Poco Allegretto by Ferdinando Carulli: A Complete Classical Guitar Lesson
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About Ferdinando Carulli
Ferdinando Carulli (1770–1841) was an Italian guitarist and composer who became one of the leading figures in classical guitar pedagogy. Though he began as a cellist, he fell in love with the guitar at age twenty and went on to revolutionize guitar teaching through his Méthode Complète and hundreds of charming, instructive pieces.
Carulli’s writing—elegant, balanced, and perfectly suited to the instrument—remains central to guitar education. His Poco Allegretto, drawn from his method, is a perfect example of music that develops technique while remaining musically expressive. It also embodies the Classical Guitar Corner philosophy: structured, progressive, and musically fulfilling learning.
The 3/8 Time Signature: Flow and Lightness
One of the first things you’ll notice is the 3/8 time signature. It functions similarly to 3/4, but with a lighter and more fluid feel.
In 3/8 time, each measure has three eighth-note beats. While 3/4 often feels like a dance in three (ONE-two-three), 3/8 flows more continuously, almost as if there’s a single beat subdivided into three quick pulses. This gives the piece its elegant, perpetually moving character.
When performed well, the rhythm should feel buoyant and forward-moving, never heavy or ponderous.
The Key of F Major
Poco Allegretto is written in F major, a key with one flat (B♭). While that might seem straightforward, it challenges guitarists to navigate accidentals and stretches in the lower positions.
You’ll know it’s F major because:
- The piece begins and ends on F
- The harmony centers on F major chords (F–A–C)
- There’s no consistent emphasis on D or A that might suggest D minor
Working in this key is a great opportunity to solidify note reading on the first position and to become comfortable with flats—an essential step for progressing beyond the easier guitar keys of C, G, and D major.
Flowing Sixteenth Notes: The Moto Perpetuo Texture
A defining feature of Poco Allegretto is its motor perpetual texture—a continuous stream of sixteenth notes that drives the music forward. This unbroken motion requires both precision and fluidity.
What “Moto Perpetuo” Means
This term refers to passages where notes flow without pause, creating an illusion of constant motion. In Poco Allegretto, this flow invites:
- Tempo rubato: subtle stretching or relaxing of time for expression
- Dynamic shaping: natural rises and falls within each phrase
- Phrasing: long, arching lines rather than bar-by-bar thinking
Expressive Timing
Use tempo rubato sparingly:
- Slightly slow down at phrase endings
- Gently accelerate through rising lines
- Keep the overall pulse steady beneath expressive nuances
This approach transforms the music from a mechanical exercise into a living, breathing performance.
Reading Between the Lines: Hidden Voices
Like much classical guitar music, Carulli’s notation hides multiple voices within a single staff. Recognizing and expressing these voices adds depth and clarity to your playing.
Understanding the Texture
You’ll find:
- A melodic line woven into the upper notes
- A bass voice providing structure and rhythmic anchor
- Occasional inner voices that fill out harmony
Unlike piano notation, guitar scores rarely separate voices clearly. It’s up to you to bring out the melody and balance the accompaniment.
Bringing Out the Melody
To make the melody sing:
- Sustain melody notes longer than written when possible
- Play them slightly louder using rest stroke or controlled free stroke
- Reduce volume on inner notes to create contrast
This concept of voice separation is fundamental to classical guitar artistry.
Right-Hand Strategy: The Power of the Thumb
Carulli’s music relies heavily on the thumb (p) for bass notes—and for good reason. The thumb naturally produces a stronger, rounder sound that grounds the music.
Use the thumb to:
- Define the bass rhythm clearly
- Support harmonic structure
- Create a contrasting voice to the lighter treble texture
By allowing your thumb to project while your fingers play more delicately, you’ll achieve the clarity and balance Carulli’s writing demands.
Left-Hand Approach: Strength and Position
The left-hand fingering in Poco Allegretto is carefully designed for development. You’ll frequently use the fourth finger (little finger) on the third fret—an intentional pedagogical challenge.
Why the Fourth Finger?
- It allows sustaining bass notes while playing higher voices
- It builds hand stability and finger independence
- It encourages proper curved finger position across the fretboard
These seemingly simple choices strengthen coordination and prevent collapsing of the left-hand shape—essential for playing more complex repertoire later.
Interpreting the Music: Beyond the Notes
Poco Allegretto offers a perfect setting for exploring expression, tone color, and musical nuance.
Dynamics and Shape
Think of each phrase as a mini-journey:
- Start softly, build toward a gentle peak, and release
- Use crescendo and diminuendo over entire phrases, not just individual measures
- Highlight melodic direction rather than focusing only on volume
Dissonance and Resolution
Carulli occasionally introduces accidentals such as B-natural or G♯ to create tension. These moments are opportunities for expression:
- Emphasize dissonances slightly to draw attention
- Relax into their resolution
- Use subtle timing to “lean into” the harmony
By shaping these harmonic colors, you transform a simple study into a poetic piece.
The Contrasting Middle Section
After the opening 16 measures in F major, Carulli shifts to a contrasting section that feels more conversational. Here, melody and bass trade roles, and the texture becomes more interactive.
The Conversational Effect
Imagine two voices “speaking” back and forth:
- Bring out whichever line carries the melodic interest
- Slightly relax the rhythm between phrases to suggest dialogue
- Use dynamics to distinguish the two parts
To make this interplay clear, you might initially exaggerate the contrasts, then refine them for subtlety once the musical character is established.
Technical Challenges and Practical Solutions
While approachable, Poco Allegretto contains challenges that build key foundational skills.
Even Sixteenth Notes
The flowing texture must remain smooth and controlled.
- Practice slowly until motion feels natural
- Use a metronome to maintain steady pulse
- Experiment with accent patterns (e.g., accent every 3rd or 6th note) to improve rhythmic control
The Final F Major Barre
The piece ends with a classic F major chord—an early test of barre technique.
- Begin with partial barres to strengthen form
- Keep the thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite the 2nd finger
- Relax unused fingers to prevent tension
Over time, aim for clarity across all six strings with minimal effort.
If you enjoyed this lesson, consider joining the Classical Guitar Corner Academy where you will find an entire curriculum with structured learning for the classical guitar.
outstanding instruction, explication, and demonstration! i’ve played classical guitar a long time and have studied with very good teachers but Dr. Powis is far and away the best. thank you for the gift of your talent, generosity, and 10,000 hours. (probably more, actually!)
Thank you, Simon,
This made a lot of sense to me.
Regards,
You are the best, Simon. You always explain everything so clearly.
Lovely Thankyou for sharing
Loved this lesson!! It was like getting Christmas early! So much to concentrate and build on.
Very nicely discussed.
There are some other details in the score that you do not mention that might be worth explaining, especially to beginners.
One is what to do with the many rest notes throughout the piece. The first rest note in measure 1 makes sense since it reminds the player that the F in measure 1 is a quarter note and so should stop at the beginning of the third beat. But one could also argue that the rest note is redundant since the F is indicated as a 1/4 note. But why a rest note under the C at the beginning of measure 2? There is no note to stop playing here. Similarly, the rest under the G in measure 18 is puzzling, there is no note in the previous measure to stop playing.
The rest under the B in measure 3 again reminds the player to stop the 1/4-note F of the 2nd measure, as does the rest under the C in measure 4. But again, these are helpful reminders more than needed notation.
The two rest notes in measure 16 and in measure 32 should at least be mentioned. Did Carulli really want the chord to stop on beat 3 of these measures? If so, the beginner should be told how to do this. Or are these two rests just suggestive and the player instead could play this measure with dotted quarter notes?
Another puzzle is the first two beats of measure 21: why are the first four notes shown with upstrokes and with downstrokes when there are no melody notes to emphasize? I would have thought that just having upstrokes would have been fine musically. This is the only measure in the entire piece notated this way.
A last comment is that it might be useful to mention using a rest stroke for the melody notes like the first C in measure 2, the first B in measure 3, and so on, so perhaps this could be notated with accent symbols. To my ears, you were using a rest stroke like this throughout the piece but not sure a student learning this piece for the first time would pick up on this.