
Properly held, the fingers play at an angle to the string, not perpendicular.

There is a tendency for the guitar to slide down the left leg, collapsing the left shoulder and distorting the right wrist (called "deviated wrist"). And the guitar is turned to the player's right so as to rest against the ribs on the player's right side.Ĭare must be taken to keep the guitar turned to the right. The right foot tucks underneath the player to make room for the guitar. The right elbow is placed on the box of the guitar so that the hand falls over the strings, with the fingers at an angle to the strings. The player sits on the front of the chair and the left foot is supported by a foot stool or some other device. It is built so that the right hand falls at the back of the sound hole when it is placed on the left leg. The "classical" guitar is the traditional guitar of Spain. In the following article the role of the hands should be reversed when considering left-handed players.Īn introductory overview of classical guitar technique is given in the article Classical guitar (Section: Performance).Ī guitarist demonstrating traditional classical guitar posture Similar reasoning is behind string players using the right hand for controlling the bow. Historically, this role has been assigned to the dominant hand which, for the majority of players, is the right hand.


In other words, the hand that plucks the strings defines the musical expression. In guitar, performance elements such as musical dynamics (loudness or softness) and tonal/timbral variation are mostly determined by the hand that physically produces the sound.

The classical guitar is a solo polyphonic instrument, and it is difficult to master.Ĭlassical guitar technique can be organized broadly into subsections for the right hand, the left hand, and miscellaneous techniques. The index (i), middle (m), and ring (a) fingers are generally used to play the melody, while the thumb (p) accompanies in the bass register adding harmony, and produces a comparable texture and effect to that of the piano. In classical guitar, the right hand is developed in such a way that it can sustain two, three, and four voice harmonies while also paying special attention to tone production.
