Danza Paraguaya by Barrios for Ukulele

In this video Jeff Peterson plays his arrangement of Danza Paraguaya by Barrios for ukulele.

Danza Paraguaya by Barrios for Ukulele

This piece was composed by Agustin Barrios Mangoré (1885 – 1944) originally for classical guitar. Barrios was a Paraguayan virtuoso classical guitarist and composer, largely regarded as one of the greatest performers and most prolific composers for the guitar. Barrios recorded the piece for a radio show in 1928. The Paraguayan dance in question here is the “galopa.” You can listen to it here:

Even on the classical guitar this is a virtuosic piece and requires a mature technique and facility on the instrument. Bringing that to the ukulele, with a limited range, only amplifies some of those challenges. However, it also introduces new solutions guitarists do not have access to. For instance, Barrios’s guitar music is renown for having huge left-hand stretches. These are easy to conquer on the much shorter-scale ukulele neck. As always, adapting classical guitar music to the ukulele is a process of compromises, but it is also a rewarding process. It brings us new music to the ukulele, like this gem of the classical guitar repertoire.

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This piece is published as part of Jeff’s Graded Repertoire for Classical Ukulele book (volume 1). You can also find it with a full video lesson and the sheet music with TABs in the Ukulele Corner Academy. Join Ukulele Corner Academy today!