Study in C by Francisco Tárrega

Study in C by Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909) – PDF Sheet Music and lesson video for classical guitar. Includes a notation sheet music edition with left and right hand fingering followed by a separate tab edition in the same pdf. The level is easy to early-intermediate with some 3rd position work and Barres (Grade 3).

My Sheet Music Edition

This is one of Francisco Tárrega’s (1852–1909) easier etudes or studies (estudios). I don’t actually know of anyone who’s seen the manuscript for this work so feel free to call it attributed to Tarrega. This is a great work for classical guitarists who are getting ready for intermediate repertoire as this one involves some barres and easy third position playing. Make sure to shape the melody that is embedded into the arpeggios. This is a nice short work that is often played by students and professionals.

Additional Video Lesson

Below is another lesson on this work from my Classical Guitar Repertoire Lessons Grade 3. Both are the same sheet music but my grade 3 book has some lesson material before the edition.

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Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 94,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.

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  1. The Tárrega “Study in C” currently has three areas of difficulty for me. First, in measure 3, the first two triplets are fine, but I stumble when it comes to playing the G with the second finger while keeping the bass note sustained. How should this be approached? I’ve tried “planting” fingers 1, 2, and 4 in advance versus moving finger 2 into position after playing the high note in the second triplet, but I am unsure which method (if either!) would be the better one to learn. The second issue arises in measure 13 with the F-chord played with a full barre at the first fret. This seems to be somewhat instrument-dependent. Usually, I play a 630mm scale guitar, but the F-chord comes easier when playing a 650mm scale guitar. I’ve also tried using an easier version of the F-chord, but this sounds too thin. I suppose the answer to this is to practice until this chord becomes second nature. The third problem is the general issue of making smooth shifts between positions — again, something that should resolve with practice. Thanks for your superb lessons!

    • In measure 3 you would not be expected to plant all the fingers (1-2-4) in advanced. Get the bass note first (1) and then play the A (4) and then release 4 when you play 2. Can I assume you can play 1 and 2 in isolation? If not, the issue almost always lies in guitar and body positioning rather than using hand stretching or contortion.

      In regards to the barre in measure 13. Start practicing barre exercises everyday for only 1-3 minutes. It’s a tricky technique to master but I also often find that students don’t practice barres in their daily technique routine so they haven’t worked out how to be accurately close to the fret across the whole finger and how to distribute the weight to create less tension.

  2. Nicely played and good tone. What brand guitar is this? Also, not to be picky, but the proper pronunciation of Tarrega’s name is to stress the first syllable (where the accent mark falls) TAR-rega. Thanks.

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