Magic of the Guitar

A collection of thirteen classical guitar songs from various composers, including Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Pachelbel. (The performers are not identified.)

The music is gentle, soothing, and beautiful. It's not quite meditation music, but relaxing enough to serve as such. It's also a great CD to play while preparing for bed at night. It will help you sleep.

I also learned from this CD that Bach's Bourré can be played much slower than I had been playing it and still sound quite lovely.

I recommend Magic of the Guitar to anyone who enjoys meditation or classical music, or to anyone who just wants to relax for an hour. For guitar students, the CD also provides excellent examples of how these songs should sound.

Classics for the Guitar in Tab by Jared Walker

Classics For The Guitar In Tab: A Collection of Classical Pieces for the Guitar

I bought this book in 1996 and taught myself to play about 1/2 – 2/3 of the songs in this book before starting lessons. It's a fairly good book for beginners with a sampling of easy, intermediate, and difficult songs from several of the most renown composers, including Sor, Carcassi, and Bach. The book provides each song in both standard notation and tab; in large easy-to-read print; making it a good book for beginners.

I did spot a few errors in the fingerings. But for the most part it's a fairly good book. (Although my guitar teacher hates it.) The downside (for the author) is that all the songs included are in the public domain and most can now be found online for free.