Folias by Sanz for Classical Ukulele

Folias by Sanz for Classical Ukulele

In this video Jeff Peterson plays his low-G arrangement of Folias by Sanz for classical ukulele originally written for baroque guitar. The Folias was a popular waltz form in Renaissance Spain, often used as the basis for theme and variations, as seen in this composition by the celebrated composer Gaspar Sanz.

Performance Notes

The tempo is set at Allegro, around 120 bpm. Throughout the piece, you’ll notice the text “tr” above certain notes, indicating a trill. To execute a trill, start from the next higher scale tone, then perform a quick pull-off/hammer-on/pull-off sequence to land on the notated pitch.

In this piece, the trill is applied to the highest pitch of each chord, except in a few unusual cases where it occurs on the middle note, such as in measures 2, 8, and 10 over the D chords. For example, in these measures, the note G is played with the 3rd finger at the 3rd fret of the 2nd string, pulling off to F# at the 2nd fret to initiate the trill. Ensure that the high A pitch rings out while you perform the trill.

When first learning the piece, I recommend leaving out the trills and other ornaments to focus on the core structure. Once you’re comfortable, begin adding the ornaments, noting that the pinky will be required for many of the trills, as in measures 35, 37, 39, 43, and 45. Practice the trills slowly at first, isolating them from the rest of the chord to develop the technique. To achieve volume, move the finger that is pulling off quickly down into the hand, followed by immediate relaxation.