Edwin Guevara Gutierrez : Bambuco No1 and 2 for guitar : Bergmann

Edwin Guevara Gutierrez

Bergmann Edition: 11 pages

This composer has a very impressive musical life, too many things  to go into now but suffice it to say that they are huge and varied. The Bambuco is a traditional Colombian music and dance genre from the Andean region, characterized by a waltz-like rhythm with roots in Spanish, indigenous, and African musical styles. It is known for its expressive melodies and intricate rhythms and that is definitely the case here with these two examples.

What first surprised me was the fact that they were composed in 1977, and yet only now published, which is a great shame! No1 is in Em, and although written in 6/8 there is a great deal of cross – over into 3 / 4 rhythm often in the same bar, so that one voice is in 6/8, whilst the other is in 3 / 4, which takes a little getting your fingers around. Like much of this area of music, the chords used are often almost jazz – like in style and there is plenty of constant movement in at least one of the voice parts for a great majority of the time. So, for example, even though you are officially in Em, one finds many examples of chords in flat keys and other sharp keys throughout. I might be wrong but the last chord on page 5, might need a sharp on the third string D, as the chord directly before it is a B Major chord with 2 D sharps, and is then followed by this chord that reads like a B minor, with no D#. I could be wrong, but i don’t think so! Directly after that the piece moves into E Major for the middle section before returning once more to the opening section , and then to a coda that concludes on a very colourful chord of an altered E Major!

No2 is in D minor , with a dropped D 6^th and has all the musical styles of the previous piece, constant movement, multiple voice parts and interesting harmonies all the way through. A middle section again goes into the tonic major, before reverting back to the opening section and then to the coda, as in the first piece.

These are tricky, but musically very interesting to play and are ideal for a relatively advanced player to get plenty of enjoyment from. Worth investigating!

Chris Dumigan