Classical Guitar Lessons - Bouree
Bouree, from the first Lute Suite by J.S. Bach is an oft-prescribed piece for classical guitar students early in their development. Jason Vieaux introduces the piece and begins teaching it in the classical guitar lesson above.
This piece is a bit difficult for beginning classical guitar students because there are two lines and so Vieaux slots it into his intermediate classical guitar lessons. For this same reason, it is recommended that you first practice the melody line and the bass separately, and then integrate them after you have absorbed the nuances of each.
We tend to naturally hear the higher melody line more distinctly, so this strategy of separating the two lines in practice allows you to appreciate and perfect the bass line and its specific melody. That way when you integrate the two lines, you are actively hearing the bass line and not just playing a series of finger movements on the bass strings as a counterpoint to the melody.
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Vieaux demonstrates some non standard fingering in many of the passages. By removing bars and open string fingering, you can free up your left hand and play more rhythmically without having to dampen strings with the right hand.
These alternate fingerings are designed to not only help you give the piece more of a dance-like feel, but they also make the changes easier to execute.
Bouree has been adopted by popular music in recent times, being covered by Jethro Tull, Yngwie Malmsteen, Led Zeppelin, and Tenacious D. Paul McCartney is even said to have been influenced by Bouree when he composed "Black Bird."
There are more free classical guitar lessons from Vieaux’s online guitar school, so be sure to check them out!
Related Classical Guitar Blogs
- Classical Guitar Lessons: Segovia Scales
- Spanish Guitar Lesson on Leyenda
- Jason Vieaux on All Strings Considered
- Classical Guitar Lesson: Bach BWV 996 Courante