New Masterclass, "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce

Jim Croce had a very short life but one that was enough to leave a mark in music history. He wrote some of the best songs my generation has ever heard. Amazing poems like "Lover's Cross", "I Got a Name", "Photographs and Memories"...  He was only 30 years old when the plane that was taking him on tour in Texas crashed into a tree at the end of the runway. Time in a bottle is my "transcription tribute" to this great American guitar player and songwriter. With regards to transcriptions in general, it is there where I think that we unleash the greatest and most powerful facet of our instrument. Transcriptions in general are at the very root of the birth of the classical guitar and I am very aware that the best musicians  of the past were not even remotely familiar with the guitar and, to this very day, the guitar is not an instrument that "invites" to compose especially because it is not a practical instrument when it comes to composing. It is hard to figure harmony and melody on the guitar and the only people who can really use the guitar efficiently are guitar the players themselves. Guitarists are often also composers, most of them are mediocre composers if not worse. Therefore, transcribing has and will always be at the core of the great guitar repertoire. The big challenge for the transcriber consists grasping and preserving the essence of the music being transcribed thus display and possibly enhance its overall beauty. This is what I did with Time in a Bottle and with most popular transcriptions I deal with on a daily basis. I love these pieces passionately. They have had the same impact in my life -if not more- than many of the Bach pieces I have played and transcribed. Visit the Masterclass.