Guidelines for composing for guitar

I. Basics
a. On a standard guitar there are six strings. Standard tuning is in
fourths between all strings except the second and third strings. This
generates the pitches, from lowest to highest- E, A, D, G, B, and E for
the open strings. The lowest string in pitch is actually the highest
physically in relation to the floor.

(Open strings in standard tuning- Note that the guitar is written an octave
higher than it sounds)

b. Each fret represents one-half step, and the pitch rises as the string
is cut off at a higher fret. The frets near the headstock are called the
lower frets and the frets closer to the soundhole and the bridge are
called the higher frets. Since the strings are tuned in 4ths the pitches
repeat after the fifth fret on the next lowest string. In other words, you
can play an A-flat (written a m6th above middle C, but sounding an
octave lower, see below) on the first fret of the G string, on the sixth
fret of the D string, on the 11th fret of the A string, etc. At the 12th fret,
all the pitches in open position repeat an octave higher. (This is
because the 12th half-step would be an octave higher than the open
string.)

(Roman numbers indicate fret position, numbers in circles indicate string

number)

II. Left Hand

a. Every finger on the left-hand except for the thumb is involved in
fretting notes (in special circumstances, the thumb will fret a bass
note, but this is awkward and is very rare). There are several ways in
which the left-hand finger can fret a note. Single note lines are fretted
by individual fingers executing different combinations of fingerings
(similar to string instruments). Chords are fretted by different fingers
on different strings (two notes fretted on the same string will result in
only the higher note sounding.)

(Numerals not enclosed in a circle indicate left hand finger, 1 for index
through 4 for pinky)
Chords with notes on different strings but the same fret will often be
played with a barre. This technique involves one finger fretting across a
few different strings, which are not necessarily consecutive. Usually
barres are played by the first finger, and can be played over any number
of strings, from 2-6. Under special circumstances, other fingers can
execute a barre, most notably the fourth finger. Many players do not
have the flexibility to do a barre with the second or third fingers,
especially when there are other fingers involved in fretting the chord.
Barres are notated with a C to indicate capo, or barre, and the roman
numeral of the barred fret. If a more specific notation is desired, the
number of strings to be barred can be indicated by a fraction of 6 (ie.
1/6, 2/6, etc) before the C.

b. Big stretches must be written with care. As a general rule, the

largest stretch that most players can play comfortably is a five fret
span between the first and fourth fingers. Stretching between the other
fingers is limited based on the anatomy of the hand - stretches
between the first and third finger are easier to play than stretches
between the second and third finger, for instance. Since the frets are
closer together higher on the neck, the range of possible frets to
stretch increases as you pass the 7th fret.

c. Traditional piano voicings are often difficult to play on the guitar,

because the intervals are too closely spaced. For instance, playing a
major 7 9th chord in closed position is pretty much impossible unless
there are open strings involved. Problems arise when a chord contains
too many consecutive intervals equal to or smaller than a major 3rd
where open strings are not involved. When in doubt, consult the
fingerboard.

d. Shifting between nearby positions can be achieved fluidly, with little

or no trace of break in the legato. Larger left hand shifts, ie from 12th
position to 1st position, can be difficult to execute quickly, but are by
no means impossible. (Left hand technique is oriented based on the
fret that the first finger is playing on- if the first finger is on the 10th
fret, it is said that the player is in 10th position, and the other fingers
would line up fret by fret above the first finger. Of course, a good
portion of time is spent with the hand in extension or contraction of a
position, because of the shape of a chord or the demands of a passage.
Also, there are usually a few different position options for fingering a
passage- sometimes as many as four or five. Where a passage is
fingered strongly affects its timbre and character. Nevertheless, these
decisions are often left to the performer.)

e. Slurs are executed by either hammering on or pulling off one note to

another with the left hand. Since the left hand is producing the sound,
it will not have the same dynamic or timbre as notes that are actually
struck by the right hand. However, slurs will lend rhythmic clarity to a
passage because of the way in which they define a grouping. In order
to write a slur, use a phrase marking between two notes under the
notes if they are stemmed upwards and over if they are stemmed down.
If you also want to indicate a phrase marking in the same passage, it
may be clearest to use a dotted line for the phrase marking.

f. If you would like notes of an arpeggiated chord to sustain past their

written duration, either write l.v., let vibrate, let ring, or simply attach
indefinite tie markings into the next measure or rest. Keep in mind that
notes will not be able to sustain if there are other notes on that string
called for in the following material.

III.Right Hand
a. The strings are plucked by the thumb (p), the index (i), the middle
(m), or the ring (a). The pinky is usually reserved for flamenco
strumming (see rasqueados) , but in rare cases can be involved in
plucking a string either individually or in a chord, though it probably
will not have as round a tone as the other fingers. It is not necessary to
include right hand fingerings, this is primarily the purvue of editors and
performers.

b. All fingers pluck into the hand, so the thumb and fingers are plucking
in opposite directions (towards each other, like closing the hand).
Striking the strings with a movement away from the palm of the hand
with the back of the nail is more of a strumming effect.

c. The thumb often plays on the bass strings (6,5,4) because it has a
full sound and has more facility than the individual fingers. Bass
and chordal textures are usually achieved with the thumb playing
bass and the fingers moving in opposing fashion plucking chords.

d. The thumb can either play only one string, or sweep across
consecutive strings more or less with rhythmic simultaneity. This
is helpful in six note chords, where the thumb can play the bass
strings and the fingers play the trebles. The fingers can execute
the sweep technique as well, but not as successfully.

e. Chords can be plucked all at once or rolled in any number of

combinations (top to bottom, bottom to top, etc....) Thumb and
fingers can pluck any combination of strings, either plucking one
string per finger or employing sweeps (see d.)

f. Arpeggio passages are very common in guitar, and the pattern

possibilities are numerous. In addition, arpeggios can be played as a
sound effect, or melodies can be brought out in the arpeggio either in
the treble, bass or inner voice of the arpeggio. It can be difficult
however, to bring out inner voices in a virtuosic arpeggio.
e. Single note scales tend to be played by alternating fingers, and can
be played with any number of articulations, dynamics, or string
crossing patterns. It can be difficult to skip over groups of non-
consecutive strings back and forth in the middle of a virtuosic scale
passage, but it is not impossible. (Somewhat similarly to the left hand,
the right hand has three basic positions, based on what string the a
(or ring) finger is playing on. For this reason, it can be difficult to play a
virtuosic arpeggio which calls for a combination of all the fingers on
the top strings and immediately shifting to the bottom strings.) The
technique used to pluck the string affects the articulation: for instance,
the rest stroke involves the finger plucking the string and coming to
rest on the next string below and produces a meaty, thick sound,
whereas in the free stroke the finger floats in the air without coming to
rest after the note is plucked. Rest Strokes are far more common in
single line passages because they require a slight adjustment of right
hand position. In most cases, the performer will decide whether or not
to use rest or free strokes.
f. Contrapuntal lines tend to be played with the thumb versus fingers.
Equally as common is voices of different rhythmic values
simultaneously- ie one faster line in conjunction with two slower lines.
g. Any given voice can be muted, thereby stopping the natural sustain
of the sound. In the bass, this is usually done by the thumb stopping
the string. In fast passages, however, it may prove to be cumbersome to
add a lot of muting to an already complicated right hand fingering.
Likewise, any one voice can sustain past others. For instance, it is
common to have a melody note last for 2 beats while the bass and
inner voices play an eighth note and dotted quarter rests. When
sustaining specific pitches over others, consider the notes natural
decay time- basses and open strings will tend to sustain longer than
fretted notes, especially those on the higher strings. See Vc.
IV. Special Effects
a. Alternate tunings- the most common alternate tuning is 6th string to
D, but many others have been employed, ie. 6th to D and 5th to G, 3rd to
F#, 5th to G, etc....Retuning does take a minute or two in performance,
and sometimes breaks the flow between movements. The harmonic
possibilities of scordatura tunings are worth exploring because they
allow for the resonance and prominent overtones of the open strings
within a different pitch structure than the E minor heavy standard
tuning.
b. Rasgueado is a flamenco term for a whole system of strumming,
mainly with the back of the nail of the thumb and fingers. It can be
continuous or as short as one strum. Continuous rasgueados tend to be
across at least 4 or 5 string consecutive strings (most classical players
can't control the rasgueado to play it continuously on fewer strings.)
Shorter rasgueados can be on specific smaller string sets. For a
shorter rasgueado followed by sustained tones, write the rhythm of the
strum, and then tie to the sustained value.

c. Every note on the guitar has harmonics associated with it. There are
natural harmonics which sound clearly at the 5th, 7th, 12th, 17th frets
3rd, 9th, and past the fretboard. The 12th fret harmonic generates a
pitch an octave above the open string, the 5th fret harmonic generates
two octaves above the open string, the 7th fret generates a twelfth
above the open string, the 4rd and 9th frets generate an octave plus a
tenth above the open string, among others. Natural harmonics are
notated in myriad ways, but the clearest notation is to write the
sounding pitch 8va higher than it sounds (just like other guitar music)
with a 0 next to the notehead and an indication of the appropriate fret
and string. See the below example for the relationship between an
open string and various harmonics, this relationship remains constant
for every open string, no matter what pitch it is tuned to.

e. Artificial harmonics can be generated for any note by lightly plucking

and touching the string 12 frets above (or the equivalent of 12 frets or
splitting the string in half if this is above the fretboard) the fretted
note. They are soft and bell-like and will not be heard above an
ensemble. They are also technically fairly involved, and usually can't be
played with more than one other note simultaneously. Harmonics may
also be generated similarly to how they are executed on string
instruments, by fretting the note and lightly touching the fret 3 or 4
frets above on the same string.

f. Tremolo is an effect where the thumb plays a bass line and the
fingers rapidly melody notes above to create the illusion of a
continuous line. It is a virtuoso technique, but one that most guitarists
have experience with, whether or not their tremolos are extremely even
rhythmically. Usually the tremolo is in groups of fours, thumb, then
three fingers, then thumb on another bass note, etc....., though a five
note tremolo is also possible. The melody note will switch in between
the grouping, not during.

g. The palette for percussion effects is unlimited, and the body of the
guitar can create many different sounds in different spots. Create a key
if using several different percussive sounds, and notate them with X
noteheads on different pitches in the staff.
h. Pizzicato on the guitar is an effect that involves muting the strings
with the right hand while plucking. Notate it with the word pizz., using
a dotted line for the effects duration, and then indicating normal
articulation with normale. Bartok pizz is similar to on any string
instrument, but since the guitar strings have more slack, more of a
slapping sound is produced, akin to slap funk bass. It is notated with a
0 that has a line through it, accompanied by the word, pizz.
V. Some tips
a. There are many different timbres and colors that can be achieved on
the guitar. The brighter nasal sounds that are usually produced by
plucking near the bridge with a straight nail attack are called
ponticello sounds. Softer mellow sounds usually produced by plucking
nearer the fingerboard are called tasto sounds. Guitarists will often use
color to create the illusion of dynamic even of the decibel level is not
actually louder. For this reason, if you want a piano ponticello sound,
notate it specifically, otherwise guitarists may not choose ponticello.
Ponticello will accentuate the overtones of a note more than a tasto
sound.
b. Factors such as range of pitches and number of notes in a chord will
have a significant effect of dynamics. For instance, it is much easier to
achieve a true fortissimo when a note on the 5th or 6th string is
involved, whether in a chord or a single note. Dynamics on guitar are
largely relative anyway, but the bass strings propel the sound more
than the trebles. That said, a fortissimo arrival on a double stop in the
high register can be a very effective gesture, even if it is not
necessarily louder in decibels.
c. The C and C# at the 8th and 9th frets on the high E string are wolf
tones on many guitars, and may have reduced sustain.
d. One of the most fascinating aspects of the guitar is the discrepancy
between the pitches of natural harmonics versus fretted notes. This is
because the natural harmonics sound based on the pure harmonic
series, while the frets are set up in a very close approximation of well
temperament. Add to this that guitarists frequently bias the tuning of
their instrument by tuning to certain chords in first position or chords
that appear frequently in a piece, and you get some delightful
idiosyncracies. For instance, if you tune the guitar to an G major chord
in first position, the G# harmonic on the 4th fret of the low E string will
be a few cents off from the fretted G# on the 4th fret of the high E
string, and the fretted G# on the 9th fret of the 2nd string, etc. If you
try and line these up, the G major chord will be out of tune. Whether or
not you decide to exploit these characteristics, they are worth thinking
about and understanding, because they are fundamental to the sound
of the instrument.
e. The range of articulations are available on the guitar, including
staccato, accent, tenuto, etc Of course there is a limitation to what
guitarists can do to a note once it has been struck, but this should not
discourage composers from being creative about articulations which
are concerned with the duration or ends of notes.
VI. Other Notation Tips
a. Guitar music is almost always written in one treble clef staff. The
exception of writing the part in treble and bass staves is only
necessary if the notation would become crowded in one staff, or if
there is a clear reason to want to delineate two voices in that fashion.
Occasionally, ensemble music will be written for the guitar at pitch,
switching between bass and treble clefs, but this remains difficult for
many guitarists, and might jeopardize the chances for more frequent
performances.
b. Stemming is used to delineate melody from bass and inner voice
textures. Durations and rests should be indicated within the range of
a particular voice, and for each voice. The guitar is capable of many
variations of duration for individual voices, which dont need to be
simultaneous with the other voices.

c. Natural harmonics are notated with a circle above the notehead,

which should be written one octave above the actual sound, just as
with regularly executed notes. Artificial harmonics that are intended to
be executed with both the right and left hands are notated with a
diamond note head on the sounding pitch, not the fretted pitch.
Artificial harmonics which are intended to executed with just the left
hand, as in violin harmonics, are written with the fingered note and
lightly touching note above it in parentheses, while the sounding note
is written with a diamond notehead above the parentheses. It can be
helpful to write in fret numbers next to natural harmonics to avoid
confusion.
d. For notation of slurs and phrases, see II c
e. Remember that a crescendo can only happen on guitar if notes are
being struck, once a chord is struck, it begins decaying almost
immediately, and any shape of that chord is created by vibrato.
Therefore, it is also not necessary to write a diminuendo on one chord,
unless you merely want this intention to surface in the interpretation.
f. Write timbral indications as sul tasto, sul ponticello, etc