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Ready to take your classical guitar playing to the next level? As you move beyond the basics of open strings and first position, a world of beautiful and challenging repertoire opens up. This guide...

Paul Bizot performs Quatre pièces pour la guitare by Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903–1989). This comes via Siccas Guitars and their YouTube channel (go subscribe). Great performance by Bizot filled with nice motivic delivery, articulation, and orchestration of the guitar soundscape.

Emmanuel Sowicz sent me this note regarding the piece when I posted his performance: “It’s Lennox Berkeley’s still relatively unknown Quatre Pièces, which he wrote for Segovia while in Paris c.1927 (one of the first guitar pieces written by a non-guitarist composer, soon after De Falla’s 1920 Homenaje). As you may guess, seems Segovia didn’t play them. They were found in his archive in 2001 and published by Bèrben soon after…”

You can read an article by Allan Jones on the work. “This article explores the background and implications surrounding the discovery of Lennox Berkeley’s Quatre Pièces pour la Guitare, highlighting its significance for guitarists and scholars. Emphasizing Berkeley’s education in Paris and influences, including his interactions with Nadia Boulanger and jazz, the piece reflects his understanding of the guitar and musical idioms of his time.”

The piece is readily available, edited by Gilardino via Bèrben.

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Music Theory Lesson No.1b: Musical Time (Pulse, Beat, Tempo, Meter, Rhythm). In this lesson I discuss some terminology for musical time including: pulse, beat, tempo, meter, and rhythm. This is an important discussion before we start discussing music notation and why we use it. You can find all the lessons at the Music Theory Lessons page. Here’s the Youtube link if you want to watch it there.

Pulse and Beat 

• Often used interchangeably, which is totally fine at this point. 
• Pulse is the undifferentiated and equally spaced feel of the music, whether that be taps or clicks.
• Beat is the same but later on when we discuss time signatures and measures the beat can mean something more specific than a simple pulse. The beat might indicate that some beats are stronger or weaker than others, hierarchy and structure there

Tempo

• The rate or speed of the beat. Fast tempo or slow tempos. Pulse and beat can certainly mean different things when discussing tempo. If we have a fast tempo the beats might be going by quickly but the feel of the pulse might be more simple. For example, feeling the pulse only on the first beat of each measure.

Meter

• The grouping of beats into patterns. For example,  group of 4 beats (4/4 time) or a group of 3 beats (3/4 time).
• In a later lesson we’ll discuss how the meter will offer structure and form measures in notation. 

Rhythm

• A generalized term for all this content. However, it can be used more specifically to describe the vast variety of short or long durations of notes often highly patterned and organized in relation to the beat or extending over multiple beats. 

Word Usage can be confusing for students – Generic usage vs specific to note duration

• The piece is filled with interesting rhythms (Generic)
• Let’s discuss the rhythm of this piece (Generic)
• This piece is very rhythmically interesting (Generic)
• The rhythm is a quarter note not an eighth note (specific)

Hope you found that helpful. Find more theory lessons on the Music Theory Lessons page. If you need any clarification on this particular lesson please leave a comment below.

The post Music Theory Lesson No.1b: Musical Time first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Canadian guitarist Drew Henderson performs Suite for Lute, BWV 995 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) on a seven-string guitar. This comes via Henderson’s YouTube channel (go subscribe). Henderson’s sheet music edition will be coming soon via his website. Brilliant and refined performance by Henderson with an excellent sense of balance and pacing. Here’s a small except from his YouTube description, read the full write-up at his video.

I’m happy to present my 7-string arrangement of Bach’s magnificent Suite for Lute, BWV 995 (G minor) which is derived from his Cello Suite no. 5, BWV 1011 (orig.C minor). This performance marks the first step before I record it in a beautiful church acoustic for an upcoming album featuring this and two other Bach suites.

This piece is especially significant for guitarists interested in seeing how Bach himself added bass notes to a cello suite. To my knowledge, it’s the only example of that process, and it’s also a prime illustration of how Bach transposed music into different keys to better suit an instrument. Interestingly, the original cello suite calls for a scordatura, where the high A string is tuned a tone lower to G, making the piece much less awkward than in standard tuning.

Movement and Video Times

• 00:00 Prelude
• 02:09 Tres vite
• 06:00 Allemande
• 11:32 Courante
• 13:21 Sarabande
• 16:37 Gavotte 1
• 18:34 Gavotte II
• 20:52 Gigue

The post Drew Henderson Plays Suite, BWV 995 by Bach first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Question: How do I get back into regular practicing after taking a long break from music and classical guitar?

After taking a few months off practicing classical guitar (or more) it can be difficult to return to a structured and regular practice session. The key to success is making your practice sessions enjoyable and special and slowly introducing structure and balance once a routine has been established. Here are a few tips:

Build Motivation and Inspiration
Find a few super easy pieces that you love play or inspire you to learn. This is immediately make your practice session more enjoyable and something you’ll look forward to. Listen or watch some of your favourite musicians while making a tea or coffee to get inspired. Read some music history or watch a short lesson, whatever inspires you.

Make it Special
Make your practice session a special time of the day. Get some good treats, make a nice coffee or tea, clean up your practice area and make it look nice. Listen or watch some great performances (not necessarily guitar) to musically inspire you. Make it a sanctuary of “you-time” that is special and almost self indulgent. It’s a luxury to get to study music and improve yourself, as well as flex your creative muscles. Unless you are professional musician you have to ask yourself, “why did I start playing music?”. It wasn’t to be hard on yourself, it was for enjoyment, creativity, intellectual curiosity, and artistic challenge. It should be a positive endeavour and an enjoyable one.

Make it Consistent
Even if you only start with 5 minutes a day, that is a great accomplishment. But do it every day. If possible do it at the same time of each day. Schedule it in as ‘you-time’ and make it happen. Again, even if it’s only 5 minutes. You can increase the amount of time later. Practicing for 5 mins a day is better than 2 hours twice a week.

Slowly Introduce Structure and Balance
Once you have some enjoyable easy material you should start building a technique routine to get your ‘chops’ back and to develop and progress in your technique and musical skill building. This is a good start to having some structure but it won’t overwhelm you. You can just start with some scales or alignment exercises. Don’t try to build the whole routine at once. Just some technique and nice easy repertoire to start the process.

Then Get Organized

See this lesson to get fully back into practicing:

• How to Practice Music and Organize Your Practice Session – A lesson on how to practice music, classical guitar, and organize your practice session. Fully integrate this once you’re practicing everyday.

If you are at the intermediate level you might also want to see my article and video on: 7 Technique Categories to Practice Every Day on Classical Guitar

You can find practice routines for each level in my Full Technique Book.

• You can find easy repertoire here:
• Easy Classical Guitar, Vol. 1, Grade 1-3
• Easy Classical Guitar Vol. 2, Grade 1-4

Questions & Support

If you need clarification on this particular Q&A please leave a comment below. For new and existing questions please visit the main Classical Guitar Q&A page. If you are enjoying the free Q&As you can support the site here.

The post How do I get back into regular practicing after taking a long break? first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Question: What should I include in my practice sessions for classical guitar?

It’s important to develop a balanced practice session for classical guitar in order to both improve and to enjoy yourself. As a basic overview of the practice session, you should include the below areas:

• Technique Routine – Including both exercises that you know well to focus and warmup the hands but also exercises to help you develop your technique.
• Learning Materials – This can be method books, etudes, sight reading, fretboard knowledge, research, whatever you are learning at any given time. Beginners and intermediates should be using method books in one form or another.
• New Repertoire – Always be learning at least one or two new pieces. They might be easy material or very difficult. New content expands our knowledge and challenges us to work through new musical ideas and fingerings.
• Concert Repertoire – It doesn’t matter if you are playing concerts, recording pieces, or practicing alone, this is repertoire you are memorizing and playing at your highest level.
• Enjoyment & Reward – In this section you should play some manageable pieces that you can play well without too much concentration or effort. Or anything that makes you feel good.

Don’t be worried or overwhelmed if you don’t have each category yet. You can start with just the Enjoyment section and the technique routine and continue to add structure slowly.

See my full in-depth article on practice sessions

How to Practice Music and Organize Your Practice Session – A lesson on how to practice music, classical guitar, and organize your practice session

If you are at the intermediate level you might also want to see my article and video on: 7 Technique Categories to Practice Every Day on Classical Guitar

You can find practice routines for each level in my Full Technique Book.

Questions & Support

If you need clarification on this particular Q&A please leave a comment below. For new and existing questions please visit the main Classical Guitar Q&A page. If you are enjoying the free Q&As you can support the site here.

The post What should I include in my practice sessions for classical guitar? first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Question: How do you know when to upgrade your classical guitar?

When your skill set and requirements for either performing, recording, or listening outpace the instrument it’s time to get a new classical guitar. But there are many variables to this question depending on the player, their current instrument, their skill level, if they are performing in large halls, and their financial situation.

Just as refinement in playing comes in small increments, so does improvement in guitars as the cost goes up. That said, the more refined your playing becomes the more you will want to match that skill with a refined instrument that, as a tool for music making, helps you accomplish your goals.

Super tricky question for me to answer but I’ll try to offer some criteria and advice as best I can.

Please note: Remember to not get distracted by wanting a new guitar. Even the best pros can make beautiful music on an inexpensive guitar so don’t let it ever get in the way of your practice or music making. Enjoy each instrument for it’s unique qualities and get back to work. Also, don’t forget to use quality strings and to replace them often, this can breathe new life into your guitar.

Responsiveness and balance – The ability to bring a note out of a musical texture is very important. A responsive instrument will allow you to do this with less effort. The balance of the instrument across the strings is also important as it creates an equalization that ensures rogue notes won’t pop out. You also want definition and clarity along with a pleasing sound and inexpensive guitars have a tendency to be muddy and lack definition. In general, inexpensive guitars have less of these qualities. So if you are finding it difficult to refine your sound in this regard it is either time for more technique practice or time for a new guitar.

Sustain – In general, better guitars have better sustain compared to beginner instruments. Beginner guitars also have a tendency to have ‘dead notes’ that don’t sustain well. A quality instrument is going to have pretty good sustain on all the notes in a balanced way.

Tone Quality – Great guitars have great tone…usually. Some guitars emphasize certain elements over others so you can have a high end guitar with terrible tone (whatever that means). But in general, most people buying an expensive guitar expect the quality of the sound to be pleasing.

Volume – Volume isn’t everything but if you are playing in large halls or ensemble music with others it is certainly a factor. Funny thing though, expensive concert guitars are intended for good projection in large halls. Sometimes, student guitars can be just fine in the practice room but get them into a hall and they suffer dramatically. But if you are struggling to get more volume from your instrument and are pushing it way too far and getting a bad sound due to extended effort it may be time for a guitar that has a bit more volume and a better effort-to-volume ratio. But volume is relative and there is nothing wrong with a softer guitar if the balance is good. You don’t want to emphasize volume over other elements like tone quality.

The Player – One of the biggest reasons a player sometimes wants a new guitar is not just upgrading from their inexpensive beginner guitar but because they want a particular sound and responsiveness from their instrument. At other times they may just want a change to spice up their practice sessions. Some of this comes down to personal preference but also the repertoire they are playing and their aspirations in music.

Consider Your Skill Level – It takes skill to make a professional level instrument sound its best. Don’t get me wrong, an expensive guitar will help you but it won’t ‘solve all your problems’. In some cases it won’t help at all. Some concert level instruments are designed for players with advanced technique and the action is high and more difficult to play because pros are digging in hard to the strings to reach the listeners in the back row of the concert hall. Just because you’ve bought an expensive guitar doesn’t mean you be able to utilize it to it’s fullest. But it is a good investment in your skill and you will grow into it as your develop your technique.

Some advice on financial vs quality considerations

If you can afford a great instrument, go for it. It’s your art, your tool, and your friend. If you are buying a single-luthier made guitar it is also a work of art and you are supporting the culture of guitar making.

If you are more on a budget you’ll have to pace yourself. With my students I usually recommend their first guitar be of a minimum quality (for examples, a Cordoba C5 or C7). So, not expensive but not super cheap either. The solid woods and design usually mean that the student can play the instrument for a few years and not have any huge concerns.

Once the student is starting to refine their skills, perform, or just practice more regularly, they usually jump to an instrument in the $800-2000 range. Then they have an instrument that won’t hold them back as they enter the intermediate playing level. It’s not a super responsive or loud instrument but it does fine and sounds good.

At this point I usually stop the student from buying instruments in small increments and encourage them to save up for a professional level guitar. Buying in increments is difficult and the difference between the instruments is not always very large. That said, there are few new companies offering guitars that aim to keep up with expensive single-luthier instruments. But the best guitars are still made by luthiers who have honed their skills and give individual attention to the woods being used and their design.

There are too many variables at this point. A career-path student playing in halls or next to other students who have nice guitars will need either a professional level instrument or a special workhorse guitar that emphasizes volume and responsiveness in order to keep up. A hobbyist practicing at home for themselves may not need volume so they can do with other elements in a guitar. The variations are endless.

Final advice

Socialize with other guitarists and ask an advanced guitarist if you can try their instrument and compare it to yours. People are usually very open and friendly in the classical guitar world and willing to let you play their instrument if you are careful and respectful. Ask them how to be careful with their instrument. This will allow you to see what a new guitar can possibly do for you.

Questions & Support

If you need clarification on this particular Q&A please leave a comment below. For new and existing questions please visit the main Classical Guitar Q&A page. If you are enjoying the free Q&As you can support the site here.

The post How do you know when to upgrade your classical guitar? first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

1. Sam Ho on The Myth of Bach’s Lute Suites by Clive TitmussNovember 6, 2025

   As a violin player myself, I’m aware that Bach wrote concertos with a violin solo and reworked them as keyboard…

2. Bradford Werner on What chair do I use for classical guitar?November 4, 2025

   I’m pretty sure Daerdra was referring to this one: https://originalguitarchair.com/

3. Bradford Werner on What chair do I use for classical guitar?November 4, 2025

   I’m pretty sure Daerdra was referring to this one: https://originalguitarchair.com/

4. Chris Ebneth on What chair do I use for classical guitar?November 4, 2025

   Yes, please provide the name of the company that sells the classical guitar chair made in North Carolina. Thanks!

5. Bradford Werner on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarNovember 3, 2025

   I am teaching a technique warmup class, giving a lecture/workshop on PD online stuff, and judging the competition. Plus, I’ll…

6. Northwest guitar festival and you on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarNovember 2, 2025

   Brad: Re your performing: I see you are on the poster of the Northwest Guitar festival, yet I see no…

7. Michael McGrath on Late-Beginner Collection for Classical Guitar (Free PDF)November 1, 2025

   I have just returned to classical guitar after over forty years, and after considerable research consider your website to be…

8. Bradford Werner on How to Practice Scales on Classical GuitarOctober 31, 2025

   Yes, here is my curriculum page where you can see all my educational materials: https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/learn-classical-guitar-education-series/

9. George on How to Practice Scales on Classical GuitarOctober 31, 2025

   Hello, Thank you for all the free quality lessons you provide. Do you have lessons in your site for complete…

10. Thank you for the guidance! on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 30, 2025

    Thank you very much for the prompt direction to the advice-guidance on changing strings that you’ve already provided on your…

11. Bradford Werner on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 30, 2025

    I use the hard tension but I also like the normal tension imperials as well.

12. Bradford Werner on Grade 3 Lesson: Bella Gioiosa by Fabritio CarosoOctober 30, 2025

    Yes, you play with a capo and pretend that it is not there. So the open 1st string is E…

13. Oliver on Grade 3 Lesson: Bella Gioiosa by Fabritio CarosoOctober 30, 2025

    When you play with a capo, it looks like you shift all notes up by the capo position – ie…

14. Bradford Werner on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 30, 2025

    Scroll down this page to the 12 hole sections: https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/how-to-string-a-classical-guitar/

15. Stuart on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 30, 2025

    Beautiful guitar! I have a Dominelli as well. Beautiful guitars. My teacher likes to play it at my lessons and…

16. Bradford Werner on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 30, 2025

    Oh good, we are Dominelli siblings. I’m playing some duos with people I might perform. At the moment I’m mainly…

17. Lari Mitchell on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 30, 2025

    Congrats on your new guitar, Brad. Acquiring a new guitar that sounds great off the hop is uncommon. I understand…

18. Stephan Flores on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 30, 2025

    First, beautiful sound-look of this wonderful new guitar! Question-request: I wonder if the next time you change strings, for this…

19. Bradford Werner on Curriculum for Classical GuitarOctober 28, 2025

    Hi Sam, the best place to start is with my free pdf Method Book Volume 1: https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/free-classical-guitar-method-book-pdf/

20. Samraj on Curriculum for Classical GuitarOctober 28, 2025

    i am from India, in order to start a classical guitar school, I need your advise and notes of lessons.…

21. Bradford Werner on Left Hand Position Lesson for Classical GuitarOctober 27, 2025

    Was there anything in particular you found difficult? Let me know and I can maybe help you find a solution.

22. sim on Left Hand Position Lesson for Classical GuitarOctober 27, 2025

    this seems tough

23. Bradford Werner on Classical Guitar Strings ReviewOctober 27, 2025

    I’m not sure about trying to tune a guitalele into regular tuning, the strings would be very slack and probably…

24. Keat Goh on Classical Guitar Strings ReviewOctober 26, 2025

    Hi, Please advise string type for guitarlele for standard guitar EADGDBE tuning. Was told carbon strings for 44 cm scale…

25. James Farber on Review: SonoFlex Instrument Microphone from CloudVocalOctober 26, 2025

    Sonoflex website indicates that the guitar mount is “coming soon”. How did you get the guitar body mount?

26. Bradford Werner on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 26, 2025

    I think it is both. It’s much easier to tie the strings and does look cleaner. Also, it creates a…

27. Jeff Ryan on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 26, 2025

    Beautiful guitar, congrats! Just curious about the 12 hole bridge. Do you believe there is a clear practical advantage to…

28. Bradford Werner on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 25, 2025

    I just use the vinyl on the top to protect from my nails and behind the saddle for string accidents.…

29. Bradford Werner on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 25, 2025

    Thanks for sharing!

30. Francie Buckley on 2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical GuitarOctober 25, 2025

    Congratulations Bradford! Looks and sounds beautiful! I had a 615 scale double top built by Larry Breslin a few years…

The post Recent Comments first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Music Theory Lesson No.1 for Classical Guitar: Pitch Direction and Letter Names. I’ll be teaching classical music theory lessons and relating it to the keyboard, guitar, and notation to see the implications of music theory on the instrument. This first theory lesson might seem rudimentary but it’s the essential first step in orienting ourselves to both music notation and our instrument.

Pitch

The word pitch describes how high or low a note sounds. This is literally governed by the rate of vibrations producing it, in this case, from the strings. A classic organization of high and low pitch groups is the vocal comparison of soprano, alto, tenor, bass, which are classifications of singing voice, based on the range of pitches a voice can comfortably produce. Soprano being the highest, then alto, then tenor, and bass being the lowest.

The below content is all explained in the video.

Pitch Direction on the Piano Keyboard

High and low pitch direction on the keyboard is quite simple. The keys to the right get higher in pitch, the keys to the left get lower in pitch.

Pitch Direction on the Guitar

High and low pitch direction on the guitar is a little bit more complex.

• On a single string, frets from the head of the guitar toward the bridge get higher in pitch
• On a single string, frets from the bridge to the head get lower it pitch.
• Additionally, playing across the strings gets higher in pitch from the low E to the high E string.
• You can also travel across the fretboard combining the two ways.

Pitch Direction in Music Notation

High and low pitch direction in music notation is quite simple. Notes higher up the staff get higher in pitch and notes lower down the staff get lower in pitch. The staff is the five lines which we will discuss in the following lessons.

Letter Names in the Musical Alphabet

The Letter Names in the Musical Alphabet are ABCDEFG 

These repeat continuously getting either higher in pitch or lower in pitch.

CDEFGABCDEFGABC – Continuous on keyboard

CDEFGABCDEFGABC – Continuous on Guitar

As you can see below the letters on the white keys of the piano repeat from one C to the next. The C higher than the first is one octave higher but you don’t need to know this terminology yet.

There are actually 12 pitches in the musical alphabet when we learn about accidentals (sharps and flats) but we’ll cover that in a future lesson. But as a basic intro, the white keys of the keyboard are CDEFGABC and the black keys are the accidentals (sharps and flats). You don’t need to remember this, it will be covered in a future lesson.

See the video above for a demonstration of continuous lettering on the guitar.

Hope you found that helpful. Find more theory lessons on the Music Theory Lessons page. If you need any clarification on this particular lesson please leave a comment below.

The post Music Theory Lesson No.1 – Pitch Direction and Letter Names first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Daniel Schatz performs his arrangement of Agradecendo by Brazilian composer who’s best known as Pixinguinha (1897-1973) [Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho]. This comes via Schatz’s YouTube channel (go subscribe). Agradecendo was likely written with the piano or for a general instrumental ensemble in mind, but it is fundamentally a choro piece. Really nice crisp and clean articulation and rhythmic delivery by Schatz but not without a nice sweet touch on occasion.

The post Daniel Schatz Plays Agradecendo by Pixinguinha first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

I already play guitar, where should I start with classical guitar?

If you’ve already played guitar before I usually recommend students still start from the beginning with my Volume 1 method and use it as a 5-10 minute review before continuing with their usual content. This way you can fill any gaps in your learning. As you become more familiar with reading notation and my materials you can increase the amount of time and slowly transition into a structured and full routine. If you find the material super easy, great! Take the opportunity to play with a new level of refinement and reexamine your technique and musicality as if for the first time.

However, if you feel that it’s way too rudimentary you can go to the curriculum page or the sheet music page and explore some different grade levels until you find an appropriate fit. There are some free pieces from a variety of grades to quickly check out your skills. I always recommend you pick a grade level below where you think you are so you can aim for a higher level of refinement as well as making your practice sessions easy and enjoyable.

Once you find a general level to enter, you want to build a routine via my Curriculum for Classical Guitar. This is an outline of the different grades and levels to proceed through along with details on materials needed and practice advice.

Questions & Support

If you need any clarification on this particular Q&A please leave a comment below. For new and existing questions please visit the main Classical Guitar Q&A page. If you are enjoying the free Q&As you can support the site here.

The post I already play guitar, where should I start with classical guitar? first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Question: What are grade levels in classical guitar?

Grade levels help classical guitar students find repertoire that is close to their musical and technical skill level. They are helpful in finding pieces to play that will be successful and manageable. But music is a flexible art form and categorizing music in this way can be problematic. Much of the time, a grade level is very flexible depending on your desired tempo and level of refinement. Higher grade material isn’t better music and doesn’t mean you are a better player. Remember that pros play from all levels and you should often play from lower grades to play musically well. With that in mind, we can use grade levels successfully to progress methodically toward higher achievements in music study.

I generally group the grades into some basic areas:

• Beginner – This level often includes a beginner method book teaching the basics of reading and playing melodic material and arpeggio textures. My Volume 1 and 2 method books cover this level and even dive into some grade 1 material to prep the student.
• Early-Intermediate (Grade 1-3) – This is real classical guitar playing but without much awkward fingering, stretches, upper positions, or barre technique. Often, Grade 1 can be a transitional grade bridging the beginner method books to the first three grades.
• Intermediate (Grade 4-6) – This level includes all the main guitar techniques but the scope of the pieces and technique level is manageable if the student’s technique is in good order.
• Late-Intermediate (Grade 7-8) – This grade includes some advanced technique work but the pieces tend to be manageable in length. Increased tempos can turn many of these works into advanced pieces.
• Advanced (Grade 9-up) – There are many factors that can make a piece advanced including scope/length of the piece, musical maturity of the work, awkward shapes or stretches, technique requirements, and extended or irregular techniques.

Please see my Curriculum for Classical Guitar – This is an outline of the different grades and levels and how to proceed and learn classical guitar with details on materials needed and practice advice.

I highly recommend you play lots of music from lower grades. For example, I have my grade 4 students play a lot of grade 2 pieces to work on musicality. Students who perform well might have worked on that piece for a whole year or more, played in lessons, masterclass, for friends, family, and smaller concerts. They’ve had success and failure and worked through it. All your ambition and goals should be related to playing music well rather than progressing to the next grade. Find good music that just happens to be playable for you. You might want to see my lesson on Six Misconceptions About Grade Levels in Music Studies (video below).

Questions & Support

If you need any clarification on this particular Q&A please leave a comment below. For new and existing questions please visit the main Classical Guitar Q&A page. If you are enjoying the free Q&As you can support the site here.

The post What are grades in classical guitar? first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Welcome to this week’s Classical Guitar News Roundup, where we share the latest releases, announcements, and upcoming events from the world of classical guitar. Mudita Classical Guitar Concert Streaming Event A streaming classical guitar...

Pièces caractéristiques pour guitare, Op.123 (1964) by Belgian composer Jean Absil (1893-1974). Performed by Bradford Werner. I’m trying to feature more music by modern and contemporary composers and external publishers on the site and this is a great piece to start with. I’ll be adding all ten movements to this post over the next few weeks so check back often. The sheet music is by Editions Henry Lemoine.

Jean Absil (1893–1974) was a Belgian composer, organist, and teacher known for his modernist style blending neoclassicism with modal and polytonal techniques. A student of Paul Gilson, Absil composed symphonies, concertos, and choral works, and served as a professor at the Brussels Conservatory, influencing generations of Belgian musicians.

Jean Absil wrote a good number of guitar works primarily for Nicolas Alfonso, a prominent Belgian guitarist and pedagogue. Alfonso was one of the leading classical guitarists in Belgium during the mid-20th century and collaborated with several composers, including Absil. I suspect this work was also written for him but I haven’t found any additional information yet.

Pièces caractéristiques Op.123 (Pieces and Youtube Links)

• Prélude
• Invention
• Pastorale
• Humoresque
• Valse
• Cantilène
• Scherzo
• Chant du soir
• Pavane
• Tarentelle

This video was performed on a Marcus Dominelli classical guitar with Augustine Regal strings and a GuitarLift Ultimate support. All my gear here. Subscribe to the free membership newsletter and if you’re enjoying the site you can consider supporting it.

The post Pièces caractéristiques Op.123 by Jean Absil first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

The classical guitar, with its rich history and expressive capabilities, has been graced by extraordinary musicians who have shaped its sound and elevated its status. Its six nylon strings have whispered intimate lullabies, thundered...

Classical guitarist Eva Beneke performs her transcription of Prelude from Suite No. 3, Pieces de Clavecin by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729). This comes via Guitar Salon International and their YouTube channel (go subscribe). Played on a 2024 spruce and Indian rosewood guitar by Silvia Zanchi. You can read more about Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre at her wiki page. Excellent exploratory pacing in the performance by Beneke with a particularly nice rhythmic delivery rarely so successful on guitar.

The post Eva Beneke Plays Prelude by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre first appeared on This is Classical Guitar.

Question: Is there a curriculum for classical guitar?

Yes, This is Classical Guitar and Werner Guitar Editions have a structured curriculum for classical guitar that you can learn to play from and follow from grade to grade. It is ever-expanding as we are always adding more to it each week. All of our books have videos to help you learn and give you context on how to study. You can find all the information about learning through the site on the following page:

Curriculum for Classical Guitar – This is an outline of the different grades and levels to proceed through along with details on materials needed and practice advice.

You can also find individual lessons and special topics at the Lesson Page. New content gets added constantly to help you learn and clarify student questions. There will even be a fully structured theory section to learn music theory along with your guitar study.

A quick summary of the curriculum

This is just a simplified version of each level. See the Curriculum for Classical Guitar page for more information on extra materials and upper grade levels.

• Classical Guitar Method Volume 1 – This is a free 100 page method for absolute beginners with video lessons for each page. If you are new to classical guitar this is great place to start.
• Classical Guitar Method Volume 2 – This is the follow up to Volume 1. This book trains students to play in different keys as well as various scales, chords, duets, and solos.
• Late-Beginner Collection: This is a free supplement to Method 1 & 2 giving students enjoyable extra material to refine their skills before moving into the graded levels.
• Grade 1 Repertoire Lessons – This series of books have dedicated lessons for each piece helping to guitar the student into the intermediate levels.
• Grade 1 Repertoire Supplement – Ten additional pieces to play.
• Grade 2 Repertoire Lessons
• Grade 3 Repertoire Lessons
• Grade 4 Repertoire Lessons
• Grade 5 Repertoire Lessons
• Grade 6 Repertoire Lessons

If you need any clarification on this question and answer please leave a comment below or ask a new question at the Classical Guitar Q&A page.

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Luthier Website: dominelliguitars.com
Marcus Dominelli Guitars are based in Victoria, BC, Canada.

I’m very happy to share with you my new Marcus Dominelli classical guitar. This is a small scale double top classical guitar with bearclaw spruce top and ziricote back and sides that I commissioned. The guitar is absolutely stunning and the sound has a glowing elegance along with good balanced across the strings. The combination of the smaller scale length and body along with the spruce and ziricote has resulted in a clear elegant sound with a focused clarity along with the responsive playing benefits that many double tops offer. I’m not always a big fan of double tops as I feel some luthiers are leaning too heavily toward creating a loud instrument at the expense of other qualities. Dominelli’s double tops strike an excellent balance between having a responsive guitar while retaining more of the natural sound that one can get from a nice tonewood. I’m super happy with the result and how you enjoy it in my future performances and videos. Here’s the YouTube link if you want to watch it there.

If you have any questions or want to ask me about my experience with Dominelli guitars feel free to contact me or leave a comment below.

2025 Marcus Dominelli Classical Guitar

• 630mm scale length with slightly smaller body
• Bearclaw Spruce soundboard
• Ziricote back and sides
• Double Top
• Elevated fingerboard
• French Polish
• Honduran mahogany neck
• Indian Ebony Fingerboard
• Ziricote Armrest
• Gotoh tuners
• 51mm nut width
• String spacing nut 42mm
• 12 hole bridge

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Italian classical guitarist Leonardo De Marchi performs Toccata Ritoccata by Marco De Biasi (b.1977) on a 10-String Guitar by Fabio Zontini. This comes via the Omni Foundation online series and their Youtube channel (go subscribe). Intense performance to match an equally intense composition. Below is some info on the work via the YouTube description:

The Toccata Ritoccata by Marco De Biasi (1977) is one of the few pieces in the guitar repertoire that was originally written for the six-string guitar and subsequently adapted for the distinctive ten-string instrument devised by Maurice Ohana and Narciso Yepes. The Toccata shares the fate of Ohana’s own famous Tiento, which was also adapted for the ten-string guitar from an initial six-string version.

The instrument designed by Ohana and Yepes has certain characteristics that define it not merely as an extension of the six-string guitar, but as an instrument in its own right. Firstly, its overall extension is lower than that of the traditional guitar. Secondly, the unique re-entrant tuning on one hand ensures a noticeable increase in sympathetic resonance and considerable sustain, and on the other hand allows for the creation of chordal masses of great harmonic richness and notable sonic impact.

Given these premises, it was inevitable that the two versions of the Toccata, despite having the same formal structure, would differ in certain details designed to optimize their idiomatic rendering on the target instrument. The large dimensions of the ten-string guitar’s neck, as well as the different and more complex management of dampening by the performer, required a slight adjustment to the initial tempo (set at 120 bpm for the dotted quarter note) and a management of articulations different from the six-string guitar. In some places, clusters have also been inserted in the bass register to enhance the excellent resonance capabilities of the ten-string guitar.

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Is there a technique book for classical guitar?

Yes, the technique book is called Classical Guitar Technique: Essential Exercises, Scales, and Arpeggios by Bradford Werner. It’s a full technique book with 122 pages and video lessons for all the content. It includes progressive exercises and tips as well as practice routines for different levels. The book guides students from grade 1 to advanced levels.

More information on the book: Classical Guitar Technique: Essential Exercises, Scales, & Arpeggios.

The book fills an important place in our Curriculum for Classical Guitar. This is an outline of the different grades and levels you can proceed through along with details on materials needed and practice advice.

Here’s a summary of the contents of the book:

Practice Routines, Tips, 100 Open String Exercises, 120 Giuliani Arpeggios, Selected Scales (Major, Minor, 3rds, 6ths, Octaves, 10ths), Slur Exercises, Shifts, Finger Independence, Alignment, Stretch, Barre, Tremolo, Common Harmonics, Speed and Relaxation, and more.

The book focuses on essential exercises for the development of classical guitar technique. All the exercises from the headings of the table of contents progress from easy to advanced in a progressive format. Although this is a book of exercises rather than a method, I have included many helpful tips throughout the book to aid students. As with all my materials, the video lessons are an added educational advantage.

Intended for beginner to early-advanced classical guitar students (approximately Grade 1-9). As a basic prerequisite students would have completed both Volume One and Two of my beginner method book series or an equivalent. There are a number of exercises in upper positions that include accidentals, therefore, additional reading experience is required if you wish to study the entire book. The inclusion of fingering, string numbers, and position marks should make the exercises easy to understand. The 100 open string exercises should be very accessible to beginners and advanced students alike.

Questions & Support

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