Malagueña - A Little History and an Easy Guitar Version for Beginners

Malagueña is a Spanish song that has become one of the most well-known and beloved traditional folk melodies in the world. The origins of the song are somewhat unclear, but it is thought to have originated in the region of Málaga, Spain (hence the name) in the late 19th or early 20th century. Over the years, the song has been recorded and performed by countless musicians, both in Spain and around the world, and has been transformed and adapted in countless ways.

The song's melody is typically described as haunting and melancholic, with a rhythm that is both mournful and energetic at the same time. It is said to be inspired by the sounds and rhythms of flamenco, and in fact an entire flamenco form is called “Malagueña” but only shares a few harmonic elements with what most people recognize as the theme of Malagueña.

An important early recording of Malagueña was made by Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona. Lecuona was born in Cuba, but spent much of his life traveling the world and performing. He was a prolific composer and arranger, and his recordings of Malagueña and other Spanish songs helped to popularize the genre both in America and around the world. Lecuona's version of the song is known for its virtuosic piano playing and its lively, upbeat arrangement.

Over the years, Malagueña has been recorded and performed by countless musicians, both in Spain and around the world. In the 1940s and 1950s, it was popularized by Spanish guitarist Sabicas, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest flamenco guitarists of all time. His recordings of the song helped to cement its place in the flamenco repertoire, and his virtuosic playing is still widely admired today.

Malagueña has become one of the most well-known and beloved traditional folk melodies in the world. Its haunting and melancholic melody, inspired by the sounds and rhythms of flamenco, has been recorded and performed by countless musicians, both in Spain and around the world.

This famous Spanish theme doesn’t have to be out of reach for the beginner guitarist. We just a few techniques under our belt, we can play an engaging and fun version of this song that will also develop our Spanish guitar technique. The characteristic theme of Malagueña consists of an ascending major triad - root-3rd-5th - followed by a descending scale, both of which are consistent with the Phrygian mode. We can also augment this phrase with the common thumb-index exchange and add some rasgueo to make our easy version more three dimensional as you can see in this video which includes scrolling guitar tablature: 

Get the free Malagueña guitar tab here.