Desert Trail is an ensemble piece for ve guitars. The Guitar 1 part plays the main melodic line throughout the piece while Guitars 2 and 3 play either harmonies, or counter melodies. Guitar 4 plays a supportive bass line, and Guitar 5 accompanies by strumming chords. The player who is performing the Guitar 1 part will be required to play some longer lines that sometimes include accidentals. Learning this part should help train the student to look ahead in his/her reading. There are also quite a few counter rhythms in parts two and three that will help the students learn to concentrate while various other rhythms are also being played. This piece was written for ve guitars but it is possible to perform with either more, or fewer players as well. For two guitars, play the Guitar 1 and Guitar 4 parts together. You could also combine the Guitar 1 and Guitar 5 parts together as well. For three guitars, try combining Guitar 1, Guitar 2, and Guitar 3. Guitar 1, Guitar 4, and Guitar 5 would also work very well. For six guitars, double the Guitar 1 part. For seven guitars, double the Guitar 1 and Guitar 4 parts. For eight guitars, double the Guitar 1, Guitar 2, and Guitar 3 parts.
