Classical guitar

Many of the world's greatest guitarists, regardless of the style for which they are known, were classically trained. By studying the classical guitar, you can work on many of the aspects fundamental to a thorough knowledge of the instrument, including sight-reading, music theory, timing, and formal technique.

History...
What we now call the classical guitar developed from the medieval lute and flourished throughout the 19th century under the mastery of such composers as Ferdinando Curulli (1770-1841), Fernando Sor (1778-1839), Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829), and Francisco Tarrega (image to right, 1854-1909). The guitar was not considered a “legitimate” instrument at the time, however, and it wasn’t until the acclaimed performer Andrés Segovia (1893-1987) brought the classical guitar to international renown that the guitar was put on a par with other “classical” instruments like the violin or cello. Following in Segovia’s footsteps, contemporary performers such as John Williams and Christopher Parkening continue to popularize the classical guitar, inspiring thousands to pursue the study of this beautiful instrument.

Classical Techniques...
Instead of plucking the strings with a pick, as in Jazz or Rock guitar, playing classical guitar requires the use of the right hand fingers to sound the guitar strings. These are represented in classical guitar notation by the letters P (thumb), I (index), M (middle), and A (ring), indicating a particular sequence of fingers to be played. A typical classical guitar lesson includes the performance of right hand arpeggio exercises, sightreading practice, and the study of written classical guitar pieces. Many of the techniques used in the performance of classical guitar can provide a solid foundation for the study of other styles, as the nylon string guitar is not only heard in Flamenco, but a host of other Latin Jazz styles, including Bossa Nova, Samba, Tango, and quite a bit of popular music.

Pepe Romero-Recuerdos de la Alhambra



 

Flamenco/Jazz flamenco

Named for the Spanish word for "Flemish," Flamenco is historically a gypsy music that originated in Spain as a result of Middle Eastern musical influences. It is renowned for its spontaneity -- many Flamenco players know nothing of music notation and simply are continually improvising upon traditional rhythms and interchangeable phrases called “falsetas” that have been passed down through the ages.

Flamenco techniques such as the picado, a two-finger technique for the right hand used to play single note melodies, the golpe, or "hit," used to percussively strike the guitar while playing rhythms, and the rasgueado, a brisk striking of the fingers of the right hand used for flair and emphasis, are just a few of the techniques commonly used in this guitar style. At your Flamenco guitar lesson, a solid basis of fundamental techniques will be emphasized: The various forms of Rasgueo, Picado, Arpeggios, Alzapúa, Apoyando (rest stroke) vs. Tirando (free stroke), Golpe, Rumba techniques and variations.

The fundamental rhythmic forms of Flamenco will be explored: Soleares, Alegrías, Farruca, Bulerías, Seguiryas, Zapateado, Tarantas, Tientos, Latin American-inspired forms such as the Rumba, Guajira, and Colombianas.

Flamenco/Jazz styles: Modern Flamenco is often played in the more popular rumba style. Though not technically “pure” Flamenco, it involves many of the same techniques and rhythmic devices while borrowing from various other genres such as Brazilian Jazz, Cuban styles, Latin Jazz, and even Rock. This hybrid style is sometimes called “Flamenco/Jazz” or “Nuovo Flamenco”. At Paper Moon Music, you can study the techniques of this style, allowing you to improvise or learn your favorite songs. Today there are numerous artists performing this style of guitar, among them Strunz and Farah, Jesse Cook, and Ottmar Liebert.

Paco de Lucia Al Di Meola John Mclaughlin- Mediterranean Sundance

Jazz truly illustrates the versatility of the guitar. From the intricate solos of progressive jazz to the understated jazz elements of modern pop music, this style has had a huge influence on just about every form of modern music and, of course, it has greatly affected the way we play the guitar. Read below to learn more about jazz guitar and listen to some samples of its various styles and techniques. Each lesson is prepared according to the student's particular goals and the examples below provide only a general sense of the many things the potential guitar student can learn. Learn to play jazz with Desert Moon Music private jazz guitar lessons in El Paso!!

What is Jazz?
Jazz music grew out of American Blues and Ragtime styles of the early 20th century and is noted for its emphasis on improvisation. When we think of Jazz, we often imagine a complex and confusing style of music full of difficult chords and wild instrumental virtuosity. This is indeed often the case, but Jazz need not be confusing or even hard to play; many Jazz and Jazz-style songs are in fact quite simple even for a beginner. This fact is evident in the widespread influence of Jazz (with the guitar figuring prominently!) in a vast array of popular music, some examples of which are listed and described below with sound samples of Scot playing each style that you can learn. Remember, you don’t need to know how to read music or understand music theory to play the guitar; however, you are strongly encouraged to do so, as it will enhance your enjoyment and knowledge of both music and the guitar. Jazz guitar can be a theory-intensive musical genre, but the fundamentals of this style can be taught to the intermediate or beginner guitarist, just like any other style.

Jazz Guitar Styles. .
The "standard" Jazz of guitar legends Wes Montgomery and George Benson, the distinctive flair of Django Reinhardt's Gypsy Swing, and the fiery Spanish Jazz/Rock of guitarists like Al di Meola, are just a few of the styles that fall into the Jazz genre. More than any other form of music, Jazz offers the guitarist the widest range of sounds.

Autumn Leaves

Rock and Blues

Just about everyone is familiar with the ultra-popular rock guitar, from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, and everything in between. The guitar reached its zenith of popularity and flexibility with rock and popular music, and it is within this genre that we can truly see how multi-faceted the guitar can be. Certainly the most popular and most often heard guitar music falls into the Rock category. Chances are, if you're listening to the radio, you're listening to a guitar in a rock/pop context.

Primarily an electric guitar style, Rock guitar can be extremely diverse, ranging from the simple chord strumming of Folk-inflected music to the extremely loud and upbeat distorted guitar sounds of Punk and the highly technical and fast soloing techniques of Neo-classical Hard Rock. Many students of Rock guitar would rather not learn how to read music or study music theory, and simply want to play their favorite songs. Rock guitar lends itself perfectly to this approach, as scales and chords can be taught by sight, written in guitar tablature that requires no knowledge of music notation or theory. If you can read a chord chart, you can play it!

Joe Satriani - Midnight

Stevie Ray Vaughan-Texas Flood

Eric Johnson-Cliffs of Dover

AC/DC Back in Black

Led Zeppelin-Immigrant Song

Foo Fighters-Everlong

Ozzy Osbourne- Crazy Train

James Taylor- Fire and Rain