Five Preludes

This is my first set of Preludes for solo guitar. Preludes #1 and #4 were originally called “Simple Studies,” but I decided to call them preludes instead. All of five these pieces do work as studies though, of varying difficulty, as each one focuses on a few specific musical or technical challenges.

You can purchase all 5 in one Pdf for a discount by clicking “add to cart” just below, or purchase them individually below each video.

Prelude #1: Lullaby from a Paper Boat

This is a study in delicacy of expression and in balancing two musical voices to create a whole picture.

It’s the easiest piece in this collection, and can be played by anyone who’s at the beginning-intermediate stage.

Prelude #2 With Variation

This piece has a storytelling, Latin American feel to it. The variation also works great as a study in strengthening your “a m i” arpeggio technique while at the same time making it more expressive and musical.

Prelude #3: Vivo (Brook-rolick)

This is a short but fun little piece. It’s got the bucolic feel of a little Irish brook, dancing a jig, so I called it “Brook-rolick”. It also works great as a study for developing your pull-offs. The score and tabs will be available soon! Enjoy!

Prelude #4: Maestoso–Like a Passacaglia

This evocative piece is based on a 4-note descending chromatic figure: F-E-Eb-D, which is what gives it a certain ancient harmonic exoticism that I find really cool. See if you can catch the two measures where those notes reverse themselves: (D-Eb-E-natural-F)

I say “like a passacaglia” in part because most passacaglias go on for a lot longer….still, it’s got an intense Baroque passacaglia feel to it, with a touch of Renaissance flair.

There are a number of barres in this piece, making it perhaps the most difficult one of the entire set.

Prelude #5: Moto Perpetuo

This piece evokes a feeling of spring for me. It’s to be played with a very gentle sense of perpetual motion. It is also a wonderful study in left hand slur technique. I call this a “left-hand finger-twister,” because of the many places where you’ll have to convince this hand it’s doing the right thing in taking over from what the right hand is used to doing.