Lesson: Right Hand Articulation for Classical Guitar

A lesson on right hand articulation for classical guitar covering how to play legato, staccato, pizzicato, and chords (playing solid, rolled, strummed, and rasgueado chords). For legato playing, make sure the right hand fingers pass through the string spending very little time touching the string (when you touch a vibrating string you mute it). For staccato, place the next available finger on the string as soon as possible purposefully stopping the sound (also called preparation). Beginners might want a little bit of preparation for security and accuracy (you’ll hit the correct string if you fingers are resting on it) – also see my lesson on Right Hand Planting & Preparation. Students often roll chords for no other reason than it being built into their muscle memory or because they have trouble playing a clean solid chord. Make sure you’ve decided to roll a chord and that it benefits the musical texture and does not disrupt the rhythm. I have a lesson on Rolled Chords on Classical Guitar.

Feel free to check out my technique book: Classical Guitar Technique: Essential Exercises, Scales, & Arpeggios.

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YouTube Lesson Link

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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