Free Online Classical Guitar Lessons from LAGA

Pictures at an Exhibition was a labor of love for its composer. One of Mussorgsky's closest friends, the artist Viktor Hartmann, died suddenly. Inspired by his friend's work, Mussorgsky created a piano suite about a man who is wandering through an art gallery, looking at an exhibition by one of his favorite artists, who, like Hartmann, had recently passed away. Most of the movements describe paintings the man admires during his tour. This work became a popular addition to the repertoire of orchestras worldwide, thanks to an orchestration by the French composer, Maurice Ravel.

The Promenade is the opening movement in the suite. The man enters the gallery, looking for his favorite painting. The reflective nature of the music makes it a perfect piece for the classical guitar. With its wide range of tone colors and dynamic variations, the guitar can express well the emotion of the man as he views the departed artist's work. This arrangement, for solo classical guitar, is written in the key of A major.

Spot Practice Clip:

The guide fingers, which are the fingers that slide on the same string as you shift position (in this case, use 3 on the fourth string, 2 on the second string), will be helpful when shifting positions back and forth in this passage.

This is perhaps the most challenging passage in the piece because of the active melodic and bass lines and the position changes. In the first position change, use 3 on the second string, fifth fret, instead of the default fingering "2," because it will serve as a guide finger as you shift to the fourth position.

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