The orchestral part is not particularly
challenging. The concerto is approx. 17
minutes in length.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.