How to Practice Music in Two Voices

You’re enchanted by the ability of classical guitar to play two voices at once on the same instrument.

But when you start playing a piece with two separate voices, it’s harder than you expected.

How can you think about everything at once?

If you just keep playing through, it doesn’t always get easier.

Isn’t there a better way?

An approach that’s been useful for me and my students is 4 Ways Practice.

I learned this approach from Matt Hinsley of Austin Classical Guitar. He explains it in his book Classical Guitar for Young People. But it’s useful for people of all ages.

Let's take the first four measures of Bach’s famous Bourrée in E Minor as an example.

Here is how we would use 4 Ways Practice:

1. Melody Alone

Play only the melody notes.

Then play the excerpt as written with all voices.

2. Left Hand Alone

Play with just the left hand as if playing all voices. This requires focus on exactly what the left hand needs to do.

It involves knowing the strings and frets that need to be played and choosing which fingers to place on each string at the correct fret. Because this will be silent, you will not have sound to guide you, so it requires concentration.

Then play the excerpt as written with all voices.

3. Bass Alone

Play only the bass notes.

Then play the excerpt as written with all voices.

4. Right Hand Alone

Play just the right hand as if playing all voices. In some ways, this is even harder than left hand alone because sound is actually working against you. This is because you’re hearing open strings instead of the correct notes.

If you like, you can mute the strings with your left hand to reduce this issue. Either way, you need to know the correct string to play and the finger with which to play it.

Then play the excerpt as written with all voices.

In my experience, when you go through 4 Ways Practice with a passage, you understand it much better. And it feels much easier!

Keep making music!