10 Finger Independence & Alternating Bass Fingerpicking Lesson

If you want to be a fingerstyle guitarist it’s essential to develop finger independence, which involves training your fingers to move independently of one another, additionally, alternating bass fingerpicking technique is an essential part of many fingerstyle arrangements, which involves playing a sequence of notes with the fingers of the picking hand, while alternating the bass note with the thumb. Alternating bass fingerpicking technique can help your finger independence. In this article, we’ll cover ten finger independence and alternating bass fingerstyle lessons to help you improve your skills on the guitar from Matteo Carcassi Music.

What is Alternating Bass Fingerpicking?

When there is a bass note played after every note in fingerstyle or classical guitar, it is often referred to as “alternating bass” or “bass arpeggios.” This technique involves playing a sequence of notes with the fingers of the picking hand, while alternating the bass note with the thumb.

The alternating bass technique is commonly used in many styles of fingerstyle and classical guitar playing, and can be heard in various genres such as folk, blues, country, and classical music. It is an essential technique for creating a strong rhythmic foundation and harmonically rich accompaniment on the guitar.

Matteo Carcassi:

Matteo Carcassi is one of my most favorite Classical Musician, i learnt many of his music. He used a lot of alternating bass fingerpicking & we will learn 10 small parts from his music which cover alternating bass fingerpicking.

Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853) was an Italian guitarist, composer, and music teacher who made significant contributions to the development of classical guitar technique. He was born in Florence and started his music career as a pianist, but soon switched to the guitar, which became his primary instrument.

Carcassi is particularly well-known for his famous method for classical guitar, “Méthode complète pour la guitare,” which was first published in 1836. This method is still widely used today and has been a valuable resource for guitarists for almost two centuries. The method includes many exercises and pieces that focus on finger independence and alternating bass technique, which are essential skills for fingerstyle guitar playing.

Carcassi’s compositions, such as his famous Etudes, are still performed and studied by guitarists today. His music is characterized by its elegant and refined style, and his use of counterpoint and harmony. Many of his compositions incorporate alternating bass technique, which he used to create complex and rich textures in his music.

In addition to his compositions and method, Carcassi was also a respected music teacher. He taught at the Conservatoire de Paris for many years and had a significant impact on the development of guitar technique during his lifetime.