Alex de Grassi

Alex de Grassi is a virtuosic fingerstyle guitarist, composer, arranger, and author of the Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method.

Fingerstyle

How to Play Notes Legato with Hammer-Ons, Pull-Offs, and Slides

Play notes legato with hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides. Play through today’s examples from the Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method to hear the difference once legato embellishments are added. The melody in Example 2 is very plain, consisting of only half notes…

March 12, 2022

Fingerstyle

Cross-String Picking Basics

In third position or higher, it becomes possible to combine open and fretted strings to play ascending/descending intervals on nonsequential strings. This technique is called cross-string picking.

July 15, 2017

Fingerstyle

Get a Bell-Like Tone—Learn to Play Natural Harmonics

Natural harmonics are produced at specific locations, or nodes, that divide an open string into equal parts. The pitch is determined by the number of divisions. Dividing the string in half at the 12th fret produces the first harmonic; dividing the string into three parts at the seventh fret produces the second harmonic; dividing the string into four parts at the fifth fret produces the third harmonic; and so on.

February 26, 2017

Fingerstyle

How to Play Notes Legato with Hammer-Ons, Pull-Offs, and Slides

January 22, 2017

Guitar Technique - Advanced

Playing Tambor

In this excerpt from Alex de Grassi Fingertstyle Guitar Method, Alex de Grassi talks about the percussive qualities that a guitar’s body has and how to achieve those sounds. The terms tambor (meaning “drum” in Spanish, tambora in Italian) and…

September 18, 2016

Guitar Technique - Advanced

Enhancing the Alternating Bass with Passing Tones

Passing tones are notes that don’t belong to the chord being played but can be used to add emphasis to chord changes and to create a more contoured bass line.

January 8, 2016

Fingerstyle

Learn How to Play Natural Harmonics

Natural harmonics are produced at specific locations, or nodes, that divide an open string into equal parts. The pitch is determined by the number of divisions.

March 28, 2013
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Fingerstyle

Play a Syncopated Fingerstyle Rhythm

This asymmetrical alternating bass groups the eighth notes into two groups of three and one group of two in what is sometimes referred to as a 3–3–2 pattern by playing the bass notes on beats one, two-and, and four of each measure.

November 7, 2012

Fingerstyle

Cross-String Picking Basics

In third position or higher, it becomes possible to combine open and fretted strings to play ascending/descending intervals on nonsequential strings.

October 17, 2012