If you lay your 12-string flat across your lap, this is what you

see : There are the six open strings of the usual guitar,

written as capital letters. Each string is paired by another,

which make 6 « courses ».  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The two high strings : B and E, are paired by an identical string

tuned to the same pitch, giving the same sound as its twin,

naturally. However, the lower pitched strings E, A, D, G are

doubled by one pitched just one octave higher. So there are

4 octave strings : e, a, d, g. It happens thus that the highest open

string on a 12-string guitar is the g octave string right in the middle

of them all! It’s a tone and a half above the high E strings and

broadens the range of the instrument when compared to a

6 string guitar.

 

The octave strings fill out the overall sound, but played

separately, they can also intervene in their own right in

enriching harmony : So, we’re not talking about 6 but rather

10 strings that we can mix. Available combinations of notes

thus increase in spectacular fashion, and the instrument

takes on a whole other dimension. Using the thumb and

fingers of the right hand separately, we find that for each of

the 4 lower register courses, there exist two possibilities.

 

Using the thumb and fingers of the right hand separately, we find that for each of the 4 lower register courses, there exist two possibilities :  

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Of course we may still hear the octave string which rings a little (we can call this « sympathetic vibration »), or indeed because we plucked it in error, though there’s no reason to worry about this - the precision increases with practice.

The fingers of the left hand always press on both strings of a course at the same time.

 

This way of playing implies the use of new techniques for both left and right hands. It leads to the development of a quite specific logic which does not replace the usual approach to 6-string playing but is rather superimposed on it. 

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Going from 6 to 12-string playing does not involve any particular technical difficulty, but it does require a firm understanding of a new playing logic: with so many strings available, the left hand is less needed for barring strings and the right hand takes on a more important role in the melody.