Prelude 2 in A minor by Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909)
 Tárrega is considered to have laid the foundations for 20th century classical guitar and for increasing interest in the guitar as a recital instrument. Tárrega preferred small intimate performances over the concert stage. Some believe this was because he played without the nails needed for volume. Others say this was related to his childhood trauma. |
Notes
Francisco Tarrega wrote truckloads of preludes. I like playing his preludes because they are short (2 pagers). You can read tarrega’s preludes straight off a book without the hindrance of page flip or committing notes to memory (to avoid page flip). Another reasons why i like to do preludes is that the time spent on working on a prelude vs a 3 minute song is significantly shorter in general. I stress “in general” for Prelude 2 proved not that easy of a prelude to tackle afterall. I find myself spending my “longer than usual” time on it, ironically. There are lots of barre chords and note slidings (all along the neck) which make prelude 2 challenging to play. Prelude 2 is not for beginners “looking to get their first taste of tarrega”. For intermediate to advance players, if you can overcome the pain barrier of the constant barre chords, you will find prelude 2 to be an absolute beauty.
Guitar Demo (Rafael Elizondo)
Guitar Pro Playthrough
27 bars. Standard Tuning. 3/4 Time Signature. Repeat twice with different endings. One of Francisco Tarrega’s harder preludes. Start slowly. There are many slides and barred chords.
Bar[2] May be a stretch for the left hand. Try changing from 3rd to 4th finger (A string).
Bar[3] There’s an alternative chord position. see tab notes below.
Bar[8] After slide, immediately land into a barre chord. During slide, slant your wrist diagonally in preparation for the barred chord position.
Bar[17] Hard measure. Pay heed to both right and left fingering
Bar[26]-[27] Final 2 measures. Slow down gradually.