Andalusian Study

About this piece

Four chords stepping down, A minor, G, F, E, are the sound of Andalusia in southern Spain, heard in its folk songs and guitar music for centuries. The tune leans on the step from F up to G-sharp, a wide, exotic-sounding step, and always comes to rest on E. Pick the tune first, then strum the chords: a strong accented down strum on beat 1, a muted chuck on beat 3. (Real flamenco strumming, the rasgueado, flicks the fingers out one by one; this strum is a first step toward it.)

What it practices

• Am, G, F and E chords
• an accented strum with a muted chuck
• the Spanish sound of G-sharp and F
• a tune in first position

Chords in this song

Am · G · F · E · G7

Each link opens the chord finder with more ways to play that chord.

Where the notes come from

Original composition by Teddy Rook Book for this course (no source needed); the chord pattern is traditional.

How to practice with it

1. Listen first. Press Play and follow along. The note being played lights up in the tab, in the notation and on the fretboard, and the chord being played lights up in the row of chord diagrams.
2. Learn the chords. Press each diagram to hear it, then practice changing between them slowly, before you add the strum pattern under the tab.
3. Slow it down. Use − and + to set the tempo. 60% is a good place to start; the notes keep their pitch.
4. One part at a time. Choose Tab only to hear the tune alone, or the other part alone, then put them together.
5. Loop the hard part. Under More…, turn on Loop, pick the bars, and play them a few times in a row. Count-in gives you a bar of clicks before it starts.

Click a bar in the music to start from there. Space plays and pauses. Left-handed? Turn on the left-handed view: the chord diagrams and the fretboard are mirrored to match your instrument. Tab reads the same either way: the top line is always the first (highest) string.