Spanish Guitar Course

Lesson 1 • Right-Hand Technique Basics

Introduce free-stroke and rest-stroke finger motions for tone production. These two strokes form the core of all classical right-hand technique.

Lesson 2 • Posture and Instrument Position

Establish ergonomic sitting posture and correct guitar placement on the left leg. Proper alignment prevents injury and enables efficient technique.

Lesson 3 • Anatomy of the Classical Guitar

Identify every structural component and understand its acoustic function. This knowledge informs all subsequent technique and maintenance decisions.

Lesson 4 • Left-Hand Fretting Fundamentals

Develop accurate finger placement and thumb position on the neck. Clean fretting is the prerequisite for all melodic and chordal playing.

Lesson 1 • Chromatic and Diatonic Exercises

Use chromatic patterns to build finger independence and even tone across all four fingers. Diatonic sequences reinforce scale knowledge in a musical context.

Lesson 2 • The Major Scale Across the Neck

Learn the C major scale in open position and extend it to other keys. Scale patterns build finger coordination and fretboard awareness simultaneously.

Lesson 3 • Natural Minor and Modal Scales

Introduce the natural minor scale and the Phrygian mode central to flamenco. These scales expand expressive range and prepare students for Spanish repertoire.

Lesson 1 • Open-Position Major and Minor Chords

Learn the essential open chords in first position with correct voicing. These chords are the harmonic building blocks of all beginner and intermediate repertoire.

Lesson 2 • Dominant Seventh and Suspended Chords

Add seventh and suspended voicings to expand harmonic colour. These chords appear frequently in Spanish and classical progressions.

Lesson 3 • Chord Transitions and Progressions

Develop speed and accuracy when moving between chords in musical time. Smooth transitions are essential for accompaniment and ensemble playing.

Lesson 4 • Barre Chord Technique

Introduce full and partial barre chords to access all keys on the neck. Barre chords are required for movable chord shapes throughout the fretboard.

Lesson 1 • Thumb Independence and Bass Lines

Train the thumb to play independent bass melodies beneath treble arpeggios. Thumb independence creates the two-voice texture central to Spanish guitar style.

Lesson 2 • Combining Melody and Accompaniment

Integrate single-note melodies with simultaneous arpeggio accompaniment. This skill enables solo guitar arrangements of complete musical pieces.

Lesson 3 • Tremolo Technique Introduction

Introduce the p-a-m-i tremolo pattern that creates a sustained melodic effect. Tremolo is a signature technique in Spanish and classical guitar repertoire.

Lesson 4 • Right-Hand Finger Assignments

Establish the standard p-i-m-a finger-to-string assignments used in classical guitar. Consistent assignment is the foundation of all arpeggio technique.

Lesson 1 • Understanding Flamenco Compas

Explain the concept of compas as a cyclical rhythmic framework unique to flamenco. Internalising compas is the prerequisite for all flamenco technique.

Lesson 2 • Golpe and Percussive Effects

Add golpe taps and other percussive techniques to rhythmic playing. Percussive effects integrate rhythm and melody into a unified flamenco texture.

Lesson 3 • Buleria and Solea Rhythms

Study the 12-beat cycles of bulerias and solea, the most fundamental flamenco palos. These two forms underpin a large portion of the flamenco repertoire.

Lesson 4 • Rasgueado Strumming Technique

Develop the multi-finger rasgueado strum that produces the explosive sound of flamenco. Rasgueado is the defining right-hand technique of flamenco guitar.

Lesson 1 • Dynamics and Tone Colour

Control volume and timbre through right-hand position and touch variation. Dynamic and tonal range transforms technically correct playing into expressive music.

Lesson 2 • Glissando and Portamento

Execute smooth slides between pitches to create expressive melodic connections. Glissando adds lyrical character to solos and classical arrangements.

Lesson 3 • Trills and Mordents

Develop rapid alternating finger motion for trills and short mordents. These ornaments appear in Baroque and Romantic Spanish guitar repertoire.

Lesson 4 • Slurs: Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

Master ascending and descending slurs to create legato phrasing. Slurs reduce right-hand effort and are essential for classical and flamenco ornamentation.

Lesson 1 • Stylistic Interpretation

Differentiate Baroque, Romantic, and Spanish nationalist stylistic conventions. Stylistic awareness ensures historically and culturally informed performances.

Lesson 2 • Practice Strategies for Repertoire

Apply structured practice methods to learn pieces efficiently and accurately. Effective practice habits are as important as technical skill for performance readiness.

Lesson 3 • Memorisation Techniques

Use auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and analytical memory to secure pieces. Multi-modal memorisation reduces performance anxiety and increases reliability.

Lesson 4 • Analysing a Guitar Score

Develop score-reading skills including fingering, phrasing, and form analysis. Analytical reading accelerates learning and deepens musical understanding.

Lesson 1 • Contemporary Spanish Guitar Styles

Explore nuevo flamenco, Latin jazz fusion, and contemporary classical influences. Exposure to modern styles prepares students for diverse professional performance contexts.

Lesson 2 • Advanced Rasgueado Variations

Expand rasgueado vocabulary with continuous, abanico, and index-only variations. Advanced rasgueado creates complex rhythmic textures in flamenco performance.

Lesson 3 • Advanced Picado and Speed Development

Refine the picado (single-note) technique for speed, clarity, and endurance. Fast, even picado is the hallmark of advanced flamenco and classical playing.

Lesson 4 • Harmonics: Natural and Artificial

Produce bell-like natural and artificial harmonics to expand tonal range. Harmonics appear in classical compositions and add ethereal colour to arrangements.