Asturias: Inside Albéniz's Most Iconic Spanish Masterpiece

Fri May 15 at 8 AM PDT
Fri May 15 at 8 AM PDT
Event by Team
https://app.tonebase.co/guitar/live/player/gtr-asturias-zimny

Asturias is one of the most recognized — and most demanding — works in the classical guitar repertoire. Originally written for piano by Isaac Albéniz, the piece has become so identified with the guitar that many forget it wasn't conceived for the instrument at all.

In this stream, we'll unpack the piece section by section: the relentless pedal-tone opening, the lyrical middle section, and the technical and musical challenges that make it a rite of passage for serious players. Whether you're already working on Asturias or curious about what it takes to bring it under your fingers, you'll walk away with a clear roadmap and concrete practice strategies.

Join us live on May 15, 5pm CEST.

5 replies

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    • Bill_Dour
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

    I have been working through the Asturias track. I find that the bar chord starting on measure 37 is impossible for me to form clearly due to the fact of having a smaller than normal 3rd finger. Is there any alternate fingering for this or would it be possible to remove the duplicate E on the 2nd figure to avoid the stretch between the 3rd and 4th fingures?

      • Amateur guitarist/lutenist
      • David_Krupka
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       John Williams uses a different voicing for the chord you are referring to. It's much easier to play, although I doubt that is why Williams adopted it - I'm pretty sure he can play the standard version without difficulty! It sounds quite strange at first but in fact is more faithful to what Albeniz actually wrote. Douglas Niedt discusses it here. If I remember correctly, the Schott edition of Asturias (arranged by Konrad Ragossnig) incorporates this voicing. (Edit: I might be wrong about this - I looked at the Ragossnig version a very long time ago.)

      • Bill_Dour
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

      thank you so much for that. This will make this piece so much more accessible for me! I feel like I’ll be in good company with such a great artist as John Williams 

    • Amateur with too little time and bingeplayer with sore arms and fingers
    • Lars_KjollerHansen
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

      The piano version have (transposed from Gmin to E Min for guitar) in bar 37 Bb in the bass then E, G, C, E chord - and a C as the “drone” .  And there is no “tremolo” in the piano version

    We have to make changes to adapt to the guitar. 

    In addition to John Williams also Manuel Barrueco and Jason Vieaux use that easier fingering.

    The notes are the same C7 (Dominant) but in another order - inversion-. But it makes a difference with Bb or C ,E or G in the bass. You can take the original piano chord in Vpostion bar with 2.finger on Bb 6.string— but you will miss the high E 12 fret.. so I think those abovementioned guitarists have provided the optimal solution. 

    • Michelle_Roper
    • 8 hrs ago
    • Reported - view

    To say it's demanding is an understatement and WAY above my pay grade at this stage of my journey. I play a very simple version that sounds not bad but it is not the real deal. I have the music and I know that one day I will tackle this gorgeous classic. I enjoyed watching the tips on how to play this piece.

    Lukasz Kuropaczeski plays a brilliant version of Asturias. 

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