Brett Duncan - Classical Guitar Lessons for Beginners: Teach Yourself How to Play Guitar

Progressive Beginner Classical Guitar has been designed to be used by people who would like to learn to play Classical guitar. It is suitable either for someone who has no previous knowledge of the guitar or guitar players who are experienced in other styles. This book will introduce you to the fundamentals of Classical Guitar. It covers all the important techniques that uniquely apply to this style. The opening section, which deals with Reading Music, Rhythm, Playing Position and left and right hand technique, will prepare you for your first lesson.

In the first two lessons you will learn the notes on the first three strings and your first basic single note melodies. At this stage you will be using only the fingers off the right hand. Lesson 4 introduces the notes on the fourth string and the use of the right hand thumb. By the completion of Lesson 5 you will be playing some interesting sounding exercises that combine the use of both the right hand thumb and fingers. You will also learn your first scale.

Lessons 6 and 7 further your theory by introducing things such as eighth notes, the sharp sign, the natural sign and key signatures. Duets are also featured in Lesson 7. Lessons 8 and 9 introduce the free stroke and finger picking several notes at once. You will also learn your first complete Classical guitar pieces, written by famous Classical guitar composers.

The final lessons cover more techniques, note values and dynamics. By the end of Lesson 11 you will learn many more interesting Classical guitar pieces. A special section at the end of the book has been included. In this section, tuning, scales, keys, key signatures and relative keys are discussed. A glossary of musical terms is also included.

Approach to Practice

From the beginning you should set yourself a goal. Many people learn guitar because of a desire to play like their favorite artist, or to play a certain style of music (e.g., Classical, Jazz etc.). Motivations such as these will help you to persevere through the more difficult sections of work. As you develop it will be important to adjust and update your goals.

It is important to have a correct approach to practice. You will benefit more from several short practices (e.g., 15-30 minutes per day) than one or two long sessions per week. This is especially so in the early stages, because of the basic nature of the material being studied. In a practice session you should divide your time evenly between the study of new material and the revision of past work.

It is a common mistake for semi-advanced students to practice only the pieces they can already play well. Although this is more enjoyable, it is not a very satisfactory method of practice. You should also try to correct mistakes and experiment with new ideas. It is the authors belief that the guidance of an experienced teacher will be an invaluable aid in your progress.

Parts of the Classical Guitar

The classical guitar has nylon strings and a wider neck than the other types of guitar. It is most commonly used for playing Classical, Flamenco and Fingerstyles. Generally it is much cheaper than other types of guitar and is recommended for beginning guitarists.

The Classical Guitar

Guitar Preparation

Strings

It is important to have the correct set of strings fitted to your guitar, especially if you are a beginner. Until you build enough strength in your hands to fret the chords cleanly, light gauge or low tension strings are recommended. A reputable music store which sells guitar strings should be able to assist with this. Do not put steel strings on a classical guitar or it will damage the neck of the guitar. It is important to change your strings regularly, as old strings are more difficult to keep in tune.

Fitting the Strings

Strings must be correctly fitted to the guitar otherwise you will encounter tuning problems. In the early stages of learning the guitar it is recommended that you get a qualified guitar repairer or an experienced guitar player to fit the strings to your guitar.

Tying the string to the bridge: There are basically two methods to tying the string to the bridge. Study the following diagrams. With both types of knot shown it is important to finish the knot behind the back of the bridge. This will reduce the possibility of the string slipping.

Option 1.