A study for making the melody sing above even notes. Most bars stay in first position. The final shapes need more preparation. The app uses 56 as a practice tempo; the source says Andante.
Skills to prepare
- Balance between voices
- Sustained bass notes
- Even accompaniment
- Small barres
Before learning the piece
- App checkpoint: bring out one treble note above three accompaniment notes, five times in a row. Practise this skill.
- App checkpoint: keep four notes per click even for 20 seconds, without tension. Practise this skill.
- App checkpoint: sound the required strings of a small barre at 1, then at 2, three times each. Practise this skill.
These checkpoints belong to our learning path. They do not set a deadline for your progress.
Tablature and fingerings
The six lines represent the strings, with high E at the top. Numbers show frets; 0 means an open string. The letters p, i, m and a indicate right-hand fingers.
Read the complete static tab · Download the alphaTex file
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Your phrase-by-phrase plan
Work on a short passage. Aim for five clean attempts in a row, then connect two phrases. Bar numbers follow our transcription, including a separately numbered pickup where applicable.
Phrase 1 · bars 1–2
First play the two melody notes in bar 1. Then add the softer inner notes. Hold the low C for the whole bar.
Phrase 2 · bars 3–4
In bar 3, the accompaniment moves through fret 3 on string 4. In bar 4, it returns to fret 2. Prepare the change without pressing harder.
Phrase 3 · bars 5–6
Return to the opening pattern. Keep the same tone as the melody moves from string 1 to string 2.
Phrase 4 · bars 7–8
The bass now moves every half beat. Keep the short G notes on string 3 discreet. In bar 8, let fret 3 on string 2 sing for both beats.
Phrase 5 · bars 9–10
Play the theme again with the same balance. Listen to the end of each melody note, not just its attack.
Phrase 6 · bars 11–12
Compare the two accompaniments: fret 3, then fret 2 on string 4. Keep the melody clear above them.
Phrase 7 · bars 13–14
Prepare the phrase ending without speeding up. The melody in bar 14 moves from fret 3 to open on string 1, then to fret 1 on string 2.
Phrase 8 · bars 15–16
In bar 15, let the short bass notes flow. In bar 16, the melody rests on beat two: keep only the last two accompaniment notes.
Phrase 9 · bars 17–18
In bar 17, repeat D on string 2 without covering the rest. In bar 18, make the four melody notes sound like a single line.
Phrase 10 · bars 19–20
In bar 19, keep F on string 1 soft and steady. In bar 20, distinguish the sustained high E from the shorter notes on string 2.
Phrase 11 · bars 21–22
Return to the shapes from bars 17–18. Check that the sustained bass notes do not disappear as you change the melody.
Phrase 12 · bars 23–24
In bar 23, keep the melody above the moving bass notes. In bar 24, practise the ascent alone with even attacks. Finish at fret 2 on string 2.
Phrase 13 · bars 25–26
The theme returns. Recover the opening tempo and gentle accompaniment.
Phrase 14 · bars 27–28
In bar 27, prepare the bass at fret 4 on string 6 and the notes around frets 3–5. In bar 28, release towards first position without cutting the melody short.
Phrase 15 · bars 29–30
In bar 29, set the small barre at 2. In bar 30, move to the barre at 1 only on the strings you need. Release pressure between shapes.
Phrase 16 · bars 31–32
In bar 31, let the melody descend on string 2: 3–1–1–0. In bar 32, the melody stops after beat one. Let the bass finish without adding a note.
Watch and listen
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Performance · Jean-François Delcamp
Find Sor Op. 35 No.13 in the contents, at 48 min 40 s.
French commentary. Link and metadata checked for our selection.
Lesson · This is Classical Guitar
For working on the difference in tone between melody and accompaniment.
English commentary. Link and metadata checked for our selection.
Sources and transcription choices
- Sor — Twenty-four Exercises Op. 35, book II, Simrock 2770; Boije collection 482, page 2
- Musik- och teaterbiblioteket — Boije catalogue, source of the early engraving
- Tone production — teaching resource used for advice on balance
The notes follow the credited sources. Fingerings, phrase divisions and practice tempos are editorial learning choices. How our transcriptions work.