N. Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumblebee, arranged for Classical Guitar

Flight of the Bumblebee on solo guitar is not only a great speed and coordination study but also a delightful addition to your repertoire with Dr. Emre's arrangement that includes the original leitmotifs juxtaposed with the continuous chromatic run of sixteenth notes.

Arranged and performed by Emre Sabuncuoglu. Copyright © 2012 Los Angeles Guitar Academy Publishing. All rights reserved.
𝄞 Sheet music and tabs:

🍀 Free trial for online programs:

❤️ Love our work? Join our Patreon community and access dozens of patron-only posts and exclusive releases:

Taken from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," the well-known "Flight of the Bumblebee" has become a showstopper in concert halls everywhere for its musical portrayal of a bee's flight--its buzzing flurry of sound mimicking that of an actual bumblebee. Like many popular classics, the piece has made its way into film and television to evoke the audience's emotion. Its sheer speed has inspired the competitive nature of musicians everywhere to record the fastest version.

Yet all of these things for which this piece is known for cannot touch the frantic tone of its original setting, from which the sound and speed only serve to portray the desperation of the bumblebee to arrive at his destination.

Castaway from his father by war and deceit, the heir to the tsar's throne, Tsarevich Gvidon and his motherland on an island after being thrown into the sea by the trickery of his mother's jealous sisters, who sent a message to the tsar that his son was a freak of nature. As they hunt for food on the island, Gvidon saves the life of a swan, who turns out to be a magical creature. Grateful for Gvidon's intervention, the swan creates a city on the island. The island's new population crown Gvidon their prince.

Yet Gvidon mourns the absence of the father he has never known. Sensing his desperation, the Swan turns Gvidon into a bumblebee so he can fly back home to see his father, who has returned home from war. Here we see the frenetic desire of the son to see his father, to set the record straight, to achieve justice for himself and for his mother.

Gvidon, however, in his guise as a bumblebee, causes such chaos in the tsar's palace that his father bans bumblebees from his residence. Gvidon returns to the island, rejected by his own father. But again, the magic swan steps in. She transforms herself into a princess, whom Gvidon immediately falls in love with, and ultimately weds. At the wedding, his father arrives as visiting royalty, unaware that the island's prince is his very son. When his long-lost wife, who he believed to be drowned with his monster son, appears at Gvidon's side, the tsar suddenly realizes that the Prince is his son.

The opera's ending is refreshing in its treatment of forgiveness. Though his jealous aunts nearly caused his and his mother's deaths, the Tsarevich Gvidon, even with all his newly-found power, forgives his aunts--unconditionally--no strings attached.

Recommended videos:
✔️ Symphony No.40 by Mozart:

✔️ The Story of the Kalender Prince, from Scheherazade:

✔️ Moonlight Sonata, 3rd movement for solo guitar:

✔️ The Four Seasons, Spring, 1st mvt by Vivaldi:

[XeroKL]

Forget about piano and whatnot, with classical guitar this piece actually SOUNDS like a bumblebee! Much respect to maestro Sabuncuoglu!

[theJoeSapien]

This man is like an octopus, it's like each finger has its own private brain to operate it. I cannot imagine how much time it takes in practice to reach such amazing level of neuromuscular coordination.

[kano]

“If you can play it slow, you can play it quickly.”

[frb]

LOVE that finger stretch before any of this even happened. Classy.

[atanaskocev]

I can't BEEleave my eyes, there was no BUZZ at all, perfect

[edytanto]

No human can play like this. From what galaxy are you from?

[Zaaxun]

Why when I tried this it sounded like flight of the tortoise

[recjarata]

Recently purchased this arrangement and have been learning the piece slowly but surely. Really like how clearly specified the fingering and positionings are. Makes things way easier. And although I typically just read the standard notation, it's nice they included the tablature as well. It's a way for me, from time to time, to verify that I'm playing the right notes. And good for those who don't read musical notation to be able to learn it as well.

[Velvetspoonful]

He just uses this song to warm up. His strings are thermo resistant, he's been know to melt the normal ones. He can starts a barbecue by fiddling around with a guitar. Fun fact : this video is played at reduced speed, his movements being too fast for the hooman eye. He can text whole novels in a matter of minutes. Movies use his hands when there's a "hacking" scene, with all the windows popping up on screen.
The Chosen One.
The Legend.
Fastfinger.

[nitpicker]

is there a single part of the fretboard which he does not touch?

[daveedmunds]

No hammers or pull-offs...he picks every note.

[Algnite]

"No fingers were hurt during making of this video"

[marcos]

I keep watching your videos, waiting for the slight flub, the lag in timing...It's never there. Your technique is truly flawless.

[LiamoR]

That's THE most impressive guitar work I ve ever seen on youtube ; an absolute mastery

[guyfromBR]

Wow!!!

Look, 85 pro Guitarists saw him playing this, thumbed it down - and went on to change their careers... maybe making Bread, who knows? ;)

Respect, Maestro Emre!

[onepunchman]

1:20 to all whoever said that this song can't be played on guitar

[MrStrocube]

Not only some virtuoso playing, but it actually sounds like a bumble bee, much more so than the piano arrangement. Brilliant!

[陳中皓-vl]

Compared with those only want to break the record, you not only played fast but with dynamic, which make it the real music.

[ernestogasulla]

This should be mandatory listening for rock fans who call shredders "best in the world".

[cosmosgato]

I've heard it played on an electric but a classical guitar finger style?
That's courage!