Learn to play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the third movement of The Nutcracker Suite. Here, we'll be looking at beginner level picking in this song, with changes across three strings.
Welcome to this lesson where we'll be learning how to play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the third movement of The Nutcracker Suite.
Here, we'll be looking at beginner level picking in this song, with changes across three strings. This song is essentially in the key of E minor, where we are single note picking the melody. This is a great introduction to what can be expected in Vol. 2 of this Christmas song series.
The Nutcracker Suite - interactive tab
Key learning points
Learn the whole piece in stages and put together for a full play through
Basic picking skills and technique
For single note melodies such as this, we are utilising flat picking technique. This means to strike the string cleanly with a pick on a single string. We also have the opportunity here to work on a slightly more advanced technique in 'right hand muting' whilst picking between two strings; this creates a moment of smooth silence between each note, as seen in the lesson video at 2:45 - 2:57.
Check out this lesson for the Harry Potter theme for more picking action!
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Next Up: Song 10 - In The Bleak Midwinter
Well done! Let's jump into the next lesson of the course.
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