Malaguena – Traditional (arr. Charlton) Preliminary List B No. 3
The Malaguena is a flamenco style originating in the Malaga region of Andalucia, Spain. There are many arrangements of this traditional Spanish folk song, this one in particular being arranged by Richard Charlton who is a fantastic Australian composer of guitar music.
- Practise the 3 sections separately. You shall achieve quicker results tackling the most difficult section first. (bars 13 through 16). I also suggest playing the melody here with a rest stroke, which gives a more flamenco feel.
- As with most flamenco forms a steady rhythm throughout the whole piece is essential. Only tackle the piece as a whole once you can confidently play all 3 sections at a similar tempo.
- During the chordal sections (beginning and end) try lifting the second and third fingers as you move back and forth between the chords to minimize the sliding sounds of your fingers on the strings.
- With most AMEB pieces you are not required to perform the repeats. However I do recommend it for this Malaguena as without doing so the three sections have an uneven number of bars and sounds a little less cohesive as a whole.
- With these repeated sections don’t worry too much at this stage about tonal and dynamic contrast. Playing them strongly and the same way the second time through also adds to the “flamenco” feeling of the piece.