PLAYING TIPS

[Bars 1-8] Don’t forget to tune your sixth string from E to D. Place a twostring barre on the fifth and sixth strings 3rd fret at the beginning to set you up for beat 3. The inverted mordent is indicated in the notation by the squiggle with a vertical line through it. These will usually be played as a single fretting-hand slur or legato. The fretting hand fingering is indicated as 3-1-2 – I like to switch the finger here, pulling off with the third and hammering with the second so that next note B is reached more easily with the fourth finger. In bar 3 all three beats are ‘written out’ ornamentations. These can be rhythmically challenging so practise them to a metronome to ensure that the bass notes are correctly placed. The notated picking hand fingering will help deal with the string changes; these are my suggestions based on my personal preference so find what works for you in order to keep the lines fluent. For crisp, clear slurs in bar 4 make sure the fretting-hand fingers are planted simultaneously on the string beforehand. Watch out for the rhythm in bar 7 – listen to the recording if unsure how it should sound.