The first title includes the scores from 'La fabulosa guitarra de Paco de Lucía'

Flamenco-world.com, May 2003

With the intention of offering a product with a guaranteed quality, Paco de Lucía - through the company De Lucía Gestión - launches the official musical transcription collection of all his work. Each of the books offers the songs from his prolific discography in solfeggio, tablature and fingering, accompanied by explanations and advice in Spanish, English and French. The collection's first title, transcribed by Jorge Berges, is dedicated to the début album of the guitarist from Algeciras: 'La fabulosa guitarra de Paco de Lucía'.

"I didn't try to transcribe the magic of this 'wizard' onto the musical staff, but just to graphically share a small piece of the work by this guitarist among guitarists". In these words, Jorge Berges synthesizes the intention of the official transcription collection of Paco de Lucía's work on the part of De Lucía Gestión. And the company adds that "we also want to wipe off the market some of the transcriptions written by people who have nothing to do with Paco de Lucía and which leave a lot to be desired as far as quality".

The collection's first installment provides a sample of the model which will materialize said objectives. Each book's main body consists of the transcription in solfeggio, tablature and fingering of each song, pages which are introduced by explanations and useful advice by the transcriber such as the use of symbols (a letter for each finger, arrows for the tonal attacks...), the stresses, the specifically flamenco techniques... This previous information is displayed in Spanish, English and French.

The series is arranged in chronological order, thus it begins with the first long play by the maestro from Algeciras: 'La fabulosa guitarra de Paco de Lucía' (1967). This volume therefore contains bulerías with different styles such as 'Jerezana', 'Punta del Faro' and 'Ímpetu'; the Huelva fandangos 'Punta Umbría'; the tientos 'Llanto a Cádiz'; farruca, seguiriyas, alegrías... The fruit of the early days of he who, according to Berges, also the transcriber of Gerardo Núñez, "marked a turning point" because he brought harmony to solo guitar and impelled a change in cante towards extension of the melodies, perfected the technique and "made" flamenco sonanta "in" all over the world.