Fusio
One of my Fusio students suggested we try Moliendo Cafe. It was a lot of fun to play. I am not sure where I know the song from but it’s been a part of me for many years.
Creative Guitar Ensemble (CGE)
I hope to make a Creative Guitar Ensemble arrangement of Moliendo Cafe in the coming months. I have recently arranged Get Behind the Mule (Tom Waits), Strawberry Fields (Beatles), Seven Nation Army (White Stripes), and Smokestack Lightning (Howling Wolf) for guitar ensemble, and have a number of other titles near completion.
The focus of CGE is to give guitar and bass students of various levels (from beginners to experienced) an opportunity to play together in an ensemble. So, parts are Easy, Intermediate and Advanced.
Creativity
A song has two basic components: the melody (the tune that carries the lyrics), and the accompaniment (the rhythm and chords that support, and interplay with, the melody).
The different parts of a CGE arrangement show students how to be creative with a song.
Musicianship
When a CGE arrangement is complete I then rearrange the music for my Fusio ensembles which include a wide range of non-guitar instruments. I often circulate the parts so players get a chance to see and hear how each part works in relation to each other. Students get a much better sense of the whole music, which is what makes for a better musician.
creative guitar ensemble (dot) com
I will soon be releasing a new website called creativeguitarensemble.com (CGE). This site will present guitar ensemble arrangements of well known songs and present lessons that teach you how to play each part.
José Feliciano
I like José Feliciano’s version of Moliendo Cafe. It’s very sparse, rhythmic and raw. The lyrics tell the tale of a love lost and how a man spends his nights grinding coffee.
Moliendo Café – letras de canciones
Cuando la noche languidece renacen las sombras
y entonces los cafetales comienzan a sentir.
Se oye una cancion de la vieja molienda
y en el letargo de la noche parece gemir.
Una queja de amor, una tristeza
que cantan Emmanuel en su amargura
y paso el resto de la noche moliendo cafe.
Grinding Coffee – lyrics
When the early evening shadows languish in rebirth
And then the coffee began to be felt.
You hear a song from the old mill
that the lethargy of the night seems to moan.
A complaint of love, sadness
Emmanuel singing in his bitterness
spending the remainder of the night grinding coffee.
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