Ensemble

American country-rock band The Eagles had their greatest hit with ‘Hotel California’ in 1977. In this arrangement for four guitars, the four parts capture the original fingerpicking accompaniment (slightly simplified here) and the famous two-part guitar solo at the end of the song, while also working in the one- to three-part vocals. Al...

“Happy” is a modern soul-funk number with a blue-note imbued, heavily syncopated melody. In the verse (section A) the melody (Pharrell’s falsetto-like soul voice) is played by the 1st guitar, while in the refrain (section B) it is played by the 3rd guitar. The bridge (section C) is mainly percussive in the original (with clapping)...

Thanks to its catchy melody and the famous guitar riff (bars 1-4), “I Shot The Sheriff” is one of the best-known reggae songs of all time. The melody in the 1st guitar (sections A, B and D) is kept rhythmically simple as it is meant to be played in higher positions (V, VII and X position). The 2nd, 3rd and 4th guitars stay in the I and ...

One of the most successful hits of 2014 in an arrangement for four guitars. In her song ‘All About That Bass’, American singer Meghan Trainor mixes influences from the polyphonic doo-wop vocal style of the 1950s and 1960s with elements of R & B, hip-hop and country. ‘All About That Bass’ sounds like an old rock 'n' roll ...