Guitar Duo: Popular
In the years after the Second World War, the pop music has gone through a tremendous development. Starting with Rock and Roll, various genres emerged that enabled youngsters to identify themselves and that for an older person like me at times brings me back to the Wonder Years, at least that’s how I feel about it.
It is always nice to play something before an audience that everyone knows, I have had several pleasant experiences in that field. Hence arrangements of pop music are part of our repertoire as well.
As a consequence, this section of the site contains (the music of) a number of evergreens. Unfortunately, without scores (in particular in pop music, copyright issues are frequent and mean), yet my intention is good. In some cases, an email to me might provide a solution.
As a guitar soloist, I have a collection of arrangements of pop songs. An important component of this collection is, at least in The Netherlands, the four Pop Songs books by Cees Hartog. This guitarist/composer has arranged a number of po songs such that they a) are faithful to the original and b) are playable for guitarists that did not enjoy 20 years of training yet. Fine material to arrange again, now for guitar duo, as I promptly did.
Click the title for playback and sheet music:
Bright Eyes is the best-known song from the movie Watership Down, sung by Art Garfunkel and a hit in my younger years (1989). The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
The Cavatina by Stanley Myers is a famous theme from the movie The Deer Hunter (1978). Cavatina used to be one of the first pieces that I played being a member of the Granados Duo in the nineties of the last century. Later, I extended the arrangement a bit for use in the Guitar Duo DOS Amigos. It is not a simple arrangement for the accompaniment, the jazzy chords require practice.
Don’t cry for me, Argentina became an absolute chart breaker because of the musical Evita in 1978, the version by Julie Covington (with large orchestra) appeared on many hit lists. The musical itself tells the story of Evita Peron, a nightclub dancer that became the wife of the Argentine president and had a lot of influence “behind the throne”.
The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
I don’t have to write much about The Beatles, who does not know them? Most striking about this group was their growth in musical complexity, both for the music and the lyrics. I wanna hold your hand gradually changed into more engaged lyrics like the ones from Day in a Life.
Fool on the Hill is a track from the album Magical Mystery Tour (1967). In a creative mood Hans Oosterwal, my then DOS Amigos partner, made a quite challenging and complex arrangement of this song for two guitars. We started rehearsal, unfortunately our duo did not survive its completion.
I’ll have to say I Love You in a Song comes from the album I got a Name by Jim Groce from 1973. The song came out after he was killed in an airplane crash in 1973, together with a number of other musicians.
The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
Killing me Softly was a great hit by Roberta Flack, who supposedly passed away in 2018 but is still alive and kicking. She included the song on the album Killing me Softly from 1973. The cover of this song by The Fugees almost got more famous than the original. This song brings me back to the song festivals at school in the seventies of the last century.
The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
Ritchie Valens made the Mexican folk song La Bamba world-famous in 1958, even though it was just the B-side of the single Donna. La Bamba is an example of Chicano Rock, rock music with Latin-American influences. Ritchie Valens could not enjoy his celebrity for long, in 1959 he was killed in an air accident, together with Buddy Holly and his band.
The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
Nothing’s gonna change my Love for You scored a hit in the version of Glenn Medeiros from 1987, even though the song had an earlier version in 1985. It is an easy listening ballad with a nice rhythm.
The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
The world-famous homage to Vincent van Gogh (Starry, starry night) brought the American singer Don McLean hit status in 1971 when his album American Pie came out. It’s a song that plays nicely, do not forget to add some drama in places.
The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
Wes Montgomery (1923 – 1968) was a well-known jazz guitarist that had great influence on his generation jazz musicians. Hans Oosterwal, my then DOS Amigos partner, encountered this song and made a slightly complex arrangement with a lot of nice swing.
A quite famous song that describes the blues of two lovers that are separated for the holidays and write letters on a daily basis to keep contact. It was a hit by Bobby Vinton in 1972. In fact, Vinton brought out a cover, the Four Voices sang the song already back in 1960.
The chord pattern of the arrangement by Cees Hartog enabled a simple conversion to the duo version. If required, the Guitar 1-part can be played by a melody instrument.
