Lesson: Large Solid Chords with 5 or 6 Notes & Sweeping

A lesson on how to play large chords with 5 or 6 notes and sweeping the thumb or fingers in the right hand for classical guitar. I also talk about the pinky finger and the difference between the popular guitar world versus the classical guitar tradition. Plus, using sweeping thumb or fingers in arpeggios and bass dyads in pieces such as Villa-Lobos Prelude No.1.

Five or six note chords: You can either sweep the thumb over two or three bass notes or sweep a finger over multiple notes. It’s one musical gesture that should sound like a solid chord.

The pinky: I use my picky with electric guitar but on classical guitar it can be difficult to get control, volume, and good tone from it. I’m not saying we should count it out completely but it’s rarely used on classical guitar. Subscribe via the email newsletter for more free lessons. YouTube Lesson Link.

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Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 94,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.

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  1. Really? You play electric guitar too? I would love to see that! Thanks for this lesson; as always, interesting and helpful.