Step by Step Classical Guitar Course

Examine the guitar's six nylon strings, soundboard, and sound hole to understand how string vibration produces sound. Explore the bridge, nut, saddle, neck, and frets that define notes.

Learn how to tune the guitar by identifying each of the six strings' notes in standard tuning and why precise open-string pitch matters for performance, with note on alternate tunings.

Align your back, stay relaxed, and let the music flow; use a bench to raise the left foot, adjust the guitar, and keep the right hand relaxed on the soundboard.

Learn a comfortable right-hand position using p, i, m, and a to attack strings, and master arpeggios, scales, and post-pluck movements: release or rest on the string.

Master ascending legatos with precise hammer-ons, practicing across six strings and multiple positions, guided by a metronome at 50 bpm and scaling to two notes per beat at speed.

Develop right-hand arpeggio technique with Giuliani's arpeggios, starting positions and finger patterns across the first exercises, using C major and G major chords, slow tempo, and dynamic color.

Master tremolo technique in classical guitar through five progressive right-hand exercises, combining bass notes with four-note melodic patterns, paced by a metronome from 70 to 160 bpm.

Develop coordination by playing melodies on the first string with bass notes on the fifth or sixth string, using rests and one-note-per-beat timing at 60 bpm.

Explore the two main legato styles, focusing on descending legato with a pulling finger and a steady support finger, and practice exercises 1–6 at 70 bpm.

Continue Giuliani's arpeggios, progressing from single-note to two- and three-note patterns, shifting positions as needed, and practice with a metronome to master three notes per beat.

Practice mixed legato by combining ascending and descending legato with a single attack. Maintain steady support finger, precise hand movements, and metronome-guided triplets to build speed for fast music.

Master natural and octave harmonics on the classical guitar using the flesh of the finger and precise right-hand attack at the seventh and twelfth frets, with scale applications.

Explore the main theme from Beethoven's symphony no. 9 through sectional study, fingerings, hand positioning, and dynamic contrasts, with question-and-answer practice across two parts.

Practice the theme from Beethoven's symphony no. 9 part 2, focusing on thumb-index-middle fingerings, rolling tone, dynamics, and metronome pacing for beginners.

Explore Greensleeves, a 16th-century piece in 6/8 time with dotted rhythms, in two sections (bars 1–8 and 9–16) with a minor feel, and practice finger substitution to maintain legato.

Greensleeves part 2 guides repertoire practice with portamento and legato, detailing left-hand fingerings and f sharp on the first string second fret, plus section b analysis for performance.

Learn a simple, lullaby-like classical guitar piece in 4/4 time with a two-beat pickup in a major key. Analyze its three sections (A, B, and repetition) and the bar structure.

Practice right-hand technique and finger placement for a classical guitar piece, with ascending legato, coordinated fretboard actions, and dynamic repeats to build tone and accuracy.

Develop your guitar technique by practicing the study in C major, playing scales in quadruplets within a fixed position, and analyzing its three-part A B A sonata form.

Learn pedal notes and melodic drawing in C major repertoire, with bar five-to-eight passages, dynamic accents, and analysis of section V from bars nine to sixteen in this study.

Practice portamento to shift from second to third position in c major, with a-flat and e-flat alterations, arpeggios, and pedal note phrasing. Use a slow metronome and read notes carefully.

Learn the classical guitar piece Lagrima by Francisco Tarrega, with section A in E major and section B in E minor, focusing on dynamics, legato fingering, and precise ninth-position jumps.

Master left-hand bar techniques and position shifts in Lagrima by Francisco Tárrega, including portamento, careful fingering, and dynamic shaping across bars one through thirteen with metronome-driven practice.

Learn Bach's minuet through a two-part study for classical guitar, blending melody and bass lines, with dynamic contrast and a metronome at 80 bpm.

Explore Bach's minuet bars 9–16 with two-voice textures and bass melodies, then study section b from bar 17 onward, focusing on fingerings, extensions, and portamento.

Explore the minuet by J.S. Bach in this lesson, focusing on bars 21–32, left-hand fingering, and a right-hand position change around bar 31. Practice slowly with a metronome.

Explore Fernando Sor's repertoire study for classical guitar, developing counterpoint, harmonies, and multi-voice playing while mastering bass melody interaction and fingered portamento techniques.

emphasize the melody across higher voices and bass in Sor study No. 1, using portamento and chromatic passages to build a crescendo toward the climax at bar 24.

Explore how to balance bass and multiple voices in Fernando Sor's study, emphasizing dynamics, consonance and dissonance, and legato phrasing with careful portamento between notes.

Explore Bach's Jesu, joy of man's desiring through a guitar-friendly reduction, study its main sections and an introduction, then hear a demonstration and discussion of the piece.