by Dr. Matthew Warnock.

While most guitar étude books are geared specifically toward the classical or jazz player, Ken Hatfield's Études for Solo Guitar in 24 Keys is aimed at bridging the gap between these two distinctive styles of music. The twenty-four keys that are referred to in the title are the twelve major keys and the twelve minor keys, similar to how Bach organized his "Well-Tempered Clavier." While Bach progressed through each key by moving up a fifth, Hatfield chose to proceed in this manner for the major keys, but then progressed through the minor keys in downward leaps of a fifth. By doing so, Hatfield has allowed the student to work through progressively harder keys. In other words, the first key has no sharps or flats, C major, the second key has one sharp, G major; the third has two sharps, D major and so on. Since there is no tablature being used for these etudes, the progressively difficult key signatures will allow students to learn the pieces while also developing their ability to read notation.

The material presented in each étude covers a wide variety of techniques and musical genres. There are some études, "Étude 1" for example, which are strictly within the realms of classical music, while others, like "Étude 3," contain a mixture of classical, jazz and blues elements. Taking a closer look at "Étude 1" will help give us a better idea of how these études were composed.

The musical material itself is not particularly difficult; it is mostly eighth note triplets in open position with counterpoint occurring between a melody note and a bass note. While most intermediate, and some beginner, players will be able to read this étude at sight on the first pass, the difficulty lies in the nuances of the piece.

With this particular étude the performer must develop their right hand to the point where they can distinguish between the bass notes and the melody notes, giving the sense that two guitarists are performing the piece. This is not easily accomplished and is a technique that many classical and fingerstyle guitarists spend many hours in the practice room perfecting. Each étude deals will a particular technique or musical device in a similar fashion, whether it be double-stops, a specific range of the guitar, dynamics, or chord voicings. Hatfield covers a wide variety of technical devices while still maintaining a high level of musicality with each étude. It is Hatfield’s ability to present enjoyable material that focuses on developing specific techniques that makes this book worth purchasing.

Listen to samples of music by Ken Hatfield from a variety of albums:

One of the items that may be new to jazz players when first reading through these études is the manner in which Hatfield has chosen to indicate left-hand fingerings. The left hand fingers are indicated uses the numbers 1 through 4 next to each note, while the number 0 indicates an open string. Barre’s are written using a bracket on the left side of the notes with a numeral indicating which finger should be used to barre the figure. Hatfield also uses Roman numerals to indicate positions, I-XII (1-12), and uses the symbol S to indicate a slide between two notes. While most intermediate players might not need these fingerings, especially to the degree that Hatfield uses them, they will no doubt be of great help to beginning players, especially those that struggle with reading notation. The notational symbols act as a well-needed substitute for the missing tablature, which will help beginning guitarists find workable fingerings and develop their ability to read musical notation at the same time.

The only detraction I could find with Hatfield’s book is on the recording, and it is a minor one at that. Each étude is masterfully recorded and included on a CD that is included with the book. While most jazz/blues players may not notice, some classical players may find the string noise to be a bit distracting. I am not sure if it was the placement of the microphone or if Hatfield was using very new strings, but there is a bit of left hand string noise that comes through on the recording. Though some classical players may notice this extra string noise, it does not in any way detract from Hatfield’s performance of the pieces. The accompanying CD is a great addition to the book, especially for those players who may not read notation, whether you choose to play along with the music or simply listen to Hatfield perform each piece.

These études are a great addition to the library of solo guitar pedagogical materials and they can be enjoyed by players of all levels and genres. If you are a classical player who is looking to move beyond the Sor or Carcassi studies, or a jazz player looking to further develop your solo playing and right-hand technique, then this book is for you.

Related Links:
Ken Hatfield (includes purchase information)
Études for Solo Guitar in 24 Keys on Guitar 9