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Newbie needs advice on classical right-hand technique…

Newbie needs advice on classical right-hand technique…

Updated on March 10, 2017 in Student's Corner

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Danonearth 2 0 on March 9, 2017

Hi,

I am just teaching myself classical guitar (I play most Brasilian bossa nova) and I have a question about right hand technique…

I usually play ‘plucking’ the D – G – B (and sometimes E) strings with my fingers, and play the bass line on the E & A strings with just my thumb

I am learning Bach’s Suite #1 in G Major, which (in my version) plays mostly on the E – A – D – G strings, so my question is:

Should I keep my thumb on the E & A strings, and try and just play D string with the 1st finger, and G string with the 2nd finger (as I would do in bossa nova) or is it better to ‘mix-it-up’ a bit and alternate strings/fingers etc. when playing classical pieces?

Thanks!

cheers,

Dan

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Jaap 0 0 on March 10, 2017

Generally speaking: It is not the strings that decide which finger should pick it, but the function of the note. The bass line has the note stems down, you pluck them with the thumb, whatever string they are on. The melody and accompanyment you pluck with ima. The melody line has the stems up, you make these notes stand out, and take care that the melody flows smoothly, not one note much louder than the others.