The Rasgueado (Strummed) Style

Chronological List of Rasgueado Tablatures
Montesardo 1606
[Pico 1608]
[Anonymous 1618]
Colonna 1620a
Colonna 1620b
Sanseverino 1620
Milanuzzi 1622
Sanseverino 1622
Colonna 1623
Milanuzzi 1623
Milanuzzi 1625
Briçeño 1626
Amat 1626
Abatessa 1627
Amat 1627
Colonna 1627
Costanzo 1627
Millioni 1627a
Millioni 1627b

Millioni 1627c
[Pico 1628]
Foscarini 1629
Foscarini c1630
Millioni 1631
Foscarini c1632
Abatessa 1635
Millioni 1635a
Millioni 1635b
Mersenne 1636
Millioni 1636
Monte c1636
Abatessa 1637
Colonna 1637
Millioni/Monte 1637
Sfondrino 1637
Corbetta 1639
Trombetti 1639a
Trombetti 1639b

Foscarini 1640
Millioni/Monte c1640
Carbonchi 1643 Millioni/Monte 1644
Calvi 1646
Millioni/Monte 1647
Anonymous 1648
Mersenne 1648
Abatessa c1650
Abatessa 1652
Millioni/Monte 1652
Marini 1655
Marchetti 1660
Millioni 1661
Martin 1663
Marchetti c1665
Millioni/Monte 1666
Millioni/Monte 1673a
Millioni/Monte 1673b

 Ricci 1677
Anonymous 1678
Millioni/Monte 1678
Millioni/Monte 1684
Michele 1698
Pico 16[9]8
Millioni/Monte 1737

Alphabetical List of Rasgueado Tablatures

 

Description:

The strummed style (called rasgueado in Spanish and battute or battuto in Italian) dominated early 17th century guitar music. Most of the printed tablatures are from Italy and were notated in a simple notation using stroke signs and letters/symbols:

Colonna 1620

This example is a short passacaglia from Colonna 1620. In standard tuning, it would be in A minor (the "D" symbol), followed by chords on E minor, F major, D minor, A minor, E major, and A minor (see chord chart below). The meter is triple and begins on beat two, following the simple down-down-up strum pattern for four bars. Note that the letters have absolutely no relation to our modern letter designations for notes and chords: the letter "D", for example, is NOT a D major chord form. The Italians would have referred to notes by their solfeggio names (do, re, mi, etc.), not their alphabet names, so this caused less confusion outside of the English-speaking world.

The alfabeto system evolved over time and, in general, the most commonly used chord forms are given the lower letters of the alphabet. There is no easy logic to remembering which letters refer to which chords, but in general the letters from A to P are used far more often than the other letters. In addition to the alphabet (minus the letters "J", "U", and "W" which are not used in Italian), there are also several symbols, most commonly the symbol of the cross for an E minor chord form. Note that the letters are best referred to as "chord forms" rather than simply chords, since they designate specific fingering patterns on the guitar, not just specific "chords" in the modern sense. The most commonly used chord forms are as follows:

Course Pitch
+
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
V
X
Y
Z
&
5th A
2
2
3
0
0
0
2
3
1
0
1
3
1
3
1
3
4
2
2
4
4
2
5
3
4
4th d
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
3
3
2
3
1
1
1
0
3
4
4
2
2
4
4
5
5
3
3rd g
0
0
0
2
2
2
1
2
3
2
3
0
3
1
0
1
3
4
4
2
2
4
4
5
1
2nd b
0
3
1
3
1
3
0
1
3
2
2
4
4
1
3
1
2
4
5
2
2
3
3
5
2
1st e'
0
3
0
2
0
1
0
1
1
0
1
3
3
4
3
1
2
2
4
5
2
2
3
3
1


These finger patterns result in the following chords, in various voicings:
 
+
 E minor
A
 G major
B
 C major
C
 D major
D
 A minor
E
 D minor
F
 E major
G
 F major *
H
 B flat major *
I
 A major
K
 B flat minor *
L
 C minor
M
 E flat major *


M
 E flat major *
N
 A flat major *
O
 G minor
P
 F minor *
Q
 F sharp major *
R
 B major *
S
 E major *
T
 A major *
V
 F sharp minor *
X
 B minor *
Y
 G major *
Z
 C major *
&
 C sharp major *



The chords marked with a * indicate forms that are movable and can be played at different frets with the addition of a numeral: for example, H2 is the H form at the second fret, or a B major chord.

This notational system was also used for the mixed style, where it was combined with Italian tablature.

Alphabetical List of Rasgueado Tablatures:
Abatessa 1627
Abatessa 1635
Abatessa 1637
Abatessa c1650
Abatessa 1652
Amat 1626
Amat 1627
[Anonymous 1618]
Anonymous 1648
Briçeño 1626
Calvi 1646
Carbonchi 1643
Colonna 1620a
Colonna 1620b
Colonna 1623
Colonna 1627
Colonna 1637
Corbetta 1639
Costanzo 1627

Foscarini 1629
Foscarini c1630
Foscarini c1632
Foscarini 1640
Marchetti 1660
Marchetti c1665
Marini 1655
Martin 1663
Mersenne 1636
Mersenne 1648
Michele 1698
Milanuzzi 1622
Milanuzzi 1623
Milanuzzi 1625
Millioni 1627a
Millioni 1627b
Millioni 1627c
Millioni 1631
Millioni 1635a

 Millioni 1635b
Millioni 1636
Millioni 1661
Millioni/Monte 1637
Millioni/Monte c1640
Millioni/Monte 1644
Millioni/Monte 1647
Millioni/Monte 1652
Millioni/Monte 1666
Millioni/Monte 1673a
Millioni/Monte 1673b
Millioni/Monte 1678
Millioni/Monte 1684
Millioni/Monte 1737
Monte c1636
Montesardo 1606
[Pico 1608]
[Pico 1628]
Pico 16[9]8 		Ricci 1677
Sanseverino 1620
Sanseverino 1622
Sfondrino 1637
Trombetti 1639a
Trombetti 1639b








 

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Last updated on 5 June 2008

© Gary R. Boye 2004-2008