Batucada by Savio

Batucada has been around for some years now having been written by the great Brasilian teacher/guitarist Isaias Savio. I first heard the piece at a Milos concert last year. Here is a great version by Brassilian born guitarist Carlos Barbarosa Lima. A Batucada is a Brasilian dance often played in a group and forms part […]

Girl From Ipanema : Bossa Nova Chart and Info

The music Girl from Ipanema (also known as Garota De Ipanema) was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1962. This song became an international hit by the mid-1960s after it was recorded by Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto on guitar and his wife Astrud on vocals.        

The Phrygian Mode – How to use this Flamenco Guitar Mode

  Follow me  @sergioguitarist to get my latest news!   The Phrygian mode is one of the main flamenco modes. It basically consists of the notes of the A minor scale starting on E. To add tension I also play G# on the 3rd string. This is very common in Spanish guitar. What are modes? A […]

Soleares

The Soleares is one of the fundamental flamenco forms. Here are some basic facts about the Solea or Soleares: Compas 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 (accent on bold numbers) Originated in the mid 1800s Share the same compas as Allegris and Buleria Use the Phrygian Mode  in E major or […]

Right Hand Classical Guitar Technique

I spend a lot of time explaining my take on correct right hand classical guitar technique. In truth there is no one correct way but here we can go over the basic ideas. I will also show some examples of different players’ right hands and what I like about them. 1. The arm sits on […]

Basic Guide To Learning New Guitar Music

It’s as important to think about how to practice is what to practice. You will become efficient at learning new guitar music if you follow a simple and effective process. I have outlined below the one I use with many of my guitar students. Be sure to have a metronome with you and give yourself […]

How To Hold A Classical Guitar

 We’re going to talk about how to hold a classical guitar, I prefer to use a footstool though sometimes you can get a device that will help you hold the guitar in a certain way, the main thing is that you should get the neck of the guitar reasonably high. this will assist your […]

Top 6 Guitar Practice Tips

Here’s my ultimate guitar practice breakdown. These are the things you should cover when you practice. I have also included a rough percentage of time that you should spend on them. I find that it’s easy to get into bad habits when practising. These can include overplaying, poor technique, practising too fast, and avoiding some […]