Featured guitarist, Irina Kulikova performing my composition Valsa Negra.
This is my transcription of the classical guitar arpeggio piece that is played in the film crossroads by Eugene (Ralph Macchio) based on Caprice No 5 by Paganini. It serves as an excellent warm up.
Here is my guitar version of the famous Turkish Rondo by Mozart. I have mucked around with this piece for years but never managed to finalise a version. So I finally put together a playable version which is a bit more approacheable than many of the current versions out there. Interactive Play-Along […]
Here is my new arrangement of this beautiful ballad. originally in Am but I have m over it to C#m to make it more playable. The harmony moves in chromatic directions so it is was a challenge to make it work on guitar but I think the result is fitting! Interactive Play-Along Track […]
Just finished my latest guitar piece featuring some Brasilian and Flamenco elements. I have a rough draft of the sheet music below which I will finalise in the coming days and will be ready for download to LGM Members. Key: E major (Em in middle section) Tempo: approx 90 bpm Style: An upbeat Samba feel. […]
Here is the third arrangement I have made of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. This is Spring and the opening movement in E major. I play it a little slower than Vivaldi’s indication as the demisemiquaver section is really fast! Interactive Play-Along Track
“My One and Only Love” is a romantic ballad composed by Guy Wood with lyrics by Robert Mellin, first published in 1952. It’s known for its rich, lyrical melody and has become a jazz standard, famously recorded by artists like John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Sting. Its slow tempo and […]
I am continuing my spotlight on classical arias and arranging them for the nylon guitar. I have been playing this aria for a while but in a different key and without much detail so I decided to try a more detailed and in depth version in the original key of D major. The second […]
Here is a video discussing the mixolydian scale applications, namely over the D dominant chords.
The Habanera is one of the most famous arias from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, composed in 1875. Officially titled “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (“Love is a rebellious bird”), it is sung by the character Carmen in Act I. Bizet based the melody on a Cuban dance rhythm known as the habanera, giving the piece […]
In this video I go through some ideas around the Lydian scale as it rallies to Latin jazz guitar and flamenco. I use the loop pedal to set up a lydian loop and show some lydian scale ideas. Then talk through some different improv options.
The Libertango full tutorial is now available in the Members Portal! You can visit the tutorial and sheet music here
Here’s a fun arrangement of Beethoven’s famous piano piece Fur Elise. I was playing around on a Godin guitar synth with a piano sound and started trying to play it. Then I realised that it works quite well on guitar! Interactive Play-Along Track
Here is the second instalment of my Four Seasons by Vivaldi guitar arrangements. This is the presto from Summer which I have modulated to Am from Gm minor. It is quite advanced, I hope you enjoy! Interactive Play-Along Track
Astor Piazzola was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. One of his most famous pieces is called Libertango which roughly translates to freedom tango. The Tango feel should be brought out […]
This is a new composition written in a Zapateado triplet feel. It’s a great work out on the hands as it pushes through constant dance like quaver feel. There are also some stretches and great cross string passages. Hope you enjoy! Sheet music and TAB
Here is a new arrangement of this beautiful Latin Jazz standard made popular by Dean Martin and Laufey. Sheet music and TAB
Here is my new arrangement of Winter by Vivaldi. To be precise it’s Concerto No 4 in F minor , Op 8 RV 297 “Water”. First movement Allegro Non Molto. I have changed the key to D minor which works better on guitar. Sheet music and TAB
Here’s a new composition I have been working on the last two weeks I call Pleiades. It features alternate tuning D A D F# B E. This tuning opens up interesting possibilities of harmony and resonance. The sheet music is below and available to LGM Members. I am still tweaking it and will finalise the […]
00:00:00 Hi, welcome back to the channel. In this episode, Latin Guitar Mastery Podcast Episode 5, I’m going to be covering topics around Paco Pena, his visit to Australia and my interview with him. Also, some collaborations that I’ve been doing with guitarists online. We’ll also talk a little bit about updates to the blog, […]
Here is a new Rumba I wrote in B minor and also with F# tuning. It has some tricky bar chords and stretches but I think the opening minor 6 chord really captures a mood! Sheet music and TAB
After my recent performance of Nightless Night, some people have been asking me for tips to improve their guitar tremolo. So I have made a tutorial on this and included some exercises below (for LGM Members). Sheet music and TAB
I recorded the duet by Ralph Towner called Duende.
Back To Menu/Course Here is my new called Nightless Night, inspired by the long nights in Finland and Northern Europe. It is a tremolo piece in B minor with G on the third string tuned down to F#. There are quite a few stretches and it’s a bit of a work out on the […]
0:00 Intro 0:16 Common Latin Guitar Chord Progresssions 5:32 Common Latin Guitar Modes 6:00 Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian 12:01 Thumb Positions 15:01 Oscar Ghilgia passing 7:06 Final Thoughts
Here is a new piece I wrote in the style of a waltz or valsa. It’s a melody that came to me and I built a piece around this haunting melody. It has a few stretches and technical challenges but if you approach it from a romantic perspective you can be quite fluid with […]
In this tutorial I explore the Bossa Nova chord voicings and also how I would approach improvising over the chord changes. Below is the soundslice sheet music/notation of: Bossa nova chord progression. Written out improvisation Sheet music and TAB
I have a new YouTube podcast show which will be continuing into 2024 called Latin Guitar Mastery podcast. In the show I answer audience questions relating to guitar and also Latin guitar styles and also give some insights into the content on the blog and YouTube channel. I am hoping to have some guests on […]
Carlos Jobim and Vicinius de Moraes collaborated in writing this song for the movie Black Orpheus. The name A Felicidade means ‘happiness’. I have adapted the key to suit the guitar better in the key or A minor. Sheet music and TAB
Astor Piazzola is an icon of Tango and Argentina. Oblivion is a haunting piece of music which has often performed on guitar. This is my arrangement of Oblivion in E minor. Sheet music and TAB
El Vito is a traditional Spanish folk song and dance that originates from the Andalusian region of Spain. The song’s origins can be traced back to the 19th century and many versions have been made for both solo guitar and also with lyrics in song form. This version is based on the one […]
Here is my new guitar arrangement of Summertime by George Gershwin. I turned it into a Tango in E minor, and will suit intermediate players. It features rolled chords, arpeggios phrases, and a variety of other techniques which should provide an good challenge! Sheet music and TAB
“Meditação” is a beautiful bossa nova song composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim, one of the most influential Brazilian musicians and composers of the 20th century. Jobim, also known as Tom Jobim, was a key figure in the development of the bossa nova genre, which blends traditional Brazilian rhythms with jazz harmonies. “Meditação” was written by […]
Here is a new piece I have written in the style of the zapateado. It is essentially a fast 6/8 dance in B minor. I have dropped the 3rd string from G to F# creating an open B minor chord. This allows for some interesting and at times haunting textures. I am posting the sheet […]
Here is a new arrangement I have made of the beautiful Cole Porter song I’ve got you under my skin. I have moved the key down one semitone to E minor which fits a lot better on guitar. It features a flowing arpeggio style feel and also some Bossa Nova elements. Sheet music and […]
This arrangement of this beautiful classic is not too difficult I think though there are a few stretches, bar chords and positions changes. It will definitely challenge you but it is rhythmically fairly straight forward. The rhythms can be more improvised so don’t feel that you need to be too strict with that. LGM Members […]
Here is a short piece I have called Tremolo study as it used the tremolo technique. I will discuss how this technique works and also the technical aspects of the piece in the tutorial video. LGM Members can have look at the sore below in preparation for the lesson. Sheet music and TAB [restrict paid=true] […]
In this week’s tutorial we will look at Agua de Beber chords and melody. Written by Antônio Carlos Jobim and lyrics written by Vinícius de Moraes. I have made a finger style Bossa Nova arrangement of this previously which you can find here. Sheet music and TAB [restrict paid=true] [/restrict]
Here is a new piece called Sentimento. It has a Bossa/Latin feel in D major with a small modulation to B minor. It is very melody driven with chordal and bass accompaniment. Video and tutorial coming this week! Sheet music and TAB
Nature Boy has a beautiful melody and really suited to the nylon guitar. In this arrangement I have shifted the key up to E minor which suits the guitar well. It also allows me to add some open string harmonics and utilise some classical style textures to fill in the gaps of the harmony. […]
I have made a fun arrangement of the famous Latin Jazz tune Blue Bossa. Blue Bossa is normally in C minor but I transposed it up a third to E minor which is also a better guitar key. It has a Latin groove mixed in with some Bossa Nova. Member’s can have access to this […]
This piece has a choro feel mixed with Andalusian rhythms. There is lots of syncopation and a variety of chord progressions including, II-V-I, circle of fifths and Andalusian cadences. Can you spot where they are? The tutorial will reveal: Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Here is a new piece I wrote to celebrate the changing of the seasons, it is actually summer in Melbourne but it’s only now that the better weather is coming. Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
This week’s lesson is on Baden Powell’s beautiful prelude and slow samba Samba Em Prelude recorded in 1962. It features and arpeggio style first section and a more lyrical second part. The tutorial will be posted this week! Members get access to the full score below: Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Here is a latin waltz I wrote in E minor. It features a melody that moves along the first string, and quite a lot of arpeggio work. This is suitable for intermediate players and will help you to develop a 3/4 dance feel that is featured in so many Latin American pieces. Members get access […]
Here is a new Bossa Nova I wrote this week, called Bossa Bacana. It has some influences from Jobim and other Brasilian pieces. Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Here is a new guitar Tango that I wrote this week. There is quite an Italian romantic flavour to it especially in the middle section. Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
I wrote this piece last week and performed it recently for the first time. It features an unusual tuning with drop Eb and a raised G# third string. Sheet music is shown below for LGM Members, a tutorial will go up soo too! Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Here is my arrangement of the famous song Sway by Demetrio and Pablo Beltrán Ruiz first recorded in 1953 and made famous by Dean Martin some years later. I have been experimenting with the melody and adding some arpeggios in a flamenco style. I like to play this with capo 2 to add some brightness […]
New lessons include: Wave Bossa Nova Chords Quizas, Quizas, Quizas Manha De Carnaval Bossa Nova Chords Corcovado Bossa Nova Chords New in Learn Latin Guitar Vol.3 Allegro by Giuliani Picado Practice – Natural notes Harmonic Minor and Phrygian Dominant Improvising with scales Tangos Latin Jazz Chord Notation Bossa Nova #2 – Decending Melody Bossa Nova […]
Here is the chord progression to Waves by Carlos Jobim. These are the voicings I would use as accompaniment. Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Here is my new arrangement of Quizas, Quizas, Quizas also known as Perhaps. See below for sheet music/soundslice. Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
In this lesson we will work through the famous Bossa Nova – Manha De Carnaval by Luis Nova. This chart will show you the guitar chords and chord voicings I use when I accompany a singer or another guitarist in performance.
Back To Menu/Course Here is a new Latin guitar piece I wrote this week, it features a Rumba rhythm and also some fun triplet arpeggios. Tutorial coming this week! Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Here is an arpeggio study that I wrote to help develop the RH and also work on LH slurs and position shifts. LGM Members can get the tutorial and sheet music below: Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Back To Menu/Course Hearts is an original finger style piece I wrote a few years ago and have finally notated it. It has an E Lydian feel, with a lot of open string resonances. Sheet music and tutorial below for members: Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Back To Menu/Course Here is a new piece I wrote recently which has a distinct Brazilian flavour. It’s in the key of B minor and features a fun syncopated melody and Latin Jazz chords and harmony. The tutorial will be available soon for LGM Members. look in the members area for the sheet music?TAB. Interactive […]
Back To Menu/Course This is new original piece I wrote inspired by the Rumba Flamenco form. I have also added a Brasilian/Latin feel in the middle section. See below for the music or you can also purchase it in the sheet music shop. Guitar tutorial coming this week! Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
One of the most magical and fun techniques I have learned form flamenco is there Alzapua technique. In this lesson I will show you how to play a smooth and even Alzapua technique. Alzapua is a flamenco technique which is played with the Rh thumb. The RH thumb will play a sequence of down and […]
In this video I will take you through the chords for the main section and also some solo ideas. I have covered the intro and melody in a previous video (here). This section is loosely in the key of D major but having some idea of the modes you can use will help expand your […]
“El Choclo” which means The Corn Cob in Spanish, is a popular song written by Ángel Villoldo, an Argentine musician. It is one of the most popular tangos in Argentina. The piece was premiered in Buenos Aires in 1903 at the elegant restaurant El Americano on Cangallo 966 by the orchestra led by José Luis Roncallo. […]
La Cumparista is a famous song written by Uruguayan composer Gerardo Matos Rodríguez in 1916. It is one of the most popular tangos ever written. I have arranged it here for solo guitar and transposed it to E minor from the original G minor. The tutorial will be posted this week but members can get […]
This week on LGM: I had a gig at Paris Cat this week so I wasn’t able to publish a tutorial. If you would like to see footage form the gig you can watch it here. The performance was with Nathan Slate and Jaime Carrasco from the band La Rumba. I have re-arranged the LGM […]
Here is my arrangement of Luis Miguel’s famous Bolero – Became Mucho. My version has a Bossa Nova feel. The tutorial is coming out this week but members have access to the sheet music and play along track below:
Available for members: Full score/TAB and interactive sheet music you can print
In video we will explore the scales the you can use over The Girl From Ipanema. Improvising blends your knowledge of harmony, scales, voice leading and technique. The scales that I use here are only one option but I think they work well in a Latin Jazz context. I have included a backing track for […]
This is a popular Bossa Nova by Carlos Jobim also known as Jazz ‘n’ Samba. I have changed the key to A major which works well on guitar. Guitar Tutorial and Interactive Sheet Music/TAB
Tico Tico (full title “Tico Tico no tuba”) is a popular Brasilian song written by is a Brazilian choro song written by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917. The most popular guitar version is by Paco De Lucia which includes a backing band. In this arrangement I have tried to capture the Brazilian flavour with […]
Members Content below: Video Lesson Tutorial Sheet Music/TABS
Title: One Note Samba Key : C#minor Time : 4/4 Style: Bossa Composer: Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) Writen by famous Brasilian song wirter and composer Carlos Jobim, this sog rose to fame in the 1960s. It has an unusual chromatic descending bass line and very simple (one note) melody. Played with the open E this […]
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Title: Black Orpheus (Manhã De Carnaval) Key : A minor Time : 4/4 Style: Bossa Nova Composer: Luis Bonfa (1922-2001) was a celebrated Brasilian guitarist famous for this particular song Manha De Carnaval which was featured in the production of Orfeu da Conceição also known as Black Orpheus. Bonfa worked alongside the likes of Jobim, […]
Baden Powell was a leading Brasilian guitarist and composer. He wrote in many styles including Bossa Nova and Samba, Popular Brasilian and Latin Jazz. He toured internationally for many years especially Europe and collaborated with many well-known artists including Vinicius de Moraes, Billy Blanco and Paulo Cesar Pinheiro. Here is one of Baden Powell’s slower pieces, it […]
The flamenco Rumba is one of the most popular forms and also one of the simplest. Though many of the flamenco styles os palos are based on counting to 12m the Rumba is in 4/4. We count 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2 with the 1 being accented. The first beta usually is accented with a golpe, the 4th beat […]
The Malagueña is a Spanish dance that originated in the Spanish city of Malaga. It features a 3/4 feel and a familiar bass arpeggio that returns throughout. There are many versions of this dance and it is found in both Spanish classical and flamenco as well. This version offers some fun and challenge for intermediate […]
This song was released by the Spanish pop group Navajita Plateá. It has a nice melody which I wanted to capture on the first string so I transposed it to G and I am using a drop D and drop G tuning. The sheet music/Tab is available below or in the sheet music page […]
This is quite a well known piece in the classical guitar repertoire written by Joao Pernambuco. It translates to “sounds of bells”. Pernambuco was a respected and successful Brasilian guitarist and composer. The piece has the following features: drop D tuning in 2/4 time some tricky bar chords and scale passages It is in the […]
Here is a beautiful prelude by Brasilian guitarist Garato. He lived in the first part of the 20th Century and was an icon of Brasilian guitar. He wrote in many South American guitar styles including choro, samba and bossa nova. His guitar music is complex and rich in jazz harmony and challenging guitar techniques. This […]
Armando’s Rhumba is considered a jazz standard, it was written in 1976 and appears on the Chick Corea album My Spanish Heart. The original key is C minor but I have transposed it to A minor for guitar, you can also use a capo on 3 to get the original key sound. I have also […]
Daniel Fortea was a Spanish guitarist-composer and educator. He was one of Tarrega’s students along with Emilio Pujol and Miguel Llobet. He founded his own guitar school in Madrid in 1909.
Mas Que Nada was written and originally recorded by Jorge Ben. It was later covered by Sergio Mendes in 1966 and has gained a popular status amongst the Latin repertoire. The title translates to “yeah right” or “No way”.
“Sabor a Mí” is a bolero written by Mexican composer and singer Álvaro Carrillo. This is generally regarded as a standard of the Latin repertoire and I have made a guitar arrangement here that features a romantic melody and Latin jazz chords. The original key is G major but I have moved it up to […]
A beautiful choro by Italian guitarist/composer Mario Gangi. Gangi was a respected Italian guitarist, composer and teacher. It has some challenging techniques including bar chords and arpeggios up the neck but the final result is quite magical. Interactive sheet music for members below:
This week’s lesson features a beautiful samba-canção by the celebrated Brasilian guitarist and songwriter Luiz Bonfa called Sambalamento.
This week’s lesson is Wave by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Released in 1967 this is a lively Bossa Nova syncopated rhythm and some great Latin Jazz chords. This is an intermediate-level arrangement that combines the famous melody with the Bossa NOva accompaniment.
I have arranged Tom Jobim’s Chega De Saudade for this week’s lesson. In this arrangement, I have opted for a more arpeggio approach as there are long gaps between the melodic notes, you can also shape the chordal accompaniment with interesting dynamics to create compelling phrasing. I have put accents on the melodic notes so […]
This is a popular Latin piece by Marcos Valle often played as a Bossa Nova. I have made a solo arrangement featuring some extended chords and a melodic line that moves up the fretboard. Interactive Play-Along Track
This is the fourth lesson in my series on Concerto Aranjuez, so far I have covered the opening of the Allegro and I also did a post on the first cadenza of the Adagio. I am now continuing the Allegro bars 61 to 200. This is the part where the guitar enters after the first […]
Besame Mucho is regarded as one of the most famous Latin songs. Written by Mexican songwriter and concert pianist Consuelo Velasquez, the melody was inspired by the start of a Granados piano piece. The song style is a Bolero which, unlike the Spanish Bolero, is a popular Latin song form that originated in Cuba. It […]
The Bolero is a popular Spanish dance of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. It originated from the folk dance the Seguidilla from Madrid and Andalusia. One of the palos (styles) of flamenco is derived directly from the dance, the Seguidillas Boleras. This piece moves from a dance feel to a more melodic feel, […]
This Brasilian dance is by Argentinian guitarist and composer Jorge Morel’s and his most famous piece. It has a fast and lively tempo with a samba feel, and there are also elements of choro found here. Let’s explore the first half of the piece including the technical and musical challenges. Full Score, Interactive Play-Along […]
In this lesson, we’ll look at how I created a solo over a circle of fifths chord progression. We’ll look at the chord tones and modes that I am using so that you can work out how to create your own solo improv ideas. Here’s the chord progression: Here’s the solo with a description above […]
Astor Piazzola was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. One of his most famous pieces is called Libertango which roughly translates to freedom tango. We’ll look at the first part main melody and […]
Interactive Play-Along Track
In this video we will look at what the Latin jazz chords are in a major key. We will also look at how these chords are constructed and give a few examples of common jazz progressions. For this example, we’ll explore the chords in the key of C major. We derive the chords in a […]
We’re going to look at the start of Manha De Carneval and use chord tones to do get you thinking about improvising. Chord tones will give you a starting vocabulary of notes you case to improvise with. This lesson will help to famillarise you with where along the fretboard you can find certain chords […]
Água de Beber by Antônio Carlos Jobim This song was featured on the album The Composer of Desafinado, Plays released in 1963. The title means “Water to Drink”. Music written by Antônio Carlos Jobim and lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. The song was inspired by a walk that Jobim and Moraes were having in the governor’s house in Brasilia looking for somewhere […]
With many years of teaching and performing experience under my belt, I have found that there certain exercises that have improved my guitar technique the, most. In this video I’ll show you what these exercises are and why they are important. Pressure As you get more advanced your hands will become stronger, it takes time […]
In this lesson, we’ll look at the first half of Desafinado by Antonio Carlos Jobim (full version available for LGM Members below). The Bossa Nova pattern will be as follows with the bass note on beats 1 and 3. We start with F maj7 with the bass note on the 6th string, this is over […]
Our next lesson will involve practicing picado or rest stroke. Picado is used for melodic passages and scale work. It’s important that the right hand fingers are always walking or alternating. Keep practicing this walking as talked about in lesson 2. Here are some exercises and scales to practice your picado. We will put picado […]
Counting down my top 5 mistakes guitarists make. Note that these mistakes are not entirely just guitarist mistakes but are still very important things to try and improve on: 5. Right Hand Organisation I often see guitar students pay a lot of attention to their left hand but not enough to their right-hand work. It’s […]
Latin Guitar Scales you need for know (Great for improvising) Harmonic minor played over Am – E7 The A harmonic minor is a natural minor scale with a sharp 7th degree. This scale has a dark and moody feel and is characterized by a minor third interval which gives it a lot of tension. The […]
Sheet Music Download / Play-Along Track / Lesson Notes
0:27 Right Hand Technique 3:27 Simple Right Hand Rhythm 4:38 Arpeggio 5:55 Left Hand Technique 6:37 Left Hand Exercise 1 7:20 Left Hand Exercise 2 8:02 LH Exercise 3 8:45 Synchronisation 10:40 Drills Video
Baden Powell was a leading Brasilian guitarist and composer. He wrote in many styles including Bossa Nova and Samba, Popular Brasilian and Latin Jazz. He toured internationally for many years especially Europe and collaborated with many well-known artists including Vinicius de Moraes, Billy Blanco and Paulo Cesar Pinheiro. Here is one of Baden Powell’s slower pieces, it […]
Lagrima is one of Francisco Tárrega’s best loved pieces. The title means ‘teardrop’ in Spanish and was written by Tarrega when he was living in London and feeling homesick. The piece is intermediate level because it uses a number of techniques including melody in a number of voices, arpeggio, and position changes. The form is […]
It’s important to learn and use the correct sitting and hand positions when playing guitar. Whether you are just starting or trying to improve your playing, it’s a good idea to revisit the basics periodically. Sitting There are a number of possible sitting positions which will work well. You can adopt the classical sitting position […]
The Concerto De Aranjuez is one of the most famous guitar Concertos ever written and the main theme from the Adagio movement is very well known. In this video, we will look at the first cadenza from the Adagio movement which features this famous melody. This piece was written by the composer Joaquin Rodrigo in […]
Inspiration is an instrumental piece written and performed by The Gipsy Kings on their self-titled album. It has a fast Rumba feel which is typical of their music. In this lesson, we will look at the opening chords and melodic passages played over these changes. \ Sheet Music – TAB / Lesson Notes […]
Here is the opening of Moorea by Gipsy Kings. We will look at the chord progression and then the chord riff that is played above that. The Gipsy Kings were a popular Latin group of the 90s (though they are still around today), they helped to popularise Latin guitar, combining flamenco and South American elements. […]
Mediterranean Sundance is an iconic Latin guitar piece written by Paco De Lucia and Al De Meola. It was a featured track Al De Meola’s album Elegant Gypsy. It was later reworked and released by The Guitar Trio which consisted of Al De Meola, Paco De Lucia and John McLaughlin on the live album Friday […]
A great arpeggio workout with some challenging bar work. Spanish guitar composer and virtuoso Francisco Tárrega wrote a number a studies for guitar. These, alongisde his more famous guitar compositions (Recuerdos De La Alhambra , Capriccio Arabe) form an important part of the Spanish Guitar canon. This study is quite straightforward in a musical sense […]
Tango is an intermediate classical guitar piece by Spanish guitar composer José Ferrer. This piece is in the form of a Spanish tango which features this main rhythm: It is in binary form (2 sections) with the A section the key of A minor and the B section in A major. There are also a […]
In this guitar tutorial, I will show you how to play the first part of Jorge Morel’s arrangement Misionera by Fernando Bustamente. Morel was an Argentinian guitarist who wrote and arranged for guitar. Sheet Music Download / Play-Along Track / Lesson Notes
Modes are types of scales, they include the major and natural minor scale but also include other more interesting scales which feature in Latin Jazz flamenco and Brasilian music as well. In this tutorial, we’ll look at modes on the guitar. I will try shed some light on this often confusing topic. I thought the […]
In this guitar tutorial, I’ll show you how to play this Alzapua passage in Entre Dos Aguas by Paco De Lucia. This is a descending pattern in E minor also known as the Andalusian Cadence starting with Em – D – C – B7. The melody is in the bass part and seeing […]
In this video tutorial, I will teach my arrangement of Cuban Dance which is a standard in the Latin Guitar Repertoire. Sheet Music/TAB
Here is the final part of my Corcovado arrangement. It is a bit more challenging than the previous section as we will be playing up the next more with position shifts and quick chord changes. It’s quite playable and with practice intermediate players should get this under fingers. Sheet Music/TAB or
In this next section we will look at the next 8 bars. The next four bars utilise bar chords Gm7 and C9 barring the 3rd fret and chords F#m7 and B7#5 barring on the second fret.
Corcovado, also know as Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars is a popular Brasilian Bossa Nova by Antonio Carlos Jobim. In this intermediate guitar arrangement I have changed the key from the original key of C and moved up one tone to D major to make use of more open strings. The feel is not […]
When it comes to guitar techniques on the guitar nothing beats the magic of the guitar tremolo. There are many guitar tremolo pieces in both the classical and flamenco styles but the most iconic tremolo piece is Recuerdos De La Alhambra by Francisco Tarrega. In this video I will show you how to practice and […]
I caught up with Milos recently to chat about his career and recordings. This interview is an excerpt of my longer form conversation with him about his recording of Concerto Aranjuez. The full interview is available here in the Interviews Section here.
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Today I want to share with you my arrangement of the popular Spanish/Flamenco piece Rumba Flamenca. The Rumba is a common flamenco dance form (Palo) characterised by the rhythm 3 – 3 – 2. A Rumba is traditionally played at a slow to medium pace but this arrangement is more dramatic at faster tempi. I […]
I’ve had a few comments about improvising over flamenco chords and in particular over the Spanish Cadence. The Spanish Cadence is a very common chord progression that occurs in Spanish music and flamenco which uses the chords IV – III – II – I. It is usually in a minor key and often occurs […]
Sheet Music Download / Play-Along Track / Lesson Notes or
In this video we will be exploring what the chromatic scale is and how to practice it on the guitar. The chromatic scale is a 12 note scale that includes all the notes within the octave. This will include natural notes and accidentals. So for example, we can play the E chromatic scale starting […]
The Milonga is an Argentinian musical genre. It is similar to Tango but is generally played quite slowly and generally in 2/4 time. It originated in the Rio de la Plata areas of Argentina, Uruaguay, and Brasil. Milonga has a syncopated beat, consisting of 8 beats with accents on the 1st (sometimes also 2nd), 4th, 5th, […]
This flamenco piece was written by Paco Pena and appears on his 1987 album Azahara. It’s a Guajiras which is a flamenco form or Palos which is based on the Cuban Punto Guajira Cubana. Basically it’s a 12/8 rhythm which comes back to a rhythm that looks like this:
I will be posting a video tutorial on this piece soon, in the meanwhile here is a performance of this beautiful waltz I recorded over the weekend. It’s called Se Ela Perguntar by Dilermando Reis. Follow me @sergioguitarist to get my latest news!
Here’s a new piece I wrote called Rio! I will be releasing sheet music for this soon, available to members. Hope you enjoy! Follow me @sergioguitarist to get my latest news!
The Mixolydian mode is a useful scale mainly for playing over blues and dominant 7th chords. It is similar to a major scale but has a flattened 7th degree. Let’s look at an example, you can improvise over a C7 chord using a C Mixolydian scale. The chord tones in C7 are C […]
Latin Jazz includes jazz music that is written in a Jazz style. These pieces usually take the form of Bossa Novas, Sambas, Cha-Chas, Mambos, and more. Here are some common jazz chords found in Latin Jazz Guitar Pieces. Minor 7 This minor 7 chord is part of the Minor Chord Family (there are 5 chord […]
These are the main differences between a classical and a flamenco guitars: Type of Wood Classical guitars are built to have a wide tonal and dynamic range. This is because classical guitar music requires lots of tonal variation like sweet, warm tones or harsher bright tones and it often requires very quiet dynamic or very explosive […]
Classical Gas is an iconic fingerstyle piece written and recorded by Mason Williams in 1968. It was originally called Classical Gasoline but due to a publishing error, it was shortened to Classical Gas. Interestingly Williams was not known as a musician, more so as a comedy writer for the show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour […]
Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of spending some time with legendary guitarist Tommy Emmanuel. In this interview, Tommy shares his love of classical guitar and some of the players that influenced him. Sergio: You have mentioned in other interviews that you took some interest in classical guitar in the past. […]
I am doing lots of online guitar lessons along with many other guitarists at the moment. Zoom is an easy to use web conferencing software that has become an industry standard and seems to have surpassed Skype as the go-to online teaching software. It’s easy to use, all you need is a link from your […]
Today I want to talk about improvising in a Latin Blues style. I’m going to be using the E minor pentatonic in various positions along the fretboard and showing you my approach to using the scale in my solos. We’ll also explore some extra notes and ideas you can use to help improve your solos […]
The pentatonic scale is a versatile and easy scale to practice. It’s a great scale for learning how to improvise and compose as well and for ‘jamming’. What is the Pentatonic Scale It is a five-note scale (in Greek Pente=five and Tonic=note). Though there are a number of different five-note (pentatonic) scales we will focus […]
The silent guitar is a great practice companion. It is 80% quieter than a traditional guitar and very portable. They come in steel string and nylon string and include a variety of pick up options. Yamaha has added a digital imaging option which uses sampled guitar sounds to try and capture and recreate an authentic […]
There are 4 famous waltzes by Venezuelan guitarist/composer Antonio Lauro. They were edited by Alirio Diaz who was an internationally renowned classical guitarist and former student of Andres Segovia. Antonio Lauro is known for his skill in composing waltzes in a Venezuelan national style drawing form its folk traditions. His friend and champion Alirio Diaz […]
This is an iconic guitar piece of the Latin guitar world. Three giants of the acoustic and nylon guitar come together to collaborate in a guitar trio. This piece was recorded on a live album and is featured in a number of YouTube videos (see below). The piece is an elaboration of Paco De Lucia’s […]
This week’s episode will feature a short introduction to Bulerias by Alejandro Florez who is an excellent flamenco guitarist (solquemia.com and senesflamenco.com).
It’s a good idea to regularly revisit the fundamentals of right-hand technique. I particularly like Scott Tenant’s approach the Rest and Free stroke and this video shows an excellent close up of this process. There are 3 stages: Place: this first contact with the string is very important. If you don’t have contact with the […]
Lamentos Do Morro is one of Garoto’s most popular compositions. Garoto didn’t write down any of his music but this piece has been transcribed by many players most notably Paolo Bellinati. Raphael Rabello played a wonderful version which I love. It features a lot of flair and virtuosity typical of the more street style guitar […]
If you’re looking for an introduction to classical guitar influencers of the 20th Century then these short clips will be a good start. Taken from the documentary The Story Of The Guitar, the interviewer asks John Williams about the classical guitar and Andres Segovia.
Practice the ending of the piece first, that way, in performance you are heading towards the part you know the best. when you slide to a particular fret, look at the fret you want to land on. Your finger will automatically stop at the right fret. To increase the volume of your bass notes, point […]
As a teacher and player, I am always looking at technique from different viewpoints. From one perspective it seems obvious that we should all be trying to improve our technique. Better technique means fewer mistakes, and an easier, more masterful performance. But improving technique is not as easy as it seems. In truth, our technique […]
Mauro Giuliani(1781-1829) was a leading guitar figure of the Classical period. He was a prolific composer and virtuoso guitarist and teacher. His music forms an important part of the classical guitar repertoire and his studies are an essential repertoire for students. Unfortunately, Andres Segovia, who helped revive interest in the classical guitar in the early […]
The chromatic scale is a great scale to practice on guitar. In this article I will explore different ways to practice the chromatic scale and why it is good scale to practice. The chromatic scale is made up of every note on the guitar (or any instrument) as it moves along by semitone, in the […]
Welcome back to the LGM podcast! Today we’ll chat with Adam Del Monte about the Solea. I will also be updating you on my latest offerings on the blog and YouTube channel. Adam: The Solea is a very fundamental form that informs many other styles. Both technique and rhythmic understanding and the way of the […]
Welcome to the first episode of the Latin Guitar Mastery Podcast. This podcast will feature short episodes on Latin Guitar styles, techniques, players and more. I had a chat with guitarist Doug De Vries about what Brasilian choro music is. Here’s an excerpt from our interview: Doug: Choro is a bit like jazz, it’s all-encompassing. […]
To create more focus and mimic some of the pressure you will feel when performing I suggest trying the 4-Times Rule. It’s a simple process: 1. repeat the passage 4 times without making a mistake 2. If you make a mistake, restart the process 3. If you get stumped and can’t get 4 times in […]
Spain is a Jazz Latin piece written by Chick Corea inspired by the second movement Rodrigo’s Concerto Concerto De Aranjuez. It features a syncopated melody that is played in unison and also includes a flamenco-inspired circle of fifths: the chord progress Gmaj7 – F#7 (b9) – Em – A7 (b9) – Dmaj7- Gmaj7 […]
Here are some practice patterns for the first three strings in the first position. Many guitarists are not great readers. The guitar is an instrument you can learn by ear and through playing with others, reading music generally happens when you have formal guitar lessons or classical guitar lessons. So why work on your reading? Well, […]
I recently did an interview with Adam Del Monte. Adam is a grammy award-winning flamenco and classical guitarist. He teaches at USC Thornton School of Music and alongside his busy touring schedule has written a flamenco guitar concerto, collaborated with artists such as the LA Guitar Quartet and written and recorded for numerous films. In […]
This is the first part of a Rumba that I wrote recently and perform often. It is in the Rumba style which is a flamenco form of medium to slow pace characterized by a 3 – 3 – 2 pattern. This pattern is strummed in a certain way to bring out the accents on beats […]
Title: Malagueña Key : Am (E Phrygian Mode) Time : 3/4 Style: Flamenco Dance/Folk The Malagueña is a spanish folk song that originated in the town on Malaga. It was derived from the Fandango and grew to become a popular flamenco dance of the 19th Century. Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona also popularized this […]
Title: Besame Mucho Key : D minor Time : 4/4 Style: Bossa Nova Composer: Consuelo Velazquez Notes Originally written as a Bolero, this piece is one of the most famous Mexican songs. I have arranged it here as a Bossa. Two sections – Binary form Melody and Bossa Nova accompaniment. Chromatic chords and triplet […]
This piece is called Recuerdos De Mi Pago (Memories of my home town). It was composed by Juan Buscaglia who was an Argentinian guitarist/singer/composer. It is in the style of Milonga which is a slow Tango. The piece is at an intermediate level with some playing in higher positions, octave scales and arpeggiated chords in […]
Title: Black Orpheus (Manhã De Carnaval) Key : A minor Time : 4/4 Style: Bossa Composer: Luis Bonfa (1922-2001) was a celebrated Brasilian guitari st famous for this particular song Manha De Carnaval which was featured in the production of Orfeu da Conceição also known as Black Orpheus. Bonfa worked alongside the likes of Jobim, Stan Getz […]
One Note Samba is a famous Bossa Nova by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The pattern requires you to keep the 1st string open for the first section, while the bass (played on beats 1 and 3) is moving down chromatically. The chords are: Cm7 – C7 – Bm7 – Bflat 7 (flat 5) Followed by: […]
This is an iconic and popular guitar pice that uses 4 main techniques: Position Changes Bass plus Treble notes arpeggio style accompaniment Barre Chords In this video, I’ll take you through each element of technique and give you suggestions on how to practice this piece.
This is a simple Rumba in E minor suitable for intermediate players. It features an arpeggio style accompaniment alternating with melodic passages. The final strumming can be used to solo over by a second guitar.
Astor Piazzola is one of Argentina’s most iconic Tango composers. He was a virtuoso Bandoneon player and arranger. Many guitarists play Piazzola’s music which has mostly been arranged for guitar. Some of his most famous works include Libertango, his Four Seasons, Oblivion and History of Tango. I was asked last year to perform at a […]
This is a great way to start your practice or lesson. These are simple exercises which allow you to concentrate on what your hands and fingers are doing. The first two exercises focus on right hand walking, then left hand position and synchronisation. The finger ladder will help you develop strength and independence in […]
Today I’m going to do a follow up video of Concerto De Aranjuez, the previous video was on the rasguedo opening passages. This is the following 8 bars. Let’s discover it together. The end of the introduction, which includes some thumb work and scale work. I’m going to use my thumb to play the […]
This is part one of my new Bossa Nova guitar piece called Pensiero. It has some embellished Jazz chords and effective voice leading while still being at an intermediate level. Harmonically we move through the circle of fifths: Am – Dm 11 – G 11 -Cmaj 9 – E7+ – F7 – E7 – […]
Here is my arrangement of Luis Bonfa’s classic bossa nova hit. It was also performed on a film called Orfeo Negro and was originally called. Maha De Carneval.
Useful Bossa Nova Pattern Using the chord following chords, you can create a useful Bossa Nova Pattern: Am – AmM7 – Am7 – Am6 There is an internal line that is descending chromatically. Follow the video to learn the finger and right hand pattern. Some examples of this pattern in pieces include: Besame Mucho Girl […]
Rumba Strumming is a very useful tool for performing flamenco music. This video will take you through the Rumba technique as used by Paco De Lucia and Gipsy Kings (and many others). The chord progression we are using is Am – G -F – E . We start with a thumb down and […]
The Four Times rule is something you can use to improve the quality of your practice and eliminate small and annoying mistakes that can creep into your playing. Sometimes mistakes do happen when practicing or performing and thats ok but we can definitely minimise them through methods like this one. One often finds that under performance […]
Here is an example of incredible guitar skill and mastery. The great Paco De Lucia performing on Parkinson in the UK. The piece is Almoraima which is a Buleria. Amazing rhythmic control and depth.
Alzapua is a flamenco technique involving the thumb. the term comes from the word alzar which means to raise. It is usually played as a fast flourish of notes in quick sequence. The thumb plays all notes using down and up strokes. Played accurately and fast it can sound fantastic as a high point of a falseta or […]
What is the circle of fifths chord progression? Well, chords and tonalities have various relationships to each other. For example, the chords C, F, and G7 are all part of the key of C. They form the chords I, IV and V7. Put another way, they are the first, fourth and fifth chords in that […]
Performance nerves can be a real issue for guitarists, especially because of the nature of how we create sound on the guitar. Nerves can manifest themselves as shaking of the hands, sweating, memory slips, loss of focus and more. There things can amount to technical breakdown, buzzing, wrong notes, and many more unwanted effects. There […]
Here are 4 Bossa Nova exercises, each exercise uses the same 2 chords : Am6 and Am7 with voicing on strings 2 to 4. Its a good idea to practice with a metronome at a comfortable tempo. Note that the bass part is always on beats 1 and 3, while the chords vary between begin […]
Here is an excellent documentary about Andres Segovia and his life. Filmed in 1968 when Segovia was 75, the documentary features interviews with the Maestro and a number of performances. Segovia plays beautifully and has an amazing tone, there is a nice quality to this film. This is an informative and inspiring video about Segovia. […]
Here’s a video I came across in which Sharon Isbin talks about how she uses and applies vibrato. Vibrato is given to a note by applying and relaxing pressure to a string in a lateral direction. Lateral direction along the line of the string. The pressure towards the bridge with the hand motion coming towards […]
Here are a couple of nice guitar arrangements of the popular Brasilian Bossa Novas: Girl From Ipanema and Mas Que Nada performed by Milos. Milos has exploded onto the classical guitar scene in recent years helped by heavy promotion by Deutsch Gramophone. Much of the music he plays is Spanish and South American and his […]
Many players are taught to keep their left hand thumb in a fairly stationary position behind the neck of the guitar whilst playing. In some ways it makes sense that in order to stay in position you need to have a reference point which is usually the thumb. The reference point refers to the lateral […]
Rodrigo’s Concerto De Aranjuez is an very well known spanish guitar work, though it’s the Adagio theme which people are most familiar with. Today we are going to be looking at the into to the first movement. The concerto starts with a series of rasguedo chords which are played in a 6/8 and 3/4 time […]
Here are the main major chord shapes you can play on the guitar: Root 6 (Tonic on the 6th String) Root 5 (Tonic on the 5th String) Root 4 (Tonic on the 4th String) There are other major type chords with can often also be used like 6, maj 9, 6/9 etc depending on the […]
Here is the next instalment of the Segovia Guitar Scales, G major and E Harmonic Minor (3 Octaves). There are many ways to practice these scales, I would recommend a variety of Right Hand fingerings. Here are some suggestions: im, mi, am, ma, ia,ai, ip, pi, imam Rest Stroke or Free Stroke
Matteo Carcassi Summary Born in Florence, and lived in Paris, and Germany. Virtuoso guitarist and composer. toured Europe extensively Friend Meissonnier published many of his works. Wrote an important method The Carcassi Method Op 59 (Paris 1836) Op 60 : 25 studies are popular classical etudes. Contemporary of Carulli, Sor and Giuliani.
Batucada has been around for some years now having been written by the great Brasilian teacher/guitarist Isaias Savio. I first heard the piece at a Milos concert last year. Here is a great version by Brassilian born guitarist Carlos Barbarosa Lima. A Batucada is a Brasilian dance often played in a group and forms part […]
The music Girl from Ipanema (also known as Garota De Ipanema) was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1962. This song became an international hit by the mid-1960s after it was recorded by Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto on guitar and his wife Astrud on vocals.
The Soleares is one of the fundamental flamenco forms. Here are some basic facts about the Solea or Soleares: Compas 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 (accent on bold numbers) Originated in the mid 1800s Share the same compas as Allegris and Buleria Use the Phrygian Mode in E major or […]
I spend a lot of time explaining my take on correct right hand classical guitar technique. In truth there is no one correct way but here we can go over the basic ideas. I will also show some examples of different players’ right hands and what I like about them. 1. The arm sits on […]
It’s as important to think about how to practice is what to practice. You will become efficient at learning new guitar music if you follow a simple and effective process. I have outlined below the one I use with many of my guitar students. Be sure to have a metronome with you and give yourself […]
We’re going to talk about how to hold a classical guitar, I prefer to use a footstool though sometimes you can get a device that will help you hold the guitar in a certain way, the main thing is that you should get the neck of the guitar reasonably high. this will assist your […]
Here’s my ultimate guitar practice breakdown. These are the things you should cover when you practice. I have also included a rough percentage of time that you should spend on them. I find that it’s easy to get into bad habits when practising. These can include overplaying, poor technique, practising too fast, and avoiding some […]