Copyright Douglas Niedt. All Rights Reserved.
This article may be reprinted, but please be considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.

1. The ability to alternately collapse and bend the tip joint of the 1st finger can smooth out chord changes.

2. Plus: It can serve as an anchor finger.

3. Or: It can serve as a guide finger.

Or: IT CAN DO ALL THREE AT THE SAME TIME!

In Sounds of the Bells (João Pernambuco), we can use the technique of collapsing the 1st finger to provide us with THREE benefits. It provides us with a smooth chord change into a bar chord, an anchor finger between the two chords, plus a guide finger to a third chord after the bar chord. In this passage, the technique of bending/collapsing the tip joint is a powerful tool. Example #7:

Watch me demonstrate in Video #8.

Video #8-Sounds of the Bells, measures 18-21

If the video will not play, Click here

At an earlier spot in the Pavana No. 3 by Luis Milán, the tip joint of the 1st finger collapses to provide a smooth transition from the C to the F chords. It also serves as an anchor finger between the two chords. PLUS, it functions as a guide finger sliding from the 2nd-string Cs at the 1st fret up to the 1st-string F#s at the 2nd fret and back. Example #8:

Watch me demonstrate in Video #9.

Video #9-Milán Pavana No. 3, measures 25-32

If the video will not play, Click here

Other Variations of Collapsing the 1st finger

Moving into a full bar chord does not require us to collapse the tip joint of the 1st finger. Instead, we keep the fingertip anchored firmly on the 6th string and lean it over to fall across all six strings. Here is an example from Mauro Giuliani's Theme and Variations, Op. 71, No. 1. Example #9.

It is essential not to place the 1st finger on the 6th string on its fingertip. If you do, as the finger leans over onto the bar, it will fall off the 6th string, and the low F will not ring for two beats. Instead, place the 1st finger on the side of its fingertip.

When the 1st finger falls onto the bar, the bar only must hold the 1st and 6th strings. Do not hold the bar flat on the fretboard and exert pressure across all six strings.

Watch me demonstrate in Video #10.

Video #10-Giuliani Theme and Variations

If the video will not play, Click here

Here is an example from an advanced piece, the Allegro from Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro (BWV 998) by J.S. Bach. Example #10:

Here again, it is essential not to place the 1st finger on the 6th string on its fingertip. If you do, as the finger leans over into the bar, it will fall off the 6th string. Instead, place the 1st finger on the side of its fingertip. Although we could do a 5-string bar, a full bar makes the following hinge bar easier to execute for most players.

And again, apply pressure on the bar judiciously. The bar must hold only the 1st and 5th strings securely.

Watch me demonstrate in Video #11.

Video #11-Bach Allegro

If the video will not play, Click here

In the next example, the Andante from Twenty-Four Little Progressive Pieces, Op. 44, No. 11, when we lean the 1st finger over to fall onto a 5-string bar, we have two options.

Option #1:

Keep the tip of the 1st finger anchored firmly on the 5th string and lean it over to fall across five strings to form the 5-string string bar at the 2nd fret. Remember, it is essential not to place the 1st finger on the 5th string on its fingertip. If you do, as the finger leans over into the bar, it will fall off the 5th string, cutting the B bass note short. The B should ring for two counts. Instead, place the finger on the side of its tip. Example #11a:

Option B:

Once again, keep the tip of the 1st finger anchored firmly on the 5th string. But this time, as you place the bar, allow the tip joint to collapse (hyperextend) so that it falls across only the 3rd, 4th, and 5th strings. Example #11b:

As always, it is essential not to place the 1st finger on the 5th string on its fingertip. If you do, as the finger collapses into the bar, it will fall off the 5th string, cutting the B bass note short. The B should ring for two counts. Instead, place the finger on the side of its tip.

Note that even if you can collapse the tip joint of your finger, this method of barring only three strings may not work for people with short fingers or a short tip joint. If that is the case, use option #1.

Watch me demonstrate in Video #12.

Video #12-Sor Andante, measures 13-16

If the video will not play, Click here

Intentionally fall off a string to collapse into a bar

Sometimes, we need to have the 1st finger intentionally fall off a string to make a smooth transition to a smaller bar. Here is a passage from the Moderato from Twenty-Four Progressive Lessons, Op. 31, No. 11 by Fernando Sor. Example #12:

I have repeated several times how important it is to place a finger on the side of the tip. That is essential when a finger must collapse or lean over to form a bar, and the note on the lowest-pitched string of the bar must keep ringing.

In measure 18, we place the 1st finger on the 3rd-string G# of the B diminished chord. But this time, we want to carefully place the finger on its fingertip, close to the fingernail. Then, when we collapse the fingertip joint (or lean the finger) over to form the 2-string bar for the F chord, the finger gets dragged off the 3rd string onto the 2nd string. Now that it is on the 2nd string, it can conveniently serve as an anchor finger to help us move smoothly to the C chord in measure 19.

Watch me demonstrate this very handy-dandy technique in Video #13.

Video #13-Sor Moderato, measures 18-20

If the video will not play, Click here

Intentionally drag a finger off a bar to a single string

In the preceding measure of the same Moderato from Twenty-Four Progressive Lessons, Op. 31, No. 11 by Fernando Sor, we have a potentially choppy chord change. Example #13:

To get from the first to the second chord, most beginning players would play the 2-string bar chord, lift the bar, and reset the fingertip on the 1st-string F to play the second chord. That would produce a very choppy gap between the two F's, which are melody notes.

Instead, we can drag the tip of the 1st finger seamlessly off the 2nd string of the bar onto the 1st-string F. The two melody F's will sound beautiful. Example #14:

Watch me demonstrate this common technique in Video #14.

Video #14-Sor Moderato, measures 17-18

If the video will not play, Click here

Summary

1. Collapsing or leaning the first finger to move smoothly to or from a bar is a valuable technique we can use in many pieces, both in the classical repertoire and popular music styles.
2. Not only will it enable you to make smoother chord changes, but they will be more stable and consistently accurate.
3. In many instances, the finger that leans or collapses can also serve as an anchor finger or guide finger, providing even greater stability and confidence.