In classical Guitar, fingering is the choice of which fingers will be used. Usually, the composer or the editor writes the fingering.
In reality, you will not see left and right-hand fingers around each note of the piece you play. That would be too much information which in most cases will be unnecessary. Nevertheless, classical guitar player is always free to choose their own fingering. It is not black and white. An experienced classical guitarist can design efficient and logical fingering that will serve the needs of a particular piece or a place in the piece.
However, there are some standards – “rules”. It takes time for beginners to acquire them. Here are some tips on how to avoid bad habits and develop your understanding of classical guitar fingering:
-Follow your teacher’s instructions
Laying the foundation for good fingering habits is one of the priorities in teaching classical guitar. So, be sure that your teacher will take good care of developing and cultivating those habits.
-Follow editors fingering
when it comes to playing a piece that already has written fingers. Take some time to practice it and explore it. Do not jump right away into changing and correcting it. The one that wrote this fingering has put their thoughts into it. If there is something that doesn’t work for you or is uncomfortable, ask your teacher.
-Writing fingering
Not always the pieces that you will play will have fingers, sometimes, you will have to come up with your own. This is a great opportunity to learn and understand how fingering works. Here are some guidelines that will help you:
- Keep it simple Don’t try to be fancy or overthink it. The goal is to find the most efficient way of playing the piece.
- Focus on the big picture Fingering is not about which finger goes where. It’s about connecting the dots between positions and finding the most efficient way to get from one position to another.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are so we can learn from them. Go ahead and experiment. The worst that can happen is that you’ll have to start over.
- you can always ask your teacher to help you, but before that try to do your best.
When it comes to playing classical guitar, fingering is an important part of the process. By following these tips, you can develop good habits and understand how to finger a piece correctly. With practice, you’ll be able to play any piece with ease. Happy practicing!