Matteo Carcassi Study in D Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (02:06) Intro In this introduction scene, Pamela performs "No. 10" from Matteo Carcassi's collection of 25 Melodic and Progressive Studies, Opus 60.

If you wish to purchase a copy of Carcassi's 25 Studies, the publication information is provided below.

Title: 25 Melodic and Progressive Studies, Op. 60: Book/CD Pack (Paperback)
Author: Matteo Carcassi, Paul Henry
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation (August 1, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0793518679
ISBN-13: 978-0793518678

Carcassi also wrote a very popular guitar method book entitled Metodo de Guitarra. The modern edition of this book is printed in Spanish with a corresponding English translation. The publication information is provided below.

Title: The Complete Carcassi Guitar Method op. 59
Author: Mel Bay, Joseph Castle
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications (March 1, 1974)
Language: English / Spanish
ISBN-10: 0871663783
ISBN-13: 978-0871663788 Chapter 2: (10:58) Matteo Carcassi Study in D Note: Standard notation to Carcassi's op. 60, no. 4 can be found under the "Supplemental Content" tab.

All 25 pieces within Carcassi's op. 60 were composed with specific educational purposes in mind. No. 4 is an etude that addresses slurring techniques in the key of D major.

A Few Thoughts on Reading Music

If you wish to play the classical guitar well, it is essential that you have the ability to read standard notation.

Check out the following resources to develop your reading skills:

-Matt Brown's Phase 2 Reading Music and Rhythm Series
-Jim Deeming's Phase 2 Music Reading Series

For additional information, check out the books listed below.

Title: Progressive Guitar Method Book 1 (Book/CD/DVD)

This book is an excellent place to start if you have no experience reading standard notation.

Author: Gary Turner (Author)
Publisher: Progressive, LTP Publishing (1st. 52 pages) (February 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0959540482
ISBN-13: 978-0959540482

Title: A Modern Method for Guitar - Volume 1: Book/DVD-ROM Pack
Author: William Leavitt

This book begins with the basics, but quickly moves into material of an intermediate difficulty level.

Publisher: Berklee Press
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0876390696
ISBN-13: 978-0876390696

Study in D

A. Rhythm

Carcassi's "Study in D" is played in 3/8 time. This time signature may be new to many of you. The top number in a time signature always indicates the number of beats in each measure. The bottom number indicates which type of note receives the beat. A breakdown of how to interpret the lower number is provided below.

32: 32nd note receives the beat
16: 16th note receives the beat
8: eighth note receives the beat
4: quarter note receives the beat
2: half note receives the beat
1: whole note receives the beat

Thus, in 3/8 time, there are three beats in each measure, and the eighth note is counted as the beat.

Compound Meters aka "Compound Signatures"

3/8 is an example of a "compound meter." Compound meters are time signatures in which eighth notes are placed in groupings of three. Some common examples are 3/8, 6/8, 12/8, and 9/8. A slight accent is placed on the first eighth note in each group.

Rhythmic Motif

This piece is held together by a repeating rhythmic motif. This motif consists of an eighth note followed by a set of six sextuplets. Then, three eighth notes are plucked in an "oom pah pah" waltz type rhythm.

Slurs are played within the sextuplet groupings. An ascending slur (hammer-on) is immediately followed by a descending slur (pull-off). Thus, only the first sextuplet in each group of three is plucked with the right hand.

Practice Tip

Isolate and drill each individual repetition of the rhythmic motif at a very slow tempo. In other words, drill measures 1 and 2. Then, repeat the process with measures 3 and 4. Continue to work through the piece in this manner. Make sure that all slurs are played accurately and with a powerful tone. Practicing Pamela's slur exercises from lesson 7 will definitely help in this department.

Dynamics / Changes in Tone

Since the piece is quite simple from a rhythmic perspective, changes in tonal color can really help bring the piece to life. Watch Pamela's performance example in the first scene and make a note of where she alters the tone. Also, make a note of any changes in dynamics. You may find it helpful to print out the score and write in these indications.

Right Hand Fingering

Pamela breaks down the right hand component of the piece at 01:48 in the lesson video. She prefers to use P for all of the bass notes. The I and M fingers are used in conjunction with one another to pluck all of the double stops that occur in the melody line. The only exception to this rule occurs when a double stop is not played on two adjacent strings (i.e. the first and third strings). Pamela uses fingers I and A to pluck these double stops.

Balance

This time around, the melody is found in the upper voice. The accompaniment is played in the lower voice with the thumb. Make sure that you do not overpower the melody by playing with aggressive thumb strokes!

Musical Road Signs

Do not ignore the repeats that are written into the score! If you fail to repeat these sections, you are leaving out half of the piece from your performance.

Secondary Dominant Chords

Numerous "secondary dominant chords" are used within the piece. A secondary dominant chord momentarily tonicizes a chord in a progression by preceding it with the chord that functions as its dominant. Typically, this chord is played as some sort of a dominant seventh voicing. For example, the V chord, A, is frequently tonicized in the piece. This is accomplished by preceding it with an E7 chord. E7 functions as the dominant V7 chord in the key of A. The IV and V chords are the most frequently tonicized chords in a major key. Consequently, the chords that function as dominant to these chords are the most commonly used secondary dominant chords.

In terms of Roman Numerals, the chord that functions as dominant to the V chord is labeled as V7/V (pronounced "dominant of five"). The chord that functions as dominant to the IV chord is written as V7/IV ("dominant of four"). The chord that is being tonicized is always written to the right of the slash.

Function of Secondary Dominant Chords

Secondary dominant chords add color to a piece through the use of chromaticism (notes outside of the key signature. "Chromatic" is derived from the Greek word "chroma," meaning color. The inclusion of chromaticism also creates smooth voice leading tension from one chord to the next.

There are two types of chromaticism: short term and long term. Short term chromaticism, as exemplified in this lesson, is used to add additional color within a diatonic framework. Long term chromaticism is used to establish a change to a new key center. In future lessons, you will learn how secondary dominant chords can be used for this purpose.

Harmony / Structure

The firs section of the piece begins in the home key of D and cadences on the V chord, A. Then, the next section begins in the dominant key of A. Since this is an example of a short term key change, the actual key signature next to the clef symbol is not altered. Towards the second half of the second section, the harmony returns to the home key of D major to create a logical conclusion.

Member Comments about this Lesson

Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.