guitarrismo

The pianistic imitation of guitar techniques — rasgueado strumming, plucked melodic lines, percussive body taps, and campanella (bell-like) arpeggios. Albéniz's piano writing is saturated with guitarrismo: repeated-note tremolos imitate the guitar's sustain, bass-chord-melody textures imitate flamenco accompaniment, and ringing treble harmonics simulate open strings. The technique requires the pianist to imagine a guitar player's phrasing rather than a singer's.

When playing Albéniz, study the guitar transcriptions of the same pieces — guitarists reveal the implied phrasing and articulation that pianists often smooth over. Dry, articulated bass notes imitate the guitar's pluck; treble notes should ring freely without over-pedalling. In rasgueado passages, the rhythm is the content: keep it crisp.