Classical Guitar Lesson #7: Left Hand, Part 1

TEACHERS AND STUDENTS! Now you can get Kent Murdick's new five volume series, "Learning To Read Music On the Classical Guitar" that goes right along with the Youtube technique videos. This is the direction and music you need to do things right! Buy three or more books and "shipping and handling" is FREE!

Book 1: "The First 30 Days of Instruction". $5.95 + $1.75 shipping and handling. The student will learn eight notes in the open position on the 3rd, 4th and 2nd stings, and a handful of simple rhythms -- all pieces and exercises are played with P stoke only.

Book 2: "The Next 30 Days of Instruction". $5.95 + $1.75 shipping and handling. Rests, ties, the division of the beat and eight new notes -- E, F, G on the 1st string and the open 5th and 6th strings - are covered in this volume. The rest stroke with 'i' and 'm' is introduced . A few solos are included.

Book 3: " Bass Notes". $5.95 + $1.75 shipping and handling. Since reading ledger line notes is difficult for beginning students , I devote a whole volume to learning B and C on the 5th string and F and G on the 6th string. Many solos are included.

Book 4: "Chords". $5.95 + $1.75 shipping and handling. Reading two and three-note chords and the free stroke are covered in this volume. Many playing styles are covered including ragtime, tango, beguine and the Mexican waltz. An index of first position chords for strumming appears at the end.

Book 5: "Arpeggios". $9.95 + $1.75 shipping and handling.
Contains pieces based on the most important arpeggio patterns including five tremolo pieces. There is also a complete section on playing ragtime guitar along with first position versions of Leyenda, Recuerdos De La Alhambra, Malaguena and a tremolo version of Romanza. This books brings you right up to the intermediate level.

Supplementary Material which includes CD: "Mel Bay's Easiest Classical Guitar Solos Book" $14.95 + $1.75 shipping and handling.

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Kent Murdick
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Video description: I demonstrate the default position for the left hand; a position you can use for more than 50% of your playing. The default position should always be used when practicing scales. To see all ten lessons do a search for: classical guitar lessons murdick. To hear Kent Murdick play, go to http://members.aol.com/lutemann/NO.mp3

Produced by
Kent Murdick
University of South Alabama

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• guitar
• lesson
• technique
• left
• hand
• part
• one
• murdick
• aaron
• shearer
• christopher
• berg
• spanish
• techniques

[AnarchisticLeper]

I'm giving my left handed technique an overhaul and was wondering about the positioning of the left hand thumb. Where should you place it and what parts of it should be in contact with the neck?

[Lutemann]

It depends on the size of your hand. John Williams, fro example, often has his thumb sticking over the top of the neck because his hand is large. Put you hand in a good position and the thumb will go where it should. BTW, the left hand is not static. It movers around a lot.

[gao048]

great lesson, but try to introduce the terms in multiple ways , such as some modern terms that new guitarists are familiar with, such as , when you say slur you can also say hammer on or pull off, its just a suggestion.

[Lutemann]

@gao048

"Hammer on" and "pull offs" are old folk guitar terms and are not used by classical guitarists.

[lirjonmessi]

i think that your guitar was not tunned in this video .

[1988scottcarey]

It finally makes sense!!

[ainKwang]

can we use same guitar with right handed ? ? if we are left handed can we just rotate the right handed guitar and play it ?

[EvilGniusStudios]

@Kkerr72 this is for BEGGINNEEEERRSSSSS

[aguamigo22]

Please don't mark this as spam, this a very helpful post for lefties:

I just got a job working for a company called "Lefty's San Francisco" and they sell common products for lefties like lefty scissors, school supplies, cooking stuff, gardening and home improvement tools and lots of cool stuff for left-handed people. It's the number one company that sells left handed products so check us out if you're in your right mind

[Sarihta1978]

I am a beginner and I am truely having a hard time with my left hand...this video certainly helps.

[Kkerr72]

@happygolucky2000 How is a slur an advanced topic? a fourth grader can tell you what a slur is. Advanced topics are like secondary dominants and counterpoint. learn to music.