A few important ideas in teaching “Lacrimosa”
Rehearse the canon in unison, directions for identifying matching sections are below
Section 1- Guitar 1 at the beginning, Guitar 2 at letter A, Guitar 3 at letter B
Section 2- Gtr. 1 at A, Gtr. 2 at B, Gtr. 3 at C
Section 3- Gtr. 1 at B, Gtr. 2 at C, Gtr. 3 at D
Section 3- Gtr. 1 at C, Gtr. 2 at D, Gtr. 3 at E
As the ensemble becomes comfortable with each section, gradually layer canonic entrances
Experiment with color contrasts. For example- Gtr. 1 dolce, Gtr.2 normal, and Gtr. 3 ponticello throughout. There are many other approaches. Try several and ask for student feedback.
In addition try sections in pizzicato and arco.
Follow dynamic shapes carefully
Practice contrasting legato and staccato
Ask for student comment on a specific idea for several different repetitions of a section such as: togetherness, dynamics, visual contact, etc.
Practice counting together aloud
Practice cuing student entrances without previously establishing the pulse
Record an early performance of the piece and compare it to a recording of a polished performance (ask for general and specific student observations)
Model a blatantly incorrect performance of a short section and ask for student feed back to correct the issue
As with all pieces from guitarcurriculum.com, demand great attention to playing beautifully as a group. Try a rehearsal section repeatedly, each time asking students to focus on a different concept like dynamics, balance, tone quality and articulation.