I can’t read music. Will I be able to study from the book?

All musical scores include both standard notation and tablature. Tablature is an easier form of musical notation, used on fretted stringed instruments, indicating instrument fingering. If you can’t read standard notation, then you can probably read tablature. And if you cannot read tablature neither, you will find thorough instructions inside the book on how to do so.

 

What level of musical skills is needed in order to study from the book?

The skill level required to perform the book’s songs, varies from intermediate to more advanced. But beginners, will also find songs suitable for them, if not to play them with absolute fidelity, they will find a stimulus for practicing.

 

To whom do these books refer?

This book series refer to

• bouzouki/baglamas players and guitarists,
• anyone who would like to learn playing one of the above
• musicians who are interested in exploring musical genres
• anyone who loves music

 

I think that Greek folk music should be learned aurally, as every folk art is empirical. Do you think that it can be rendered as sheet music?

It is true that Greek folk music was not born of course through sheet music and is still difficult to be fit in musical scores as it has been evolved around improvisation and is full of passing notes and free form phrases (weird note groups like 5tuples, 7tuples, 11tuples, etc). This makes the transcription even more difficult but also challenging. I also agree that hearing is maybe the most important skill that someone should exercise in order to have a musical perception, as music is above all an acoustic art.
However, as we cannot deny the benefits of text, we cannot deny the benefits of written music as well. Writings remain unchangeable through time; and I find it interesting that folk musical genres from around the world be documented for scholars from any other country, culture, and discipline.