guitar chord
English composer
Definition
The open-string tuning of the Spanish guitar (E2–A2–D3–G3–B3–E4), used by Ginastera as a recurring harmonic and melodic fingerprint to evoke the payador — the gaucho troubadour tradition of improvised song. Appears in the Piano Sonata No. 1 (especially the slow movement) and the Suite de Danzas Criollas.
Interpretive Guidance
When the guitar chord appears as an accompaniment figure or melodic reference, imagine the resonance of open strings vibrating across the pampas at dusk. Let the harmony ring and decay. This is not an urban piano sound but an outdoor, spatial one.