J.S. Bach - Badinerie - Guitar Tab

Bach, J.S.: Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-4, BWV 1066-1069

2000 1:30

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About Badinerie

Few pieces test a guitarist's single-note articulation quite like "Badinerie," the closing movement of J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor. Originally written for solo flute, the melody is a relentless stream of sixteenth notes at 120 BPM, and keeping every note clean, even, and in time is the real challenge here. The Classical repertoire demands a precision that punishes sloppy fretting or uneven picking, so your right-hand technique needs as much attention as your left. Whether you choose alternate picking or a hybrid approach, consistency across string crossings is what separates a convincing run from a stumbling one. Take any phrase that keeps tripping you up and use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the muscle memory is solid before bringing it back up to tempo. The key of B minor also means you will spend real time in a position that may feel unfamiliar, so mapping out your fingering choices before you drill is time well spent.

• The melody is an unbroken torrent of sixteenth notes, making right-hand picking consistency and string-crossing accuracy the central technical demands.
• Playing in B minor puts the melody in a less common position on the neck, so planning your fingering and shifts before practising is strongly recommended.
• At 120 BPM the full tempo is demanding, but the phrase structure is short and repetitive, making section-by-section looping a very effective way to build speed.