REPERTOIRE

ZORAN DUKIC
JOSÉ SONATA,
MOVEMENT FOUR

WATCH THE LESSON

AT TONEBASE.CO
“OUT OF ALL OF THEM, I HAVE NO DOUBT
WHICH SONATA I WOULD CHOOSE TO TAKE
WITH ME ON A DESERT ISLAND!”

LESSON DESCRIPTION

In this lesson on the final movement of Antonio

Jose’s powerful Sonata, Zoran Dukic ties it all
together with his thoughts on this marvelous and
intense piece of music. Beginning with a bang, the
unusual structure of this movement alternates
between toccata-like scale runs, quotes from the
first movement, and bridges that introduce new
material. Since printed editions differ considerably,
Zoran doesn’t try to give every option for each note,
but instead gives the performer the definitive guide
for creating an exciting experience for an audience.
He goes through fingering techniques and practice
exercises for the fast scales, suggesting careful and
slow double-dotted practice to build synchronization.
Many interpretive decisions are, of course, up to
the individual artist, but Zoran emphasizes the
importance of having a clear direction in mind and
exaggerating it to aid in both interpretation and
technique. Finally, Zoran connects technique to
emotion- detailing specific instances where slurs,
dampenings, or negative string crossings create
feelings of passion, excitement, or risk-taking.
Hopefully this piece, one of Zoran’s personal all-time
favorites, takes you on an exciting journey!
 ABOUT YOUR
INSTRUCTOR

Zoran Dukic graduated from the Music Academy of Zagreb with

Darko Petrinjak and completed his studies with Hubert Käppel
at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne. He is the only guitarist
to have won both “Andrés Segovia” competitions, in Granada
and in Palma de Mallorca.

Though he considers the music by J. S. Bach is still the focal

point of his musical life, he has inspired numerous composers
to dedicate their works to him. He enjoys a special affinity for
Spanish and South American musical idiom, the core repertoire
of classical guitar.

OUTLINE
1. Structure

2. Scales

3. Negative Crossings

4. Doubled Dotted Exercise

5. Bridges

6. Passion

7. Intensity

8. Rock N Roll

9. Conclusion
STRUCTURE
Finally, Zoran arrives at the fourth movement, ‘Final’, of the
Jose Sonata. After the soft and sensitive final chord of the third
movement, the first four chords of this movement break the
tension.

This movement has a rather unusual structure. It repeats a lot

of the first movement, but is intercepted with long scales and
powerful chords. Remember that this piece is not in a Spanish
or nationalistic style, so be sure not to play the four chords with
flamenco expression. As surprising and rhythmic as they are, keep
the four notes entirely even. Zoran plays them with one finger to
get a better sound, even there is a specific fingering marked.
Ultimately, use whichever fingering allows you to play without any
accents. On these first chords, dampen the fifth string in the first
chord with a loose finger in the left hand.

SCALES
These fast scales raise a number of challenging technical
questions. Aim for very clear notes, with exaggerated dynamic
direction, depending on the shape you want. For Zoran, apoyando
strokes usually allow him to get the color and clarity he wants.

In measure four, end the descending C mixolydian scale with

your fourth finger. This way, your hand is ready to play the chord
in measure five in time. The four fast notes must be extremely
convincing and in time, no matter what! While Zoran plays
campanella on the descending runs with his right hand, he does
not let notes ring over one another. Rather, he holds his left hand
in a sort of “bluesy” position and cuts each note as soon as he
plays the next one.

In the video lesson, notice how Zoran exaggerates the dynamic

motion that he decides on. This aids in the speed of his execution,
and adds interest to the music.
 “When you have a clear direction, it’s easier to play
super fast!”

Throughout the runs, decide when to using your thumb makes the
piece easier to play and gets a clearer sound. For example, Zoran
uses his thumb for the scale run in measures nine and ten.

NEGATIVE CROSSING
It’s often that a line suggests the use of a negative string crossing.
While a regular right hand fingering might call for i on the second
string and m on the first string, sometimes it’s more effective to
play m on the second string and i on the first. It’s not obligatory
to use this fingering, since there are usually a good number of
alternate fingerings to choose from, but they are occasionally the
most convenient solution.

Zoran uses a negative string crossing in the second measure of

the piece, playing the B-flat with his index finger, and the D with
the m finger.
Spend a lot of time practicing this jump to get a clear sound.
Zoran will also often use his thumb in a high position, such as in
the fourth measure.

Slurs are another useful technique to aid in playing fast scales,

so long as the tempo is consistent and neither of the notes are
accented. They should melt into the direction of the line until they
aren’t noticeable.

DOUBLE DOTTED EXERCISE

Guitar is possibly the most difficult instrument in the world for
coordination. In this movement, the fast scales are often uneven,
or almost swung. To fix this, it’s highly recommended to practice
the toccata-like scales with a very slow double-dotted rhythm.

Put your metronome on very slowly, pick a line from the piece,
and alternate between playing a very long note and a very short
one. At first, you can even consider playing quadruple-dotted, or
with an even longer wait before the short note comes in. This will
develop coordination moving from every note to the next. For
Zoran, this is the best way to practice coordination between the
two hands.
Next, reverse the order, so that you begin on the second note of
the line. This lets you focus on the other transitions, in between
the ones you played before.

With these two exercises, you can bring awareness to every

connection in the entire piece. Play this exercise with a lot of
concentration. Even today, despite having practiced this piece
for nearly thirty years, Zoran practices the fourth movement in
precisely this way on the day of a concert!

“I can’t recommend it strongly enough. For any

fast scales, use your double dotted rhythm with a
metronome for improving your synchronization!”

BRIDGES
The first bridge section begins in measure twenty-one. It consists
of a somewhat uncomfortable arpeggio, but it mustn’t be played
slower, and should be a bit excited, or agitated. Watch the video
lesson to see some of the trickier string crossings Zoran is using.
The dynamic shape is very clearly written by Jose- crescendo for
one measure, decrescendo for one measure, and then repeat.
Pay attention to the interesting yet uncomfortable fingerings
Zoran uses in measure twenty-five. Don’t get over-excited at the
end of this line, since measure twenty-nine starts with a subito
pianissimo.

Most people play the subito forte in measure thirty-three as it

was written in a later edition, with only one pitch on the second
sixteenth note of each upbeat. To add more excitement to the
music, Zoran plays both a B and G-sharp on both notes of the first
upbeat in measure thirty-three, as in the score below,
To play this attack clearly, Zoran uses one finger to catch both
strings, a, and then i. The movement should be quick and
powerful, aggressive enough that the notes sound at the same
time. Rather than shift his right hand, Zoran shifts his left hand
up and down the neck.

It’s easier to play the notes in time if the left hand is shifting, than
if the right hand has to jump around to do the plucking. Be sure,
of course, to add expression as you become more comfortable
with the fingerings.

In measure forty-four, there is a direct quote from the first

movement. In the first movement, Zoran plays a decrescendo
to the end of this line, but for the final movement, he plays a
crescendo. This way there is a steady build into ‘Tempo I’.
PASSION
After the next toccata and bridge, Jose writes apasionadamente,
‘passionately’. The primary theme from the first movement
returns, but with a different energy. After a series of explosive
scales, there is more passion and excitement in the air. Capture
this feeling by playing with more intensity!

After the insert from the first movement’s second theme, the
next bridge is a bit different. Continue playing campanella in the
right hand and dampening the strings with the left hand. As a
reminder, use the fingerings that work best for your abilities. Feel
free to use slurs, as well, whenever it is comfortable, as long as
they aren’t accented.

INTENSITY
Next comes a reprise of the long phrase that added so much
passion to the first movement. This time, it’s even more exciting
and intense. Don’t leave anything behind- it’s all out in the open.
The climax of the entire sonata begins at the fifth measure of
‘Menos movido’ and lasts until the return of the theme in the
eleventh measure.
Continue giving more and more, letting the music grow, until the
line is abruptly cut off with two measures of silence.

Composers usually write a Grand Pause (GP), or a long fermata

when they want a large silence in a solo piece, but Jose writes
two full measures of rest instead. Freeze your whole body during
those rests- don’t even prepare your fingers. This makes the next
entrance even more dramatic than it would otherwise be.

Jose indicates this next toccata to be even louder, faster, and

more risky than earlier.

Some performers will extend the tempo of the two bars leading to
the G-minor chord, pausing to let each chord ring. Zoran doesn’t
personally use this interpretation, but it’s up to your discretion to
experiment.

Be sure to carefully count the number of times the D-E-C-E

motif repeats in the final few lines. On Zoran’s recording on this
piece from 1994, he admits to shortening the written phrase by
mistake!
Zoran will play the final four notes of the A major scale very fast,
with an accent and a tremolo fingering- “a i m i”. At this speed, it’s
quite risky but the resulting effect is very intense. Play another
somewhat long pause in the seventh measure from the end, just
before the final push.

ROCK N ROLL

The final chords are historically remarkable, in that they can be

easily heard as a rock ‘n’ roll figure. Remember that this piece
was written in the 1930s, well before any rock music was around!
Some editions write these chords an octave higher, but the ending
has a more wild feel when played in the lowest octave. Be careful
not to break a nail! Play the final three chords rhythmically,
and as strong as you can. At last, you can enjoy the audience’s
thunderous applause!

“Fortissimo, crescendo, accelerando, rasgueado- you

cannot over do it!”
CONCLUSION
Hopefully Zoran covered the most difficult points, preferred
playing techniques, and tricks that make it easier. He did not
choose to go into detail about the differences in the manuscripts,
since there is another few hours worth of content there! From
a performance perspective, these lessons cover how to identify
the most beautiful moments, create tension, develop phrases,
and make an audience truly enjoy this piece. Give the music
everything you have, with all the clarity it deserves. As always,
balance your performance with passion and reason.

This sonata is a marvelous and unique piece of music in the guitar

repertoire- strong enough that Zoran considers it among the
greatest sonatas of the early twentieth century! How lucky are
we all that this piece was found and reprinted in the early 1990s.
Good luck with this piece!
RESOURCES
Zoran Dukic’s Lesson on Invierno Porteño
Eager for another lesson with Zoran? Watch and follow along
as he breaks down a piece by Astor Piazzolla and offers useful
exercises to push your technique further.

Ali Arango’s Lesson On Fast Scales

Work with Arango to develop your fast scales for pieces like the
Jose Sonata! Study physical movements of the fingers, different
types of strokes, and connect to real musical examples.
NOTES