Guitar News

Four Beautiful and Easy Early Music Works for Classical Guitar – I love these four pieces and they just happen to be at the easy-intermediate level of grade 2-4. These four works come from my Easy Classical Guitar Volume 2 which includes 15 Authentic Pieces from the Renaissance to Romantic era. PDF or hardcopy sheet music for classical guitar with video lessons. All works from guitar and lute sources. Comes with both a notation edition with fingering and a separate tab edition. The level is easy-intermediate or post-method book to Grade 3. Composers include: Anonymous Lute Works, Negri, Calvi, Kellner, Sor, Carulli, Molino, Mertz. An authentic collection from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Here is the YouTube link if you want to watch it there.

Above video repertoire and times

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:57 – Il Bianco Fiore by Cesare Negri (c.1535-1605) – Renaissance Lute (Grade 2)
• 2:17 – Sarabande by David Kellner (c.1670-1748) – Baroque Lute (Grade 3)
• 3:33 – Double by David Kellner (c.1670-1748) – Baroque Lute (Grade 4)
• 4:40 Tu Anderai col Bocchalon – Anonymous Renaissance Lute (Grade 2)

Full lessons for each piece can be found here:

• Il Bianco Fiore by Cesare Negri (Grade 2)
• Sarabande by David Kellner (Grade 3)
• Double by David Kellner (Grade 4)
• Tu Anderai col Bocchalon (Anonymous Lute) (Grade 2)

Greek classical guitarist Ioanna Kazoglou performs a concert of works by Dionisio Aguado, Joaquín Turina, Francisco Tárrega, Joaquín Rodrigo, Vicente Asencio, and Joaquín Malats. This comes via Siccas Guitars and their YouTube channel where you can also see which guitars are being played in the description. Amazing performance by Kazoglou with impressive contrasts between zippy lines, articulation, and beautiful melodic phrasing. Great directional momentum in her lines and overall clarity of sound and intention of musical gestures throughout.

Repertoire

• 00:00 Allegro brillante by Dionisio Aguado
• 02:41 Andante y Rondo Op. 2 No. 2 by Dionisio Aguado
• 11:30 Endecha by Francisco Tarrega
• 12:41 Maria & Marieta by Francisco Tarrega
• 16:09 Sevillana by Joaquin Turina
• 22:33 Serenata Española by Joaquim Malats
• 26:24 Etude No. 12 by Heitor Villa-Lobos
• 28:24 Collectici Intim (IV La Gaubanca) by Vicente Asencio

Classical guitarist Domenico Mottola performs Variations sur Folia de España et Fugue by by Mexican composer Manuel María Ponce (1882–1948). This comes via Edoardo Lambertenghi’s YouTube channel. Amazing performance by Mottola with an impressive variety of unique interpretations of each variation. Such a wide array of articulations and virtuosic handling of the textures.

This is one of the major works in the classical guitar repertoire partly for its quality but also for sheer scope. La Folía (Spanish), also folies d’Espagne (French), Follies of Spain (English) or Follia (Italian), is one of the oldest remembered European musical themes and has been the theme of countless sets of variations from composers throughout time.

Solitude by Uros Baric
2024 Baros Records
Uros Baric

Buy or Learn More at Baros Records

Streaming on Apple Music/Spotify/YouTube Music December 15

It’s been wonderful listening to the new album Solitude by guitarist Uros Baric. His latest release is a collection of minimalist and contemporary classical music on classical guitar with arrangements of Ólafur Arnalds, Philip Glass, Paul Leonard-Morgan, Ludovico Einaudi, Max Richter, Yann Tiersen, and Yiruma. This is a beautiful album filled with special performances and a particularly intimate sound and recording quality that brings out the peaceful and spacious nature of the instrument and compositions.

As Baric mentions, “Solitude is more than just a collection of minimal music, it is an exploration of the space and time between the notes, where emotion and contemplation reside. The interpretations invite you to pause, listen closely, and appreciate the subtle beauty that emerges from simplicity, a testament to the power of music to evoke profound feelings with the gentlest of touches.”

You can find the sheet music for arrangements below the album info at his site.

See many more tracks and live performances from Baric’s YouTube channel.

• Ólafur Arnalds, arr. Uros Baric
  • We Contain Multitudes
  • Tomorrow’s Song
  • saman
• Philip Glass, arr. Uros Baric
  • Glassworks: Opening
• Yann Tiersen, arr. Uros Baric
  • Comptine D’un Autre Été (from Amélie Soundtrack)
• Philip Glass / Paul Leonard-Morgan, arr. Uros Baric
  • Walk To School
  • Hope
  • Gaddis Theme
  • Life Of May
• Ludovico Einaudi, arr. Uros Baric
  • Natural Light
  • Adieux
• Yiruma, arr. Uros Baric
  • River Flows In You
• Max Richter, arr. Uros Baric
  • Prelude n. 6
  • The Departure (Diary)
• Ramon de Wilde, arr. Uros Baric
  • The Life Of Death

Capricho Arabe by Francisco Tarrega (1852–1909), Serenata para Guitarra, Al eminente maestra Tomas Breton. PDF sheet music and lesson video for classical guitar. Comes with both a notation edition with left hand fingering and a separate tab edition in the same pdf. The level is early to mid-advanced (Grade 9) depending on your tempo and level of refinement.

My PDF Sheet Music Edition

• Capricho Arabe by Tarrega from Werner Guitar Editions

Capricho Árabe is one of Francisco Tárrega’s (1852–1909) most famous works. It has become one of his most popular works due to its rich sound, Romantic feel, and the strong melodic lines. It also works fairly well on guitar making it accessible to pros and students alike. That said, make sure you are at the level to take on this work as it is a significant undertaking and has quite a few barres and a few stretches here and there. I highly recommend you try out of some Tarrega’s easier works, such as Lagrima, which you can find with grade levels on the main sheet music page.

Above is my performance and lesson but check out the other performances below for pro reference. Here’s the YouTube lesson link if you want to watch it there.

I recommend this video of Marcin Dylla playing Capricho Árabe. This come via Siccas Guitars and their YouTube. Almost the same fingerings.

Also see this nice performance. Different fingerings but good ones too. Capricho Arabe – Francisco Tárrega played by Sanel Redzic

Nice phrasing by Ana Vidovic via Siccas Guitars and their YouTube channel.

C Major Chord Song and Melody: Morning Has Broken, Hymn on a Scottish Tune. This lesson comes from my Classical Guitar Method Book Volume 2. The student plays chords on their own and the melody on its own. There are many benefits of strumming chords for classical guitarists. Knowing the chord shapes is essential as they are the same shapes used in many classical guitar works. Also, the free rhythmic strumming can give students flexibility, versatility, and confidence in natural rhythmic patterns.Here’s the YouTube Link if you want to watch it there.

A few things to work on:

• Tap your foot to the quarter note and strum
• Count the beat out loud and strum
• Once you are comfortable with strumming to the beat you can try some varied rhythmic patterns while keeping a steady beat.
• If you have trouble changing from chord to chord in time try slowing it way down while also keeping a steady beat. The other thing you can do is to reduce the number of strums you do, for example, only strumming once per measure. Anything you can do to keep a steady beat and present the chord is useful to your development.

Big thanks to Natasha Pashchenko for helping with the duets. Natasha is an excellent guitarist, teacher, and friend from Victoria, BC.

Vals, No.1, Op.241 by Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841) This lesson comes from my Classical Guitar Method Book Volume 2. This work comes from the C major section of the book so after practicing the scales and chords you’ll recognize some of the shapes and patterns. Aim for a strong sense of the pulse, particularly the first beat of each measure. You also want to sustain the notes of chord shapes within the measure and have legato melodic passages. Here’s the YouTube Link if you want to watch it there.

C Major Duet: Menuet en Rondeau by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). This lesson comes from my Classical Guitar Method Book Volume 2. The student plays the top part as a solo or duet. This work is originally for keyboard but arranged for two classical guitars. Here’s the YouTube Link if you want to watch it there.

The main things to work on here are:

• Alternate your right hand i-m fingers with free stroke
• Since it is only a single musical line, aim for a very high quality legato performance
• Being able to play with a metronome as well as being able to count as you play will help your skills regardless if you are playing it as a duet or as a solo melody

Scales, triads, and chords in C Major. This lesson comes from my Classical Guitar Method Book Volume 2. This section presents knowledge and technique practice for the key of C major. These will be helpful for the duets, pieces, and chord songs in C major as they use many of the same shapes and patterns. Familiarity of the key via scales, triads, and chords will help you read and play the repertoire more easily. Here’s the YouTube Link if you want to watch it there.

Tips for the scales

• Use right hand alternation for the scales practicing in both rest stroke and free stroke
• Practice with i-m alternating fingering but also m-i, m-a, and a-m

Tips for the Arpeggios and Triads

• Sustain the notes, that is, keep your fingers down after playing each note and let it all ring out as a chord

Tips for Chords

• If you have difficulty forming the shapes, try placing your fingers on the strings but do not press down. Simply touch the strings without any pressure or tension. Many students find they can easily play the shapes without the tension.
• After you can make the shape comfortably you can try getting the bass note first and then the rest of the notes and add only enough pressure to push the string into the fret (very little).
• When trying to use less tension it is essential to play close to the frets as much as comfortably possible. This will reduce buzzing and allow you to play in a relaxed way.

Congratulations to these amazing young guitarists whose skill and artistry were nothing short of astounding in their final round performances for the 20th edition of the GFA’s International Youth Competition. Our esteemed judges had the difficult task of whittling it down to only four per division, and then ranking them by their final round videos. Thanks to all who participated for their preparation and courage in sharing their music with us, this was a stunning final round!

Rose Augustine Grand Prize:
Leonela Alejandro (Puerto Rico)

2nd Place:
Hao Yang (China)

3rd Place:
Dragos Ilie (Romania)

4th Place:
Francisco Luis (Portugal)

Congratulations to all of the incredible finalists for their hard work, perseverance, and masterful artistry. You have truly risen the bar of what can be achieved.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Louisville at the 2025 GFA convention!

Classical guitarist Thomas Flippin performs his arrangement of Nimble Feet from Dances in the Canebrakes by Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953). This comes via Flippin’s YouTube channel. Wonderful performance by Flippin with such playful rhythms, articulations, and beautiful phrasing. Florence Price was an American composer, pianist, and music teacher. Here’s Flippin’s description:

Originally written for piano in the year of Price’s death (1953), Dances in the Canebrakes is inspired by African-American life in the sugar plantations of the southern United States.

Each movement reflects a playful dance form that is idiomatic of African-American music from the early 1900’s. Flippin’s arrangement of Nimble Feet is likely the first and only version made for guitar and follows in the tradition of William Grant Still, who arranged the work for orchestra after Price’s death.

Recorded live at Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Connecticut and engineered by Greg DiCrosta. This video was premiered by the Seattle Classical Guitar Society.

via Flippin’s YouTube channel

Pastiches
John Schneider, Guitars
Matthew Cook, Percussion
Gloria Cheng, Harpsichord
Microfest Records, 2024

Buy or Learn about the Album via MicroFest Records or Listen on Spotify

Great to hear the new release from Grammy Award winning guitarist John Schneider. Pastiches highlights a interesting range of works performed in their historic temperaments using a variety of refretted guitars. It’s a wonderful and refreshing return to these excellent compositions with historically accurate intonation.

The album ties together a vast array of styles and musical eras. Rarely would Ponce, Mudarra, Bogdanovic, Giuliani, Harrison, Britten, and Dowland be grouped together so successfully while priming our curiosity of new sound worlds and performances. Also of note are the wonderful collaborations with harpsichordist Gloria Cheng and percussionist Matthew Cook.

There is a very interesting and significant write-up by Schneider in his liner notes which you can read more of at MicroFest Records. Below are the opening paragraphs:

For centuries, to write ‘In the Style of….’ or creating a work in “The Antique Style” has given countless composers the inspiration for composing new music, helping them to unlock the doors to creativity. Students are perennially given blueprints from the past to inform and inspire, temporarily relieving them of the responsibility of fabricating both form and content. On the other hand, it was no coincidence that the six movements of Schoenberg’s first 12-tone composition Suite for Piano, Op.25 (1923) were forged in the crucible of a Baroque dance suite, a clear case of serving new wine in old bottles. The same era found Stravinsky’s Neo-Classical style flourish when he famously remarked, “Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal!”, repeatedly proving the maxim by making any material that he purloined unmistakably his own.

Yet true pastiche pays homage to music of the past via mimicry of both style and content. The past century of scholarship has revealed that earlier eras enjoyed a delightful diversity of tunings, to the point where many modern listeners condemn the application of contemporary equal temperament to J.S. Bach, for example, as a blatant anachronism, guilty of withholding a vital and intentional aesthetic layer from that canonical repertoire. Surely then, it follows that members of Britten’s midcentury Elizabethan court should dance to music that is tuned un-equally, no less than a counterfeit Baroque suite supposedly by Bach benefits from being well-tempered, even if it happened to be written by one of Mexico’s most beloved 20th century composers.

Read more via the liner notes at MicroFest Records

Guitars

• Vogt [1988] with Fine-tunable Precision Fret-board
• Mattingly [1983] with Novatone Fingerboard, tracks 14-17

Repertoire and Tunings

• Preludio in E by Manuel Ponce (1882-1948)
• Fantasia X by Alonso Mudarra (c.1510-1580)
• Suite in A minor – Manuel Ponce
• 3 Renaissance Micropieces – Dusan Bogdanovic (b.1955)
• Variations on a Theme by Handel – Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)
• Two Sonatas, Usul, Three Jahlas – Lou Harrison  (1917-2003)
• The Courtly Dances from Gloriana – Benjamin Britten (1913–1976)
• Come Heavy Sleep – John Dowland [arr. Britten] (1563-1626)
• Preludio in E (duo) – Manuel Ponce

Partita No.16 in E Minor by Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello (1690-1758). PDF sheet music arranged for classical guitar. Comes with both a notation edition with left hand fingering and a separate tab edition in the same pdf. The level is late-intermediate (grade 6-8) depending on your tempo, level of refinement, and ornamentation. PDF Download.

My pdf sheet music edition

• Partita No.16 by Brescianello (PDF) from Werner Guitar Editions

Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello was an Italian Baroque composer and violinist. This Partita comes from his 18 Pieces for gallichone (gallichone or mandora, a type of lute). He mainly composed chamber music and operas but at some point after the dissolution of his leading positions in Stuttgart as Hofkapellmeister and Oberkapellmeister he composed the 18 Pieces for gallichone.

Although this work is at the intermediate level, once a faster tempo and ornamentation is added the opportunity for advanced performance technique and refinement exists. See the video lesson for more clarification. Here’s the YouTube link if you want to watch it there.

Sheet Music Samples

French classical guitarist Gabriel Bianco performs Fantaisie Hongroise (Hungarian Fantasy) from Trois Morceaux op.65 (1857) by Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856). This comes via Siccas Guitars and their YouTube channel and played on a on a 1986 Daniel Friederich classical guitar. Fantastic performance by Bianco with a dramatic flair well-matched to the extroverted composition but not without some beautiful inward-looking Romantic phrasing as well. Such a mix of compositional styles here from Schubert, to Paganini, to Mendelssohn.

Check out Bianco’s recording on Naxos with this note from Graham Wade:

…Hungarian Fantasy, Op. 65, No. 1, represents the virtuosic aspects of Mertz’s instrumental mastery. The first section consists of stately melodic passages progressing to a memorable Adagio maestoso with syncopated descending chords, and a deceptively calm episode marked lugubre (gloomy). This leads to one of the most remarkable examples of nineteenth-century guitar writing, an Allegro vivace section of extraordinary exuberance.

Graham Fitch gives a lesson on how to practise and prepare for a musical performance. I love Fitch’s lessons via Pianist Magazine on YouTube and very relevant to guitar practice. I watch his lessons all the time because thinking in terms of music and not necessarily guitar can be very beneficial. Don’t worry if you can’t follow all of the theory or terminology, just soak in the general ideas and think in terms of your level and current knowledge-base. The above video is part one and I’ll update this post as they release more.

Some Tips from Part 1

• Research before physically playing.
• Listening to multiple quality performances both critically and comparatively. Making a list of noticeable musical qualities.
• Build a strong foundation. Avoid the repeated read-through method.
• Delay the gratification and focus on the satisfaction that comes from the process of learning rather than the end product.
• M.I.C.E. – Practicing in a Mindful, Imaginative, Creative, and Enjoyable way.
• Research the piece. Read programme notes, writings, etc. Any kind of insight into the piece. Not fixating on the mechanics but rather on the message of the piece.
• Not letting muscle memory set in before you understand the musical interests.
• Analysis – What’s under the skin of the music?
  • Macro forms and structure and micro analysis harmonic and melodic elements.
  • Enjoy recognizing the features of the piece
  • What are the interesting aspects of the work
• Tracking – Divide the piece into chunks and mark the sections into your score. Assign specific activities for the various ‘tracks’. Maybe it’s slow practice, rhythmic work, controlled stops.
• Mental Practice – Looking at the score and imagining the music and yourself playing.

Part 2 – Deep Learning Techniques: Coming soon.

Lección No.66 by Julio Sagreras (1879–1942) for classical guitar with performance, lesson, and pdf sheet music. This comes from my sheet music collection Grade 1 Repertoire Supplement for Classical Guitar. Contains 10 works at the grade 1 level and is designed as extra repertoire for students who have completed my Volume 1 and 2 method books and specifically my Repertoire Lessons Grade 1. Here is the YouTube link if you want to watch it there.

Lección 66 by Julio Sagreras (1879–1942), from Primeras lecciones de guitarra offers a good opportunity to work on melody and accompaniment balance and sustaining and changing chord shapes.

Subscribe to the free membership newsletter and if you’re just watching for free you can consider supporting the site. This video was performed on a Douglass Scott classical guitar with Savarez New Cristal Creation strings and a Le Support guitar rest. All my gear here.

Complete Etudes No.1-25, Op.60 by Matteo Carcassi (1796-1853) performed on classical guitar by Bradford Werner. This comes from my sheet music edition of 25 Etudes, Op.60 by Matteo Carcassi. PDF or hardcopy sheet music for classical guitar. Includes both a notation edition with left hand fingering and a separate tab edition in the same pdf. Intermediate to Early-Advanced (Grade 5-9). 142 Pages. Here is the YouTube link if you want to watch it there.

See the book info page for lessons on each etude as well.

The twenty-five etudes in Op.60 by Matteo Carcassi (1796-1853) are one of the most important pedagogical collections for classical guitar. The etudes are both enjoyable for their musical content and pedagogically beneficial for their very clear technical objectives. Compared to other etude collections, both period and modern, Op.60 excels in its tightly focused compositional adherence to didactic goals. For this reason the etudes are excellent studies for students to test their skills in a controlled musical setting and a rite of passage from the intermediate to upper playing level.

Subscribe to the free membership newsletter and if you’re just watching for free you can consider supporting the site. This video was all performed on a Douglass Scott classical guitar. All my gear here.

Etude No.25, Op.60 (Allegro brillante) by Matteo Carcassi (1796-1853) with performance, lesson, and sheet music. This comes from my sheet music edition of 25 Etudes, Op.60 by Matteo Carcassi. PDF or hardcopy sheet music for classical guitar. Includes both a notation edition with left hand fingering and a separate tab edition in the same pdf. Intermediate to Early-Advanced (Grade 5-9). 142 Pages. Here is the YouTube link if you want to watch it there.

Etude No.25 is at a technique level of around Grade 9-10 depending on your desired tempo and level of musical refinement. This etude presents study opportunities for triadic arpeggios, scales, slurs, shifts, and general intensity of fretboard navigation. All the techniques in this etude has been presented in the previous etudes but here they are combined into a continuous sixteenth note experience. The allegro tempo marking in combination with triadic arpeggios traversing the fretboard make this a relentless and challenging work at faster tempos. Individual measures do not present anything too difficult or awkward but a thorough knowledge and memorization component is essential to performance.

The twenty-five etudes in Op.60 by Matteo Carcassi (1796-1853) are one of the most important pedagogical collections for classical guitar. The etudes are both enjoyable for their musical content and pedagogically beneficial for their very clear technical objectives. Compared to other etude collections, both period and modern, Op.60 excels in its tightly focused compositional adherence to didactic goals. For this reason the etudes are excellent studies for students to test their skills in a controlled musical setting and a rite of passage from the intermediate to upper playing level.

Subscribe to the free membership newsletter and if you’re just watching for free you can consider supporting the site. This video was performed on a Douglass Scott classical guitar with Savarez New Cristal Creation hard tension strings and a Le Support guitar rest. All my gear here.

Canadian-Montenegrin classical guitarist Jelica Mijanovic plays Thousand Mirrors by Iranian composer Golfam Khayam (b.1982). This comes via Siccas Guitars and their YouTube channel and played on a 2024 Rinaldo Vacca classical guitar. Wonderful performance by Mijanovic with many delicate subtleties but also captivating forward momentum. You can find the score on Singidunum Music. Learn more about the performer here and the composer here.