J .S. Bach’s Invention 11 BWV 782 arranged for electric guitar and bass guitar is a work exploring the minor scale. The chromatic element in the movement is strong and the accidentals make this a challenging score to read and commit to memory. The best preparation for playing this movement is to play the minor scale appropriately transposed in both its forms slowly until the sound of each is familiar. The original keyboard version of the 15 Bach Inventions are in 15 different keys and provide excellent examples to familiarisers players with the key system. Ornaments are not in place in this arrangement. The full music score is presented in staff notation and the attached parts are in staff notation and TAB. The guitar is an instrument where the same note can be played on different strings so players may well wish to review the rather literal translation of the notes to TAB. The playback score in the arrangement for the electric guitar and bass guitar has a tempo of 60 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. The suggestion is that the movement can be played both at slower and faster tempo. The inventions are concentrated demanding movements to play in an ensemble context but excellent for encouraging listening skills, good intonation and accurate playing. The movement is probably best learnt without the ornaments in place in the first instance. Legato playing is needed in a performance although there is scope to broaden the detail of how the notes are articulated. Any exaggerated playing does need to be avoided. Accompaniments are in place allowing electric guitar and bass guitar players to participate in ensemble activities as part of practice routines. The electric guitar sounds on one side of the stereo channel with the bass guitar on the other. The accompaniment tracks play back at 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66 and 68 quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute. Accompaniment backing tracks are recorded with a dry acoustic to encourage accuracy in playing. There is one bar count in /click track at the beginning of the accompaniment tracks. Instrumentalists should spend time listening to performances of the work by a range of musical instruments to understanding playing approaches. Players will possibly need to edit their scores with reminders about accidentals within the bar. The Bach Inventions are generally intermediate level movements when played on a keyboard instrument. Playing levels will perhaps need to be reviewed when different instrument combinations are involved. The principle behind J. S. Bach’s two part Inventions is to take a musical idea or motive and then process it following the rules of good contrapuntal writing using the compositional processes of the baroque and at the same time referencing the closely related keys in the journey. Inversion, repetition, sequence, transposition, rhythmic augmentation/diminution amongst processes are evident in Bach’s inventions as most other music of the baroque period. J. S. Bach composed 15 Inventions in a collection dating from 1723 intended to introduce keyboard players to composition techniques of the baroque. They are excellent pieces for developing a sound and secure keyboard technique. When played in an ensemble context there is not much other music that can better prepare players for this type of music activity. Those learning how to use music notation software and improve their listening skills will find this an excellent study to copy simply because of the many accidentals that require attention from the listening and notation point of view. Accurate notation will suggest an excellent understanding of the staff notation system.
