Fernando Sor‘s Op.31, Etude No. 3: Allegretto moderato is an upbeat, lively study for students advancing to the intermediate level.
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The piece is in the key of D major, 6/8 time, giving the piece a dance-like quality. Although not particularly difficult, Etude No.3 offers a variety of techniques that can be tricky to execute when playing at the appropriate tempo (Allegretto moderato, or roughly 85-110 BPM).
In terms of notable techniques, this piece is full of ligado slurs (pull offs), and occasional grace notes. The sixteenth note runs are exciting and fun to play, but can also cause one to lose count of the beat if they’re rushed. Try to count each beat as carefully as you’re first learning the piece.
The accidentals are another aspect to watch out for. Notice that G# is used frequently in measures 9 -15, indicating a brief modulation to the key of A major, returning back to D major in measure 16.
I’ve added my own right hand finger suggestions in my transcription below. For bouncy treble phrases such as the ones found in measure 9-15, I find it sounds nicer to play the bass line more delicately with index (i) and middle (m), rather than the thumb (p). Playing the phrases in measures 9-15 with p and i in the bass is certainly acceptable, but I recommend trying i and m for a lighter, softer, and more uniform bass line.
