Let’s Play Together - Rock

"Nostalgia for a Rocker (Lévesque) is an interesting title - I'm guessing from the cover artwork that students of the age this book is intended for will find the concept of nostalgia rather escapes them. An alternating sequence of A minor and G arpeggios prefaces a little tune with some catchy repeated notes, opening into some searing chords (well, insofar as you can do 'searing' with two nylon strung notes over a driving bassline). It's easy but it's atmospheric. It's hard to believe that Les Sixties (Lévesque) was half a century ago, but this is a lovely 12/8 balladfeel with a real bop-shu-waddy-waddy texture. The bass-line is to die for - easy, deep, mellow and silky, and the two top lines are easy, though line two isn't quite as interesting as in some of the other trios. Salut les copains (Lévesque) is [...] very playable and could well, by virtue of the rests in the music, be a good 'training piece' for a novice ensemble. By contrast, L'Espion (Lévesque) is in 4/4 swing rhythm, which of course, is equivalent to 12/8 and teachers will find this an interesting teaching point, as there's a logic behind the change to 4/4. This is a lazy rock piece with some lovely bass-lines and slow chromatic movement - almost bluesy in feel. Progression Rock (Lachance) is in 4/4 with a more complex rhythmic motif that needs to work first time, as the three parts open together in unison and octave with that tricky rhythm. But once into the piece it's structurally a little more diverse with arpeggios, rhythm, bass and other musical devices that a learner will love. Ocean Blues (Levesque) is in swing rhythm too, and is a much harder piece, being in 4# with Guitar One up to IX position. The accompaniment has some lovely 'driving triplets' that push the pace here and there. [...] The bulk of the book would suit Grade 2-3 players and there's a good selection of pieces in one convenient edition."

Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)