Here are some practice patterns for the first three strings in the first position. Many guitarists are not great readers. The guitar is an instrument you can learn by ear and through playing with others, reading music generally happens when you have formal guitar lessons or classical guitar lessons. So why work on your reading? Well, […]
I recently did an interview with Adam Del Monte. Adam is a grammy award-winning flamenco and classical guitarist. He teaches at USC Thornton School of Music and alongside his busy touring schedule has written a flamenco guitar concerto, collaborated with artists such as the LA Guitar Quartet and written and recorded for numerous films. In […]
This is the first part of a Rumba that I wrote recently and perform often. It is in the Rumba style which is a flamenco form of medium to slow pace characterized by a 3 – 3 – 2 pattern. This pattern is strummed in a certain way to bring out the accents on beats […]
Title: Malagueña Key : Am (E Phrygian Mode) Time : 3/4 Style: Flamenco Dance/Folk The Malagueña is a spanish folk song that originated in the town on Malaga. It was derived from the Fandango and grew to become a popular flamenco dance of the 19th Century. Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona also popularized this […]
Title: Besame Mucho Key : D minor Time : 4/4 Style: Bossa Nova Composer: Consuelo Velazquez Notes Originally written as a Bolero, this piece is one of the most famous Mexican songs. I have arranged it here as a Bossa. Two sections – Binary form Melody and Bossa Nova accompaniment. Chromatic chords and triplet […]
This piece is called Recuerdos De Mi Pago (Memories of my home town). It was composed by Juan Buscaglia who was an Argentinian guitarist/singer/composer. It is in the style of Milonga which is a slow Tango. The piece is at an intermediate level with some playing in higher positions, octave scales and arpeggiated chords in […]
Title: Black Orpheus (Manhã De Carnaval) Key : A minor Time : 4/4 Style: Bossa Composer: Luis Bonfa (1922-2001) was a celebrated Brasilian guitari st famous for this particular song Manha De Carnaval which was featured in the production of Orfeu da Conceição also known as Black Orpheus. Bonfa worked alongside the likes of Jobim, Stan Getz […]
One Note Samba is a famous Bossa Nova by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The pattern requires you to keep the 1st string open for the first section, while the bass (played on beats 1 and 3) is moving down chromatically. The chords are: Cm7 – C7 – Bm7 – Bflat 7 (flat 5) Followed by: […]
This is an iconic and popular guitar pice that uses 4 main techniques: Position Changes Bass plus Treble notes arpeggio style accompaniment Barre Chords In this video, I’ll take you through each element of technique and give you suggestions on how to practice this piece.
This is a simple Rumba in E minor suitable for intermediate players. It features an arpeggio style accompaniment alternating with melodic passages. The final strumming can be used to solo over by a second guitar.