Guitarists: Impossible slurs and improbable key

I checked Wikipedia’s article on fingering (no sexual jokes, please) and found the guitar example really strange:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingering#mediaviewer/File:GuitarFingeringScore.png

First, both the slurs are impossible to play, at least with this fingering. A slur means that the music should be played legato, and for the guitar this implies that only the first note is plucked. This just can’t be done when they are played on different strings, which is the case for both of the slurs here.

Second, I have a strong feeling that there should have been a sharp for the F (i.e., the key is E minor). Otherwise it’s really bad fingering to play the 10th note (F/F#) on the 4th string and the 11th (E) on the 5th.

I also find it a bit awkward to use the 4th finger on the C (it’s easier to use the 3rd), but I guess that’s more individual.

What do you think – am I right or am I right?

True. Still this fingering with be worthless for a pianist. Open strings?

The reason why I ask is that I want to inform Wikipedia that the example is unplayable so they can change it, and before I do that, I’d like to hear what other guitarists think. I’ve been playing classical guitar for 35 years, so I’m pretty sure I’m right, but if another musician tells me that the fingering is ok, I’ll have to reconsider it.

I don’t have any money to donate to Wiki, so the least I can do to help them is to point out obvious errors.

Triceratopsoil wrote: You can easily hammer onto a different string than the one you plucked... it's basically the same thing as "finger tapping" techniques, but with your left hand instead of right.

It’s a common technique on electric guitar, and it’s possible to do it on almost any plucked instrument. Still it’s not widely used by classical guitarists, though there are exceptions like this (around 48 seconds):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5A3joxA_VI&feature=player_embedded#at=192

I sincerely doubt that this was the intention of the Wiki composer "Memoryboy" (hereafter called Mb). In the example granted, it would make the passage much harder to play, and it would sound poorer. Have you tried to play it yourself? I have.

My guess is that Mb doesn’t, or didn’t, know what the slurs actually mean when you write music for the guitar. I also think that Mb forgot the key signature: It should be E minor, not A minor or E Phrygian.

k. (quoting Vompatti here) Thanks for your input!

But what do you think about the key? My impression is that they have copied one measure, forgetting about the key signature (one sharp).




Edited by refugee - June 11 2014 at 14:17