Hi Jeremy
Songs you’re learning, technique, and practice tools. Everything you already practised is still here.
Hi Jeremy 👋
Let’s learn Lágrima, one small section at a time.
Also in the coach
Today’s practice
Sections
Tap Practise to open the section with looping. Tick Learned when you can play it at ~70% speed without stopping.
About the piece
Lágrima (“teardrop”) is a short Romantic prelude in 3/4. Form: A (bars 1–8, E major) ×2 → B (bars 9–16, E minor) ×2 → back to the start (D.C. al Fine) and end at bar 8 (Fine).
Notes: Ildefonso Alier edition (Madrid, plate I. 5230 A, public domain, IMSLP #292928), checked note-for-note against the Mutopia Project edition and an independent MIDI (IMSLP #200467). Left-hand fingering is from the Alier edition where printed; notes marked s use suggested fingering. All right-hand (p i m a) fingering is suggested. Sources & more ›
Tip: tap any note in the score to jump there. Standard notation for guitar sounds an octave lower than written.
Left hand · Bar 1
This bar
Left-hand basics
- Thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite finger 2, relaxed – it balances, it doesn’t squeeze.
- Fingertips close to the fret (just behind the metal), pressing only as hard as needed for a clean note.
- Curved fingers that land on their tips, so they don’t touch neighbouring strings (the open B must ring!).
- Guide fingers: when the same finger stays on the same string across a shift, slide it lightly along the string – it steers your hand (bars 1, 5, 12→13).
- Half barre: finger 1 lies flat across only the strings needed (e.g. strings 1–4 at fret 9 in bar 5). Use arm weight, not thumb squeeze.
- Shift early and lightly: release pressure, move, then press. Look at the target fret before you move.
Right hand · Bar 1
This bar
p · i · m · a – who plays what?
p = pulgar (thumb) · i = índice (index) · m = medio (middle) · a = anular (ring). The little finger isn’t used.
Home position: p covers the bass strings 4–6, i rests near string 3, m near string 2, a near string 1. In Lágrima the thumb plays every bass note and a usually sings the melody on the 1st string.
Free stroke vs rest stroke
Free stroke (tirando): the finger plucks and moves up into the palm, clearing the next string. Use it for arpeggios and chords – most of Lágrima.
Rest stroke (apoyando): the finger plucks through the string and comes to rest on the next (lower-sounding) string. Fuller, warmer tone – great for melody notes when the next string isn’t needed right away.
Where in Lágrima? Start with free stroke everywhere, bringing out the melody with a slightly firmer a. When comfortable, try rest strokes on the notes marked R: the descending run in bar 14 (D–C–B, A–G–F♯, alternating i–m) and the off-beat melody notes in bar 11. In bars 1–8 the melody on string 1 is followed straight away by the open B, so keep those as firm free strokes.
Alternate i–m for single-line melody (bar 14): never pluck twice in a row with the same finger; it keeps the line even and relaxed.
Balance the voices
Three layers: melody (loudest), bass (medium), inner notes like the repeated open B (softest). Practise playing the melody alone, then add the bass, then the soft inner notes.