Yvonne Bloor
Les Productions D’Oz: 16 pages
Some years ago, the guitar society I help to run (MAGs - Manchester Acoustic Guitar Society) invited Yvonne to give us a recital, which she did, and which consisted of her own compositions, and which went down amazingly well. Subsequently I received a CD, and several pieces of her own, which she published herself.
Now she has had them published at D’Oz. This first book is actually six pieces in all, first of which is the Promise Suite consisting of three movements, Praise, Prayer, and Promise. With a dropped D tuning, the first thing that strikes you is how fresh they sound, and then secondly what gorgeous melodies and harmonies they all have. The guitar parts are always interesting and involving, and all have a sound that really sets her music apart from lots of others you might have come across. Praise, marked Joyfully, is a flowing 4/4 in D Major, set with a rhythm in a bar of groups of 3, 3, and 2 quavers, and with a consistently moving bass line underneath a memorable melody that does traverse a lot of the fingerboard, but is of moderate difficulty only. Prayer is slightly slower, marked Peacefully and although is still in D Major, is quite different in feel, and again full of lovely harmonies, interesting part writing, and a great tune. The last piece, called Promise is the fastest and has some exciting parts, and never sits still at all, and is a wonderful closer to this suite.
The first of the other 3 pieces is Caprice, set in E Major, and again is full of the flowing, slightly unusual voiced arpeggio writing, and topped by another warm, friendly melody.
Chanson is a sadder piece, set in E Minor in 3 / 4, quite short, but full of interesting touches, and another lovely piece of writing.
The final work, Majesty was written for our late queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in 2012, and is marked Gracefully, and set in a 4/4 A Major. The melody and harmonies are again, full of sunshine, and beautifully individual, and everything is fingered in such a way that the music always comes across as fresh and sunny, and really unlike anything else you might have tried before. This lady is a great composer and her works should be heard and played by a multitude of guitarists. I cannot recommend this book enough!
Chris Dumigan
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