Lágrima (prelude)

Francisco Tárrega · Level 3 (Late beginner) · Romantic · Guitar, sheet music and tablature

A prelude by Francisco Tárrega (around 1891): “Lágrima” means “teardrop”. A first part in E major, a second in E minor, then the return of the first (da capo, written out in full here). Sixteen bars of singing melody over sustained basses, one of the most played pieces in the repertoire.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• The melody lies on the treble strings, often played with the ring finger (a) as a rest stroke so that it sings; the thumb holds the basses. Let each bass note ring for its full value. In the minor part, prepare the position shifts towards frets 7 to 9 early: the tab shows the lowest possible position, the original moves up the neck.

More pieces by Francisco Tárrega

• Adelita (mazurka)
• Recuerdos de la Alhambra
• Danza mora
• Gran vals
• Pavana
• Sueño (mazurka)
• Endecha and Oremus (preludes)
• Rosita (polka)

Source : PDMX / MuseScore · CC0 1.0