This lesson comes from my book Classical Guitar Repertoire Lessons Grade 4 – Six pieces at the grade four level with dedicated lessons preparing you for each piece.
Lesson: Lagrima by Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909). YouTube Video Lesson Link. This iconic piece is part of many professional guitarist’s repertoire, so congratulations on reaching this level. You will notice some difficult sections in this short and sweet work, but don’t get discouraged. I’ve taught this piece to many students, in fact I make every grade 4 student play it. Since it is such a popular work, there are thousands of examples of students playing in on YouTube and at recitals. I assure you that the difficulties can be overcome with patience and practice.
My lesson covers: Some note and scale review for fingerboard knowledge. Playing the melody to help your phrasing and to orient yourself before playing all the accompaniment. Three ways to practice the difficult part from bar 5-7.
The 4th chord in Chord Shapes section is the most difficult one for me. I can’t make every note sound in this chord.
Bradford: I really enjoyed watching your instructional video of “Lagrima.” I like the idea of practicing the E major and E minor scales and then the melody line by itself. One question, when you refer to a “grade 4” book, would this be for someone who is a 4th year student?
Thanks
Charlie Bradshaw
No, grade 4 has no reference to the year of study. For the average student with no musical experience it could be a small number of years or even 6 ot more years to reach grade 4. But it all depends on the student, some students rush through the grades rapidly. My students need to complete my 2 method books before they even start grade 1 which can take some time. It also depends on what their side interests are, a classical student who likes to learn jazz on the side will take longer to go through the grades but will have a whole bunch of other skills in the meantime. The most important thing is to enjoy your practice sessions and play music you can play well. I hope that the repertoire I’ve chosen from grade 1 onward will be just as enjoyable as the famous Lagrima!