Right Hand Fingering for Classical Guitar: Concepts and Case Studies

Right Hand Fingering for Classical Guitar: Concepts and Case Studies

Right Hand Fingering for Classical Guitar: Concepts and Case Studies. This book aims to give students a basic criteria for justifying fingering choices and gaining confidence in deciding fingering for themselves. The combination of concepts and case studies offers a framework for approaching fingering in both logical and musical ways. This is a pdf download.

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Included in this pdf booklet

  • 58 pages of text and notation examples
  • Notation-only with fingering
  • Text explanations and debates
  • Comparisons of fingerings
  • Free video lessons for each concept and example

Level – This book is for the intermediate student but can be beneficial to all levels either as an introduction to right hand fingering concepts or as a clarification of values for advanced students. Most conceptual examples are basic open string exercises attainable to beginners and all levels. However, the repertoire examples are mainly from the intermediate repertoire. Therefore, in order to gain maximum benefit from the case studies, a level of grade 4-7 is recommended.

Video Lessons and Contents

Videos to be release this January and February.

Concepts – This section forms a basic criteria for examining or choosing right hand fingering in a variety of musical textures.

  • Alternation (Exercises No.1-7, Page 6-7) 
  • String Crossing and Ergonomics (Exercises No.8-14, Page 8-11) 
  • String Spacing and Ergonomics (Exercises No.) 
  • Rest Stroke and Free Stroke Considerations (Exercises No.) 
  • Repetition of a Single Finger (Exercises No.) 
  • Playing Arpeggios Across Five and Six Strings (Exercises No.) 
  • Voice Separation (Exercises No.) 

Additional Thoughts – Clarity on how we approach fingering in a practical way and in the practice room.

  • Spot Fingering (Exercises No.) 
  • Feel vs Logic: Personal Preference and Cautionary Tips(Exercises No.) 

Case Studies and Comparisons – Using the concepts learned in the first section, multiple musical examples are examined and debated.

  • Common Musical Textures (Exercises No.) 
  • Alternation and Repeated Fingers (Exercises No.) 
  • Playing Across the Strings
  • Thumb Use and Voice Separation
  • Additional Case Studies

Final Advice

  • Curiosity and Exploration, a Natural Part of Learning Music

Student Q&A

If you have a question about the book leave a comment below and I’ll organize the answers here.

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Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and publisher from Victoria, BC, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content with guitarists worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers and 14 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory for 16 years and has freelanced in Greater Victoria for 25 years. See more at his personal website.

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