Alma Llanera

Composed by Pedro Elías Gutiérrez

Arranged by Jeffrey Tanner
Arranged by Jeffrey Tanner

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www.funkybearmusic.com
About the Composer

Funky Bear Music is owned and operated by Jeff Tanner. Mr. Tanner currently lives in Ashburn,
Virginia teaching Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Artist guitar courses at Loudoun Valley
High School in Purcellville, Virginia and Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn. He grew up in the
Northern Virginia area, living in Vienna, Fairfax and Reston where he attended the Fairfax County
Public Schools. His interest in music became apparent at a young age and he decided to pursue
music as a career at the suggestion of a close friend and musical acquaintance.

Mr. Tanner attended James Madison University where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s
degree in Instrumental Music Education and began work at Loudoun Valley High School. After
several years of building the music program, he began work at Shenandoah University on his
Master’s of Music Education degree where he studied guitar under the direction of Glen Caluda and
completed his music project focusing on music technology under the direction of David Cottrell. He
has been an instrumental music teacher at Loudoun Valley High School since 1987, beginning the
guitar program in 1990. His ensembles at Valley established a reputation for excellence throughout
Northern Virginia and he was asked to become the first full time guitar instructor in the Loudoun
County Public Schools, building the guitar programs at Loudoun Valley and Broad Run High Schools.
His ensembles have performed for the LCPS School Board, America Online ceremonies, Dulles Town
Center Arts Festival and numerous other festivals throughout the area. Mr. Tanner’s positive,
humorous and upbeat teaching style has encouraged many students to further develop their love of
guitar and move on to major in music. In addition to his work at Loudoun Valley and Broad Run, he
has also instructed at Loudoun County, Freedom, and Stone Bridge High Schools.

Mr. Tanner’s work with Loudoun County public schools includes serving as a leader or member of
the Guitar Curriculum committee four times. He was responsible for music software selection and
implementation when Loudoun initially integrated computers into the classroom. He has served as
the chairman or host of the LCPS Guitar Festival many times and served as chairman of, or served as
a member of the committees for organizing the festival for guitarists such as Andrew York, Perl and
Gray duo, Canadian Guitar Quartet, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. He has served as a guitar
clinician and music technology specialist for Loudoun County Schools teaching inservice courses
covering topics such as positional or ensemble techniques for guitar, Sibelius, Cakewalk, Finale and
Smart Music, as well as introductory MIDI sequencing for the classroom. Mr. Tanner has also served
as an Adjunct Professor for Shenandoah University teaching music technology for the teacher.

As a guitarist early in his career, Mr. Tanner took his interest in composing and arranging and began
to write works and studies for use in the classroom. At the suggestion of Glen McCarthy, former
director of the Robinson Secondary School guitar program, he published his first major ensemble
Divergent Rondo through Class Guitar Resources. After the success of Divergent Rondo, he
reestablished his prior digital editing business Third Bear Music as Funky Bear Music, focusing on
the publication of guitar works. In addition to his teaching and publishing, Mr. Tanner has held or
maintains membership in VEA, MENC, the Guitar Foundation of America, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Performance Notes

Alma Llanera was composed by Pedro Elías Gutiérrez with lyrics by Rafael Bolívar Coronado. It was
part of a Zarzuela that premiered on September 19, 1914 at the Teatro Municipal de Caracas.

Alma Llanera is one of Latin America’s most popular and well known songs and is generally
considered to be Venezuela’s unofficial national anthem. It is a Joropo in style - a musical form
similar to a waltz that utilizes very fast danced-based rhythms and sometimes uses complex
rhythmic patterns that alternate between 3/4 and 6/8 meters.
It has become a tradition in Venezuela to end any social gathering or party with a performance of
Alma Llanera.

Alma Llanera is to be performed very quickly, with a speed between 140 and 160 beats per minute.
Since it is a song commonly performed in celebration, it should be played with energy and drive. If
necessary, mordents may be used as a substitution for trills.

Care should be taken to balance the rhythm guitar (Guitar 5) with the other parts.

Parts are formatted so that they may be cut from the score.
Duplication of parts is permitted.
Catalog: FBM0017
ISMN: 979-0-9012022-5-2
Score
Alma Llanera
Gutierrez, arr. Tanner
Allegro X

Guitar 1

Guitar 2

Guitar 3

Guitar 4

Am E7 Am E7 Am E7 Am E7

Guitar 5

A
9

Am E7 Am E7 Am E7 Am E7

This arrangement ©2016 Funky Bear Music. All rights reserved.

 Alma Llanera - Score

17

4
2
3

Am G C B dim Am E7 Am E7

B
25 V IV

VII

Am E7 Am E7 Am E7 Am E7

-2-
 Alma Llanera - Score

33

Am E7 Am G C B dim Am E7

C
3 4 IV
41 1 1
V

¢IX X

Am E7 Am E7 Am E7 Am

-3-
 Alma Llanera - Score

49 V

B dim E7 Am E7 Am

57

B dim E7 Am Am E7 Am E7

-4-
Guitar 1
Alma Llanera
Gutierrez, arr. Tanner
Allegro X A

12

18

B IV
25 V

32

C
1 3 4
39 V 1

IV
47 V

54

D
61

69

This arrangement ©2016 Funky Bear Music. All rights reserved.

 Alma Llanera - Guitar 1
75

E
83

90

F
97 II

G sul tasto
104

112

118

124
1
3 2
1 3
2

130 H
norm.

136

-2-
 Alma Llanera - Guitar 3
75

82 E

89

F
96

102

G
109 IX

116

123 IX ¢IX ¢VII ¢V II

2 2 3

H
130

136

-2-
Guitar 5
Alma Llanera
Gutierrez, arr. Tanner

Am E7 Am E7 Am E7

7 Am E7 A Am E7 Am E7 Am

14 E7 Am E7 Am G C B dim

21 Am E7 Am E7 Am E7 B Am

28 E7 Am E7 Am E7 Am E7

35 Am G C B dim Am E7 Am

42 C
E7 Am E7 Am E7 Am

49 B dim E7 Am E7

56 Am B dim E7 Am Am E7

63 Am E7 D Am E7 Am E7 Am

This arrangement ©2016 Funky Bear Music. All rights reserved.