Tárrega
Tárrega — Prelude in A major (No. 8)
Sixteenth-note triplets
Level 4/5 · 9 bars · Practice tempo · 50 bpm
The thumb begins each triplet and holds its bass under the two higher notes. The quarter-note pickup counts as bar 1 in the tips and is followed by eight full bars. Begin at 50 quarter notes per minute and listen for continuity as you shift.
Skills to prepare
- Sixteenth-note triplets
- Independent thumb
- Barres and position shifts
Before learning the piece
- Play four p–i–m groups, letting each bass note ring under the other two notes. Practise this skill.
- Move a partial barre from fret V to VII and back, keeping two successive beats steady. 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
The player and its sounds load when you choose to use them.
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 1–3
Count two triplets in the pickup, then four per bar, and sustain each bass for its full eighth note.
Phrase 2 · bars 4–5
Prepare the high D at fret 10 before leaving the position, then ease your left thumb as you descend.
Phrase 3 · bars 6–7
In bar 6, let the open D and the following D-sharp on the same string speak without rushing the triplet.
Phrase 4 · bars 8–9
In the penultimate bar, let the low E ring under the C-sharp to B pull-off, then resolve to A.
Watch and listen
Choose the recording that matches your current goal. Videos load only when you select them and require an internet connection.
Lesson · This is Classical Guitar
General lesson: compare the tone of the thumb and fingers on the three notes of the arpeggio.
English commentary. Link and metadata checked for our selection.
Sources and transcription choices
The notes follow the credited sources. Fingerings, phrase divisions and practice tempos are editorial learning choices. How our transcriptions work.