Fernando Sor's 20 Studies: Essentials for Classical Guitar

Study one challenges you to sustain bass notes while moving the top notes, listen for melody and musicality, and build discipline through its long, demanding journey.

Explore the first study of Fernando Sor’s essentials for classical guitar, focusing on a C chord, right-hand technique, sustaining voices, and slow, disciplined practice to shape melody.

Learn to sustain bass while the top voice moves, starting with an A minor shape. Barre at the third fret to form G and F shapes, skipping the B string.

Explore an alternate fingering for the F chord on classical guitar, using fingers 1, 3, and 4 to free a finger for adjacent notes, with stepwise transitions.

Keep practicing the run to overcome tough stretches, build finger strength with challenging chord shapes, sustain bass notes while the treble moves, and reach a breakthrough moment.

Practice a down-down arpeggio pattern with precise fingerings, a first-fret barre, and a little finger reach to C and open G, including pull-offs and a B-flat seven voicing.

Develops fret-hand transitions in Sor’s studies by guiding finger flicks, slides to D minor shapes, string skipping, and sustaining notes while forming chords like A7.

Watch a performance from part seven of Fernando Sor's studies, exploring chord changes to F major seventh and D minor in context with church bells, sustain, and bounce patterns.

Practice a simple run up on classical guitar, starting with open G and B strings, moving through F major seventh and D to C, and hearing church bells in context.

Navigate a mid-section lull in Sor's studies, practicing f and d minor chords with sustained notes, slides, and transitions to g and c, culminating in f major seventh.

In context, practice the down-down pattern, build from an A minor feel, using slides, barres, and a seventh chord to connect passages with octave jumps and a skipped string.

Practice smooth chord changes and melody by skipping strings, using A7 and F major seventh shapes, and note how chords sound different when only the needed notes are played.

Part twelve guides a turnaround with three and four, skipping strings, and using the one and two and two and four fingerings while building muscle memory and finding the music.

Explore part thirteen of Fernando Sor's twenty studies for the classical guitar, focusing on the bass melody, a surprising end, and practical fingerings, jumps, and chord shapes.

Practice the part fourteen fingerings, moving the third and fourth fingers through a B with slides to produce bell tones and sustain on open strings.

Explore the final passages of Sor's study, practicing the three-and-four rhythm, bass movements, and pull-offs to reveal the music and master the ending.

Explore Fernando Sor's study two, a right-hand focused segment with melodic patterns and unusual chords, guiding slow practice to ingrain finger patterns until they play automatically.

Develop the right-hand technique in study two by practicing a C chord pattern with the third finger on top string and the first finger, building muscle memory through slow repetition.

Explore a beautiful, unconventional Sor chord and the economy of notes through careful left- and right-hand fingering, highlighting movement and finger sequencing in this part two study.

Break down the pattern and keep the little finger on the C as you practice chord changes. Move through the D to C sequence slowly, lifting and setting fingers.

practice focuses on precise left-hand fingerings and right-hand coordination, using two and four finger patterns, sustaining open g, and transitioning to the c chord while repeating the run.

Practice revolves around a cascading guitar run, repeating the same pattern with a different end. It emphasizes using the second finger, first finger, and thumb, with a final G note.

Practice the cascade pattern with the second, third, and fourth fingers, keeping the little finger down, starting from C or F, and coordinating the right-hand motion for tempo.

Part seven demonstrates coordinating right-hand plucking with challenging finger positions to form a difficult chord, building finger strength through focused practice with the thumb and second finger.

Move from a C-like shape with top F and D to next chord, then play open G strings while the right hand guides, building muscle memory through slow, bit-by-bit practice.

Practice slow, focused chord transitions and right-hand technique in part nine, moving through g to a minor and landing on a minor seven with open b.

Learn a little guitar run in Sor's studies, using hammer, second finger, and third and fourth fingers, with slow, focused repeats and returning to the start for a grand ending.

In part eleven, practice gymnastic ending by barring the third fret and switching chords with a right-hand pattern. Focus on finger repositioning and smooth transitions between sus and minor chords.

Move into part twelve by barring the second fret to form a challenging third-fret chord, practiced in context. Build finger strength and arc, repeating the shape down one fret.

Practice the recurring third and fourth pattern in study two, apply the second and third fingerings, keep the little finger on, and stretch the wrist with the chords.

Explore Sor's 20 studies for classical guitar by examining study three, highlighting a tricky right-hand pattern that contrasts with the left-hand approach and leads to a final chord turnaround.

Part one introduces a unique finger pattern that starts on the high string, with two chords and deliberate left-hand lift to create staccato right-hand phrasing.

Practice a repeating chord pattern in Sor's study, starting from C, sliding fingers, and blocking with the right hand, then move to a B7 shape with the same fingering.

Master the barre technique in Sor's 20 Studies part 3 by using first, second, and third fingers to form D and F sharp chords, in context with a steady bounce.

Practice advanced chord shapes and fingerings in Sor's studies, coordinating three-finger patterns, thumb-based motion, and string skipping, building toward a dramatic turnaround.

Explore Sor's studies as the lecture highlights chord-based passages, thumb and fingerings, and sus-like transitions. Highlight the rhythm, the first section, and the upcoming turnaround.

Explore a practical study in part six of Sor's twenty studies, detailing right-hand arpeggio patterns, string shifts, and a seventh cord transition to refine classical guitar technique.

Practice the next part of Sor's study material, focusing on finger transitions between chords, maintaining the rhythm through repeated down-down-down motions, and preparing for the run and dismount.

In part 8 of Sor's 20 studies, practice focuses on right-hand fingerings, evolving chord shapes, and a dramatic third-fret barre change, coordinating thumb bass and melodic movement.

Part nine demonstrates a crucial harmonic shift from D minor to D minor seventh, highlighting the right-hand motion, bar shape, and the seventh resolution to anchor the change.

Explore shifting finger positions in Sor's studies, from barre D to open D, using bounce patterns and the little finger to shape D minor seven phrases.

Demonstrates the final dismount by guiding you through last chords, sliding the open d to a new position with the pinky, and practicing slowly to finalize the study.

Practice study four by starting with easy right-hand patterns and gradually tackle the stretch chords in small chunks, focusing on the journey, persistence, and progressive mastery.

Practice one-and-three fingerings, compare two-and-three versus one-and-two for tone, and coordinate a bass with the fourth finger on the D string while alternating right-hand strokes.

Follow fingerings and slides for classical guitar, moving from fret to fret with fingers one through four. Practice switching from 1 to 3 and 2 to 3 in context.

Master the part three passage by executing a down to out finger sequence with precise fingerings, keeping the sustaining notes, and transitioning to open D with B and A.

Move the little finger down while keeping a bar, then play a steady right-handed pattern with a bounce to build bar control and finger strength.

Build finger strength and technique for classical guitar by practicing a barre-on-three-strings riff, rapid finger changes to an A7, and essential stretches while addressing hand cramps.

Guide students through a down-down-down chord sequence, holding chords and shifting to B-flat while practicing finger stretches and bar technique with C and D.

Return to the original riff and practice left-hand swaps to the first finger, sliding between chord shapes as you prepare to move forward.

Practice fluid chord transitions around the G shape, keeping the third finger steady while the second moves to form new chords, then slide to B minor, A, and E minor.

Break down the tricky changes into short practice segments to build finger strength and control. Learn a down-down-down pattern, keep a finger on the fret, and move the string.

Practice sequence for part ten of Sor's studies emphasizes repeated down and up patterns, right hand motion, and transitioning through sections with careful timing.

Practice part eleven of Fernando Sor's 20 studies, mastering a quirky end rhythm and the final two chords to conclude the phrase.

Practice the bar passages with a down-down-up-down pattern on an A7, shift the third finger smoothly, and finish with a long note to build fluency and endurance.