Tárrega's Study in E minor
Published on April 17, 2020
Francisco Tárrega is one of the best known classical guitar composers of the romantic period. The list of his great works includes jewels such as Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Capricho Árabe or Gran Vals (famous for the four bars used in the Nokia tune).
Among his compositions are also some fabulous, although minor, works featured on the classical guitar curriculum that translate well to the ukulele, such as Lágrima and today’s Study in E minor (transposed to A minor on my arrangement).
This study progresses over a repeated arpeggio pattern on the top three strings and thus is perfect to practice our a-m-i strokes (or m-i-p if you’d rather left your ring finger out). I suggest to learn the piece on the beat and with plain dynamics –just accentuate the notes on the first string. Once mastered, aim for expression by freely using rubato and dynamic variations.
I’ve annotated the score with plenty of left hand fingerings. Follow them and you’ll be able to play the full piece very soon.
