We most often play guitar in 4/4 or 3/4 time - and that can give us enough trouble! However, I think practicing guitar in odd time signatures can heighten our rhythmic awareness and make us better guitarists overall. In this guitar tutorial, I show you how we can play a great little drill in 11/8 time that simultaneously works on not just our timing but our technique (great for the often-weak ring finger!) and even exercises the music theory part of our brain. We'll start by tuning down to drop D and playing only the bass strings. Using your ring (a), middle (m) and index (i) fingers respectiv ..read more

The bossa nova is one of the most popular Latin styles and one of the most fun things we can play on guitar. This is a style that is more often than not played on nylon string and offers a great "crossover" opportunity for classical and Spanish-style guitarists. In this tutorial, we will break down the bossa nova into five progressive steps to get you playing this awesome rhythm as quickly as possible. To begin, we won't even use a chord at all so that we can focus on the right hand. Our thumb will play the low E (6th) string, while our index, middle, and ring fingers will play the 4 ..read more

Even though it was written by a Cuban composer (Osvaldo Farrés), this song belongs in the pantheon of classic Mexican boleros like Bésame Mucho, Perfidia and Sabor a Mí. In this guitar lesson, we learn how to play the melody and chords of the famous song Quizás, Quizás, Quizás (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps) and put them both together in different ways to create a solo guitar chord melody arrangement that suits your particular skill level.  How to Construct a Solo Guitar Arrangement Even though playing the melody and incorporating the chords on the same instrument at the same time a ..read more

Choro is a Brazilian musical style that is the precursor to the Samba and Bossa Nova. It's characteristic rhythm can be described as an upside down Bossa Nova and is a very lively and syncopated beat every guitarist should know. Most classical guitarists will have come across two songs that are exemplars of the choro: Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Choros no. 1" and the melodic "Sons de Carrilhoes" by Brazilian choro composer João Pernambuco. In these two compositions, you will see repeated instances of the following rhythmic figure, a 16th note followed by an 8th note followed by another ..read more

The right hand guitar techniques for nylon string (Spanish guitar, classical, flamenco) are hard enough, but once we learn them it's very easy to accidentally get lopsided and not be rhythmically or dynamically consistent. The simple practice idea in this lesson can help us even out our right hand techniques so that they are more consistent, powerful and uniform. In this guitar tutorial, I talk about different techniques like picado and tremolo and the 4-stroke rasgueo but principally the ever-elusive TRIPLET RASGUEO - and a way that we can practice this using the cycle of 4ths progression and ..read more

We can create a moody, dramatic, “fluttery” effect (that is actually used in flamenco guitar) by playing the flamenco tremolo technique starting on the second note of the pattern: i – a – m – i – p.  For example, you may heard this before: This is an actual technique but it has the added bonus of being a stepping stone for more advanced sustained flamenco tremolo. In this tutorial I show you how to use the Beatles' “With a Little Help from My Friends“ to help us get there!    ..read more

Unlock the secrets of speed metal sweeping, a guitar technique that combines agility and precision to master arpeggios with speed and fluency. Ideal for both classical and metal guitarists, this guide will take you through the essential steps to elevate your play. How to Understand Speed Metal Sweeping Speed metal sweeping is more than just fast playing; it's about the intricate intertwining of both hands to execute arpeggios with speed and precision. This technique serves as a bridge between the precision of classical guitar and the raw energy of metal music, enhancing musical articulation th ..read more

Two Exciting Guitar Concepts For many flamenco guitar students, the most intriguing and intimidating flamenco form is Bulerías, a syncopated 12-count rhythm played at a fast tempo. The rhythmic twists and turns and technique requirements for Bulerías tend to be more challenging and greater than other flamenco forms. But if we get a solid foundation with this rhythm from the outset, that can make all the difference in our confidence with this form.  Another essential area of guitar study is the 12-Bar Blues, which is a much more familiar musical form for most guitarists in the we ..read more

Two of My Favorite Spanish Guitar Things From the Spanish classical realm If I had to pick the most famous and recognizable musical theme from the Spanish classical guitar canon, I would probably choose Leyenda by Isaac Albeñiz. Also known as Asturias (from his Suite Española), this memorable theme was actually composed for piano but later transcribed for classical guitar by the great Francisco Tàrrega (of Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Capricho Árabe fame). From the flamenco realm Similarly, one of the most requested flamenco forms to learn from my students over the years has been, hands d ..read more

Learn some of the key concepts to achieving one of the most sought-after flamenco guitar techniques: fast picado   What is Picado Technique? One of the most exciting sounds in all of Spanish guitar playing is the bold and aggressive melody (or lead) playing heard so often in Flamenco guitar. More often than not, when a single note melody is played in Spanish guitar the guitarist is using what we call picado technique: the rapid alternation of index and middle finger rest strokes. Why Rest Strokes? One of the constant choices we have to make as Spanish guitar players is whether o ..read more