Classical Guitar For Dummies

Classical Guitar For Dummies

Classical Guitar For Dummies

Classical Guitar For Dummies

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Overview

Learn to:
  • Select the right classical guitar for you
  • Develop correct hand position and posture
  • Tune your guitar
  • Play along with exercises and pieces on the audio CD

The fun and easy way® to start playing classical guitar!

Want to be a classical guitarist, but never had a lesson? No problem — this hands-on guide teaches you all the fundamental techniques you need to play scales, melodies, and full-length pieces in the classical style. You get plenty of practice exercises to stretch your skills, selections from the classical repertoire, and a bonus audio CD that helps you play along with the music pieces from the book!

  • Get acquainted with your guitar — familiarize yourself with the unique make-up and parts of a classical guitar
  • Start making some music — play melodies on individual strings, move on to arpeggios, and get your fingers in shape with scales
  • Ramp up your technique — play barres, slurs, and trills; handle harmonics; master right-hand tremolo; and venture up the neck to play in the higher positions
  • Build your classical repertoire — from Renaissance and Baroque to Classical, Romantic, and Modern, play pieces from the major eras in classical music
  • Practice makes perfect — improve your performance with expert guidance through each exercise and piece in the book

Open the book and find:

  • Tips and techniques for playing beautiful pieces
  • How to read music notation and tablature
  • Basic finger and thumb strokes
  • Right- and left-hand techniques
  • Musical examples, charts, and photos
  • Music pieces from the guitar greats
  • The best ways to care for your guitar
  • A step-by-step tutorial on changing your strings

Bonus CD Includes

More than 140 recorded performances of the exercises and pieces featured in the book

Pieces performed using a count-off, allowing you to play along in time with the music

Tuning notes to help you tune up your guitar


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780470464700
Publisher: Wiley
Publication date: 07/14/2009
Series: For Dummies Books
Edition description: Original
Pages: 368
Sales rank: 540,681
Product dimensions: 7.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Mark Phillips is a guitarist, arranger, author, and editor with more than 35 years in music publishing. Jon Chappell is a multi-style guitarist, arranger, author, and journalist, as well as a former editor-in-chief of Guitar magazine. Phillips and Chappell are also the authors of the bestselling Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting to Know the Classical Guitar 9

Chapter 1: An Acoustic Guitar in a League of Its Own 11

Chapter 2: Getting Ready to Play 23

Chapter 3: Deciphering Music Notation and Tablature 45

Part II: Starting to Play: The Basics 61

Chapter 4: One Note at a Time: Playing Simple Melodies 63

Chapter 5: Rolling the Notes of a Chord: Arpeggio Technique 85

Chapter 6: Practicing Scales in First and Second Position 105

Chapter 7: Exploring Musical Textures 127

Part III: Improving Your Technique 143

Chapter 8: Flat-Fingered Fretting with Barres 145

Chapter 9: Getting a Smooth Sound with Slurs and Trills 155

Chapter 10: Coloring Your Sound with Tone-Production Techniques 167

Chapter 11: Scaling the Musical Ladder beyond Second Position 183

Chapter 12: Combining Arpeggios and Melody 201

Chapter 13: Combining Left-Hand Techniques While Playing up the Neck 223

Part IV: Mastering Classical Guitar Repertoire 235

Chapter 14: Playing Pieces by the Guitar Greats 237

Chapter 15: Early Guitar Music from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras 257

Chapter 16: The Guitar Comes of Age: The Classical, Romantic, and Modern Eras 275

Part V: The Part of Tens 293

Chapter 17: Ten (Or So) Classical Guitarists You Should Know 295

Chapter 18: Ten Things to Do When Shopping for a Classical Guitar 301

Part VI: Appendixes 307

Appendix A: Basic Guitar Care and Maintenance 309

Appendix B: How to Use the CD 317

Index 323

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