This collection of classic guitar studies is intended for the intermediate guitarist. As a whole, these etudes emulate the content of Carcassi's famed 25 Etudes, yet in a more contemporary harmonic and rhythmic idiom. These pieces are also distinguished in that they are not only valuable as left and right-hand technical exercises- but also as valid, pleasurable concert repertoire. The first ten etudes 11-20 focus on the use of the a finger in combination with i and m. Etudes 4,7,11,13,15, and 17 also concentrate on left-hand slurs. The final five etudes were composed as - and intended to be performed- as a set with each piece dedicated to a particular Latin American composer. At his Wignore Hall debut one critic hailed Gerald Garcia as a "performer of rare quality." He has been described by the guitarist John Williams as "not only one of today's foremost guitarists...Anyone interested in hearing the guitar at its best should put Gerald Garcia at the top of their list." He has toured the Far East and Europe including Australia, and was the first British guitarist to play in China in recent times. He has appeared at all the main international festivals in Britain including Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, Cheltenham and the South Bank and has broadcast extensively on radio and television all over the world. He has been as far as Borneo and the Arctic Circle. Gerald Garcia has given recitals with many leading ensembles, solotists, and actors including the London Sinfonietta, Paco Pena, John Williams and Friends, Richard Baker, and Leo McKern. He has composed music for film and live productions, and his commissioned works and arrangements include "CZARDAS - Hungarian Fantasy" for two guitars and orchestra and "25 Etudes Equisses" for guitar solo. Gerald Garcia teaches regularly at the GB International Summer School for Guitarists with Gilbert Biberian, with whom he is co-director, and regularly appears at summer schools in Germany, Belgium, and the USA. His other teaching activities include workshops, notably in school projects with the english National Opera, Kent Opera, and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and many weekend workshops for guitarists in Britain and Europe. He is also extremely busy as a session musician and has worked with such diverse talents as Michel Legrand, Barbra Streisand, Larry Coryell and Wayne Shorter, and has played the title music in several feature films. He has recorded more than 10 CDs for Naxos and Meridian which have sold more than 30,000 copies worldwide. Gerald Garcia studied Chemistry at Oxford University and now lives in Oxford, where he enjoys cycling, cooking, computer music, Taoist Yoga and conducting the odd chamber orchestra. In September 1995 he toured China in a duo with guitarist John Williams. Author: by Gerald Garcia Format: Book SkillLevel: Intermediate NumberofPages: 60 PublicationDate: 10_06_1995