LAGQ: Pachelbel's Loose Canon

Book excerpt: Mel Bay is pleased to present the long-awaited publication of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's "loose" arrangement of the Pachelbel Canon for four guitars. Originally intended as an inside joke for the LAGQ members, this clever and comical send-up of Pachelbel's beautiful (and somewhat overplayed) melody has become a standard LAGQ encore and an internet sensation. Featured in performance on the Mel Bay DVD LAGQ Live at the Sheldon, this unique arrangement presents the pristine Baroque theme, and then adapts it in a number of unexpected musical styles: Reggae, salsa, bluegrass, jazz, flamenco, disco, and even punk. This is the only arrangement in the LAGQ repertoire that was a true group-project with all four members (John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant and Andrew York) contributing; as a special bonus, new LAGQ member Matt Greif has added an alternative solo for the jazz section. Carefully notated to capture the nuances of LAGQ's stylistic flair, the parts are presented in standard notation as well as in tablature for those less familiar with note-reading. It's a challenging and fun re-imagining of a timeless classic.