Preludio in D Minor by Barrios (PDF)

A Little Gem from Barrios

Although I have quite an amount of music by Barrios, I must admit that I was not familiar with this little prelude. Brad has done a us great service by introducing this piece. It's at an intermediate level and requires a certain amount of practice but is well worth the effort. It demonstrates the wonderful harmonies available on the guitar and is so characteristic of the composer. Does not disappoint; thanks Brad.

A barrios prelude

As a classical guitarist who started playing at the age of thirteen, Bradford Werner helped me re-enter the world of the classical guitar through his youtube channel. In those days, I sought out fine guitar editions like Carcassi's classical guitar method and his opus 60, Carl Fischer edition. The world has greatly changed since then and fine guitarists and keyboard players today often play from the score on their tablets and mobile phones. Bradford has done great work over the years. An example is his edition of Barrios' Preludio in D minor. It is a challenging piece presenting a shift down to a lower position from a higher one in the very first few bars. Practising the harmonics in this piece also is very useful and helps motivate me to try more pieces with harmonics. Another set of pieces including a couple with harmonics which are intermediate or higher are the Tarrega nineteen preludes for guitar. ( Ut Orpheus CH 267, 2017) Bradford's work is excellent. He deserves to be congratulated for his scholarship, attention to detail and his discovery of lesser known pieces like this one. The layout is very good and clear. His editions help a student or keen amateur focus on the score and get to know the piece well. I am so glad these editions offer so much and help motivate me practice more.. Thanks again Bradford !