PLAY
CLASSICAL GUITAR
UNIT
2
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION AND FREE STROKE................................................................................. 9
Revision on
posture................................................................................................................. 9
The Method......................................................................................................................................... 10
Right and Left Handedness............................................................................................. 11
What sort of guitar should I learn
on?......................................................... 12
The Classical (Spanish) Guitar.................................................................................. 13
About the Spanish Guitar................................................................................................ 13
The Nails............................................................................................................................................... 14
Sitting position......................................................................................................................... 15
Practice makes perfect........................................................................................................ 18
Tuning the Guitar..................................................................................................................... 19
Open/Closed string Tuning Method..................................................................... 20
Harmonic tuning method.................................................................................................. 21
Cross checking with chords......................................................................................... 21
The Free Stroke (Tirando)................................................................................................ 22
Alternating Fingers – ‘Walking on
the String’...................................... 24
2 THE FREE STROKE - TWO NOTES TOGETHER........................................................... 27
Music Notation............................................................................................................................. 27
Introducing Quavers............................................................................................................ 27
The ‘finger a string’ rule................................................................................................. 28
Finger patterns - two notes together............................................................. 29
Two Notes Together With Bass Notes................................................................. 30
Three notes together........................................................................................................... 31
Patterns on fingered notes.......................................................................................... 32
Finger patterns and left hand notes................................................................. 34
3 Playing Chords and Arpeggios....................................................................................... 37
About Chords and Arpeggios....................................................................................... 37
Reading chord charts.......................................................................................................... 38
Bridging your fingers........................................................................................................ 38
Major, Minor and Seventh Chords.......................................................................... 40
Chord Progressions............................................................................................................... 42
Playing Arpeggios.................................................................................................................... 44
Scarborough Fare..................................................................................................................... 46
Theory of Harmony and chords................................................................................. 46
Exercise in scales and chords.................................................................................... 48
Position playing........................................................................................................................ 48
Block chords study................................................................................................................. 49
Triplets................................................................................................................................................. 50
Three Popular Tunes.............................................................................................................. 50
Amazing Grace................................................................................................................................ 51
Plaisir d'amour............................................................................................................................ 51
El Condor Passa........................................................................................................................... 52
4 Bar Chords and Bass Notes......................................................................................... 55
Bar Chords......................................................................................................................................... 55
Playing a bar at 5th
Position (V)............................................................................... 56
The ‘Half
Bar’................................................................................................................................... 57
Two Tunes
with an F Chord............................................................................................. 58
The House of
the Rising Sun........................................................................................... 58
Notes on the
bass strings............................................................................................... 60
Exercise on
bass strings................................................................................................... 60
Diatonic
Scales - C major and A minor................................................................ 61
Diminished
Chords................................................................................................................... 62
Tetrachords..................................................................................................................................... 62
Harmonic
Minor and Melodic Minor Scales of Am.................................. 62
Study in C............................................................................................................................................ 64
Grace Notes
– Appoggiatura and Acciaccatura...................................... 65
Study No 1 in C by F Sor....................................................................................................... 65
Study No 1
in C – F. Sor.......................................................................................................... 66
Study in Am........................................................................................................................................ 67
Study by D.
Aguado................................................................................................................... 67
5 Playing Two Notes Together.......................................................................................... 69
Two notes
together and rest stoke emphasis.......................................... 69
Two Studies
by Carcassi and Aguado.................................................................. 71
Two notes
together - rest stroke.......................................................................... 72
Mixing Rest
and Free Stroke.......................................................................................... 73
Am Study –
R.Faint...................................................................................................................... 73
Ecossaise:
Duet - J. Kuffner............................................................................................. 74
Study in Am........................................................................................................................................ 74
Study in Am
- R. Faint.............................................................................................................. 75
Semi-Quavers................................................................................................................................... 76
Playing a
piece with Semi-quavers....................................................................... 76
Two Duets
with semi quavers...................................................................................... 77
Time
signatures – simple and compound......................................................... 79
6/8 time.................................................................................................................................................. 79
Time
Signature Chart............................................................................................................ 80
Greensleeves
– Anon.............................................................................................................. 81
Duet:
Romance - J.Kuffner................................................................................................. 82
Section 6 - The scales of E minor, A major, D major...................................... 84
and E Major............................................................................................................................................. 84
The E minor scale........................................................................................................................ 84
Key
signatures.............................................................................................................................. 85
The B7 chord..................................................................................................................................... 85
Em Study
Extract........................................................................................................................ 85
Ecossaise -
J. Kuffner............................................................................................................. 86
Playing
triplets and jazz style chords.......................................................... 87
Summertime –
G.Gershwin................................................................................................. 87
Andantino –
Duet: Kuffner........................................................................................... 88
Voices and
Intervals............................................................................................................. 88
Playing
tenths.............................................................................................................................. 89
Study in G
major – R. Faint............................................................................................... 89
Accentuating
a note............................................................................................................... 90
Interpretation
- Playing with dynamics....................................................... 92
Modes....................................................................................................................................................... 93
Modes and
improvisation................................................................................................. 94
Malaguena.......................................................................................................................................... 94
Improvising
on a mode - Variations on Malaguena............................ 95
Tremelo.................................................................................................................................................. 96
Keys of D, A
and E major....................................................................................................... 96
Ornamentation............................................................................................................................. 97
The Half
Barre................................................................................................................................ 97
Six Pieces............................................................................................................................................. 98
Duet -
J.Kuffner............................................................................................................................ 98
Study in
Thirds Duet – J. Kuffner.......................................................................... 100
Spanish
Romance – Anon.................................................................................................. 101
Tristezza -
Frederick Chopin...................................................................................... 102
Gymnopedie
No. 1 - Erik Satie..................................................................................... 104
7 Where next?................................................................................................................................. 107
About guitar
lessons......................................................................................................... 107
Checklist........................................................................................................................................... 108
APPENDICES................................................................................................................................................ 111
GLOSSARY................................................................................................................................................... 112
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE TERMS................................................................................................... 119
COMPOSER’S BIOGRAPHIES................................................................................................................ 123
USEFUL WEB LINKS.............................................................................................................................. 128
MUSIC GRADE EXAMS.......................................................................................................................... 130
RECOMMENDED
LISTENING................................................................................................................. 131
FURTHER INFORMATION....................................................................................................................... 138