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Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel

1 guitar song · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Classical

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Composer Overview

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) was the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most influential composers of the Classical era. Active primarily in Berlin and Hamburg, C.P.E. Bach bridged the gap between the Baroque and Classical periods with a style known as "Empfindsamer Stil" (sensitive style), full of dramatic contrasts, unexpected harmonic shifts, and virtuosic keyboard passages. While he composed exclusively for harpsichord, clavichord, and fortepiano, his works have become a goldmine for electric guitarists seeking to develop speed, precision, and musical expression beyond the typical rock and blues vocabulary. For guitarists, C.P.E. Bach's music is essential because it trains your fingers and your ears simultaneously. His compositions demand clean alternate picking, rapid position shifts, and the ability to articulate fast sixteenth-note passages with absolute clarity. Unlike his father's deeply contrapuntal style, C.P.E. Bach's writing tends to be more melodically driven with dramatic dynamic swings, making it ideal for guitarists who want to develop a neoclassical vocabulary without diving straight into the denser polyphony of J.S. Bach. Players like Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker, and Rusty Cooley have all drawn from this well of Classical and pre-Classical keyboard literature to fuel their shred technique. The overall difficulty of C.P.E. Bach's music on guitar ranges from intermediate to advanced. Pieces like "Solfeggietto" sit in a challenging but achievable sweet spot: fast single-note runs that demand excellent left-hand legato or crisp alternate picking, clean string transitions, and rhythmic consistency at tempo. There are no chords to hide behind. Every note is exposed, making it a fantastic diagnostic tool for your technique. If you can play C.P.E. Bach cleanly at tempo, you have the mechanical foundation to tackle almost any neoclassical shred passage. His music rewards precision and punishes sloppiness, which is exactly what a serious guitarist needs.

What Makes C.P.E. Bach Essential for Guitar Players

  • C.P.E. Bach's compositions are built on rapid single-note lines that translate perfectly to alternate picking exercises on guitar. Practicing his runs at increasing tempos will tighten your picking hand synchronization dramatically.
  • His music features frequent position shifts across the fretboard, training you to navigate between positions fluidly. This is critical for neoclassical playing where scale runs often span two or more octaves without pausing.
  • The harmonic language sits between Baroque and Classical, giving guitarists exposure to minor key tension, diminished arpeggios, and unexpected modulations that sound far more sophisticated than pentatonic-based rock playing.
  • Legato technique is a viable alternative approach to many C.P.E. Bach passages. Using hammer-ons and pull-offs for groups of notes on the same string can yield a smooth, keyboard-like articulation that suits the original instrument's character.
  • Dynamic control is a hidden skill builder in this repertoire. The "sensitive style" demands that you vary your pick attack, volume, and expression note by note, developing the kind of touch and feel that separates great players from mere shredders.

Did You Know?

"Solfeggietto" in H. 220 is one of the most commonly transcribed classical pieces for electric guitar and has become an unofficial benchmark piece in the neoclassical shred community for testing alternate picking speed and accuracy.

C.P.E. Bach originally wrote for clavichord, an instrument where the player could create vibrato by varying finger pressure on the key. This is remarkably similar to how guitarists use finger vibrato, making his expressive intentions translate naturally to our instrument.

Yngwie Malmsteen has cited the Bach family (including C.P.E.) as foundational to his approach, and many of the scalar patterns in neoclassical shred can be traced directly back to keyboard patterns found in C.P.E. Bach's sonatas and fantasias.

C.P.E. Bach wrote a treatise called "Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments" that is essentially a technique and expression manual. Guitarists who read it find surprisingly applicable advice about ornamentation, dynamics, and musical phrasing.

The key of C minor, which "Solfeggietto" is written in, sits beautifully on the guitar neck. The open strings and natural fingering patterns in this key make many of C.P.E. Bach's passages more playable on guitar than in some other keys.

Unlike his father J.S. Bach, whose fugues require complex multi-voice independence, C.P.E. Bach often wrote single-line passages passed between hands, which maps perfectly to a single guitar neck with no need for simultaneous voice management.

Modern guitarists often use "Solfeggietto" as a warm-up piece. At full tempo (around 160 BPM in sixteenth notes), it covers nearly the entire practical range of the guitar and works both hands through a comprehensive workout in under two minutes.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Keyboard Sonatas and Sonatinas (Various Collections) 1763

The keyboard sonatas, particularly the "Prussian" and "Württemberg" sets, contain movements that are perfect for guitar transcription. Fast allegro movements build alternate picking and position-shifting skills, while the slow movements develop vibrato, bending expression, and dynamic control. Start with "Solfeggietto" (H. 220) as your entry point, then explore the Sonata in A minor (Wq. 49/1) for more advanced material.

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Fantasias and Rondos for Keyboard 1787

The free-form fantasias are like cadenzas for guitar, full of dramatic pauses, rapid scalar bursts, and unpredictable harmonic movement. These pieces teach you to play with rubato and dramatic flair, skills that directly improve your soloing over any genre. The Fantasia in C minor (Wq. 63/6) is particularly rewarding, with passages that sound incredible on a distorted guitar with a bit of reverb.

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How to Practice C.P.E. Bach on GuitarZone

Every C.P.E. Bach song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Solfeggietto - Guitar Tab