J.S. Bach - Invention No. 13 in A Minor BWV 784 - Guitar Tab

Bach and Mozart: Classical Piano Lullabies

2024 2:10

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About Invention No. 13 in A Minor BWV 784

Bach's Two-Part Invention No. 13 in A minor is one of the more immediately rewarding of the set to learn on guitar, yet it asks for real independence between your two voices from the very first bar. The piece is built on a compact, chromatic subject that gets passed between the hands at the keyboard, and on guitar that same counterpoint falls across both strings and positions in ways that can feel awkward until you have mapped it out carefully. Fingering is everything here: locking in a consistent left-hand fingering before you add any right-hand detail will save you a lot of unlearning later. Because the two voices weave around each other, tone separation matters too, so aim to give the melody voice a slightly stronger attack than the accompanying line. J.S. Bach wrote these inventions as teaching pieces, and that pedagogical intent translates perfectly to guitar study. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate the chromatic passages slowed down, building evenness before bringing the tempo back up. The key of A minor sits comfortably on the guitar, which is one reason this Classical piece makes such a good entry point into Bach on the instrument.

• The chromatic, interlocking subject of BWV 784 demands strong voice independence, making deliberate two-voice fingering practice essential before playing it up to speed.
• Playing this piece on guitar rewards a consistent right-hand tone distinction between melody and bass voices to keep Bach's counterpoint clear.
• Looping the chromatic sequences slowed down via the Practice Toolbar helps build the even finger control the piece requires across positions.