Bach-Style Prelude in C — Broken Chord Arpeggios

Modeled on the harmonic structure of Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier, this progression presents each chord as a broken arpeggio pattern: the notes are not strummed but played individually in a continuous sixteenth-note stream. The left hand holds the chord while the right hand (or pick) outlines it in a repeating ascending pattern, creating a shimmering, harp-like texture. The harmonic journey is deceptively simple on paper — C, Dm7, G7, C — but the execution demands perfect evenness across all six strings at tempo. Each chord shape must be fully pressed before the arpeggio begins; any buzzing or muted string destroys the melodic line. This progression is the foundation of every classical and fingerstyle guitarist's technical development. At expert level, the target tempo is 120 bpm with sixteenth notes, meaning four notes per beat. Begin at 60 bpm with eighth notes and use a metronome throughout. The thumb and fingers must be completely independent.