Classical Guitar

The classical guitar — the Spanish guitar, nylon-strung — is sometimes described as a portable piano, and the comparison is a good one. Like the piano it can carry a melody, a bass line and the harmony between them at the same time, which makes it one of very few instruments that can play a complete piece of music unaccompanied.

What makes it different

The classical guitar is played with the fingers rather than a plectrum, and the right hand does far more work than most beginners expect. Tone on this instrument is made almost entirely by the right hand: where the finger contacts the string, at what angle, with how much nail. Getting that right takes patient work early on and pays for the rest of a player's life.

What you will learn

• Right-hand technique — rest stroke, free stroke, arpeggio patterns, tone production
• Left-hand technique — position work, shifting, slurs, barré
• Reading — standard notation on the guitar, which is a real skill in its own right
• Repertoire — from Renaissance and Baroque through to Tárrega, Villa-Lobos and contemporary writing
• Independence — holding three musical lines apart while playing them together

Examinations

Graded examinations are available through Trinity College London, ABRSM, London College of Music and MTB, from initial grades through to diploma level.