Classical Guitar History

The instrument that we call the classical guitar has a history as long as our culture itself. Of course, it has not always been called the "classical" guitar, or even the "guitar" for that matter, so let's look at some of the influences in classical guitar history that have refined it into the guitar we now know and love.

The acoustic guitar with six nylon strings is generally known as the classical guitar but you can play practically any kind of music on it. Sometimes a little imagination is needed as Jose Feliciano showed when he converted The Doors' "Light My Fire" into an acoustic ballad, but in the right hands the classical guitar can be quite versatile.

One interesting fact from classical guitar history is that during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when the guitar in its early forms was very popular in Europe, the music for it was written almost entirely in tablature. If you read about the history of the classical guitar in detail you will see that the process of the evolution of the guitar involved many instruments like the vihuela and the baroque guitar.

As the twentieth century classical guitar repertoire was heavily based on Spanish music, we could regard the intense work on the development of the guitar in the eighteenth century as the real genesis of the classical guitar. The six string guitar replaced the five stringed instrument in the hands of the musical public in Europe and as it gained popularity, luthiers kept refining the shape and internal strength of the guitar.

The musical history of the classical guitar includes both new music written specifically for the guitar and arrangements of works of other instruments so they can be payed on the guitar. Obvious choices of guitar pieces were the works of John Dowland who wrote for the lute and the vihuela but keyboard works written for the harpsichord were also well suited to arrangement for the guitar. As a result, the seventeenth century composer, Domenico Scarlatti has many of his pieces in today's classical guitar repertoire. Another composer for the keyboard who had many works arranged for the guitar was the Spanish composer, Isaac Albeniz.

The beginning of the history of the classical guitar as we now know it is in the early twentieth century when Andres Segovia began recording his interpretations of composers such as Bach and Tarrega. The classical guitar has remained a favorite of audiences through to the twenty-first century.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

Classical guitar music

If classical guitar music interests you might want to go the whole hog with music theory and sdvanced guitar techniques. It takes some technical skill to express yourself on classical guitar. There are no electronic effects available to help you. Of course, classical guitarists do not get an education improvisation. Classical acoustic guitar lessons will not help you develop your ear, either. Classical guitar players are entirely dependent on sheet music. Fortunately practically every kind of music you will need to know is available as sheet music, and most guitar players of any genre who have learnt to read sheet music will highly recommend making the effort.

Classical guitar lessons

Classical Gas is an informative article on the musical phenomenon of the sixties that continued onto the next century.

Classical guitar music is seen by alot of people as being somehow inaccesible without years of study. But the term "clasical music" is very broad, and when put together with the guitar, it could refer as much to Latin music or The Beatles as to music from two hundred years ago! If you weren't seduced by the electric guitar during your childhood or teen years, what is it that attracts you to classical guitar music? Learn more at Learning Classical Guitar Music

Basic Classical Guitar Method

By Scott Tennant. For Guitar. Classical Guitar Method or Supplement. Book & CD. 48 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing.

From Scott Tennant-the best-selling author of Pumping Nylon-this fun and friendly method starts at the very beginning, teaching the anatomy of a guitar, how to choose and maintain your instrument, proper seating position, how to hold the guitar, and efficient hand positions and techniques. The step-by-step approach continues with lessons on how to read music, right- and left-hand basics, notes on the fretboard, accidentals and the chromatic scale. Photographs, drawings and personal tips from this world-renowned performer make learning easy!
Reviews
Best Method for Classical Guitar
"I own several books for classical guitar. Noad, Shearer, Parkening. Scott Tennant's method is by far the best out there. "
- Mario from San Diego, CA, February 26, 2005
Basic Classical Guitar Method, Book 1
Basic Classical Guitar Method, Book 2

Beatles for Classical Guitar

Over twenty-five of the Beatles greatest hits arranged for classical guitar: Across The Universe • Ask Me Why • Come Together • Cry Baby Cry • Day Tripper • For No One • From Me To You • Hello, Goodbye • Here Comes The Sun • I Don't Want To Spoil The Party • I Will • I'll Follow The Sun • I'm A Loser • I'm Happy Just To Dance With You • I'm Only Sleeping • I'm So Tired • In My Life • Long And Winding Road, The • Maxwell's Silver Hammer • No Reply • Nowhere Man • P.S. I Love You • Penny Lane • Something • This Boy • Things We Said Today • Two Of Us • While My Guitar Gently Weeps • Yesterday • You're Going To Lose That Girl. ©2004, 64 pages.

Beatles for Classical Guitar

Classical Guitar Anthology

Arranged by Alexander Gluklikh. For Guitar. Classical Guitar Folio. Masterwork. Book & CD. 80 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing.

Twenty-nine classical favorites in miniature, arranged for easy/intermediate classical guitar. Tablature and CD included! Titles include: Arabesque * Ave Maria * Clair de Lune * Moonlight Sonata * My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice * Pavane (Pour Une Infante Defunte) * Prelude No. 1 * Romance * Sarabanda * The Swan * Two Guitars and many more. Composers include: Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Destouches, Faure, Gluck, Lully, Miaskovsky, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Rubinstein, Saint-Saens, Schubert, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky.
Reviews
Great arrangements
"This book is expertly arranged. Unfortunately not all of the songs are really that pleasant to play or hear, but the ones that are, are definitely a hit. My favorite is the Bach Siciliano. It also has Siciliene and Pavane by Faure, and Pavane for a dead princess by Ravel. Get the book you won't regret it"
- Mario Diaz from Miami, Fl, March 10, 2007

Awesome!
"This is great! If you are tired of buying classical guitar books, just to find out the music is poorly arranged and sometimes missing more than half of the notes, then this is your book. I just can’t say enough about the arranger (Alexander Gluklikh), the pieces of music chosen, or the quality of the recording. After buying four other classical guitar books and being greatly disappointed with how the scores were arranged, and/or transposed (usually in a dumbed-down kindergarten-like way) I found this one. The arrangements of “I Met You” and Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” are worth the cost of the book alone. This book will not be a waste of your money, an insult to your intelligence, or a hindrance toward proper technical growth. This book also comes with an audio CD with all 29 pieces performed by Alexander Gluklikh for your listening pleasure. This is the one to buy!"
- Shannon Flynn from Illinois, October 22, 2005

Great book and CD
"this is a great book and the quality and artistry of the cd is very nice. I was really impressed with this book. "
- PC from North Carolina, April 29, 2005
The Classical Guitar Anthology (Music of France, Germany, and Russia)

Basix Guitar TAB Classics: J.S. Bach

By Johann Sebastian Bach. For Guitar. Classical Guitar Folio. Basix[R] Series. Book & CD. 44 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing.

17 well-known pieces by one of the world's greatest composers arranged for guitar in standard music notation and TAB. The accompanying CD offers outstanding performances of each piece.
Reviews
Highly recommended!
"I highly recommend this basix series, and at ten bucks a pop, they can't be beat. The arrangements here are very well thought off and sound idiomatic on the guitar, which is not always the case with this type of music. The cd by itself is good to listen to. These are not the arrangements that will get you standing ovations on a concert hall but they are very pleasant to play and most are not that hard to learn."
- Mario Diaz from Miami, Fl, March 10, 2007
Basix Guitar TAB Classics: J.S. Bach