Study Notes, Romance Anónimo

The arpeggio form is the same as that of the Tárrega study in Chapter 23. If you have not already worked on that piece I would suggest doing so now, since it works as an excellent preparatory study.

Played as a straight arpeggio, i.e., free-stroke throughout, it sounds fine provided that an effort is made to bring out the melody. This can be done by playing the second and third notes of each triplet group slightly softer than the first. However, an occasional rest stroke on the first note of the measure can really make the melody sing. Even if this is done only every two measures, it still gives a more dynamic quality than a plain arpeggio. It is worth practicing the arpeggio by itself until the rest stroke with the ring finger feels natural.

A. Although you could get by with a half bar here the full bar is really better. The reason is that in a moment you have to move to a full bar at the seventh fret, and it is much more awkward to change from a half to a full bar rather than simply sliding a full bar up two frets. Try it both ways and you’ll be convinced.

B. Obviously this is a practice spot, since the stretch to the eleventh fret is hard. The secret is a really good bar position to start with. After this measure it is plain sailing to the end of the section.

C. The second half is harder than the first due to the sustained bars and some large stretches. However, what seems impossible at first becomes feasible with repetition.

D. The sign is for a double sharp, which raises the original note by two half steps. It is sometimes noted with two sharp signs side by side ( ). The same notes could have been written by writing three Ds, with the middle one having a natural sign ( ). However, three Ds in a row would disguise the musical line.

A double sharp is cancelled by a natural sign, with a sharp to the right of the natural if the note is to revert from double sharp to single sharp (the usual case). This could have been written by the C that begins the next measure, but is not strictly necessary because of the barline.

The move to the seventh position bar is a tough one, but there is no solution except extra practice.

E. Usually a four-string half bar is better than a three-string one; however, in this case covering three strings is as much as most people can manage. The second finger can be used to guide the hand down to the second-position bar in the last line.

Overall this is an easy piece for the right hand once the arpeggio pattern becomes familiar.

However, the left-hand stretches require a certain opening up of the hand which comes with regular playing and practice. Never push the left hand too hard. If it begins to feel strained, stop playing and lay the hand flat on a table with the fingers slightly apart.