Not having had the opportunity to scrutinize the previous two volumes which precede this one I can't comment on their suitability or not in belonging to this short series of student books. However, I do have for review the next three in the sequence. (reviewed separately) and it seems that with each new album a further level of technical and musical competence is required and that Denis Mortagne has skillfully put together some entertaining and educational pieces for the student repertoire.
I would suggest that Volume 3, «8 So Cool Pieces«, would be suitable for the player of around the Grades 4-5 mark. Each of the eight compositions covers various techniques: Danse Slave utilises slurs; Petite Valse Grise is a useful «legato« study; Happy Birthjazz has the celebrated theme over a walking-bass (great fun this!); Traveling (sic) is a «swing-rhythm« piece; Samba Bambole gives a good foundation in the Latin rhythm; Candid Toccata gets the fingers moving rapidly through a study covering some high position slurs played over quavers written in a 3-3-2 pattern; Caprice mixes up passages of slurs and broken chords and finally comes Nocturne, a study written entirely in a triplet-tremolo fashion.
These compositions show a healthy respect for the student of this level; they do not patronise in any way and simply give the player the opportunity to supplement their present studies with some other new and rather entertaining material.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
