Gran Vals - Premium Membership
Introduction
Francisco Tárrega was a true hero of the guitar with a prolific compositional output rivalled by few guitarists even today.
In addition to being a wonderful composer he was also a brilliant virtuoso responsible for almost single-handedly developing modern classical guitar technique and establishing a solid repertoire.
'Gran Vals is the piece represented in this tutorial. If you are old enough to remember the ringtone from the earliest Nokia mobile phones then you would definitely have heard bars 13 to 16! Amazingly Nokia made their first ever identifiable cellphone ringtone using those bars from this piece. It is also known in Nokia terms as 'Grande Valse'.
Tips:
The piece as a whole is not overly difficult although:
- The B-section in E major has some tricky moments with quick hammer/pull-off combinations and quick acciacattura or grace notes appearing throughout
- A slight accent to the melody notes should be used and a steady waltz pulse should be maintained throughout the piece except where ritenuto or obvious cadences suggest otherwise
Let your fingers fly!