MAURO GIULIANI

Etude No. 2, Op. 48

Your Instructor: Bokyung Byun

Level 5

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Summary

The main challenge of this piece is the p-i-m-i arpeggio in the right hand. Usually,

we play the bass note and the top note at similar volumes. However, in this piece, the

melody is in the thumb, so we want to keep the other voices much quieter. Take

special care that the open E string doesn’t overpower the melody, which is difficult

since open strings are louder on the guitar.

Practice the melody on its own the way you want it to sound. Be sure to use dynamics

and sing out! Don’t change the fingerings even when you’re only playing the melody.

Slight fingering changes can sound very different, not to mention that you’ll have to

learn different fingerings when you put it all back together!

Keep an ear on the melody at all times. It’s common for students to muffle the ending

of a phrase when they’re anticipating a shift a little too early. If you think you might be

making this mistake, record yourself and pay close attention to the melody before the

shift. A fingering change can often help smooth out the shift.
It’s important to play with the tip of your fingers and keep a round shape in the
hand. The open E string can sound muffled if you’re not using the fingertips. If you
struggle with this, get a pen and draw a line on your fingers where the strings are
supposed to touch. This helped Bo to visualize where the fingers needed to go, also
automatically creating a round shape.

For a more challenging repertoire

piece to try, check out Bokyung’s
lesson on “Una Limosna por el
Amor de Dios” by Barrios!

To practice the previous study in

this series, watch the lesson on
Etude No. 1, Op. 48.

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Notes