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GuantanameraFrancisco Burgos Freile, guitar
00:00 / 01:46

"Guantanamera" is one of the most famous Cuban songs ever written. It is based on a Cuban folk rhythm called guajira. It was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar as a teenager. Although the original song uses only three chords, this arrangement requires the player to have good technical control on both hands to make the piece sound smooth since the three-chord harmony structure has been divided into independent sections: the melody, accompaniment, and bassline. All three parts need to be played simultaneously and that presents some challenges for the player that can be easily solved by learning to play the piece slowly first. A guitarist with an intermediate level classical guitar technique will not have any major difficulties learning this piece. It comes in music notation and tablature. I had fun doing the arrangement.

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