Silent Guitar

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 […]

4 Valses Venezolanos – Antonio Lauro

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 […]

Mediterranean Sundance

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 […]

The 3 stages of plucking technique

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

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 […]

John Williams talks about the 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.

Guitar Tips and Tricks

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 […]

Technique = Habit

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 […]

Giuliani – Composer Profile and Sheet Music

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 […]