To play passages like those attached at the right, you must settle on a picking-hand position. Most great fingerpickers use a variation of one of three techniques. First is the classical approach: Balance your forearm on the edge of the lower bout, suspended above the guitar. Arch and turn your wrist, so your fingers pluck the strings at a perpendicular angle [left]. This position yields a clean attack, robust tone, and maximum volume, but can strain your wrist muscles. An older lute technique involves planting your pinky on the guitar top [center]. This offers a more relaxed wrist position with excellent hand stability, but because your fingertips cross the strings at approximately a 45-degree angle, you lose some power and clarity in the attack. Note that your forearm remains suspended above the guitar—good for acoustic resonance. For the third approach—typically used by those wielding a thumbpick—rest your wrist on the bridge [right]. Two drawbacks: Lying on the guitar top, your forearm dampens acoustic resonance, and your fingertips strike the strings at the less-desirable 45-degree angle (though a thumbpick hits the bass strings head on). The plus side? A straight, flat wrist keeps your forearm and hand muscles relaxed, and makes it easy to palm mute the bass strings.

A tenth is an interval of an octave plus a third. Adding a major third to an octave yields a major tenth. A minor tenth—you guessed it—is composed of a minor third plus an octave.