Intermediate Classical Pieces

Lessons

• Lesson 1: Adelita - Francisco Tarrega - Classical Guitar Lesson

  Adelita is a piece I have always loved and meant to do a lesson on for a very long time. The approach to classical lessons is a bit different and in this lesson we first look at getting the notes and timing under control.
  
  That however, is really just the tip of the iceberg. This lesson goes into fingering options, embellishments, and a lot of tips on making music out of the notes.

• Lesson 2: Fur Elise - Ludwig Von Beethoven - Classical Guitar Lesson

  Perhaps one of the most recognizable classical music pieces of all time, Fur Elise, is a beautiful and haunting selection from Ludwig von Beethoven’s piano works.
  
  In this lesson we’ll go over a simple guitar arrangement of this masterpiece. By learning how to perform piano music on guitar you will begin to see how vast and effective the guitar is for playing virtually any style of music.
  
  There is also a segment on how to play the melody of this classical music piece, as well as the accompanying chords and arpeggios so that it resembles, as closely as possible, the original piano score.

• Lesson 3: Kemp’s Jig - Guitar Instrumental - Guitar Lesson

  Kemp’s Jig is a traditional instrumental piece from the Renaissance. It was typically played on the lute but there are many different arrangements of it out there. It is a classic, and somewhat simple example of music from that time, using a couple basic melodies and some embellishment on each of them. This lesson is done with tab only, in true Renaissance fashion.

• Lesson 4: Lagrima - Francisco Tarrega - Classical Guitar Lesson

  Continuing to explore the steel-string approach to romantic classics, we have my take on Lagrima. Francisco Tarrega wrote Lagrima (Teardrop) while in England and feeling homesick, missing his beloved Spain.
  
  The piece is similar to many others of his, consisting of two eight-measure sections in contrasting keys, E Major then E Minor, arranged in the AABBA form.
  
  The lesson presents many fingering options and contrasts a few published versions. It also includes an example of what not to do musically, or when shooting video lessons, a bit of comic relief.

• Lesson 5: Lesson For Two Lutes - Classical Guitar Lesson

  Lesson For Two Lutes is a duet from the Dowland Lute Book, a 16th century manuscript of popular pieces collected by John Dowland.
  
  There are two 8-measure sections, and typically the players would switch parts at the repeats. It is in the key of A and the two parts generally play melody lines a third apart.
  
  The last segment is a play along companion, starting with Lute 2, so the student should start with Lute 1.

• Lesson 6: Minuet In G - Classical Guitar Lesson

  This popular piece is taken from The Notebook For Anna Magdalena Bach, dating to 1725. The pieces in the book were generally student level ones, compiled by the Bach family.
  
  This Minuet had been attributed to J.S. Bach until the 1970s, when it was credited to Christian Petzold. There are many guitar arrangements and this one tries to be as accurate as possible to the original keyboard score.
  
  The lesson walks through the two sections, and touches a bit on locating notes higher up the neck of the guitar.

• Lesson 7: Minuetto

  Paganini is known as one of the most prolific and virtuosic violin composers of the classical era. This guitar arrangement of his Minuetto in A is a great classical piece for fingerstyle guitarists to learn the ins and outs of classical phrasing and techniques. If you’re comfortable fingerpicking chords and playing through folk songs, this lesson will be a great opportunity to be challenged while simultaneously enjoying some incredibly well written music.

• Lesson 8: Romanza (Trad. Spanish Ballad)

  This is a piece that I like all my students to learn at one time or another. It has a simple arpeggio going on in the right hand but some complicated concepts and techniques for the left. There are many arrangements out there and this one is basically the one I grew up with in the book World's Favorite Series (#43, I think), where it is called Spanish Ballad.

• Lesson 9: Study In B Minor - Fernando Sor - Classical Guitar Lesson

  Sor’s Study In B Minor is a beautiful little exercise, consisting of a gentle melody picked out over an arpeggio accompaniment. One of the challenges is making the melody stand out, another is getting some emotion out of it. I consider this piece an essential component of every guitarists repertoire.