Note-for-note transcriptions with tab for nine songs, with Alex's performance notes for each: Blood and Jasmine * Blue Trout * Bright Sky * Cumulus * Deep at Night * Klamath * Short Order * Sleeping Lady * Turning: Turning Back. Includes an extensive intro by Alex as well.

I only worked on one transription, very interesting to play. The "best of" title is debatable, it is not the best in my opinion, but maybe in record sales?

First let me begin by stating that I've closely followed Alex's musical career for well over 25 years and still counting. Alex remains as one of the hardest working and gifted artists in the genre of fingerstyle guitar. He created some of the most memorable music of the early Windham Hill era and is still charting new directions for solo guitar. I have been excitedly awaiting the release of this collection for some time and was not disappointed by the selection of transcriptions. While Alex included Turning in his first collection of compositions released back in 1991, it is great to re-explore the composition now in its entirety. Turning: Turning Back will endure as the trademark guitar anthem of Windham Hill and sustains as one of the great classics.

The transcriptions in this collection are exceptional. They are all very easy to navigate and include a set of performance notes written by Alex. Also included is an excellent introduction to these works (written by Alex) with some advice on how best to approach and break them down for study. Sleeping Lady from Slow Circle is a very melodic and accessible piece for even intermediate players, and the transcription for Blood & Jasmine was another that I found was very easy to work through. I had read in an interview with Alex (about 20-years ago) that this was one of his most challenging pieces to perform and therefore I never attempted to even tackle it. However, while it is very challenging, it wasn't too difficult to navigate and break apart for study. I've been really having a lot of fun with it and especially exploring and rediscovering some of Alex's early work. It's a great and dynamic sounding piece of music.

For some of the purists, one very KEY point missing from the text is that the original (recorded) tuning for pieces like Turning: Turning Back and Blood and Jasmine was actually E-B-E-F#-B-E. I believe that this is an important oversight that should have been included for reference. While I do prefer the alternate tuning provided by Alex during practice (lower string tension), and use it working through these compositions, admittedly, I prefer the original tuning when it comes down to performing these pieces. The string tension seems very high with the original tuning and I was always a little weary for the amount of strain the tension placed on the guitar neck (so take this into consideration), but the tonal quality better meets my personal taste and the differences when playing along side the recorded versions are significant. Especially, if you are seeking your performance to sound close to the original recorded versions. I would recommend trying both tunings. With that said, also experiment with the DADEAD tuning with a capo at the 4th fret which sounds very-very close to the original, but not exact. The alternate tuning for these pieces is D-A-D-E-A-D, which I'm also using a lot these days. The original tunings were included in some of his liner notes in Slow Circle, and also in the original book published back in 1991. The original Sleeping Lady tuning was EBEF#BD. Again, the higher tuning may sound better depending on the type of guitar you are using.

Alex has indicated that the original book is scheduled to be re-released this year as well, and I can't praise it enough. It has provided me some of the most gifted playing experiences as a guitarist. Another collection I highly recommend that features some of Alex's transcriptions is the Windham Hill Guitar Sampler which is still available here on Amazon. My dream would be to see some his entire albums transcribed in book form, starting with Turning: Turning Back.

A final note to correct a mistake in the book, the song title Bright Sky is referenced as being from Deep at Night. This is an oversight and not correct. I believe that Bright Sky was from The World's Getting Loud. It can also be found on Pure Alex de Grassi. I thought it would be important to mention this to have you avoid ordering the wrong CD if you're interested in learning this piece.

Thanks Alex for a lifetime of great music and sharing your art with other guitarists. It's been a great musical journey!