# Guitar/Classical Guitar

!The Spanish guitarist and composer Fernando
Sor

## Classical Guitar

The classical guitar was preceded by the lute, vihuela and five-string
baroque guitar. This legacy is reflected in the repertoire of the
Classical guitar which ranges from the Estampie, a thirteenth century
dance, to the modern twentieth century masterpiece La Catedral by
Agustín Barrios. One of the greatest past masters of classical guitar,
Andres Segovia:

> *\"The strongest advice I give to my pupils is to study music properly
> from the beginning to the end - like the career of a sergeant or a
> physician, it is the same. It is a shame that most guitarists are
> absolutely clean of this knowledge. My advice is to study music
> properly and not to omit any knowledge of music and not to be very
> impatient about giving concerts. He who is impatient mostly arrives at
> his goals late. Step by step is the only way\"*

Quote from Segovia! A 13-part series aired on National Public Radio.
First aired April 1983 and produced by Larry Snitzler (Classical
Guitarist) and hosted by Oscar Brand (Musicologist/Folk Guitarist).

Classical guitar studies are designed to develop sight-reading skills at
the optimum speed. Classical guitarists use standard works to learn
from; especially the works of Fernando Sor (1778--1839), Mauro Giuliani
(1781-1829), Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853) and Francisco Tárrega
(1852--1909). For complete beginners the author Frederick Noad has
provided the books Solo Guitar Playing One and Two. Book One assumes
that the student has no previous experience of reading music and the
lessons have been carefully arranged with this in mind.\

## The Parts Of The Classical Guitar

!The parts of the classical
guitar{width="800"}\
==Equipment== !The traditional wooden mechanical
metronome

**Foot-stool**

A foot-stool allows the left leg to be raised when the student is
sitting. The early classical guitarists explored all the various playing
positions and the seated position with a foot-stool was found to give
the greatest access to the fretboard while also allowing barres to be
played with ease.

**Music stands**

A music stand allows the guitarist to maintain the correct playing
position and also ensures that the music is at eye level. Despite its
usefulness a music stand is usually one of the last items that
guitarists buy. Placing a book on the edge of the bed or on the floor
means that the guitarist is looking down at the music and is constantly
having to adjust their head and body position to scan the guitar neck
when changing chords. Placing the music on a stand at eye level ensures
that the guitarist only has to glance at the neck to check for correct
finger placement.

**Metronome**

A metronome is an ideal tool for improving timing. A wooden metronome
provides an organic click which is pleasing to play along with for
extended periods. Many guitarists warm up by playing scales to a
metronome.

**Nails**

The classical guitarist plays without a plectrum. The right hand
produces sound. Although the quality of tone is determined by both
hands, the type of tone and the volume are controlled primarily by the
right hand. There are seven ingredients that go into tone production: 1.
Nail length and shape; 2. Choice of stroke: free stroke (tirando) or
rest stroke (apoyando); 3. Hand position and the angle of fingers to the
strings; 4. How the fingertip and nail approach the string; 5. How the
fingertip and nail prepare on the string; 6. Finger pressure against the
string; 7. The release of the fingertip and nail from the string.

Each of these ingredients influences all the others. One will generally
determine what come next. For instance, your choice of rest stroke or
free stroke will determine your hand position, and therefore the angle
of the finger to the string.This will then determine how the finger
approaches the string, and thus how the finger will prepare on the
string. All of these contribute to the security of the fingers on the
string and your ability to apply the appropriate pressure; and the
pressure inevitably affects how the string will be released. The length
and shape of the fingernail effects how successfully you will be able to
carry out all of the various parts of the stroke.

If the nail is too long, the speed and ease with which the fingertip and
nail can go through the string is considerably diminished. This is
because resistance has been increased. A bad nail shape can also create
undesirable resistance against the string and can cause some interesting
but unsavory sounds. The reason we play with our fingernails at all is
to assist us in securing and controlling the string, to enhance volume
and tone. So it is important to grow and shape \[the nails\] in a way
that will make it easier to play and sound good. Scott Tennant: Pumping
Nylon 2nd Edition Copyright 2016 by Alfred Music pg 56

Therefore it is essential that your nails should be considered.
Professional guitarists may use a nail hardening solution, such as
Mavala, which can be purchased from any chemist. The nails should be
filed with a fine-grade nail file. Professional guitarists always file
their nails in one direction only; never back and forth. This ensures a
much cleaner tone.

**Guitar case**

Your guitar should be kept in a case when you are not playing it. A hard
body case will offer the most protection to the instrument.

## Learning To Read Music

Learning to read music involves mastering reading one note at a time. It
is common to find second-hand music books with the letters of the notes
handwritten above each note. The idea that you can learn to read music
by deciphering a single piece of music that you like should be
discarded.

The early stage of learning to read music involves only the open
strings. The idea is to introduce the notation for the fretted notes
after the notation for the open strings has been mastered. The first day
might involve starting with the notation for the open high e (thinnest
string), followed by the B string, then the G string and so on. When a
student can read the notation for the open strings comfortably the
notation for the first three frets of the high e string is introduced
and then the first three frets of the B string and so on. The early
stages of mastering the open strings does not allow for extended phrases
to be played though once the fretted notes are introduced the guitarist
will find much of melodic value and interest.

At an advanced stage of reading music the guitarist should note that
familiarity with their own sheet music collection can be
counterproductive. It is not unusual to find that a guitarist who has
used the same sheet music to learn a piece suddenly struggles when the
same piece is presented from another publication. Fonts, staff spacing
and even elements as benign as paper size and colour can cause
difficulties in sight-reading. You should vary your sight-reading by
using different publications.

At some point a piece of seemingly simple music may prove too difficult
to play. It is not uncommon to find beginner\'s books with studies where
certain passages in the music present a technical challenge that the
beginner has yet to master. This is simply a reflection of the author\'s
own advanced technique and a minor lapse in the author\'s desire to
provide studies of value to the beginner. If at any time a study
presents a passage of music that is difficult to execute then move to
the next study.

## Standard Works

Please note that the following list of works will not teach you how to
read music. For that purpose you need to use the three Noad books:
*Playing the Guitar* and *Solo Guitar Playing 1 and 2* which have proved
very popular with teachers and self-taught guitarists.

**25 Etudes op. 60 - Matteo Carcassi**

This work contains a series of studies designed for intermediate
players. Consisting of arpeggio and scale studies this work has served
generations of players with its inventiveness and melodies. Though
didactic in purpose Carcassi has provided audience-delighting studies
that form part of the repertoire of many professional and amateur
players. A highly regarded edition of Op. 60 was published by Zerboni
with revisions by Ruggero Chiesa.

**Espanoleta - Gaspar Sanz (Pujol Transcription)**

The Espanoleta by Sanz is deservedly famous. Its simplicity and beauty
is accessible to the early-stage guitarist who can read music in the
first position. Its common to find a transcription of the Espanoleta in
many sheet music compilations and tuition books; including *Playing The
Guitar* by Frederick Noad. The Pujol transcription is a simpler
arrangement than the Noad transcription and provides the guitarist with
practice in recreating Baroque ornamentation.

**The Guitarist\'s Hour Books 1, 2, and 3 (Walter Gotze)**

These collections of studies for beginners consists of pieces by Sor,
Carulli, Aguado and many others. They are designed to encourage the
student to observe note duration as well as providing an introduction to
the works of Sor and Carulli. These progressively graded studies are
ideal for metronome practice. Though most of these studies can be found
in other compilations; the choice and arrangement of the studies in all
three Guitarist\'s Hour books are exemplary with regards to progressing
the beginner\'s technique.

**Greensleeves - Francis Cutting**

Francis Cutting was an English lute composer whose patronage eventually
led to a position in Denmark. Greensleeves was a popular song in the
fifteenth century. The Cutting lute variation has been transcribed for
guitar and is part of the beginner\'s repertoire being easy to play with
a recognisable melody. Greensleeves was made widely popular in the
twentieth century by the orchestrated version \"Fantasia on
Greensleeves\" by Ralph Vaughan Williams. A modern romantic
interpretation of \"Fantasia on Greensleeves\" by Neville Marriner and
the Academy of St.Martin is recommended.

## Other Works

**Harmony - Walter Piston revised by Mark Devoto**

The revised edition of this standard University text is a complete
overview of Western harmony. Limiting itself to the common practice of
the Classical Period it provides a clear and concise introduction to
harmony.

**The Classical Guitar: Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since
1800 - Maurice J. Summerfield**

This work presents a comprehensive overview of the personalities that
shaped the history of the classical guitar. It includes biographies of
all the major classical guitarists of the past and present. Extensive
use of images brings the biographies alive and its comprehensive
coverage places this work at the forefront of Classical Guitar
literature.

## Ways To Improve Interpretation

Playing along to recordings is an ideal way to improve your
interpretation. At the end of *Solo Guitar Playing One* is a short
ternary piece called \"Adelita\" by Tarrega which Julian Bream has
recorded. After memorizing \"Adelita \" the student should play along to
the Bream recording as it will improve their interpretation of the piece
and will impart a deeper understanding of the popular Salon style
primarily associated with Chopin.

The famous \"Leyenda\" by Albeniz is a technical challenge for any
guitarist. Transcribed for guitar from the original piano work it has
become part of the classical guitar\'s repertoire. On film we have two
master classical guitarists performing \"Leyenda\" - Segovia at the
Alhambra Palace and John Williams in the Concert from Seville. Due to
the popularity of the piece it regularly appears in compilations though
it must be noted that original transcriptions of \"Leyenda\" are
personal expressions of the transcriber\'s own technique. The two
guitarists mentioned have chosen to adapt the piece to their own
technique and a visual analysis by the student of both performances is
recommended.

Many classical pieces have their origins in the dances of the past. The
Bourrée was a popular dance that became part of the Baroque Suite. The
Canarios and Écossaise are further examples of dance forms that the
classical guitarist will come across. The Canarios was originally a
lively jig associated with the Canary Island and the classical guitarist
will be expected to play a Canarios at a lively tempo. Beginners will
find that a small amount of historical investigation into the origins of
the pieces they find in the books recommended in this chapter will prove
invaluable to interpretation and will help demystify some of the time
signatures and tempos given.

## Classical Guitarists

-   David Russell
-   Fernando Sor
-   Ferdinando Carulli
-   John Williams "wikilink")
-   Julian Bream
-   Christopher Parkening
-   Andres Segovia
-   Ida Presti

