Left Hand Preparation on Classical Guitar

Left hand preparation on classical guitar can help you reach another level of playing. Find out why and how to develop this technique in this video.

How it helps you

Left hand preparation allows you to play more legato, which is key to playing in a singing way. It also allows you to play two lines of music at the same time so it sounds like two instruments playing together on one instrument.

Examples of Preparation

One of the hardest things to achieve on classical guitar is playing horizontally rather than vertically. Playing vertically is very beat-y, focused on chords and the first beat of each measure or figure. Horizontal playing, on the other hand, is much more singing and focuses on how the voice develops through time.

How you move from vertical to horizontal playing is all about how you transition between the notes. In other words, left hand preparation is central to playing horizontally. This allows you to focus on phrasing and creating more singing lines.

Left Hand Preparation Exercise

So we’ve created an exercise that will help you work on this technique. It’s a simple exercise, but it is challenging. We play octaves but we’re not thinking about what notes we just played. Instead, as soon as we play one set of notes we focus on what’s next and prepare our fingers early – before we play.

Download the  Left Hand Preparation Exercise Here