"Gnossienne No. 1" - Eric Satie Online Classical Guitar Lesson

Introduction

Eric Satie was a gifted avant-garde French composer that gave the world his famous collection of Gymnopédies & Gnossiennes. During his lifetime he associated with the likes of Debussy and Berlioz. Known for his eccentricity Satie lived in squalid and chaotic conditions and upon his death many works thought lost were discovered amongst his belongings scattered throughout his apartment in Paris. 

Performance Points

Gnossienne No. 1 does require you to tune your guitar to Drop D tuning where the 6th string moves down one whole step.

This piece is wonderfully reflective and it is so easy to be drawn into the unusual world that it evokes. Sparse extended chords combined with delicate acciaccaturas that punctuate the piece sound amazing on the guitar. The acciaccaturas are challenging at times but must be played with a good technique. That involves pulling 'across' the string rather than 'lifting up'. The former will provide a superior tone and clarity whereas the latter often sounds dull and weak. 

 Don't know which fingers to use?

If you are struggling with the fingering for either hand I do suggest purchasing my classical guitar sheet music with tabs which has my suggested fingerings for the left & right-hands here.

Let your fingers fly!