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"Coraçâo Quebrado" |
"Coraçâo Quebrado" by John Zaradin If we can assume a working knowledge of the guitar and some familiarity with traditional music notation and tablature, then I am sure that you will find this approach to learning new music to be efficient and enjoyable, regardless of style or idiom. Our sample study, "Coraçêo Quebrado" (Broken Heart) is, needless to say, a sad song. The form has a 4 measure introduction before: (A) an 8 measure main section that is played twice (with 1st & 2nd time bars), followed by: (B) a 4 measure middle section and finally: (A) a reprise of the first section, which closes the song. When looking at any piece of music for the first time, ask yourself what its principal feature is. Is it: 1. A song, with the melody or theme as the main idea? 2. A dance style, characterized by the rhythm? 3. A particular groove, expressed by a bass motif (chaconne, osstinato, La Bamba!)? 4. A mood, where harmonic colour and atmosphere are dominant? Although all these aspects are dynamic within any piece, there is, generally, one characteristic which has precedence. Once you have decided which one it is, base your interpretation on highlighting it, keeping the other aspects in a supporting role. To begin, read through the music without the guitar and identify the basic components of melody, rhythm & harmony. It may seem rather an old fashioned way of working but if you get yourself used to doing this you can lay groundwork for new repertoire at any time that you have a free moment - waiting in hotels, traveling by plane, train or bus. You can actually do a lot of practice in what would be otherwise dead time. You can prepare music in your mind and prime yourself to be ready to try out new ideas as soon as you get to a guitar. Next: 1. Look at the title for indications of mood and/or feel: "Coraçêo Quebrado" (Broken Heart) suggests sadness of some kind. 2. Check any tempo (speed) instructions: We see q = c.84 making a slow feel with a guide to play freely. 3. Look at the time signature (4/4) for the basic count (4/4 = 4 quarter notes value per measure): In this piece the shortest time value is the 8th note so we can make our count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Check these details shown on the first few measures:  4. Read and count through the whole piece, mentally referencing the attacks to be played with the guitar against the basic underlying 4/4 beat (continuity); this helps you to breathe and phrase the music naturally without having to worry about your fingers on the guitar. If you are not used to counting be very disciplined and do it aloud. At the beginning it takes a lot of energy but, in a very short time, becomes second nature, giving you confidence in knowing that you can work out the music acurately, especially when playing with other musicians. 5. Verify the key signature and mentally go over the scale checking for any accidentals. The key of G minor (or Bb major) has 2 flattened notes - Bb & Eb). Make a note of any other temporary accidentals.  6. Check the mapping. Are there any repeated sections or jumps to make? When you are aware of the repeating sections you reduce the amount of detail that you need to learn. 7. Imagine yourself with the guitar, start to count - 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & - and mentally run the piece at a pace that is slow enough to allow you to absorb the notation, score indications and fingerings. 8. If you now feel confident that you have some idea of what the music is doing, take (finally!) the guitar and "walk" throughthe piece; that is to say play the guitar part, but do not impose any stress of tempo on yourself. This gives you some breathing space in which to take note of your own ideas that might appear and to sense how you would like to shape the music, creating your own interpretation. The basic idea is to build into yourself an overview of the music, so that you know what you are trying to achieve before you start. At this point we can pour a glass of wine and settle down to sculpting the music. Segovia saw the guitar (which is a multi-note instrument, like the piano), as a mini orchestra, with the player as its leader/conductor. This is a very good working idea so we shall adopt it and conceive of our orchestra in 3 sections: One carries the theme, one the bass lines and one the "fills." The scheme is that:
  Sequence of chords & their symbols in "Coraçêo Quebrado" The background harmony of the song is shown in the chord sequence. Playing the chord sequence gives you an outline of the moods of the music and defines the base over which the melody is constructed. You will find that you will remember music much more easily if you can attach a chord sequence to it. If you can read the chord symbols, play the chords in any inversions or positions that you like. However, if you are not yet familiar with the chord symbol system, then read the notes that the symbols represent directly from the notation. Play the chords in tempo, mentally singing the melody.  Extraction of Melody The melody is separated from the guitar arrangement and presented as a single line solo. Experiment with different finger positions and strings in order to learn the theme as a musical line, rather than as a fingerboard pattern. Feel how the phrasing changes when you play on different strings. Imagine yourself as a flute or trumpet player and notice again how differently you play the line. Single-note instruments must arrest the listener with those individual notes, so breath them naturally and look for ways to colour them.  Extraction of Bass Line Play the bass line as though you are a bass section or player supporting the rest of the orchestra. Be definite and confident. Each time you play you must give momentum to the music and support whatever else may be happening. Decide, by feeling, how much you are to accent the notes that are not on the down beats.  Extraction of Melody & Bass Line Now let's play the melody & bass together as a duet. Use the fingering shown in the solo part. and try to hear both lines independently. It is often simpler to listen to the bass and let the melody, which has a more obvious line, take care of itself.  Extraction of Fills So far, we have played the soloist - leading the piece, the bassist - supporting him, and now we can add some fills which serve to sustain momentum, create and define chordal colour and/or offer extra interest. In playing this part we are really accompanying the music, in a true sense, by adding extras and balancing them between the melody and bass lines. Be careful to hear in your mind the melody or bass or both while you read the part. Sometimes different parts merge into each other, sharing the same note and/or time space and then split again, continuing independently, offering one of the real delights of guitar playing.  Coda Put the whole thing together and lead/conduct your orchestra. Listen to the different lines sounding at the same time and lean one way or another to direct the flow of the music and enjoy the multi-note circus of guitar playing. By now you will have a fairly clear idea of "Coraçêo Quebrado" which you can choose to keep it as part of your repertoire or leave it and look at something else. I do hope that in this session you will have entertained yourself with your guitar and benefited musically. One excellent aspect of this approach is that, as a beginner, you can start to study the musical aspects of quite difficult pieces, examining the components individually rather than trying to absorb everything at once. You can look at the structure of a piece that is presently too difficult to perform and prepare yourself for later (guaranteeing that it comes sooner!) I look forward to being with you on another guitar session in the not too distant future. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me through Mel Bay Publications, Inc at email@melbay.com John Zaradin E-mail: john.zaradin@virgin.net Download this article. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader Return to the top Copyright © 2000 Mel Bay Publications, Inc.
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