Classical Guitar Technique - Guitaristic Technique and Freedom

Guitaristic Technique and Freedom

As it is the right-hand thumb and fingers that pluck the strings, and every guitarist has different fingers, there are great differences in playing between guitarists, who often spend a large amount of time finding their own way of playing that suits them best in terms of specific objectives. For instance, some of the aspects that guitarists like to focus on are

• tone quality ("beauty")
• a large dynamic range, from pianissimo (very quiet) to fortissimo (very loud)
• correct finger techniques, so as to be able to achieve cleanliness in faster sections
• minimum (muscle) effort, so as to lessen tension and help ensure quick and free movement
• minimum movement of the wrist and forearm when plucking the strings

There is not one definite way of reaching these goals (there is not a single definite optimal guitar technique): rather there are different ways of reaching these goals, due to differences in the hands and fingers (including nails and nail quality) of guitarists.

When guitarists perform, they continually adjust by actively positioning their plucking hand and fingers closer to the fretboard or closer to the bridge to achieve the desired tone/timbre for a particular section.