Pathetique Guitar Tutorial#1 4K! (Beethoven) Piano Sonata No. 8 In C min...

History

Taken from Beethoven's wonderful Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor 'Pathetique' or the second movement Adagio Cantabile is this wonderful transcription. It was written way back in 1788 and is generally known as Sonata Pathétique and is thought to be one of the few compositions actually named by the great composer himself although this theory has been largely debunked and the name is now attributed to the publisher of the work. 

Originally the second movement was written in A-flat major and modulated through two episodes. The first episode is in the relative minor F and E-flat major. The second episode modulates to the tonic minor A-flat minor and then to E-major before returning to a more lively A-flat major with triplets and a brief coda.

For the transcription to guitar it is necessary to transpose the piece up by one semitone to C-sharp minor. If you really want to play it in the original key it is a fairly simple matter to tune the guitar down by a half-step.

Performance Tips:

This is the second of two tutorials for the adagio cantabile movement in this sonata. This piece is extremely expressive. Keeping the melody prominent is really important as is sustaining the melodic notes for as long as possible.

• Tune down a 1/2 step if playing in the original key is desired
• Remember that Beethoven was fond of legato
• Use a light touch throughout except for the more strident episode in F
• Pay careful attention to emphasises the melody without putting unnecessary emphasis on the underlying harmonic content

Here is the link to the second tutorial:

Tutorial No. 2

Conclusion:

My full transcription including tablature and notation is available for free to my Youtube subscribers. So, if you wish to have a copy just subscribe to my channel and leave a comment or send me a message with your email address and I will happily send you my transcription. Be sure to watch my tutorials for the song and have the transcription beside you so that you can learn this wonderful song quickly and easily.

Let your fingers fly!