Lección 61 (Lesson 61) by Julio Salvador Sagreras

Lección 61 is the 61st lesson of Julio Salvador Sagreras's Las Primeras Lecciones de Guitarra (see Lección 84 for more information about the book). It is a simple piece written with the purpose of teaching the student not to make unnecessary movements with the left hand. In addition to teaching you to keep a finger in place to fret a string when possible instead of switching to another finger, it provides a good introduction to walking the fingers—the practice of moving fingers into place as they are needed instead of prepositioning them all at once. Furthermore, it introduces the use of the thumb and bass notes to carry the main melody. Despite its simplicity, the piece evokes the idea of the guitar as an orchestra in miniature.

Leccíon 61 is a waltz plain and simple. Sagreras emphasized that the student should accent the bass notes carrying the melody by striking the string with the thumb apoyando. I've tried to cut down the fingering to the absolute minimum. Sagreras's method books are filled with excessive fingering to eliminate any ambiguity for the teacher and student. That isn't a problem per se, except that when combined with very tight spacing some pieces become so cluttered they are difficult for the student (and even the teacher!) to read. I've increased the spacing to make it very easy to read.