Piero Bonaguri, Luciano Chillemi

Introduction to the Practice of Figured Bass

This short introductory text to the practice of figured bass for guitarists certainly has no claim to discuss the topic thoroughly. It arose both from the desire to share practical experience gained “in the field” and from a pedagogical concern towards young guitar students.

As can be seen from the Introduction, an initial practical knowledge of the figured bass performed on the guitar can help the student to develop a greater awareness of the harmonic possibilities of the instrument and to fill that gap which is too often visible between the theoretical-harmonic knowledge acquired in the “theory” courses and instrumental practice.

The practical examples provided in this text also arise from the authors’ didactic experience gained from teaching this subject in the conservatories of Bologna and Rovigo.