Guitar Warm Up Piece 1: Giuliani Etude 5 Op. 48
This short post is going to cover Mauro Giuliani’s fantastic RH study, Etude 5 from Opus 48. This piece gets the RH mechanism warm and flowing. A free download of the modern score is available.
Etude 5 by Giuliani
As a busy guitarist I don’t really have a lot of time to practice some days. As a consequence I am always on the look out for studies that will get me warmed up and in the zone effectively and comprehensively. Etude 5 by Giuliani is one of two pieces I use to warm up with, the other piece being El Colibri by Sagreras.
And by warm up I mean warm up, not practice technique. For that I utilize Villa-Lobos’ 12 etudes, which between them have all the challenging techniques a modern guitarist needs. Check out this post on the amazing etude no. 1 which is another staple in my practice routine.
Warm Ups
Etude 5 has a constant RH sextuplet movement with a set of LH chords that begin gently, then move into challenging. The main reason I utilize this piece is for the various RH aspects which it throws up: bass with low volume on the other fingers; bass line with accompaniment and melody; and practicing control over the sequential planting mechanism. It also uses static chord shapes, which allow my LH fingers to use their grip strength. Especially those two awkward chord changes in the middle of the piece. You know the ones where Giuliani was clearly targeting the LH little finger.
Below is my micro study alternative, which can be used to practice that change.
Right Hand Alternatives
The great thing about this etude is, its possible to reverse the fingering. OK, it doesn’t sound as great, and you lose the melody in the B section. But reversing it really challenges your RH, and your RH+LH coordination. Try it, and see for yourself.
Giuliani Etude 5 Article
I have written an article covering more aspects of this awesome etude for Classical Guitar Magazine head over on the link below for a more detailed look into this piece and its derivation
Free Etude 5 Download
Op. 48 No 5 Free DownloadWant More?
If you want more, and there is more, consider joining the CGrocks community. There are a wide variety of pieces, and levels, catered for here. All of them utilize a unique micro study approach to learning, which allows you to get up and running with the music much faster. We are also the only place on the web where you can learn all of Villa-Lobos’ etudes and Preludes.
