Free Classical Guitar Lesson 8: Combining Your Left and Right Hands
Free Online Classical Guitar Lessons from LAGA
Time to read some sheet music! No worries if you are a complete beginner on this, because we'll take you step by step, starting with the very basics. From now on, for the lessons, clips, and pieces with sheet music, follow these steps.
1. Listen and watch the video, which familiarizes your eyes and ears with the music.
2. Play the video while following the sheet music several times, to build a strong eye-ear connection with the notes on the staff.
3. Pick up your guitar, and then read and play through the music at a slow tempo. This step adds the kinesthetic (sense of touch) connection layer to the process. Repeat many times.
4. Watch the video again, listening to it carefully to reinforce both the sound of the music and the techniques you will use to play it.
5. Finally, play the music through again. Practice each song daily many times. Be sure, however, to take frequent breaks, though, to avoid overuse injuries and lack of focus. Make sure that you are able to play it accurately at the speed demonstrated in the video before moving on to the next lesson.
The notes used on this drill are the first position notes on the first string. Keep your left-hand fingers on the frets for the full duration of the note. This will minimize the pauses (rests) between each note, making smoother transitions. Maintain a continuous 'i'-'m' alternation. Play the drill slowly at first, making accuracy and keeping a continuous i-m alternation your top priorities. Gradually increase the speed until you are playing at the proper tempo.
