Aspects of Technique: the Exercises
Published: 1997 Author: Gordon Crosskey
The purpose of these exercises is explained in Gordon Crosskey’s article Aspects of Technique, also published on this site.
Right-Hand Exercises
Thumb-damping technique
1
Touch strings (6) and (4) without sounding during each arpeggio.
2
Damp string (6):
a) immediately (before playing second bass note)
b) in between 2nd and 3rd bass notes
3
Extract from William Walton, Bagatelle no.1
Play bass As staccato!
Apoyando with Right-Hand Thumb
1
Fingers: tirando
Thumb: apoyando
2
All bass notes to be played apoyando
3
‘Double apoyando’: fingers and thumb both play apoyando
Chordal Strumming Techniques
1
2
‘Tremolando’: m and i move together where shown by the brackets
3
Start with this triplet version before going on to exercise 4
4
Left-Hand Exercises
1
Begin with all four left-hand fingers pressing down in the position shown:
Perform upward and downward slurs as follows. Do not use the right hand: the first note in each group is a pull-off from the higher-placed finger. Practise on different pairs of adjacent strings.
2
Again, begin with all four left-hand fingers pressing down in the position shown:
Slur in parallel. Do not use the right hand but begin with a pull-off. Remember to execute the downward slur in a downward direction, so that finger 4 and 2 come to rest on the next string.
Slur in opposition. Do not use the right hand and slur downwards.
Slur 2 against 3:
a)
b)
c)
d)
3
Play in position II:
a)
b)