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

If you have a Spanish guitar-obsessed mind like I do, you notice its elements all the time in the most unlikely places. When I first heard the catchy Coldplay piano riff opening of the song "Clocks," I immediately thought, "Hey, that's a textbook Latin rhythm!"  What makes it a rumba? That has to do with a typical rhythmic grouping you often find in Latin music: the 3-3-2 rhythm. One way of marking accents in a rhythm is to group a rhythm into accent units - if you count to three twice, and then to 2 (without stopping), you will be marking the accent pattern of a rumba ..read more

Strumming for Spanish Guitar If you're just starting with Spanish guitar, understanding the symbols and notations can be confusing. From chord grids to tablature, it's essential to interpret these symbols correctly and learn how to count properly. In this guide, we will delve into the fundamentals of strumming the right way for nylon string guitar playing. We'll explore the meaning of various symbols, decipher tablature and standard notation, and discover the importance of timing and finger placement. Whether you're a beginner or need a refresher, this guide will equip you with the knowledge t ..read more

In Spanish guitar, we seem to be obsessed with arpeggios. We say the word all the time and spend hours and hours perfecting this right hand technique and learning new and interesting ways to develop our arpeggio acumen.  While there is no shortage of arpeggio exercises, warm-ups, drills and studies out there, we don't always have to rely on something that has already been written. We can use a little bit of our music theory knowledge to come up with our own chord progressions that we can arpeggiate according to our own taste and our skill level. In this guitar tutorial, I show you how we ..read more

The Importance of Riffs for Guitar Technique  A riif is simply a term for a memorable short musical theme, and as guitarists we have hundreds if not thousands of famous guitar riffs we can learn and play for fun but also for technique development. One of the most famous and recognizable Spanish "riffs" of all time has to be the main theme of Malagueña, and in this blog post I want to use it to practice position shifting and aiming our fingers along the length of one string.   The Main Riff Moving quickly up and down the guitar neck can be difficult so let's get some essential gu ..read more

In this blog post, I'd like to discuss the classical guitar technique called arpeggio and show you 6 uniquely different arpeggio patterns from the classical guitar repertoire to help develop your right hand technique and make you a better fingerstyle guitarist no matter what style you play. What is an Arpeggio? An arpeggio is a musical technique that involves playing the notes of a chord individually, rather than simultaneously. It is derived from the Italian word "arpeggiare," which means "to play on a harp." Arpeggios are commonly used in all styles of music to add texture, mo ..read more

A Flamenco Technique Study  Let's use the introduction to "Punta y Tacon" - a flamenco composition using the form farruca by the great Sabicas - to work on some fundamental flamenco guitar techniques like arpeggio and rasgueo. The Master Sabicas Sabicas was a renowned Spanish flamenco guitarist who rose to fame during the mid-20th century. Born in Pamplona, Spain, in 1912, he started playing the guitar at a very young age and quickly became a virtuoso of the instrument. Sabicas was known for his technical prowess, exceptional speed, and intricate fingerpicking style. He collaborated with ..read more