Learn how to play classical guitar with 50+ exclusive free lessons, hand-selected from the tonebase tutorial library. These free lessons cover all-things classical guitar – from fundamental concepts for complete beginners to advanced technique and repertoire for serious students. Dive into your first free classical guitar lesson below!
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Getting Started
Sitting Position for Classical Guitar with Daniel de Arakal
Daniel discusses one of the most vital aspects of playing the classical guitar - sitting position.
Reading Music on Classical Guitar with Daniel de Arakal
Daniel introduces a fundamental concept for all musicians – reading sheet music.
Left-Hand Technique
Shifting on Classical Guitar with Bahar Ossareh
Bahar discusses shifting with special attention to the speed and stability of the left hand.
Barres on Classical Guitar with Jaxon Williams
Jaxon presents 3 technical tips to make your full barres sound better. Following this advice will help ensure that every note of the bar sounds and is not muted.
Slurs on Classical Guitar with William Kanengiser
Bill discusses the mechanics behind ascending and descending slurs or how they are frequently referred to as, hammer-ons and pull-offs.
Preparing Fingers Before They Are Needed with Mircea Gogoncea
Mircea introduces the principles of left-hand preparation, the different applications, and a musical example from William Walton’s Bagatelle No. 1.
"Climbing" Exercise for Classical Guitar with Rafael Aguirre
This exercise is for developing strength in the left hand. Start the pattern in the first position and move all the way up the fretboard, even past the twelfth fret!
Working Out the Left-Hand with Trills with Artyom Dervoed
In these exercises, we start by practicing trills with just one finger at a time and gradually add more complexity as time goes on.
Vertical Stretching Exercise for Classical Guitar with Artyom Dervoed
Practicing the exercises Artyom shares in this lesson will help ensure that long stretches will become easier and easier.
Vertical Stretching Exercise #2 - The Spider with Artyom Dervoed
“The Spider” exercise helps to maintain lines and reach certain chords with the left-hand.
Right-Hand Technique
Right-Hand Fundamentals with Joseph Palmer
Joseph introduces the fundamentals of good right hand positioning and finger movements.
Planting Technique for Classical Guitar with Lazhar Cherouna
Lazhar looks at the different possibilities for planting and discusses the pros and cons of each using Villa-Lobos's Etude No. 1.
Balance on Classical Guitar with William Kanengiser
Bill discusses the idea and technique of emphasizing different voices within a chord.
Right-Hand Finger Independence with Scott Tenant
Developing finger independence will enable you to have complete control over your right-hand tone and volume for maximum musicality!
Independence of the Fingers with Pepe Romero
When we play multiple notes at the same time, the great challenge is to feel that each finger is absolutely independent.
Pizzicato on Classical Guitar with Connie Sheu
Connie shares advise on how to make pizzicato sections sound as good as possible.
Partial vs Full Preparation with Mircea Gogoncea
Mircea introduces the concept of full and partial preparation with a focus on the difference between ascending and descending patterns.
Muting Basses on Classical Guitar with Eduardo Inestal
Eduardo teaches a lesson about different muting problems and the available solutions.
Alternation on Classical Guitar with Jorge Caballero
Jorge discusses the fundamental right-hand technique of alternation.
Repeated Chords on Classical Guitar with Colin Davin
Colin shows you how to effortlessly play the short, repeated eighth-note chords found throughout Sor's Study Op. 31 No. 20.
Arpeggio Exercise for Classical Guitar with Artyom Dervoed
Artyom teaches right-hand control through an accenting exercise he derived from Villa-Lobos's Etude No. 1.
Exercises for Controlling the Right-Hand with Lazhar Cherouana
In Lazhar Cherouana’s lesson on Villa-Lobos’s Etude No. 12, he provides exercises for performing awkward string changes
Balance Exercise for Classical Guitar with Scott Tennant
Scott presents an exercise to achieve right-hand balance within chords on the classical guitar.
Tone Production on Classical Guitar with Aniello Desiderio
Aniello discusses how to practice in order to develop your best tone.
Fake Nails for Classical Guitar with Giulia Ballare
Giulia demonstrates the primary method she personally uses to create a fake nail using acrylic powder.
Tárrega's Sound on Classical Guitar with Wulfin Lieske
Wulfin discusses Tárrega's revolutionary approach to guitar technique and compositional style.
All About Rasgueados with Kai Narezo
Kai teaches the fundamental flamenco technique of rasgueados.
Dampening Technique with Emmanuel Sowicz
Emmanuel Sowicz teaches Etude no. 2 from the third part of Giuliani's Opus no. 1, a great little study in right-hand dampening.
Scales
A-M-I Scales on Classical Guitar with Artyom Dervoed
Artyom shares an advanced exercise for developing three-finger scales.
P-I Scales on Classical Guitar with Mak Grgic
Mak discusses using thumb and index finger alternation as a method of playing scale passages similar to what lutenists do.
Tremolo
Tremolo: Right-Hand Control on Classical Guitar with Bokyung Byun
Bokyung provides an exercise as well as practice tips for building right-hand control while playing tremolo.
Legato Tremolo on Classical Guitar with Bokyung Byun
Bokyung discusses the challenge of keeping a legato melody line throughout any tremolo piece.
Practicing
Practicing Effectively on Classical Guitar with Marcin Dylla
Marcin shares a few of his tips for making the most of each practice session.
Technique Efficiency with Angel Romero
Guitar legend Angel Romero joins us to talk about his principles of movement and how to get the most out of the guitar with ease.
How To Memorize Music on Classical Guitar with Thomas Viloteau
Thomas breaks down his approach to memorizing a new piece of music.
Daily Practice Routines for Classical Guitar with Sanel Redzic
At every stage of your development, it’s important to have a simple yet effective daily practice routine. For Sanel, that has always consisted of 3 parts: technique, studies, and repertoire.
4 Warm-up Exercises for Classical Guitar with Wulfin Lieske
Wulfin discusses 4 exercises from Tárrega that he has incorporated into his daily warmup routine.
Solving Technical Issues on Classical Guitar with Mak Grgic
Mak demonstrates how to solve technical difficulties using Sor’s Study Op. 29 No. 22 as an example.
Practicing & Perseverance for Classical Guitar with Isaac Bustos
Isaac shares some wisdom about practicing and perseverance from his lesson on Un Dia De Noviembre.
Practicing Speed on Classical Guitar with Bahar Ossareh
Bahar shares her tips for improving your playing speed in your practice sessions.
Musicality
4 Tools for Expression for Classical Guitar with Emmanuel Sowicz
Emmanuel focuses on 4 core ideas of musicality: dynamics, timing, articulation, and emphasis.
Thinking Musically for Classical Guitarists with Sabrina Vlaskalic
Sabrina discusses her method of thinking musically instead of in patterns.
The Guitar as an Extension of the Body with Pepe Romero
Join Pepe Romero as he describes how we interact with the sound being produced from our instrument.
The Guitar is an Orchestra with Angel Romero
Angel discusses what the guitar means to him as well as his approach to the guitar's timbres.
Musical Planning with Carcassi & Tengyue Zhang
TY Zhang analyzes the musical decisions we can make as interpreters.
Playing Sor Etudes Legato: Adding Slurs with Bokyung Byun
Bokyung Byun suggests adding slurs to this etude in order to promote a smooth melodic line.
Rubato on Classical Guitar with Petrit Çeku
Petrit discusses rubato and the several roles it plays in classical and romantic era music.
Articulation on Classical Guitar with Emmanuel Sowicz
Emmanuel discusses articulation and why particular passages prefer legato compared to a staccato sound.
Legato on Classical Guitar with Emmanuel Sowicz
Emmanuel shares advice on developing legato fingerings when playing on the same string, across strings, and with portamentos.
Balancing Voices on Classical Guitar with Jaxon Williams
Jaxon shows you how to balance the voices using a rest stroke in the melody and free stroke in the accompaniment.
Articulating Melodies on Classical Guitar with Petrit Çeku
Petrit discusses using articulation on the accompaniment of Schubert's Ständchen in order to bring out the melody.
5 Steps to an Effective Melody on Classical Guitar with Stephanie Jones
Stephanie shows you a 5-step process for mastering your melodies.
Improvising on Classical Guitar with Matthew Grief
Matthew provides you with everything you need to begin practicing improvisation in the key of C Major.
Repertoire
Phrasing in Regondi's Reverie for Classical Guitar with Stephanie Jones
Stephanie demonstrates how she shapes her phrasing of Regondi's Reverie around tension chords and high notes of this emotional passage.
Origins of Aquarelle for Classical Guitar with Sergio Assad
Internationally celebrated composer Sergio Assad discusses the origins of one of his most well-known compositions for solo guitar, Aquarelle.
Renaissance & Baroque Ornamentation on Classical Guitar with Brandon Acker
Brandon presents a guide to ornamentation (trills, mordents, and appoggiaturas) for renaissance and baroque music.
Respecting the Composer's Intentions with Pepe Romero
Pepe Romero discusses how to approach the score with an open mind enabling him to send a meaningful message to his audience
Career
Networking & Getting Gigs as a Classical Guitarist with Mak Grgic
Mak discusses a few pertinent career questions including the skill of networking, how to get gigs, and balancing practice time with career development.
Managing Performance Anxiety with Bill Kanengiser
Bill Kanengiser discusses the delicate topic of performance anxiety. How do we as performers manage this intense feeling?
