REPERTOIRE

THOMAS VILOTEAU

Julia Florida (Barrios)

WATCH THE LESSON

AT TONEBASE.CO
“IT’S A GREAT PIECE TO PLAY BECAUSE IT’S
SHORT ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN REALLY
TRY TO CONTROL EVERYTHING YOU’RE
DOING, AND THAT’S THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING.”

LESSON DESCRIPTION

Even though “Julia Florida” by Agustín Barrios

Mangoré is an excellent piece for beginners, its
beauty, colors, and remarkable construction make
it pleasing for a guitarist of any age. In this
lesson, Thomas Viloteau works through this piece
by Barrios, and goes through a number of
fundamental techniques on the left hand of the
guitar.

Thomas begins by outlining many basic principles,

including many helpful tips on stability, balance,
and legato. He reminds us throughout that if you
spend time developing smooth, careful, and
controlled movements with every shift of the
fingers, you will be rewarded with technical skill
and a beautiful interpretation. By the end of this
lesson you’ll have a clearer image of how to
practice a new piece and the kinds of movements
that lead to success on the guitar.
 ABOUT YOUR
INSTRUCTOR

The French-born guitarist Thomas Viloteau has won awards in

numerous international competitions, and in 2006, only nine
years after he started playing, the Guitar Foundation of America
International Competition, resulting in his first recording for
Naxos.

In 2007, Viloteau toured for seven months in the United States,

Canada and Mexico, where he played and taught numerous
concerts and masterclasses. Thomas Viloteau is a member of
the faculty in the guitar program at the Johns Hopkins Peabody
Institute.

OUTLINE
1. Technique

2. Separation and Smoothness

3. Finger Stability

4. Balance

5. B Minor Section

6. Rule of Legato

7. Misprinted Note

8. End of the Piece

9. Conclusion
TECHNIQUE
Today Thomas Viloteau is going to talk through “Julia Florida” by
Agustín Barrios Mangoré. It’s a very pretty piece, and relatively
simple to play, yet it contains many beautiful details that make it
enjoyable for a player of any level. Thomas is mostly going to
focus this lesson on left hand technique and finger preparation.
There’s a lot to talk about with the musicality of the piece, but the
interpretation is largely personal and dependant on the mood
you want to convey.

From a technical standpoint, ‘Julia Florida’ is exceptional because

it’s short enough to practice and control every movement you
make in the piece. This is the most important step to mastery.

Be in control of your fingers,

even though it can be quite tricky
to prepare your left hand when
you’re just starting out. Easier
and slower, pieces, like this one,
help develop finger control and
smoothness. Only then will it get
easier to avoid mistakes.

“A relaxed technique that helps you be in control of the fingers

avoids risking too many wrong notes. Wrong notes are a
normal part of the experience, but minimize them so we can
focus on the score.”
SEPARATION AND
SMOOTHNESS

Try to clearly separate the chords in the opening of this piece.

This is usually done by taking extra caution with your finger
movements and being aware of which notes are ringing.

In the first measure, a I chord (D Major) is followed by a V chord

(A major). It’s common to let this V chord ring, however, the low
D from the first chord is still ringing (left-hand image), and D is
not a part of A major. To prevent a clash, cut the low D with your
thumb before you play the V chord, as Thomas does on the right-
hand image.
Likewise, holding a G over into the I chord also clashes. When
you go back to the I chord in the second measure, lift the first
finger G so it stops ringing.

Prepare all your fingers very carefully, especially your fourth

finger in measure 3-5. All movements should be as smooth as
possible. Harsh movements in the hand cause harsh sounds in
the music, whereas relaxed hands create relaxing music.

Expand and contract the hand when fingerings are closer

together. Follow the notes on Thomas's annotated score as we
continue.

FINGER STABILITY
In any passage, at least one finger will typically remain in place
in between notes. This finger’s job is to keep the hand stable.
For additional stability, Thomas will periodically touch the side of
the neck with the space under his fingers.
The open E in measure 6 is the only place where the fingers
completely let go of the neck for an instant. Make sure that when
your fingers return to the neck, it’s a smooth and secure
transition.

For the jump in measure 14, Thomas touches the side of the neck
again, just a bit, so he knows the landing will be stable.
At the end of measure 15, the hand slides up the neck to play
measure 16, but the hand’s position stays the same.

13

BALANCE

Certain notes belong to the melody, while others belong to the

accompaniment. This piece makes it very logical which notes are
which, so try to differentiate the two when you play. Imagine you
are a sound engineer looking at a mixing board. The melody is a
bit louder, the bass is underneath, and the accompaniment is
quietest.
B MINOR SECTION
The general rule for open strings is to cut them with your right
hand before the next chord. In this case, however, Thomas finds
that this doesn’t work musically. It sounds too choppy to cut the
B right away- a bit like a beginner pianist playing without the
pedal.

In this case, it’s ok to let the B ring out. The only note he cuts, in
fact, is the G in the second bar.

Sustaining these notes gives the piece a more desirable mood.

KEY TAKEAWAY
It’s not always necessary to cut open strings before you
move on- in some specific cases, where there isn’t a clash
with harmony, letting them ring can be far more musical.

The C# in the sixth bar of this section is often problematic.

For the C#, keep your second finger slightly straightened (image
on left), and play slowly and with control. If you’re not deliberate
and careful, or if your finger is bent (image on right), clarity of
tone may suffer, or you may overshoot the string.

There’s a long portamento (or, glissando) in the seventh bar of

this section- almost up the entire neck. Keep your eyes on the
destination (the twelfth fret) before you even begin to move.
After the glissando, your first finger should already be in the
proper position to play the next B.

The G minor chord on the beginning of the next line is a special

color right before the D major, so try to get a rich and deep
sound. The E, later that same bar, is marked open by Thomas.
This is another point where you can lift your hand completely
above the neck for an instant, and slowly return it.
RULE OF LEGATO
A basic rule that guitarists follow, and any classical musician for
the most part, is the rule of legato. Playing legato means keeping
notes seamless, playing them as long as possible, without a break.
We’ll play legato throughout this piece, but in one instance it
actually serves the music to not do so.

This circled D, in the bar before the first ending, should be cut
short to allow your hand to move seamlessly.

If Thomas holds the note as long as possible, there’s a snap to

move out of it, and a lack of smoothness. If he makes the note a bit
shorter, it sounds more elastic and allows his technique to produce
a more legato feeling. A smooth fingering produces more legato
sometimes than actually playing the note long. Slow movements
usually emulate the feel of legato better than fast movements.

The second time through the top of the B minor section, after
taking the repeat, is played virtually the same, but with a bit more
speed.
MISPRINTED NOTE
The first note after the second ending is often misprinted. It’s
either an F# or a G, depending on the publisher. (In this score it’s
an F#).

If the note is an F#, it belongs to the previous D chord, so slow

down when you reach it before moving on. If the note is a G, it
means that bar is in two equal parts, and the phrase that comes
after it gets a boost of extra energy. To Thomas, the G is the more
logical and powerful choice.

However, either note is ok, as long as your interpretation is

consistent.

END OF THE PIECE

After the second ending, the character of the piece changes. Again,
keep your hand smooth, and always keep a finger down so you’re
stable while the other fingers rotate. Don’t move all your fingers in
one gesture, but only the ones you need. This is especially
important starting in the sixth bar after the second ending.
At Thomas’s note, put your m finger in your right hand down on
the third string to avoid an open G ringing.

The final line before the DC contains several string harmonics on

the note A. Thomas plays the A in the same spot each time,
except the very last one. He also doubles this last A on two
strings. Be careful not to accent this A, since it comes at the end
of the phrase. Focus instead on the bass.

The A doesn’t ring long, but if we accent the bass our attention is
diverted from it. It’s like a magician’s sleight of hand- a simple
shift of attention can make something apparently disappear. Give
the ear the bass to focus on, and you won’t notice how the A on
top stops ringing.

The fermata on the last high A marks the end of that section.
However, Thomas will play on past it before holding. It’s more
logical for the phrase, and a bit more dramatic, to move a few
notes into the DC and hold on the V chord at the end of the first
bar.
Take your time in the DC, and phrase the accompaniment
carefully.

At the very end, play with the

cleanest possible fingering.
You can finger the harmonics
any way you wish, as long as
they ring loudly. For
harmonics on the third and
fourth fret, make sure you’re
just past the fret. Only play
with nail in your right hand,
somewhat ponticello (towards
the bridge), so the string is
tough.

CONCLUSION
This is a great piece to get to know your left-hand better. Enjoy
the music being made while playing it, as it’s very simple but
beautifully crafted. Careful application of these ideas will help
develop both a smooth left hand and clear right hand.

Happy practicing!
RESOURCES

Celil Refik Kaya's lesson on Danza Paraguaya (Barrios)

Ready for some more Barrios? We thought so! Check out Celil's
lesson on Danza Paraguaya No. 1 to learn more about interpreting
and performing the composer's music.

Thomas Viloteau's lesson On How To Practice

Now that you know everything you need to play Julia Florida, the
next step is to get into the practice room. Before you do, make
sure you learn Thomas's approach to efficiently learning a piece!
NOTES