A Family Resemblance Francisco Tárrega’s “Estudio in E minor” could well be mistaken for the equally popular “Romanza.” Both pieces are in E minor with a soaring first-string melody above a rolling three-note arpeggio. While Romanza is anonymous, and its origins are still debated, the piece we’ll look at here comes from one of the … Read more
Españoleta by Gaspar Sanz for Classical Guitar A guitar book from Zaragoza In 1674, a Zaragoza printer issued a new guitar manual. It was dedicated to Don Juan José de Austria, son of King Philip IV. Its author was Gaspar Sanz, an Aragonese musician who held a degree in theology. The book was the Instrucción … Read more
Minuet in G by Petzold for Classical Guitar For generations, the Minuet in G major carried the name of Johann Sebastian Bach. Its real composer was Christian Petzold, a Dresden organist who knew the Bach family well. In our Graded Repertoire for Classical Guitar, it is a Grade 4 piece introducing polyphony in two voices. … Read more
Maria Luisa by Sagreras for Classical Guitar Maria Luisa is a mazurka by the Argentine guitarist and teacher Julio Sagreras. It features a singing melody that jumps across the fingerboard over a dance-like accompaniment. Maria Luisa is a Grade 6 piece in our Graded Repertoire for Classical Guitar. Who Was Julio Sagreras? Julio Salvador Sagreras … Read more
Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 Prelude: What Every Guitarist Should Know Before Playing It Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 (BWV 1007) opens with a Prelude that has become one of the most recognized pieces ever written for solo strings. It has scored films; it has been played at funerals and weddings; and it has become … Read more
Download the PDF Sheet Music of Gymnopédie No.1 by Erik Satie for classical guitar Gymnopedie by Satie History of the Gymnopedies Erik Satie wrote three compositions that he called “Gymnopédies.” The term itself comes from ancient Greece, specifically in Sparta, where an annual festival called the Gymnopaedia was held each year. The festival featured men … Read more