Classical guitar technique
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.
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 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.
It is built so that the right-hand side falls at the back of the sound hole when it is placed on the left leg.
Basic considerations in determining a chosen playing position include: A number of different approaches have been taken.
A number of guitar supports have been designed to allow the guitarist to sit in a posture recommended by the Alexander Technique: with a straight, untwisted spine, even shoulders, horizontal upper legs and both feet flat on the floor.
By contrast, Andres Segovia maintained that playing scales two hours a day "will correct faulty hand position" (1953) and for many years, this was the accepted practice.
In 1983, Richard Provost outlined principles of scale and arpeggio technique based on his study of anatomy to make the 'inherent kinesthetic tendencies' ("our limitations") of the human body work for the player.
[4] The traditional names of the right-hand fingers are pulgar, índice, medio, and anular, derived from Spanish.
Scores (in contrast with tablature) do not systematically indicate which string is to be plucked (although in most cases the choice is obvious).
One of the first classical guitarists to use the rest-stroke was the Spaniard Julian Arcas (1832–1882)[5] (and it may have been used by Jose Ciebra as well[6]), though it was already in use for flamenco music.
Finger alterations that are commonly used are: Modern practice generally makes use of the nails of the right hand in combination with the flesh of the fingertips in order to pluck the strings.
During the 19th century many influential guitarists such as Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega and his pupil Emilio Pujol played using the flesh of the fingertip, in common with lute technique.
The guitarist often has choices of where to "register" notes on the guitar based on: Slurs, trills and other ornaments are often played entirely with the left hand.
For example; in a simple case of an ascending semitone slur (Hammer-on), a note stopped by the first finger of the left hand at the fifth fret is first played in normal manner, then, without the right hand doing anything further, the second finger of the left-hand is placed straight down at the sixth fret on the same string, using its momentum to raise the tone of the still-ringing string by a semitone.
A descending slur (Pull-off) is simply the opposite of the above, the slur begins on the higher note, and it is common that the finger pressing the higher note actively plucks the string as it lifts, causing the string to vibrate from the fret that the lower finger is depressing.
The classical guitar vibrato is executed by rocking the tip of the left-hand finger(s) back and forth horizontally within the same fret space (i.e. along the string axis, and not across it as for a vertical "bend" in rock or blues music) producing a subtle variation in pitch, both sharper and flatter than the starting note, without noticeably altering the fundamental tonal focus of the note being played.
