Alan Grundy
Bergmann Edition: 9 pages
Alan Grundy, is a Dublin – born guitarist/composer who is responsible for well over 100 works of varying styles and difficulty, and here has composed a beautifully melodic piece that is littered with a lot of complicated arpeggio and rasgueado patterns that fit very much into p[lace amid this well – produced piece, but absolutely take it into another territory entirely in the difficulty factor .
The piece begins with a five bar introduction that does return more times later on, which is long bass notes topped by various left hand only very swift arpeggio patterns of demi – semi quavers done on one string at a time. After a repeat, it continues with more bars of complex arpeggio patterns written as septuplets and quintuplets. Then the first theme proper emerges in A minor again continually on the move and all in the higher frets of the guitar. After a repeat of the opening, another section in A minor, similar in style , but not the same as the previous one carries the piece into new territory. A Piu Mosso section still full of speedy arpeggios and small – note triplets, leads into a rasgueado ad – lib section, which after a repeat, then finally returns to two of the opening sections for a final time before the opening bars enters once more as the coda.
This is a very flashy, very showy work that is recorded on YouTube by the composer, so any interested musicians can get the feel of it there, but suffice it to say that this piece is a lot of fun, but definitely only for the very good players amongst you.
Chris Dumigan