La Bruja
Traditional son jarocho (Veracruz)
A son from Veracruz in F-sharp minor: the melody and its second voice move together over guitar-like arpeggios in eighth notes in the left hand.
F♯ minor · 3/4 · 142 beats per minute · 49 bars · 1 min 02 · beginner level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
Intro A A' Coda
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro | 1–2 | F♯m i |
— |
| A | 3–18 | G♯dim · C♯ · F♯m · G♯dim · Bm/F♯ · G♯dim · Bm6/F♯ · C♯ · F♯m ii° · V · i · ii° · iv · ii° · iv6 · V · i |
Authentic cadence |
| A' | 19–34 | G♯dim · C♯ · F♯m · G♯dim · Bm/F♯ · G♯dim · Bm6/F♯ · C♯ · F♯m · D · G♯m7♭5/D ii° · V · i · ii° · iv · ii° · iv6 · V · i · VI · iiø7 |
— |
| Coda | 35–49 | C♯7 · F♯m · D · C♯7/E♯ · F♯m · D · G♯m7♭5/D · C♯7 · F♯m · C♯/E♯ · E♯dim7 · F♯ V7 · i · VI · V7 · i · VI · iiø7 · V7 · i · V · ♯vii°7 · V/iv |
Authentic cadence |
The key
- F♯ minor
- 3 sharps in the key signature: F♯, C♯, G♯
- Scale
- F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D · E
- Pillar chords
- I = F♯m · IV = Bm · V7 = C♯7
The tricky passages
- Bar 5: a melodic leap (minor seventh)
- Bar 21: a melodic leap (minor seventh)
- Bar 48: notes outside the key
The plan: 13 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
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