Paul Gilbert: how to play Bach's Prelude in D Major

A free tab lesson with audio example

Guitar Techniques (Paul Gilbert/Steve Allsworth), Fri 28 Aug 2009, 4:16 pm BST

Tab part 1

(Click tab to enlarge)

[Bar 1] The gigantic stretch from 10th fret to 17th fret is necessary for the sake of smoothness and also to avoid any awkward position shifts. Keep your first finger anchored to the 10th fret for the whole of this first bar, and remember to begin with an upstroke.

[Bars 4, 23] The start of beat 3 is typical of the many position shifts that are required throughout this piece in order to stop your fingers twisting into impossible shapes. You'll notice quite a lot of unusual lateral (sideways) movement is required, especially with the first finger.