Asturias Tab

Asturias Sheet Music/ Tabs PDF Document

Asturias Powertab File

Asturias – Leyenda

Lesson 1

Asturias Lesson 1 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 2

Asturias Lesson 2 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 3

Asturias Lesson 3 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 4

Asturias Lesson 4 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 5

Asturias Lesson 5 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 6

Asturias Lesson 6 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 7

Asturias Lesson 7 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 8

Asturias Lesson 8 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 9

Asturias Lesson 9 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 10

Asturias Lesson 10 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Hints on Asturias: This is one of the most famous classical guitar pieces, and thus very popular amongst guitarists. The first Andante movement requires a lot of speed and coordination among both hands. There are big sections of triplets which causes many players to lose track of the tempo, so learn these parts slowly at first until you bring them up to tempo. In addition, there are two different right-hand fingerings during the triplet sections: During measures 17-24 the triplets are played on different strings, so the fingering P-I-M is used, while on measures 25-36 the triplets are played on the same string, so the fingering of P-M-I, which is similar to the tremolo fingering of P-A-M-I, is used here, so make sure to pay attention to this difference. There are a few rasgueados and harmonics throughout the piece so look in the “Technique” and “Exercises” sections of this site for more in-depth info on rasgueado and harmonics technique. The Andante Tranquillo movement is slower and easier to learn, but it still has it’s challenges. It is very easy to lose the “character” of this second movement if you dont put the correct accents in the right spots, so listen to how others perform this section and imitate what they do. This is a very difficult piece, and as such it is best intended for intermediate players and above. This is a long term project, dont rush.

Video order:
Video 1 – video 9, video 1 – video 5 (up to m.61), video 10.

Prelude No.1 tab

Prelude no.1 sheet music/ tabs pdf document

Prelude No.1 powertab file

Prelude No.1

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Hints on Prelude No.1: This piece is mainly an arpeggio piece, with many chords plucked a note at a time per measure. While most of the piece is pretty simple and straightforward, there are measures that have very tough fingerings. Many players get frustrated by these tough sections and either never improve these parts or quit on the piece. Just stick with it, if you put the time in, these sections will improve.

EDIT: This piece is NOT the same piece as Ave Maria. The Ave Maria version that is similar to this piece is by charles Gounod. Gounod based his piece on Bach’s Prelude No.1, but with some changes.

Recuerdos de la alhambra tab

Recuerdos De La Alhambra Sheet Music/ Tabs PDF Document

Recuerdos de la alhambra powertab file

Recuerdos De La Alhambra

Lesson 1

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 1 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 2

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 2 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 3

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 3 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 4

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 4 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 5

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 5 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 6

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 6 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 7

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 7 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 8

Recuerdos De La Alhambra lesson 8 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Hints on Recuerdos: This is a very difficult tremolo piece, and as such it is best to already have a very good tremolo technique before attempting to learn this piece. Look in the “Technique” and “Exercises” sections of this site for more in-depth info on tremolo technique. The melody line is in the thumb, so dont let the tremolo overpower it. Make the tremolo as smooth as possible, especially when changing fingers on the left hand. This is a long-term project, so dont rush it.

EDIT: Many players prefer to perform a shortened version of this piece that eliminates the Da Capo repeat. To play this shorter version play video lessons 1-5 as normal with all the directions on the videos. In lesson 6 play Ending 1, go back and do lessons 4-5 as directed, and SKIP Ending 2 on lesson 6 and go directly to lessons 7 and 8.

Marieta tab

Marieta sheet music/ tabs pdf document

Marieta powertab file

Marieta

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Video 7

Hints on Marieta: This piece has its challenges. There are slides, hammer-ons, pulloffs, and harmonics. You must already be able to perform these techniques well before attempting to learn this piece, or else it will become too overwhelming. The note values can be tricky, with a lot of ornaments, triplets, dotted and sixteenth notes occuring many times. Go slowly at first, making sure to learn all the notes with correct timing and having the ornaments coming out clean and clear.

EDIT: Some versions of this piece have a repeat sign at the end of the 17th measure. I did not make this video lesson with this repeat sign in mind, but it’s simple to add: Just play videos 1-4 twice in a row.

Tremolo Exercises

Exercises 1-2-3

Hints: All three exercises can each be repeated in a continuous loop. Be very relaxed as you perform these exercises, and go very slow at first. Have an evenness in tone, volume, and spacing in the tremolo, even at a slow speed. Only after you can perform these exercises with total evenness should you attempt to speed up the tremolo a bit. Remember, developing a tremolo is a long process, and attempting to skip steps will result in a bad and sloppy tremolo.

Tremolo

Developing correct tremolo technique will be a long process. It is one of the most difficult techniques of the classical guitar. If not learned correctly, many people find it nearly impossible to fix. First, be very RELAXED. The thumb usually plays the melody line in a tremolo piece, so make sure the notes it plays comes through clearly and is not overpowered by the tremolo. As soon as you pluck the thumb, the ring, middle, and index fingers should be positioned close to the string that the tremolo will be played on. The ring finger goes first, followed by the middle finger, and finally the index finger. As soon as you pluck with the index finger, the thumb positions itself close to the note it will play next. This process of setting up your fingers in advance is called Preparation. In the beginning always start out very slowly, making sure you are well aware of the movements of your fingers. Strive to have an evenness in tone, volume, and spacing on the tremolo, or else it will sound sloppy.

alegro solemne tab

alegro solemne sheet music/ tabs pdf document

alegro solemne powertab file

LA CATEDRAL

Lesson 1

La Catedral – Alegro Solemne lesson 1 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 2

La Catedral – Alegro Solemne lesson 2 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 3

La Catedral – Alegro Solemne lesson 3 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 4

La Catedral – Alegro Solemne lesson 4 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 5

La Catedral – Alegro Solemne lesson 5 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 6

La Catedral – Alegro Solemne lesson 6 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Alegro Solemne lesson 7

La Catedral – Alegro Solemne lesson 7 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Hints on Alegro Solemne: This is by far the hardest movement in La Catedral, and one of the hardest pieces Agustin Barrios ever wrote. The first step in performing this piece is memorizing the whole piece with correct fingerings in both hands. Start learning this piece in a very slow tempo at first, speed will come much later. Only after you can play the whole piece in a slower tempo should you attempt to speed it up little by little until you get to the speed you desire. This is a long process, even for pro’s, so consider this piece a long term project. There are many repeat signs and musical directions, so pay attention to these markings so you don’t get lost. There are also repeating patterns that occur, like in measures 3-6, which I will point out in the lessons, so listen for them. Good luck!

Alegro Solemne video lesson order:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 4
Video 2
Video 5
Video 6
Video 2
Video 7

Andante Religioso Tab

andante religioso sheet music/ tabs pdf document

andante religioso powertab file

LA CATEDRAL

Lesson 1

La Catedral – Andante Religioso lesson 1 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 2

La Catedral – Andante Religioso lesson 2 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Lesson 3

La Catedral – Andante Religioso lesson 3 from classicalguitarblogger on Vimeo.

Hints on Andante Religioso: This piece is very attainable for intermediate performers. There are some tough fingerings and tied notes, so be attentive to them. The toughest section of the piece is between measures 12-15. The left-hand fingerings are very tough, and it is very easy to get muted notes if you don’t have good contact with the strings or if you don’t press on the strings hard enough. However, during measures 12-15 there is a pattern in the left hand that repeats, but goes lower on the neck each time, so if you notice this pattern it will help you to understand this section and thus perform it better. This piece requires the player to switch between freestroke and reststroke a few times, so make sure you are comfortable with each technique as well as switching between the two. There are finger exercises for those looking to practice switching between freestroke and reststroke in the “Exercises” section of this site.

Maria Luisa tab

Maria Luisa sheet music/ tabs pdf document

Maria Luisa powertab file

MARIA LUISA

VIDEO 1

VIDEO 2

VIDEO 3

VIDEO 4

VIDEO 5

Hints on Maria Luisa: This is a very attainable piece for advanced beginners and intermediate players. There are areas where reststroke is indicated, but the piece is mostly played in freestroke. It is fine to play the whole piece in freestroke if you’d prefer. There are some light bars and odd fingerings, but for the most part the piece is very simple and straightforward. There are many repeat signs, so follow the instructions on how to repeat correctly so you don’t get lost.

Harmonics

Natural harmonics should be the first type of harmonics new players get comfortable playing. Natural harmonics are played by lightly “tapping” a finger over the metal frets of the guitar with the left hand and playing open strings with the right hand.

Natural harmonic over 5th fret produces a note two octaves higher than open string note.
Natural harmonic on 7th fret produces a note an octave higher than fretted note.
Natural harmonic over 12th fret produces a note an octave higher than open string note.

Artificial harmonics are tougher to master, and thus should be practiced after mastering natural harmonics. Artificial harmonics use the left hand to press down on frets and the right hand to do both the plucking and “tapping”, but 12 frets above the fret you are pressing down with the left hand. The harmonic note produced is an octave higher than the note being pressed by the left hand.