The Passport to Play Guitar series seeks to instil a love of music by encouraging students to listen and play together. Authors Tim Pells and Jens Franke have impressive track records as esteemed performers and educators. This series is aimed at beginner and intermediate classical or acoustic players, and will appeal particularly to teenagers. Adults will no doubt also welcome the contemporary and accessible material. The books come with PDF accompaniments for a teacher or more advanced player. Students also need to download the MP3 backing-tracks.
World influences
Each volume comprises around 20 pieces printed in both notation and TAB form. Influenced by styles and cultures across the world, the music includes blues and jazz from North America, and folk and traditional music from Europe, Africa and Latin America. Most of the pieces are original, and written to particular musical and technical parameters. Where we are offered an arrangement of a classic, there's often an entertaining twist.
Each piece is introduced by a brief description of its musical style. There are useful tips on how to bring out the piece's character, and clear definitions of pertinent musical terms. Further listening recommendations are peppered throughout, and range from Metallica to Woody Guthrie.
Volume 1 introduces single-voice tunes (mainly on treble strings) and short-version chords. Several pieces feature a useful p, i, m right-hand arpeggio pattern, where p plucks the third string. Pizzicato and dynamics are introduced, and the book explores folk, blues, boogie, Latin, flamenco, calypso and rock.
Volume 2 progresses to multi-voice material and improvisation. Technical spotlights include bar chords, slides and shifts, higher positions, slurs and natural harmonics. Structure and form are explored. We visit America, Cuba and the Caribbean, London, Paris and Ireland.
Learning to groove
The authors say this series is about ‘learning quickly, learning to groove, learning about the universal love of guitar and learning where the music comes from.’ We certainly feel they are invested in our journey. The text is warm and personal, as if we are sitting around jamming in pleasant, intelligent company. (‘We'd be delighted if you then learned the accompaniments to your favourite pieces.’)
Syncopation, jazzy harmonies and strong rhythmic characteristics are introduced straight away. This went down well with my students, both primary and secondary. ‘We really wanted to get away from, “This is an E note, now play it eight times,”’ Tim Pells told me. ‘The use of TAB and backing-tracks was deeply structural as we wanted to avoid a treble clef cluttered with instructions.’
The aural and visual accompaniments are certainly a strength of the series. These can be printed, or downloaded onto an iPad for ensembles. Getting students or parents to download MP3 audio files is generally more problematic, but playing with others is considered by Pells and Franke to be crucial.
Tutor book or not?
These books are billed by the publisher (Schott) as tutor [or method] books. If so, work is needed by the teacher to stay abreast of what has been explained, and what is omitted.
For example, the text does not mention key signatures until after it introduces accidentals. This led to considerable confusion among my students. There are several similar instances. Da Capo is explained, for example, but D.S. is not. An unannounced anacrusis takes everyone by surprise halfway through book 1.
There are some inconsistencies to be aware of in the backing-tracks. The first piece is introduced with a single bar of crotchets, but subsequent pieces have a two-bar count-in. Cut-time appears out of the blue in Open Hi Life and the intro is a single bar of minims. Merry havoc ensues.
A classical teacher will also want to make some early decisions about rest or free stroke. My feeling is that the series is better used as excellent repertoire to complement a teacher's usual scheme of work.
Passport to Play Guitar volumes 1 and 2 are thoroughly enjoyable. Pells and Franke passionately believe that students should ‘get straight to the notes and the rhythms’, and learn through playing great music right from the start.
Volume 3 is completed. We await news of its publication.
