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The classical guitar school

Work through four levels, from your first open string to a piece you can play from memory. Choose a lesson, set up your music stand and listen for the sound it describes.

Start here

Find your playing position

By the end, you can balance the guitar with your left hand free.

Start the lesson · 10 min

Level 1The basics

Set up your guitar and play a short piece from tablature.

Tárrega sits with the guitar on his left thigh and his left foot on a footstool.
9 lessons
  1. Find your playing position10 min
  2. Meet your four plucking fingers10 min
  3. Play the three bass strings with your thumb10 min
  4. Fret a note with a light touch10 min
  5. Read tab in time10 min
  6. Your first treble notes12 min
  7. A bass note under the tune12 min
  8. Four chords as arpeggios12 min
  9. Your first piece with Aguado15 min

Level 2Working with both hands

Coordinate both hands in a complete lesson by Sor.

Left hand on the neck with curved fingers close to the frets.
9 lessons
  1. C major over one and two octaves15 min
  2. Alternate without repeating a finger15 min
  3. Bring out a note with a rest stroke15 min
  4. Three arpeggio patterns15 min
  5. The ascending slur15 min
  6. The descending slur15 min
  7. One finger across three strings15 min
  8. Shift to a new position15 min
  9. Sor’s two repeated sections15 min

Level 3Classical technique

Bring out independent voices in a Sor study.

The left index bars several strings on a classical guitar.
10 lessons
  1. Major scales in the Segovia tradition20 min
  2. Two colours of A minor20 min
  3. Chromatic drill and spider20 min
  4. Three Giuliani landmarks, nos. 11 to 4020 min
  5. The six-string barre20 min
  6. Nail, angle and tone colour20 min
  7. Natural harmonics20 min
  8. The p-a-m-i tremolo20 min
  9. Three voices on one guitar20 min
  10. Sor, Op. 35 No. 2: a melody in three eighth notes20 min

Level 4Musician

Prepare a whole interpretation and play it for a listener.

Opening staves of Lágrima in an early edition.
8 lessons
  1. Give a phrase a direction20 min
  2. Memorise from several starting points20 min
  3. Rubato that returns to the pulse20 min
  4. Vibrato on a held note20 min
  5. Pizzicato, tambora and rasgueado20 min
  6. Take a piece from first reading to performance20 min
  7. Play for a listener20 min
  8. Care for your guitar20 min

Prepare the Recuerdos tremolo in four weeks

From a partial to a full barre

Slurs and trills for Capricho árabe

Giuliani’s 40 arpeggios for Adelita

Scales and speed for Gran Vals

Tone and nails for Endecha

Harmonics and effects for Danza Mora

Reading and counting for Pavana

Choose a technique