REVIEW
Here is the entire text of the review of 'Scenes and
Themes' as it appeared in the June 1994 edition of
Classical Guitar (UK) Magazine.
"SCENES
and THEMES" by John Compton
"This book contains a wealth of easy little pieces designed
for the beginner to provide additional material to
complement a method. The teacher's book provides
accompaniments and is designed to enable the limited
pupil's material to sound attractive. John Compton puts it
all very clearly in his preface; the teacher adopts the
same role as any other instrumental teacher, that of
providing a larger musical context within which the student
plays.
The tunes are all single note melodies for the pupil and
are grouped together into sections. The first uses the
three top open strings, the second adds A, the next adds C
and D, then first position is completed on the first three
strings. Attention is then turned to the bass strings and
there can never be enough simple material at this stage.
The pieces are tremendously effective because of the skill
that has gone into writing the teacher's parts; all of them
are great little pieces of music and the children I tried
them on all loved them and have been asking to do them
again.
If teaching at the first stages uses material like this I
think guitarists will emerge with a depth of musicianship,
as so many musical skills can be taught so effectively with
such simple pieces. Ensemble work will also undoubtedly
benefit as these pieces played in unison by a group with
effective teacher accompaniment will lead straight into the
first ensemble repertoire.
I think these books will become some of the most widely
used; I would strongly recommend every teacher to look at
them."