1596 amat - Guitarra española - englische Übersetzung

8/13/2019 1596 amat - Guitarra española - englische Übersetzung

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JOAN CARLES AMAT

GUITARRA ESPANOLA

Joan Carles Amat was born in about 1572 in Monistrol de Monserrat, a small

town near Barcelona and the Monastery of Monserrat. He was the son of Joan Carles

and Joana Amat his !rinci!al surname, by which he seems to ha"e been #nown inhis lifetime, is therefore Carles. $he Catalan s!ellin% is Joan Carles Amat, and the

Castilian, Juan Carlos Amat, but it is not consistently s!elt in any of the ori%inal

sources. $oday he is usually referred to as Amat.

He studied medicine at the &ni"ersity of 'alencia, %raduatin% in about 15(5.

)n 1*++ he married Monica &bach Casano"as but they had no children. After

%raduatin% he seems to ha"e s!ent some time in -rida. ater he became medical

officer of Monistrol and !hysician to the monastery. He also held "arious ci"ic offices

in the town. He died in Monistrol on 1+ ebruary 1*/2 and was buried in the !arish

church althou%h his %ra"e is no lon%er "isible.

His treatise on the fi"e0course %uitar was first !rinted in Barcelona in 15(*

no co!ies of this edition are #nown to sur"i"e. $he earliest #nown co!y is one !rinted

in -rida in 1*2*, now in the ewberry ibrary, Chica%o. $his re!roduces the

A!robacion and )m!rimatur of the Bisho! of Barcelona, dated 15 June 15(* and 5

July 15(* res!ecti"ely, and Amats letter dedicatin% the wor# to Juan de A%ua 'i"a y

$amarit dated 1+ Au%ust, 15(*, from the ori%inal edition. $he 1*2* "ersion was

re!rinted in -rida in 1*27 there is a co!y in the Biblioteca acional, Madrid. $his

includes the letter of dedication, but not the A!robacion and )m!rimatur. )n 1*3( a

new edition of the wor# was !rinted in Barcelona there is a co!y in the Biblioteca

Marucelliana, lorence. $his includes the A!robacion and )m!rimatur dated 15(*,

but not Amats letter of dedication. )nstead it has a letter addressed to Amat by

eonardo de 4an Martn, dated 3+ A!ril 1*3( this %i"es the date of the first edition as

156* !robably a mis!rint. $here were at least two further se"enteenth century

editions !rinted in Barcelona, in 1*/+ a co!y is in the library of the His!anic

4ociety of America, and in 1*7/ in 1(16 a co!y was listed as bein% in a !ri"ate

collection. Both include the A!robacion, )m!rimatur and Amats letter of dedication.

4e"enteenth century co!ies com!rise nine cha!ters in Castilian 84!anish9.

:urin% the ei%hteenth century the boo# was issued with a su!!lement of fi"e cha!ters

entitled ;$ractat breu< this is in Catalan or 'alencian accordin% to the !lace of

!rintin%. $his may not be by Amat. $he earliest co!y at !resent #nown to include the;$ractat breu< was !rinted in Barcelona in 17+1 the location is not yet traced.

=i%hteenth century co!ies do not ha"e the authors name on the title !a%e and are

often undated. $hey include the letter of eonardo de 4an Martin, but not the

A!robacion or )m!rimatur. $hey ha"e often been wron%ly dated 1*3( on the basis of

4an Martins letter, and the date of the ori%inal edition cited as 156* on the same

basis. $he boo# was still bein% re!rinted at least as late as 176+.

$he translation of the main !art of the wor# is based on the 1*2* edition. $his

is followed by the title !a%e and letter of eonardo de 4an Martin from the 1*3(

edition and the title !a%e of the edition !rinted by Jose!h Br> c.17*1. $he translation

of the ;$ractat breu< is based on the Catalan "ersion included in the Jose!h Br>edition. $he illustrations are from the Jose!h Br> edition.





$? $H= )&4$@)?&4

4eGor Juan de A%ua 'i"a, y $amarit, 4eGor of the town of 4alamo1 and of the castle

and estate of A%ua 'i"a.

)llustrious 4ir $hat %reat so"erei%n, !rince of the !hiloso!hers, Aristotle,

shows us how natural man deli%hts in hearin% music and !oetry when in the first boo#written about !oetry which he left us, he says ;homo naturaliter delectatur sym!honia

et metro<2 and not only man, but also the animals seem to deli%ht in hearin% any

instrument. $here is no reason to dismiss this sentence, for it is also subscribed to in

4!ain, and 4!anish sensibility deli%hts in nothin% more than in the sound of the %uitar.

As a result of your %races !atrona%e 8and because many of my friends ha"e

commanded me to do it9, ) ha"e desired to !ublish that which follows only so that

musicians may be able to !lay and sin% easily with order and without confusion,

acce!tin% it in the s!irit in which ) offer it.

May ?ur ord !reser"e your %race for many years with the increase of muchstatus, as he is able. Monistrol, 1+th Au%ust, 15(*.

:octor Juan Carlos.

$? $H= @=A:=@

:iscriminatin% reader, the choleric tem!erament of 4!ain has been the

!rinci!al cause of this little wor# seein% the li%ht of day, as ) see that nothin% is more

necessary than that one should be !hle%matic in order to teach the art of !layin% the

%uitar, and so those who desire to be instructed in this should not be sur!rised if after

three days their teachers are worn out with teachin% them. or the choleric humour

has so o!ressed all 4!aniards, that anythin% we underta#e, no matter how brief, seems

to us "ery len%thy. 4o bearin% in mind the lac# that there is in the whole of this

country, because no author has written about it 8at least to my #nowled%e9, ) wished to

write about the tunin% and !layin% rasgado of this fi"e0course %uitar, called 4!anish

because it is more welcome in this country than in others, and about the method of

arran%in% any !iece of music for it, in such a way that it mi%ht ser"e as a teacher, and

also so that students of the instrument need not be subEected to as much misery as that

which our humour !redis!oses us to.

) would li#e to as# all those who may use this boo# of mine to consider that

the cause of it all has been %ood will. And ) be% them humbly and for the lo"e of

od, not to use it eKce!t to !raise and ser"e our 4a"iour Jesus Christ and the Blessed

'ir%in Mary, his mother, sin%in% canciones li#e those which are sun% on the feast of

the ati"ity of ?ur ord, and on the feast and octa"e of the Blessed 4acrament

Cor!us Christi, and on all the feasts of ?ur ady. or the intention which ) ha"e,

and ha"e always had, has been that all the 4aints may be !raised, and es!ecially the

saint of saints, ?ur ady of the @osary, and the orerunner, 4t. John the Ba!tist, my

!atron saint, whom ) beseech to intercede for me before od, so that ) and all

Christians may attain the ife =ternal. Amen.

1 4alamL is a small town in the !ro"ince of $arra%ona.2 ;atural man deli%hts in music and rhythm< Iuotation !resumably from Aristotles oetics.



@?M M?4=@@A$= BA4$&4 $? $H= A&$H?@

4?=$?

Muses who on arnassus are seated,Four s#irts full of "arious flowers,

Ma#in% and com!osin% %arlands,

Dhich are so many times be%un

)f they are, which is !ossible, en%arlanded,

Dith a thousand beautiful hyacinths, and !ainted,

on the brow of Carlos, em!loyed

on it alone, they are well em!loyed.

)f Carlos to the hi%h soundin% lyre

?f A!ollo orders his accents,Dith admirable style and !leasin% manner

$he ninefold choir is ri%ht, that sin%s

raises of such hi%h thou%hts

i"in% it with reason, of all, its all.

@?M H)=@?FM? $@)A4 $? $H= A&$H?@

4?=$?

$hose whom ?r!heus carried behind him,

At the time that he was !layin% his instrument

Are able to come li%htly li#e the wind

)f they wish their %ood desire to %o forth.

Dith %reat title, and more recreation

Dith more !ower, and more merit

$hey can come runnin% in !ursuit

of Carlos, li#e the boy3 to alatea.

$oday Carlos can in this be immortalied,He alone sin%s a tune well ci!hered

And Carlos #ills the son% of Cicharra./

Dhoe"er #new Carlos may be named

ortunate, enriched in hi%hest %rade,

And e"en more, he who heard him with his %uitar.

3 Acis, the youn% she!herd, lo"er of alatea./ &nidentified. ossibly the same as ;ci%ara< a cric#et.



$H= &)$A@

$? $H= @=A:=@

4?=$?

) am all that about which ) sin%,

) am Nueen of the deli%htful tunes) am that which cheers all bein%s

And ) am that which condemns the sad lament.

) ha"e fi"e sons, amon%st whom

Dhen they come throu%h my %ardens and my meadows,

) harmonie %ames so Eoyful

$hat to hoebus himself at times ) cause dismay.

)f you wish to see 8@eader9 the %racefulness

$hat Carlos %a"e me, ) bein% in his care,

$aste the broth which his s!oon %i"es.Fou will see that ) am %ay, %uarded, %uided

%racious, %alant, %raceful, %enteel

%olu!tious, %eneral, %ratifyin%, %uitar.

$he Author, s!ea#in% with one of his brothers, teaches him how to !lay the %uitar,

and so the wor# be%ins.

CHA$=@ 1

In which is explained how many strings and frets there are on the guitar, and the way

of tuning them

$his fi"e0course 4!anish %uitar which you ha"e in your hands 8my brother9

has nine strin%s in all, one on the first course, called first, and two on the rest of the

courses, which are called seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths. $he seconds and thirds

ha"e their strin%s tuned in unison but the fourths and fifths, ha"in% one thic#er strin%

on each course, are not tuned in unison in the way that the seconds and thirds are,

because the thic#er ones are tuned an octa"e lower than the strin%s which accom!any

them.

o more than four frets will be necessary, because the chords which can beformed at the rest of the frets ha"e the same sound as those which we form at the

second, third and fourth frets, as we will eK!lain later.

ow as this is "ery necessary, we are %oin% to tune the instrument, which is

done li#e this

irst of all, you will ta#e the thirds, that is, the third course, tuned in unison

and sto!!ed at the second fret, and with them you will tune the fifths, the thinner one

in unison, and the thic#er one an octa"e lower than its com!anion. And then sto!!in%

the fifths at the second fret, you will tune the seconds, tunin% them in unison. $hen

you will ta#e these seconds sto!!ed at the third fret and you will tune the fourths withthem so that the thinner one is in unison, and the thic#er one an octa"e lower than its



com!anion. And sto!!in% the fourths at the second fret, you will tune the first, which

is the first course, in unison as well. And in this way the %uitar will be tuned

throu%hout. Musicians are accustomed to tune in many ways, but in the end all is the

same, because startin% with the fifths or the fourths, or any of the other courses,

obser"in% the abo"e0mentioned, all is the same thin%5.

$his is the method of tunin%, which is so difficult to many, so easy to those

who ha"e a little natural ability and #now how to sin%. And there are men, who

without #nowin% much about solmiation, tune, !lay and sin% better with their %reat

talent, than those who ha"e s!ent all their li"es in cha!el choirs. $his ability is inate,

but as this is not the !lace to s!ea# of it, ) will lea"e it to those who ha"e discussed

the matter at len%th. Dhat ) wish to say is that this %uitar can only be understood by

those of %ood understandin%.

CHA$=@ 2

What is a chord, how many there are and how they are named

As you now ha"e the %uitar tuned and ready to !lay, it is ri%ht to show you

neKt what sort of thin% a chord is, how many there are and what they are called.

irst of all, the %uitar chord is an arran%ement made by the fin%ers sto!!in%

the strin%s behind the frets. =ach chord has its different !attern and arran%ement, and

each has three different "oices, which are the bass, alto and treble root, third and

fifth. $here are only twenty four of these 8lea"in% out diminished or au%mented

chords, and discords semitonados y falsos, as these are not im!ortant for our

!ur!ose9. $wel"e are maEor naturales, and twel"e are minor b mollados the

minor do not differ from the maEor eKce!t for the note on one strin% and this strin% is

minor i.e. a minor third.

$hese chords are referred to in many ways, such as cruzado mayor, cruzado

menor, vacas altas, vacas baxas, puente, and in inummerable other ways as

musicians, one and another ha"e %i"en them different names. But here ) shall call

them only first, second, third and fourth etc., Iualifyin% them as either maEor or

minor.

CHA$=@ 3

Of the arrangement of the major chords

)n Cha!ter 3 it is necessary to describe the way in which maEor chords are

arran%ed, each one in turn, so that you may be able to !lay them better.

Chord 1n is formed by !lacin% a fin%er of the left hand 8) refer to the left hand,

as few !eo!le !lay the other way round9, on the third course at the first fret, another

on the fourth course at the second fret, and another on the fifth course at the second

fret and the two remainin% courses, the first and the second, are not sto!!ed with any

fin%er, but are left o!en. )n this chord, the root is on the fourth course, the third on the

third course and the fifth on the second course. $he first course is the same as the

fourth, and the fifth as the second. = maEor

5 Althou%h the !itch is not indicated here, the musical eKam!le at the end of Cha!ter 6 im!lies that the

first course is tuned to e.



Chord 2n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the second course, another on the third

course, and another on the fourth course all at the second fret and the first and the

fifth remain o!en. $he root of this chord is on the fifth course, the third on the second

course and the fifth on the first course the fourth course is the same as the first, the

third the same as the fifth. A maEor

Chord 3n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the second fret,

another on the second course at the third fret, and another on the third course at the

second fret and the fourth and the fifth remain o!en in this chord. $he root is found

on the fourth course, the third on the first course and the fifth on the third course the

second course is the same as the fourth, and the fifth the same as the third. : maEor

Chord /n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course, and another on the

second course at the third fret, and another on the fifth course at the second fret and

the third and the fourth courses remain o!en. $he root is found on the third course,

the third on the fifth course and the fifth on the fourth course the first course is thesame as the third, the second the same as as the fourth. maEor

Chord 5n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the third fret, another

on the second course at the first fret, another on the fourth course at the second fret

and another on the fifth course at the third fret only the third course remains o!en.

$he root is on the fifth course, the third on the fourth course and the fifth on the third

course the first course is the same as the third, the second the same as as the fifth. C

maEor

Chord *n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course and another on the

second course at the first fret, another on the third course at the second fret, another

on the fourth course and another on the fifth course at the third fret. )n this chord no

course remains o!en. $he root is found on the fourth course, the third on the third

course and the fifth on the second course the first course is the same as the fourth, the

fifth the same as the second. maEor

Chord 7n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the first fret, another

on the second course, another on the third course, another on the fourth course all at

the third fret and another on the fifth course at the first fret none are left o!en. $he

root is found on the fifth course, the third on the second course and the fifth on the

first course. $he fourth course is the same as the first, the third as the fourth. B flatmaEor

Chord 6 is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the third fret, another

on the second at the fourth fret, another on the third course at the third fret, another on

the fourth course and another on the fifth course both at the first fret. $he root is

found on the fourth course, the third on the first and the fifth on the third. $he fifth

course is the same as the third and the first as the fourth. = flat maEor

Chord (n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course and another on the

second course at the fourth fret, another on the third course and another on the fourth

course at the first fret, and another on the fifth course at the third fret. $he root isfound on the third course, the third on the fifth course, and the fifth on the fourth



course. $he first is the same as the third course, the second as the fourth. A flat

maEor

Chord 1+n you will form !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the first fret,

another on the second course at the second fret, another on the third course at the first

fret, another on the fourth course at the third fret, and another on the fifth course at thefourth fret. $he root is found on the fifth course, the third on the fourth course, and

the fifth on the third course the first is the same as the fourth course and the second as

the fifth. C shar! maEor

Chord 11n is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the second course and another on the

first course at the second fret, another on the third course at the third fret, another on

the fourth course and another on the fifth course both at the fourth fret. $he root is

found on the fourth course, the third on the third course, the fifth on the second

course. $he first is the same as the fourth course, and the fifth as the second. shar!

maEor

Chord 12n, the last, must be formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course, andanother on the fifth course at the second fret, another on the second course, another on

the third course, and another on the fourth course all at the fourth fret. $he root is

found on the fifth course, the third on the second course, and the fifth on the first

course the fourth is the same as the first course, the third as the fourth. B maEor

CHA$=@ /

Of the minor chords

ow that you understand the maEor chords, it is necessary to describe the

minor ones, which are these.

Chord 1b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the fourth course and another on the

fifth course at the second fret, and the three courses which are the first, second and

third courses are left unsto!!ed. $he root is on the fourth course, the third on the

third course and the fifth on the second course. $he first course is the same as the

fourth course and the fifth as the second. )n this chord the minor third is found on the

third course. = minor

Chord 2b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the second course at the first fret,

another on the third course and another on the fourth course at the second fret and the

first and fifth courses are left unsto!!ed. $he root is on the fifth course, the third onthe second course and the fifth on the first course. $he fourth course is the same as

the first course and the third as the fifth. $he minor third is on the second course. A

minor

Chord 3b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the first fret, another

on the second course at the third fret and another on the third course at the second fret

and the first and fifth courses are left unsto!!ed. $he root is on the fourth course, the

third on the first course and the fifth on the third course. $he second course is the

same as the fourth course and the fifth as the third. $he minor third is on the first

course. : minor



Chord /b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the third fret, another

on the second course at the third fret and another on the fifth course at the first fret

and the third and fourth courses are unsto!!ed. $he root is on the third course, the

third on the fifth course and the fifth on the fourth course. $he first course is the same

as the third course and the second as the fourth. $he minor third is on the fifth course.

minor

Chord 5b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the third fret, another

on the second course and another on the fourth course at the first fret and another on

the fifth course at the third fret and the third course is unsto!!ed. $he root is on the

fifth course, the third on the fourth course and the fifth on the third course. $he first

course is the same as the third course and the second as the fifth. $he minor third is

on the fourth course. C minor

Chord *b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course, another on the second

course and another on the third course at first fret, another on the fourth course, and

another on the fifth course at the third fret. o course is unsto!!ed. $he root is onthe fourth course, the third on the third course and the fifth on the second course. $he

first course is the same as the fourth course and the fifth as the second. $he minor

third is on the third course. minor

Chord 7b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course and another on the fifth

course at the first fret, another on the second course at the second fret, another on the

third course and another on the fourth course at third fret. $he root is on the fifth

course, the third on the second course and the fifth on the first course. $he fourth

course is the same as the first course and the third as the fifth. $he minor third is on

the second course. B flat minor

Chord 6b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course at the second fret,

another on the second course at the fourth fret, another on the third course at the third

fret, another on the fourth fret, and another on the fifth course at the first fret. $he

root is on the fourth course, the third on the first course and the fifth on the third

course. $he second course is the same as the fourth course and the fifth as the third.

$he minor third is on the first course. = flat minor

Chord (b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course, another on the second

course at the fourth fret, another on the third course, another on the fourth course at

the first fret, and another on the fifth course at the second fret. $he root is on the thirdcourse, the third on the fifth course and the fifth on the fourth course. $he first course

is the same as the third course and the second as the fourth. $he minor third is on the

fifth course. A flat minor

Chord 1+b is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the second course at the second fret,

another on the third course at the first fret, another on the fourth course at the second

fret and another on the fifth course at the fourth fret, and the first is unsto!!ed. $he

root is on the fifth course, the third on the fourth course and the third on the third

course. $he first course is the same as the fourth course and the second as the fifth.

$he minor third is on the fourth and first courses. C shar! minor



Chord 11b is formed when a fin%er is !laced on the first course, another on the

second course, another on the third course all at the second fret, another on the fourth

course and another on the fifth course at the fourth fret. $he root is on the fourth

course, the third on the third course and the fifth on the second course. $he first

course is the same as the fourth course and the second as the fifth. $he minor third is

on the third course. shar! minor

Chord 12b, the last chord, is formed !lacin% a fin%er on the first course,

another on the fourth course sic 0 actually the fifth course at the second fret, another

on the second course at the third fret, and another on the third and another on the

fourth course at the fourth fret. $he root is on the fifth course, the third on the second

course and the fifth on the first course. $he fourth course is the same as the first

course and the third as the fifth. $he minor third is on the second course. B minor

?bser"e that althou%h in the fore%oin% descri!tion of both maEor and minor

chords ) refer to each chord as ha"in% a bass, alto and treble, each one on its strin%,

ne"ertheless ) concede that sometimes they are chan%ed from one strin% to another, sothat sometimes the bass is on the alto or treble strin%, and the alto on the treble or bass

sstrin%, and the treble on the alto or bass strin%. And obser"e too that althou%h ) say

that three different notes are found in each chord, ne"ertheless ) concede that many

others may be Eoined to%ether in each chord, as we will eK!lain later. And obser"e as

well that in some !laces you will find that ) say strin%s instead of courses, and in

others courses instead of strin%s althou%h the names are different, both mean the

same thin%.

$he wordin% of the descri!tions of the chords "aries sli%htly but has been

standardied in the interests of sim!licity.

CHA$=@ 5

About the table showing with which finger and at which fret the string has to be

stopped

Dhat has been said so far about the chords will not be of much use to you

unless you are now shown which fin%ers to use to sto! the strin% with when !layin%

each chord. or when it says !ut one fin%er, and another, without s!ecifyin% which

one you should use to sto! the strin% with, it will be difficult for you as a be%inner,

to fit your fin%ers to the chords if you do not #now how to ma#e the a!!ro!riate !atterns. Because in some chords one fin%er by itself is used to sto! two strin%s, and

in many three, ) feel that it would be almost im!ossible to eK!lain them. And so to

a"oid all this, ) would now li#e to describe a method of understandin% all that has

been said !re"iously by means of the table below, with which you will be able to

wor# out easily not only which fin%er you should use to sto! the strin% with, but also

at what fret. $his is the table.

Circular dia%ram





=K!lanation of the table

$o eK!lain the table !ro!erly, we need to thin# in terms of di"ision, be%innin%

with the whole, !rocedin% to the !arts, and finally to the smaller !arts. irst the table

as a whole is di"ided into two !arts, one labelled , and the other, B. $he letter indicates the !art in which all the maEor chords are situated, and the letter B that

where the minor chords are situated.

=ach of these two !arts is di"ided into twel"e smaller !arts, each one of which

re!resents a chord if this is the !art labelled , it re!resents a maEor chord, and if in

the !art labelled B, a minor chord.

or each chord, whether maEor or minor, there are fi"e s!aces, which re!resent

the fi"e courses of the %uitar in the followin% manner. $he s!ace nearest the centre

re!resents the first course, that neKt to it, the second course, that in the middle, the

third course, the neKt one, the fourth course, and the last 8which is the furthest fromthe centre9 the fifth course.

Dithin these s!aces are !laced first the numbers which indicate the frets of the

%uitar, and then letters which indicate the fin%ers of the hand with which we sto! the

strin%s. $he numbers are 1,2,3,/ the one re!resents the first fret, the two the second

fret, the three the third fret and the four the fourth fret. $he letters are a, e, i, o. $he a

indicates the fin%er nearest the thumb, called the index fin%er in atin. $he e

indicates the lon%est middle fin%er, called infamis or famosus. $he i indicates the

fin%er neKt to the little fin%er rin% fin%er, called medicus or anullaris. $he o

indicates the little fin%er, called minimus, or auricularis, as is illustrated by this hand.

)llustration of the hand

Dhen you wish to !lay one of the maEor or minor chords, ta#in% the %uitar,

you will !lace the fin%er indicated by the letter, on the strin% re!resented by the s!ace,

at the fret indicated by the number, and in this way you will be able to form any chord

Iuic#ly and without difficulty.

ow that the table has been eK!lained in full, ) would li#e to %i"e two

eKam!les, one of a maEor chord and the other of a minor one, so that you mayunderstand it better.

$his is the first eKam!le. )n chord 3n : maEor we find in the s!ace nearest

the centre, 8which re!resents the first course9 the number 2 and the letter e in the

second s!ace the number 3 and the letter i and in the third s!ace the number 2 and the

letter a which means that to form chord 3n you ha"e to !ut the middle fin%er on the

first course at the second fret, the rin% fin%er on the second course at the third fret, and

the indeK fin%er on the third course at the second fret. $here are no numbers or letters

in the two remainin% s!aces 8which re!resent the fourth and fifth courses9, and so for

this chord no fin%ers are !lace on the fourth and fifth courses.



Chord 7b B flat minor may be ta#en as the other eKam!le, and in this we find

in the first s!ace the number 1 and the letter a in the second s!ace the number 2 and

the letter e in the third s!ace the number 3 and the letter o, in the fourth s!ace the

number 3 and the letter i and in the fifth s!ace the number 1 and the letter a which

means that to form chord 7b you ha"e to !ut the indeK fin%er on the first course and

the fifth course at the first fret i.e. a barr- at the first course, the middle fin%er on thesecond fret of the second course, the little fin%er on the third fret of the third course

and the rin% fin%er on the third fret of the fourth course.

CHA$=@ *

ow there are no more than twelve major and minor chords

All the chords which can be !layed on the %uitar are !laced in the

aforementioned table, and if anyone says that there are others, such as those which are

formed at the fifth, siKth, se"enth or other frets, ta#e my word for it, all these ha"e the

same consonance and the same root or name as those which we ha"e already

described, because chord 13, which follows chord 12 has the same consonance androot as chord 1, chord 1/ is li#e chord 2, chord 15 li#e chord 3 etc. )t was for this

reason that ) said at the be%innin% of cha!ter 1 that four frets are enou%h for !layin%

the %uitar, since chords which are formed at the fifth, siKth, se"enth etc. frets are the

same as those formed at the first, second, third and fourth.

$his can easily be !ro"ed by reasonin%. )f the root is found to rise a !erfect

fourth, that is, from &$ to A, from chord 1 to chord 2, and from chords 2 to 3

another fourth, and from chords 3 to / another fourth, and so on risin% from one to

another as far as chord 12 and if from chord 1 to chord 12 we find only the same

inter"al of a !erfect fourth as we found from chord 12 to chord 13, it stands to

reason that chord 13 is the same as chord 1, and li#ewise chord 1/ is the same as

chord 2, chord 15 the same as chord 3 and so on for all the rest, because the distance

risin% from one chord to another is a fourth. $here is no need to !ro"e this, as it is so

ob"ious. All that we ha"e said is to be understood both for maEor chords and minor

chords, so that if 13 is maEor, it will ha"e the same consonance as 1n, and if it is

minor, it will be the same as 1b.

4ince we ha"e touched on this matter that there is a fourth, encom!assin%

four notes of the heKachord, risin% from one chord to another, ) would li#e to mention

some other thin%s which will be useful in connection with that which we will be

discussin%.

)f you wish to ascend from &$ to @= i.e. a tone, startin% from any of the

twel"e %uitar chords, you must %o bac# two chords, so that if you find yourself on

chord / O with the note &$ and you wish to ascend neKt to @=, you ha"e to ta#e

chord 2 OA then if after the note @= you wish to ascend to M), you ha"e to ta#e

chord 12 OB, which is the one which follows chord 1 when mo"in% bac#wards,

because if chord 1 follows chord 12 when mo"in% forwards, chord 12 will follow

chord 1 when mo"in% bac#wards.

)n this way you ha"e to ascend from one note to another, mo"in% bac# two

chords, eKce!t when risin% from M) to A, or from A to A i.e. a semitone andthen you must not mo"e bac# two chords, but forward fi"e. or eKam!le, if you find



yourself on chord 1 O= with the note M), or A, and you wish to ascend neKt to A,

you ha"e to ta#e chord * O. Also when you find that you ha"e to ascend a

semitone sustentado, you ha"e to %o to wor# in the same way, mo"in% forward the

same number of chords.

And when you find the note A, and the note descends neKt to another A i.e.descends a tone, mutatin% to the heKachord trans!osed u! a fourthP then you will

mo"e forward two chords, as for eKam!le, if bein% on chord * O with the note A,

it is necessary to descend neKt to another A, you will use chord 6 O= flat.

Fou must understand that what ) ha"e said about ascendin% wor#s the o!!osite

way round when descendin%.

CHA$=@ 7

!rom the chords all manner of pieces "tonos# can be played in twelve different $eys

All that has been discussed so far is, as it were, the material from which manyforms can be created. $he %ood and s#ilful !ainter has !re!ared all the colours which

are needed for !aintin%, from which he choses as he !leases, whether he wishes to

!aint a man, a lion or a bull. )n the same way, we ha"e so far !re!ared all the chords,

which are as it were, our material, and li#e the !ainters colours, from which all sorts

of !ieces can be created, s#i!!in% from one to another.

Dith these chords you can create "arious passeos, gallardas, villanos,

Italianas, pavanillas% and other similar !ieces in twel"e #eys en doe !artes. And

what is more remar#able 8and what seems im!ossible to many9 is that with these

chords anyone can arran%e or accom!any anythin% that is !layed in these same twel"e

#eys, and can !lay with any other musical instrument. ) could say many other thin%s

at this !oint about the usefulness of the %uitar, but for many reasons, it is not

con"enient for me to do so. $hose who #now the truth of the matter, of whom ) thin#

there will be many, may say them for me.

) will eK!lain here how and in what way the passeo, which is common around

here, may be !layed in any of the twel"e #eys, 8and in such a ways as to com!ly with

e"ery #ind of understandin%9. 4o that understandin% this, and that which we will

describe afterwards, you will easily be able to !lay anythin% with all the twel"e

chords. $his passeo to which ) refer is com!osed of three chords, one of which is

!layed twice, and two of which are !layed only once. And as it can be !layed intwel"e #eys, let us start with the first one.

$he first is made when we !lay chord 1, and from this we %o to chord 2, and

then to chord 12 and then to chord 1 a%ain.

$he second is made when we !lay chord 2, and from this we %o to chord 3,

and then to chord 1 and then to chord 2 a%ain.

$he third is made when we %o from chord 3 to chord /, and from this to chord

2 and we return to chord 3 a%ain.

$he fourth is made from chord / to chord 5, after to chord 3, and a%ain to the

same chord /.

* $he 1*3( edition includes vacas amon%st the list of !ieces.



$he fifth is when it %oes from chord 5 to chord *, and from this it descend to

chord / and returns to chord 5.

$he siKth is to lea"e from chord * and !rocede to chord 7, and from this to %o

to chord 5, and then return to chord *.

$he se"enth is when we %o from chord 7 to chord 6, and from this to chord *,

and then we return to chord 7.$he ei%hth is to %o from chord 6 to chord (, and from this to chord 7, and then

to return to chord 6.

$he ninth is when it %oes from chord ( to chord 1+, and from this to chord 6,

and then it returns to chord (.

$he tenth is when it %oes from chord 1+ to chord 11, and after it %oes to chord

(, and then returns to chord 1+.

$he ele"enth is made when we %o from chord 11 to chord 12, and from this to

chord 1+, and we return a%ain to chord 11.

$he twelfth and last is made when we !lay chord 12, and from this we %o to

chord 1, and after to chord 11, and the we return to chord 12.

$he chord !ro%ression is ) )' ' ), maEor or minor Amat does not

distin%uish between the maEor and minor chords

) wanted to describe these twel"e ways of !erformin% the passeo because it is

common to such a lot, almost an infinite number, of !ieces and also because once

you #now how to trans!ose it from one #ey to another, you will #now how to !lay

many of the little !ieces which which are !o!ular around here, such as vacas,

gallardas, pavanillas, sezarillos etc. in twel"e different #eys. And so as not to weary

you by describin% them one by one, ) will !lace here below as an eKam!le some

vacas in ci!hers.

&acas

1 12 1+ ( 1 12 1+ ( 1+

2 1 11 1+ 2 1 11 1+ 11

3 2 12 11 3 2 12 11 12

/ 3 1 12 / 3 1 12 1

5 / 2 1 5 / 2 1 2

* 5 3 2 * 5 3 2 3

7 * / 3 7 * / 3 /

6 7 5 / 6 7 5 / 5( 6 * 5 ( 6 * 5 *

1+ ( 7 * 1+ ( 7 * 7

11 1+ 6 7 11 1+ 6 7 6

12 11 ( 6 12 11 ( 6 (

$he chord !ro%ression is ))) ')) i ' ))) ')) i ' ) i.e. that of the romanesca

Amat does not distin%uish between the maEor and minor chords

ow that you understand 8my brother9 how the little !iece abo"e is !layed in

twel"e #eys, each one different, and not only this, but also that you may !lay all of

them in this way, !erha!s you are wonderin% why it is necessary to #now how to !layin so many #eys, and why it is not sufficient to #now only one way, since they all



ha"e the same sound, and it is no easy matter to remember them all. )n re!ly to what

you as#, be %uided by me, and ) would say that there are two reasons why it is useful

to #now how to !lay each !iece usin% any of the chords.

$he first is this. As you #now, the "oice cannot ada!t itself to all the chords,

because some ha"e a hi%h "oice, and others a low one. And if you want to sin% with a%uitar, which may itself be !itched "ery hi%h or "ery low, in a #ey which you #now

and are sure of, and you do not #now how to !lay the music which you wish to sin%

eKce!t in one way, it stands to reason that you will ha"e to sin% it either too hi%h or

too low, and you will offend your own sensibilities and those of your listeners. But if

you #now how to !lay the !iece in the twel"e different #eys, you will be able to sin%

it at a !itch which suits your "oice, whether the %uitar is "ery hi%h or "ery low.

$he second reason is that when you want to !lay duets for two %uitars, when

one instrument is "ery hi%h and the other "ery low, you will be able to !lay actually

cantar 0 to sin% in consort with your com!anion, for e"en if the chords are different, it

will all sound the same. )n this way, twel"e %uitars could !lay to%ether, each oneaccordin% to its !itch, and all would ma#e the same sound.

CHA$=@ 6

Of a table with which anyone can cipher a piece of music "tono# and sing in the

twelve #eys "modes#.

Dhat we are %oin% to discuss now will be as useful as that which has already

been described but you will need to understand all that we ha"e tal#ed about so far,

in order to understand what we are %oin% to say here. And ) should li#e to !oint out to

you, that to arran%e any !iece of music for %uitar it is not necessary to understand the

table which you will see here, because you can still arran%e any !iece of music you

li#e without it. But this will be as difficult, as doin% it the way which you will see

now is easy.

$o confirm this ) would li#e to tell you about an encounter ) had with some

%uitarists, four in number, who !osed as the foremost in 4!ain in the art of arran%in%

and accom!anyin%, and who 8there were four of them9 were the best of their #ind

saneados, and they #new "ery well that ) had a certain de"ice with which ) could

immediately arran%e any !iece of music for %uitar.

) found myself !assin% an e"enin% with them, and one of them said to me withall due res!ect,

;My friend, we understand that you #now a wonderful art with which you can

Iuic#ly arran%e any !iece of music for the %uitar.< 8And they did this to ma#e fun of

me, as they admitted afterwards9. ;My com!anions and ) 8who wish to follow your

eKam!le9 be% you to show us the method that you ha"e, and the system which you

use for doin% that of which we ha"e s!o#en. And if you do this, we will be satisfied,

and we will ma#e it a !recedent, so that in other thin%s we may be able to follow your

eKam!le as well.<

$hin#in% this as li#ely as seein% flowers in winter, and understandin% the !lotwithout lettin% them #now that ) understood it, ) re!lied,



;entlemen, the method of doin% this which ) ha"e is of little im!ortance, and

in your !resence would seem li#e a %rain of mustard !laced beside a %reat mountain.

May you be with your riches, and ) with my !o"erty.<

:issatisfied with my re!ly, they as#ed me afresh, and sayin% that it was a "erylittle thin%, ) showed them no si%n of wishin% to eK!lain it to them. inally they said,

;riend, in so far as the system you ha"e may be used for arran%in% three !arts

only, what you say may be true, but we are sure that it is false and an im!ossible

thin%, that it could be used for more. And be assured that, the o!!ortunity ha"in%

arisen, we ha"e come here, only to say this to you.<

Dithout dis!layin% any !erturbation of s!irit ) said to them,

;entlemen, the truth is this. ) ha"e a system of which you s!ea# in the form

of a little table, which ) in"ented 8althou%h some ha"e !irated it9, and with it not onlythree, but four, fi"e, siK or as many !arts as you wish may be arran%ed for %uitar. And

so that you may understand that what ) am sayin% is the truth, let us %o where"er you

wish to ma#e an eK!eriment and you will see that what ) am sayin% is the truth.<

And they were content, thin#in% that it would be a better occasion for ma#in%

fun of me. And we went to the a!artment of one of them who was studyin% the arts,

and %oin% inside, they %a"e me some !a%es of music in fi"e !arts by alestrina. And

when ) had ci!hered the whole !iece, they %a"e me a %uitar, and we be%an to sin%,

each one his !art, to%ether with the instrument. And they saw that what ) had

!romised them was true, so that, admirin% what was done, and loo#in% at one another,

they were left as if with a !latter without a !artrid%e.

$hus, returnin% to our !ro!osition, that it will be a "ery easy matter to do that

which to many seems im!ossible by means of the !romised table. Here is the table



=QAA$)? ? $H= $AB=

)n the !resent table 8my brother9 you will find se"en lines of ci!hers, and by

each line the solmisation syllables which corres!ond to them.

$he ci!hers are 1, 2, 3, /, 5, *, 7, 6, (, 1+, 11 and 12, and they re!resent the

twel"e %uitar chords, 1 re!resentin% chord 1, 2 chord 2, 3 chord 3 etc.

$he solmiation syllable are &$, @=, M), A, 4?, A, and beside these are

shown all the chords which may be used to harmonie them. or eKam!le, the

syllables A, &$7 which are on the hi%hest, or first line, may be accom!anied by

chords 1, 2, 3, etc., and we may !lease oursel"es in chosin% the chord which we li#e

most. $he syllables @=, 4?, which corres!ond to the second line may li#ewise be

accom!anied by any of the chords on the second line, and the same thin% a!!lies to all

the other lines.

ow, bearin% this in mind, when you want to ci!her a !iece of music, you will

ta#e the bass line and see which syllable it starts on, whether it is &$, @=, M), A etc.

)f it starts with &$, then you will find the line which corres!onds to this syllable &$,

and choose the chord which !leases you most out of the twel"e.

)f neKt this &$ rises to A, as for eKam!le if it were to rise from , A &$ to

B A, B M) i.e. rise a fourth, you will mo"e to the line for A, and see which chord

corres!onds to that which you ha"e already chosen for &$. $his you will find by

loo#in% in the table below to the ri%ht of the solmiation syllables in the third s!ace

below in the same column as that of the chord chosen for &$.

$hen if the note chan%es and rises from A to M), as for eKam!le if it were to

rise from B A, B M) to =, A M), mo"e to the lowest line and ta#e the chord which

corres!onds to the chord which you too# for A. And if after this, M) rises

immediately to A, you must ta#e the chord which you too# at the be%innin%, when

you found yourself with the note &$ because it M) is an octa"e abo"e it, and you

must therefore use the same chord.

="erythin% wor#s the o!!osite way round when the music descends. )n this

way you ha"e to carry on with all the rest of the notes, %i"in% to each beat or bar O

com!Rs one or two chords, as the music demands it, because sometimes two or threechords are %i"en to a beat, and sometimes, on the contrary, only one.

Dhen a chord which has been %i"en to the bass does not fit with the other

!arts, then you will mo"e to the hi%hest line, and see which letter accom!anies the

chord which has been %i"en to the bass. $hen mo"in% down the table you will loo#

for all the chords which ha"e the same letter, and you will disco"er amon%st them the

one which does fit, because the table is arran%ed in such a way that one of these

must fit all the notes in Iuestion.

And you are ad"ised that when loo#in% for these consonances, or

coincidences, the chords on the first and third lines may be either maEor or minor,7 'ue son fa ut is missin% from 1*2*S27 edition but inserted in 1*3( edition.



whilst those on the fifth line may only be maEor, and those on the se"enth, minor, the

;bs< which are beside each letter on the lowest line indicatin% Eust that. Fou are also

ad"ised that when the music !rocedes imitati"ely, you must be%in by ci!herin% the

!art which enters first, until such time as the bass enters.

$his is what the table demonstrates and so that you may understand it better, )would li#e to !lace here an eKam!le in three !arts, with which you will be able to

see that which has !re"iously been descibed in !ractice. ) ha"e decided not to include

other eKam!les, as this is a little boo#, and this will suffice as a model for other

music. ="en if it is in four or fi"e !arts, it will be harmonied in the same fashion.

Musical eKam!le



)n the same way that this music has been ci!hered, all other music may be

ci!hered, !lacin% the chords beside the solmisation syllables, maEor ones without the

letter b, minor ones with it.

) ha"e chosen to ci!her this music in the siKth #ey i.e. usin% chord * as &$

since it was u! to me to choose any of the twel"e. But if you now wish to chan%e it

for the fifth i.e. usin% chord 5 for &$ all you ha"e to do is to erase all the ci!hers

and substitute others, retainin% the same numerical difference throu%hout between

the ori%inal ci!hers and the substituted ones.

Chord *n !laced at the be%innin% is erased, and in its !lace is !ut chord 5n.

$hen the chord /b which follows is erased and in its !lace is !ut 3b. )n this way, all

the others should be altered until the end of the !iece is reached, obser"in% always this

rule that if the chord which is erased is maEor, that which re!laces it must be maEor,

and if it is minor, that which re!laces it must also be minor.

)n this fashion it is !ossible 8as ) ha"e eK!lained9 to !lay this and any other

music in twel"e #eys usin% any of the twel"e chords as &$.



CHA$=@ (

(eals with the guitar with seven strings "ordenes i.e. four courses#

4o that those who !lay the four0course %uitar 8which has se"en strin%s9 do not

blame me because ) ha"e not discussed their instrument in this little boo#, ) ha"e

included a few little thin%s about it in this final cha!ter.

$he four0course %uitar is tuned in the same way, has the same twel"e maEor

and minor chords, and the same notes as the fi"e0course %uitar, so that anythin% that is

!layed on the fi"e0course instrument can be !layed on the four0course instrument as

well, and each !iece of music can also be !layed in twel"e #eys. ?nly one difference

is found, and it is this on the fi"e0course %uitar there is one course more, which is the

fifth course, but if this is remo"ed, it is no more or less than the four0course %uitar.

$he way in which the chords are arran%ed is the same throu%hout eKce!t for

chords /b and 6b actually (b which "ary in this way. Dhen !layin% chord /b on the

four course %uitar, the third course is sto!!ed at the third fret, whilst on the fi"e0course %uitar it is left unsto!!ed. Dhen !layin% chord 6b actually (b on the four0

course %uitar, the third course is sto!!ed at the fourth fret, whilst on the fi"e0course

%uitar it is sto!!ed at the first fret. $he third of the chord would otherwise be

lac#in%.

inally, anyone who wishes to !lay the four0course %uitar should follow all the

rules and the same style as for the fi"e0course %uitar which ) ha"e described, i%norin%

any references to the fifth course.

) ha"e not bothered to discuss the tem!o andSor metre ayre with which these

%uitars should be !layed, because the music itself will carry some indication of it

with it. )f the !iece is in tri!le time de proporci)n, the metre will be tri!le, whether

it is fast mayor or slow menor . Common time ayreOcomp*s may also be fast

mayor or slow menor , and li#ewise all the others tem!os or metres6.

He who !lays the %uitar should bear in mind that the ri%ht hand is the Choir

Master, and the fin%ers of the left hand the sin%ers ruled and %o"erned by him.

+aus (eo

$AB= ? $H= CHA$=@4 DH)CH A@= C?$A)=: ) $H)4 B??T

Cha!ter 1 Dhich eK!lains how many strin%s and frets there are on the fi"e0course

%uitar, and the way of tunin% them

Cha!ter 2 Dhat is a chord, how many there are and how they are named

6 $his !assa%e is not entirely clear. )n 4!anish musical theory !ro!orcion O tri!le time, com!Rs O du!le

or common time. $hese could be either menor or mayor the "alue of the notes in the mayor form aredouble those of the menor, but !layed twice as fast, or at least faster. ) ha"e assumed that ayre means

the same as com!Rs here.



Cha!ter 3 ?f the arran%ement of all the maEor chords

Cha!ter / ?f the arran%ement of all the minor chords

Cha!ter 5 ?f the table for #nowin% which fin%er to use to !lay the strin% and at

which fret

Cha!ter * How there are no more of the maEor and minor chords

Cha!ter 7 ?f the chords from which are formed all manner of !ieces and how

these can be !layed in twel"e #eys

Cha!ter 6 ?f a table with which one can ci!her any !iece of music and !lay an

sin% it in twel"e #eys

Cha!ter ( How the %uitar with se"en strin%s is tuned in the same way and has the

same chords and the same notes at has that with nine strin%s

=nd of the $able

D)$H A )C=C=

rinted in -rida in the house of the widow An%lada, and Andreu lorens, and at their

cost.

ear of -%% .

Title page of the 1639 editio

$H= )'=0C?&@4= 4A)4H &)$A@

Dhich shows how to tune,

and how to !lay all the maEor and minor chords ras%ado,

in a wonderful manner.

A: 4? $HA$ AF 4? CA B= AF=: ? )$,

a table is included, with which anyone may ci!her a son%,

and afterwards !lay, and sin% it without difficulty in twel"e #eys

now corrected by the author himself.

A: A$ $H= =: M=$)? )4 A4? MA:=

of the four0course %uitar.

A&$H?@ ? $H)4 M=$H?:,

Joan Carlos Amat :octor of Medicine.



)llustration of a fi"e course %uitar

D)$H A )C=C=.

)n Barcelona, by orenUo :eu, before the alace of the Tin%, $he year 1*3(.

4old at the same !rinters.

Title page of the Jo!eph "#$ editio %&1'61&

$H= 4A)4H &)$A@, A: 'A:?A

in two "ersions, Castilian and Catalan(,

which show how to tune the fi"e course %uitar,

and how to !lay rasgado all the maEor and minor chords

in an amain% fashion1+.

A: ) ?@:=@ $? AF ? )$ AF

tune, a table is included with which

anyone may add chords to a tune without difficulty,

and afterwards !lay and sin% it in twel"e different #eys.

And the four course %uitar is also described.

)llustration of a youn% woman !layin% the %uitar

erona By Jose!h BrL, rinter.

T#a%tat (#e)

B@)= $@=A$)4=,

A: =QAA$)? ? $H= CH?@:4

of the uitar, in the Catalan11 an%ua%e,

ada!ted in this last im!ression of the !resent

wor#.

4? $HA$ A$)'=4 DH?wish to learn, and do not understand

the eK!lanation in Castilian may satisfy

their desire with this brief,

and abrid%ed "ersion.

)llustration of a youn% woman !layin% the %uitar

( )n ediitions !ublished in 'alencia the title reads ;$he 4!anish %uitar and the "andola, in two "ersions,Castilian and 'alencian.<1+

$he word order of the ori%inal title is confusin%, im!lyin% that there are two #inds of %uitar, ratherthan that the boo# has sections in two different lan%ua%es.11 ;in the 'alencian lan%ua%e< in editions !rinted in 'alencia.



erona By Jose!h BrL, rinter.

CHA$=@ 1

In which is explained what are the chords of the guitar and how they may be

understood written in ciphers, and the names, first, second etc of the major and minorones.

)t must be understood that the total number of !erfect chords on the %uitar are

twenty four. 8)f there a!!ear to be many more, such as those which are at the fifth,

siKth etc. fret, they are only formally distin%uished by us as bein% se!arate from the

twenty four. $his is because they the chords at the fifth fret and abo"e ha"e the

same consonances, one to another, so that they can be made one fret abo"e or below

the others, but with the same arran%ement of the fin%ers9.

$he first twel"e are called maEor aturals which are indicated by a letter n

beside the number by which they are called. And the other twel"e are called minorb Molls, which are indicated with a letter b the numbers are those which are found

abo"e the lines of the tablature and abo"e each chord, as can be seen in the eKam!le

and arran%ement which follows.

)llustration of the chords in )talian tablature

)n order to understand these chords !erfectly from the manner in which they

are !laced, it has to be noted first of all that the fi"e lines which !ass from side to side

re!resent the fi"e courses of the %uitar, in such a way that the lowest corres!onds to

the first course of the %uitar, that nearest to it the second etc.

)n the second !lace it has to be understood that the ci!hers or numbers which

!ass throu%h the middle of the lines re!resent the frets of the %uitar in such a way that

1 indicates the first fret, 2 the second, 3 the third etc.

And thus in the chords written out before, on the %uitar only those strin%s ha"e

to be sto!!ed, and at that fret, which corres!ond to the lines on which the ci!hers are

found, !reser"in% the relationshi! of the lines to the strin%s and of ci!hers to frets as

has already been described.

)n order to #now which fin%ers are con"enient for sto!!in% the strin%s and sothat each chord has its a!!ro!riate form and arran%ement, the dots which are found to

the side of each ci!her must be referred to. And these indicate that when the ci!her

has one dot beside it, the strin% to which it the ci!her corres!onds has to be sto!!ed

at the fret which the ci!her indicates by the first fin%er 8which is called the indeK

fin%er, and is that nearest to the lon%est fin%er9 when two are found it has to be

sto!!ed with the middle fin%er when three are found, by the rin% fin%er and when

four are found by the little fin%er.





CHA$=@ 2

In which the preceding chords are further explained, showing the proper form and

arrangement of each chord, indicating the fingers, and strings which they have to

stop and the letter name, A,/,0, which corresponds to each major and minor chord.

Because the !recedin% chords and illustration may be somewhat difficult,

causin% worry and confusion to the be%inner on the %uitar 8to whom this wor# is

dedicated, bein% solely the first rudiments and !rinci!les9, the aforesaid chords, and

the fin%ers with which they ha"e to be formed, are set out in this !resent cha!ter with

more sim!licity and with e"idence of the !ro!er form and fi%ure which is con"enient

for them. =Kam!le.

)llustrations of hands sto!!in% chords on the fin%erboard

A:')C= ? &:=@4$A:) $H=4= CH?@:4

)n these two !a%es of fin%erboards and hands are contained all the chords of

the first cha!ter, which are the !erfect chords of the %uitar. 4o as not to lea"e any

trace of difficulty and so that the be%inner may understand them without a teacher it

must be understood

)@4$F, that on the fin%erboard of the %uitar it is sufficient to ha"e only

four frets in order to form all the essential and !erfect chords, and e"en if there are

more frets they are for more taste and in%enuity of !layin%.

4=C?:F it must be understood that these fin%erboards are made u! of

se"en lines, of which the two thic#est, which are the hi%hest and the lowest, and

which are one on each side of the fin%erboard, ha"e no other function than to outline

the fin%erboard of the %uitar and thus, in order to form the chords one has to consider

these two lines as if they had no function no si fossen. $he remainin% fi"e thinner

ones, which are those in the middle, re!resent the fi"e courses of the %uitar.

$H)@:F it must be understood that each fin%erboard with its hand forms a

!erfect chord from the first cha!ter. ote that the first !a%e contains the maEor chords

and the second the minor ones Eust as they are named in each boK.

?&@$HF it must be understood that any chord, whether on the first orsecond !a%e, may ha"e some fin%ers, which althou%h they a!!ear to sto! the strin%s,

in reality do not sto! any strin%, and they are those fin%ers which are shown with a

rin%. How to #now which fin%ers sto!, and which fin%ers do not sto!, will be seen in

the eK!lanation of each indi"idual chord in the followin% two cha!ters.

A4$F it must be understood that in the corner of the boK for each chord is

indicated the name of the chord found in that boK, in the first !lace by means of the

numbers for the minor and maEor chords 8indicatin% the minor ones with a b and the

maEor ones with an n as already said9, and afterwards by a letter, the name of which

corres!onds to the chord. $his will be seen more clearly in that which follows.



0A1234 5

3xplanation of the first page of fingerboards, which contains ten boxes, which are the

ten major chords

1n $he first boK contains the first maEor chord, which is called , and it is !layedsto!!in% the fifth course at the second fret with the lon% 8or middle9 fin%er, the fourth

course also at the second fret with the rin% fin%er, and the third course at the first fret

with the indeK 8or first9 fin%er. )n this chord the little fin%er does not sto! any course,

nor are the first and second courses sto!!ed.

2n $he second boK descendin% "ertically contains the second maEor chord, which

is called ) it is !layed sto!!in% both the fourth and third courses firmly with the

indeK fin%er at the second fret, and the second course also at the second fret with the

middle fin%er. )n this chord the rin% fin%er and little fin%er do not sto! any course,

and the first and fifth courses are not sto!!ed.

3n $he third boK contains the third maEor chord which is called C, and it is !layed

sto!!in% the third course at the second fret with the indeK fin%er, the second course at

the third fret with the rin% fin%er, and the first course at the second fret with the

middle fin%er. )n this chord the little fin%er is free, and the fourth and fifth courses

are not sto!!ed.

/n $he fourth boK contains the fourth maEor chord, which is called A, and it is

!layed sto!!in% the fifth course at the second fret with the indeK fin%er, and the

second course at the third fret with the rin% fin%er, and the first course at the third fret

with the little fin%er. )n this chord the middle fin%er is free, and the third and fourth

courses are not sto!!ed.

5n $he fifth boK contains the fifth maEor chord, which is called B, and it is !layed

sto!!in% the fifth course at the third fret with the rin% fin%er, the fourth course at the

second fret with the middle fin%er, and the second course at the first fret with the

indeK fin%er. )n this chord the little fin%er is free, and the first and third courses are

not sto!!ed.

*n $he siKth boK contains the siKth maEor chord, which is called , and it is

!layed sto!!in% the fifth course at the third fret with the rin% fin%er, the fourth course

at the third fret with the little fin%er, the third course at the second fret with the middlefin%er and the second and first courses at the first fret with the indeK fin%er. )n this

chord all the fin%ers are used, and all the courses are sto!!ed.

7n $he se"enth boK contains the se"enth maEor chord, which is called H, and it is

!layed sto!!in% the fifth and first courses at the first fret with the indeK fin%er i.e.

with a barr-, the fourth course at the third fret with the middle fin%er, the third course

at the third fret with the rin% fin%er and the second course at the third fret with the

little fin%er. )n this chord all the fin%ers are used, and all the courses are sto!!ed.

6n $he ei%hth boK contains the ei%hth maEor chord, which is called M, and it is

!layed sto!!in% the fifth and fourth courses at the first fret with the indeK fin%er, thethird course at the second fret with the middle fin%er, and the second course at the



fourth fret with the little fin%er and the first course at the third fret with the rin%

fin%er. )n this chord all the fin%ers are used, and all the courses are sto!!ed.

(n $he ninth boK contains the ninth maEor chord, which is called , and it is

!layed sto!!in% the fifth course at the third fret with the middle fin%er, the fourth,

third and second courses at the first fret with the indeK fin%er, and the first course atthe fourth fret with the little fin%er. )n this chord the rin% fin%er is free, and all the

courses are sto!!ed.

1+n $he tenth boK contains the tenth maEor chord, which is called V, and it is

!layed sto!!in% the fifth course at the fourth fret with the little fin%er, the fourth

course at the third fret with the rin% fin%er, the second course at the second fret with

the middle fin%er and with the indeK fin%er the third and first courses are sto!!ed at

the first fret. )n this chord all the fin%ers are used, and all the courses are sto!!ed.

=QAA$)? A4 $? DHF ) $H=

two pages of fingerboards there are only ten boxes, or ten major and minor chords

$he fact that there are only ten fin%erboards, rather than twel"e, on each of the

!a%es which corres!ond to the maEor and minor chords may cause difficulty. )t

should be noted that the chords may be increased in this way. Chord 11n has the same

!osition of the hand which *n or has, but set at the second fret, and chord 12n has

the same !osition as 7n, set at the second fret. i#ewise 11b has the same !osition of

the hand which *b or T has, but set at the second fret, and 12b the same !osition as

7b, set at the second fret.

CHA$=@ /

3xplanation of the second page of fingerboards which contains the minor chords

1b ?n this !a%e are found ten boKes. $he first boK contains the first minor chord,

which is called W, and it is !layed sto!!in% the fifth course at the second fret with the

indeK fin%er, and the fourth course also at the second fret with the middle fin%er. )n

this chord the rin% fin%er and little fin%er do not sto! any course and the first,

second and third courses are not sto!!ed.

2b $he second boK descendin% "ertically contains the second minor chord, which

is called :, and it is !layed sto!!in% the fourth at the second fret with the middle

fin%er, and the third course at the second fret with the rin% fin%er and the secondcourse at the first fret with the indeK fin%er. )n this chord the little fin%er does not

sto! any course and the first and fifth courses are not sto!!ed.

3b $he third boK contains the third minor chord, which is called =, and it is

!layed sto!!in% the third course at the second fret with the middle fin%er, the second

course at the third fret with the rin% fin%er, and the first course at the first fret with the

indeK fin%er. )n this chord the little fin%er does not sto! any course and the fourth

and fifth courses are not sto!!ed.

/b $he fourth boK contains the fourth minor chord, which is called ?, and it is

!layed sto!!in% the fifth course at the first fret with the indeK fin%er, the secondcourse at the third fret with the rin% fin%er, and the first course at the third fret with





in the !rinci!al title of the !resent wor#. And it should be noted that the "andola with

siK courses is described here, because it is the more !erfect form of the instrument,

and better #nown and more widely used at this time than that with four or fi"e

courses.

)n order to tune this "andola and so as to eK!lain it with more clearly and briefly it should be understood that the fi"e courses without the first course are

tuned in the same way to the same inter"als as the %uitar and afterwards the

unsto!!ed first course is tuned and it is an octa"e from the siKth course also

unsto!!ed, or from the fourth course sto!!ed at the second fret. ?r the first course

sto!!ed at the second fret is tuned to the third course unsto!!ed.

)n order to !lay or tune this "andola to the same chord of a %uitar, or a %uitar

to the same chord of a "andola, the third course of the %uitar unsto!!ed must be in

unison with the fifth course unsto!!ed of the "andola, and the fourth course of the

%uitar must be in unison with the siKth course of the "andola when both are

unsto!!ed, and the first course of the %uitar must to be in unison with the third courseof the "andola, both unsto!!ed. ?f the chords of the "andola which are consonant

with those of the %uitar it is difficult to %i"e a rule. )t is only !ossible to say that on

the fi"e courses, eKcludin% the first, of the "andola, which are tuned to the same

inter"als as the %uitar, all the chords which are formed on the %uitar ha"e the same

consonances, set one chord behind those of the %uitar, on the said fi"e courses of the

"andola. $hus if on the %uitar chord 3n is !layed, on the "andola 2n will be !layed

8and in the same way the minor chord9 only the first course of the "andola is !layed

in different manner, which if ) were to eK!lain it without ha"in% a "andola in hand

would only confuse more.

or this short treatise 8dear reader9 ) do not see# than#s, only correction and

ad"ice from whoe"er may understand it 8to whom ) submit it9 only in truth to be

brief, so that of the bad there may be less, and accordin% to the li#in% which this

wor# may find in the !leasure and bene"olence of youth, ) will ur%e myself on,

mo"ed by the s!irit of lo"e, in a more detailed wor# which neither the !resent little

"olume nor the shortness of time !ermits me. =m!loyin% myself always in thin%s of

your desire.

arewell, and a%ain farewellX

$H= =:

Documents

1596 amat - Guitarra española - englische Übersetzung