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Villa-lobos Heitor
Etude 1 - guitar tab

Composer: Villa-lobos, Heitor (1887-1959)

Title: Etude No.1
Taken from his ~SDozen Etudes.~T

Tabulated by Kerem Sanga

Tempo - 110-120 bpm

Time signature - 4/4
Key - Em
Tuning - Standard (EADGBE)

Each note represents one 16th note.

Each measure represents four beats.

Key:
h....hammer-on
*....harmonic

Right-hand fingering key:

p....thumb
i....index
m....middle
a....ring

This is the first etude in a series of 12 by Brazilian composer

Villa-lobos.

Rather than tab the entire piece in full, which would be confusing,
I'll explain the fingering pattern that persists for most of the song
and tab out the two sections of the piece that break this fingering
pattern.

This is the prevailing right-hand pattern:

E-|---------------0---0------------
B-|-----------0-----0-----0--------
G-|-------0-----0-------0-----0----
D-|---2-----2---------------2-----2
A-|-----2-----------------------2--
E-|-0------------------------------

p i p i p m i a m a i m p i p i
Most of the piece consists of this pattern and varying chords.
I'll call this fingering pattern one "cycle."
Usually, a chord change comes after two cycles are completed.
Using Em, I'll illustrate 2 cycles
(one cycle placed in front of another):

E-|---------------0---0-------------|---------------0---0-------------|
B-|-----------0-----0-----0---------|-----------0-----0-----0---------|
G-|-------0-----0-------0-----0-----|-------0-----0-------0-----0-----|
D-|---2-----2---------------2-----2-|---2-----2---------------2-----2-|
A-|-----2-----------------------2---|-----2-----------------------2---|
E-|-0-------------------------------|-0-------------------------------|

p i p i p m i a m a i m p i p i p i p i p m i a m a i m p i p i

Notice the fingers used to play each note are indicated below.
There is no rest between repeating cycles, nor is there any rest
when the chord is changed and a new cycle begins.
Every note, until the last two bars, is a sixteenth note.
The piece is really an all out assault until the retard at the end.

The shorthand for one cycle will be:

1 cycle

E-|-0-|
B-|-0-|
G-|-0-|
D-|-2-|
A-|-2-|
E-|-0-|

Similarly, this:

E-|---------------0---0-------------|---------------0---0-------------|
B-|-----------0-----0-----0---------|-----------0-----0-----0---------|
G-|-------0-----0-------0-----0-----|-------0-----0-------0-----0-----|
D-|---2-----2---------------2-----2-|---2-----2---------------2-----2-|
A-|-----2-----------------------2---|-----2-----------------------2---|
E-|-0-------------------------------|-0-------------------------------|

E-|---------------0---0-------------|---------------0---0-------------|
B-|-----------1-----1-----1---------|-----------1-----1-----1---------|
G-|-------2-----2-------2-----2-----|-------2-----2-------2-----2-----|
D-|---4-----4---------------4-----4-|---4-----4---------------4-----4-|
A-|-----3-----------------------3---|-----3-----------------------3---|
E-|-0-------------------------------|-0-------------------------------|

Will be reduced to this:

2 cycles 2 cycles

E-|-0-| E-|-0-|
B-|-0-| B-|-1-|
G-|-0-| G-|-2-|
D-|-2-| D-|-4-|
A-|-2-| A-|-3-|
E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

With that in mind, here is Villa-Lobos~R Etude No.1:

2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles

E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-2-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

B-|-0-| B-|-1-| B-|-0-| B-|-0-| B-|-0-| B-|-0-|
G-|-0-| G-|-2-| G-|-0-| G-|-2-| G-|-0-| G-|-1-|
D-|-2-| D-|-4-| D-|-2-| D-|-1-| D-|-2-| D-|-2-|
A-|-2-| A-|-3-| A-|-2-| A-|-0-| A-|-2-| A-|-2-|
E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-2-| E-|-3-| E-|-4-|

--------------------------------------------------------------------

2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles

E-|-5-| E-|-5-| E-|-7-| E-|-7-| E-|-7-| E-|-0--|

B-|-5-| B-|-5-| B-|-8-| B-|-7-| B-|-7-| B-|-12-|
G-|-5-| G-|-7-| G-|-9-| G-|-9-| G-|-8-| G-|-10-|
D-|-7-| D-|-5-| D-|-9-| D-|-9-| D-|-7-| D-|-12-|
A-|-7-| A-|-7-| A-|-7-| A-|-7-| A-|-9-| A-|-11-|
E-|-5-| E-|-6-| E-|-7-| E-|-7-| E-|-7-| E-|-0--|

--------------------------------------------------------------------

2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles

E-|-0--| E-|-0--| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

B-|-11-| B-|-10-| B-|-9-| B-|-8-| B-|-7-| B-|-6-|
G-|-9--| G-|-8--| G-|-7-| G-|-6-| G-|-5-| G-|-4-|
D-|-11-| D-|-10-| D-|-9-| D-|-8-| D-|-7-| D-|-6-|
A-|-10-| A-|-9--| A-|-8-| A-|-7-| A-|-6-| A-|-5-|
E-|-0--| E-|-0--| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

--------------------------------------------------------------------

2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles

E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

B-|-5-| B-|-4-| B-|-3-| B-|-2-|
G-|-3-| G-|-2-| G-|-1-| G-|-0-|
D-|-5-| D-|-4-| D-|-3-| D-|-2-|
A-|-4-| A-|-3-| A-|-2-| A-|-1-|
E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

E-|--------------0-----0-7---12-11h12|----------------------------------|
B-|----------0-----0-8-----8---------|11h12-----------------------------|
G-|------0-----0---------------------|-----11h12-8h9--------------------|
D-|--2-----2-------------------------|---------------8h9-4h5-1h2--------|
A-|----2-----------------------------|---------------------------1h2----|
E-|0---------------------------------|------------------------------2h3-|
 p i p i p m i a m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m

2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles 2 cycles

E-|-2-| E-|-2-| E-|-2-| E-|-7-|

B-|-2-| B-|-2-| B-|-4-| B-|-7-|
G-|-3-| G-|-4-| G-|-2-| G-|-8-|
D-|-2-| D-|-2-| D-|-4-| D-|-7-|
A-|-4-| A-|-4-| A-|-3-| A-|-9-|
E-|-2-| E-|-3-| E-|-2-| E-|-7-|

-------------------------------------------

1 cycle 1 cycle 1 cycle 1 cycle

E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

B-|-0-| B-|-0-| B-|-0-| B-|-0-|
G-|-0-| G-|-3-| G-|-0-| G-|-3-|
D-|-2-| D-|-2-| D-|-2-| D-|-2-|
A-|-2-| A-|-3-| A-|-2-| A-|-3-|
E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-| E-|-0-|

(see note)

E-|---------------0--------------12*---|---12*----5*--------------------|
B-|-----------0-----0------12*------12*|------5*------------------------|
G-|-------0-----0-----12*-----12*------|-5*-----5*--------------(rest)--|
D-|---2-----2--------------------------|--------------------------------|
A-|-----2----------------7*------------|--------------------------------|
E-|-0----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
p i p i p m i a m i p m i a m i a m i a

E-|----------12*-----------------------|--------------------------------|
B-|--------8---------------------------|-----------12*------------------|
G-|------9-----------------------------|---------9----------------------|
D-|---10-------------------------------|------11------------------------|
A-|-0----------------------------------|---11---------------------------|
E-|------------------------------------|-0------------------------END---|

(these last two bars are played much slower ~V on your own time)

Note: I have sometimes heard it played with a retard starting at

the chord where I~Rve indicated ~Ssee note~T.
If you slow here, the harmonics come easier, and frankly it sounds
~Qprettier,~R although if you don~Rt slow here it sounds ~Qbad-ass.~R

If you don~Rt slow there, you could have trouble getting the
harmonics in time. I suggest using just the index finger for the
top frets and the pinky for the bottom. Hold the finger out flat so
that you can play several harmonics on the same fret at a time.

Enjoy.