CLASSICAL GUITAR FOR DUMMIES

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond This Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Getting to Know the Classical Guitar
	Chapter 1 An Acoustic Guitar in a League of Its Own
		Defining What a Classical Guitar Is (and Isn’t)
		Knowing What a Classical Guitar Looks Like
		Recognizing How a Classical Guitar Physically Differs from Its Peers
		Beyond Physique: Identifying Other Unique Attributes of Classical Guitar
			Player’s form and technique
			Musical knowledge and skills
	Chapter 2 Getting Ready to Play
		Situating Yourself
			Taking your seat
			Supporting the guitar: Leg position
			Embracing the guitar: Arm support
			Placing your hands correctly
		Approaching the Strings with Your Hands
			Fretting the strings: Left-hand form
			Preparing to pluck: Right-hand form
			Stroking the strings: Basic right-hand technique
		Tuning Up
			Adjusting the string tension to raise or lower pitch
			Tuning visually with an electronic tuner
			Tuning by ear
	Chapter 3 Deciphering Music Notation and Tablature
		Knowing the Ropes of Standard Music Notation
			The composer’s canvas: The staff, clef, measures, and bar lines
			Pitch: The highs and lows of music
			Duration: How long to hold a note, what determines rhythm, and so on
			Expression, articulation, and other symbols
		Relating the Notes on the Staff to the Fretboard
		Relishing the Usefulness of Guitar-Specific Notation
			Fingering indications for the right and left hands
			Stepping up to the barre
			Taking on tablature, a nice complement to standard notation
Part 2 Starting to Play: The Basics
	Chapter 4 One Note at a Time: Playing Simple Melodies
		Practicing Notes on One String
			Exercising your fingers: Strings 1, 2, and 3
			Workin’ (mostly) the thumb: Strings 6, 5, and 4
		Playing across Three Strings
			Finger fun on the first three strings
			All thumbs again on the three lower strings
		Cruising through All Six Strings
			No thumbs allowed!
			Fingers and thumb, unite!
		Flowing through Melodic Pieces Using All Six Strings
	Chapter 5 Rolling the Notes of a Chord: Arpeggio Technique
		Playing the Notes of an Arpeggio: The Basics
		Working Your Way across the Strings: The Thumb and Fingers in Order
			Keeping it simple: One digit per string
			Moving the thumb around
		Varying Your Right-Hand Strokes
			Changing the finger order
			Alternating the thumb and fingers
		Adding Harmony to Select Notes
			Feeling the pinch with your thumb and fingers
			Doubling up two fingers at once
		Playing Pieces with Arpeggios
	Chapter 6 Practicing Scales in First and Second Position
		Introducing Scales, the Necessary Evils
			Why scales are important
			How you name them: Applying key signatures
			Where they start and end: A primer on positions
		Playing Major Scales in 1st Position
			The one-octave C major scale
			The two-octave G major scale
			The two-octave F major scale
			The two-octave E major scale
			The two-octave A♭ major scale
		Playing Minor Scales in 1st Position
			The one-octave A minor scale
			The two-octave E minor scale
			The two-octave F minor scale
		Playing Scales in 2nd Position
			The D major scale in 2nd position using open strings
			The D major scale in 2nd position using all fretted notes
			The G major scale in 2nd position using all fretted notes
			The B minor scale in 2nd position using all fretted notes
		Applying Scales in Simple Pieces
	Chapter 7 Exploring Musical Textures
		Coordinating Contrapuntal Music: Layered Melodies
			Playing two melodies in sync rhythmically
			Opposing forces: Separating the thumb and fingers rhythmically
			Thickening the upper part by adding double-stops
		Melody and Accompaniment: Using All Your Fingers
			Matching rhythm between accompaniment and melody
			Getting creative with the flow: Two parts, two rhythms
		Playing Easy Pieces in Different Textural Styles
Part 3 Improving Your Technique
	Chapter 8 Flat-Fingered Fretting with Barres
		Discovering How to Play Barres
			Half barre
			Full barre
		Practicing Barres in Musical Context
			Half barre
			Full barre
		Playing Pieces with Barres
	Chapter 9 Getting a Smooth Sound with Slurs and Trills
		Connecting Your Notes with Slurs
			Hammering and pulling: Exploring slurs
			Slurring in the context of a larger musical phrase
		Fluttering a Note with a Trill
			Playing trills on their own
			Practicing trills in context
		Playing Pieces Using Slurs and Trills
	Chapter 10 Coloring Your Sound with Tone-Production Techniques
		Creating Tones That Ring like Bells: Harmonics
			Playing harmonics
			Practicing harmonics in context
		Varying the Tone with Vibrato
			Playing vibrato
			Practicing vibrato in context
		Brightening or Darkening Your Sound by Changing Timbre
			Implementing tonal changes
			Practicing changing tone in context
		Tremolo: The Classical Guitar Machine Gun of Sorts
			Playing tremolo
			Practicing tremolo in context
		Playing Pieces Using Tone-Production Techniques
	Chapter 11 Scaling the Musical Ladder beyond Second Position
		Introducing Scales and Skills in This Chapter
			Getting to know the higher positions
			Strengthening your technical skill with practice variations
		Playing Scales That Stay in 5th Position
			The F major scale
			The B♭ major scale
			The D minor scale
		Playing Scales That Stay in 9th Position
			The A major scale
			The D major scale
			The F♯ minor scale
		Playing Scales That Require Shifting Positions
			The E major scale — one position shift
			The A♭ major scale — two position shifts
			The C♯ minor scale — one position shift
			The G♯ minor scale — two position shifts
		Playing Some Pieces Using Scales Up the Neck
	Chapter 12 Combining Arpeggios and Melody
		Grasping the Combination in Context
		Downtown: Melody in the Bass
			Playing a melody within arpeggios in the bass
			Practicing making a bass melody stand out
		Moving Uptown: Melody in the Treble
			Playing a treble melody within arpeggios
			Practicing making a treble melody stand out
		Mixing Up Your Melodic Moves: The Thumb and Fingers Take Turns
			Playing a shifting treble-and-bass melody within arpeggios
			Practicing making a shifting melody stand out
		Playing Pieces That Combine Arpeggios and Melodies
	Chapter 13 Combining Left-Hand Techniques While Playing up the Neck
		Layering Melodies and Using Barres up the Neck: Counterpoint
		Combining Melody and Accompaniment with Barres and Slurs up the Neck
		Playing Pieces up the Neck with Left-Hand Techniques
Part 4 Mastering Classical Guitar Repertoire
	Chapter 14 Playing Pieces by the Guitar Greats
		Getting Acquainted with the Master Guitar Composers
		Concentrating on Music by the Spanish Composers
			Saying hello to Sor
			Tackling Tárrega
		Focusing on Music by the Italian Composers
			Gelling with Giuliani
			Cozying Up to Carcassi
		Playing Pieces by All the Master Guitar Composers
	Chapter 15 Early Guitar Music from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras
		Getting an Overview of the Styles
			The Renaissance
			The Baroque era
		Identifying Some Renaissance Composers
			Traditional 16th-century melodies by anonymous composers
			John Dowland and other great lutenists
		Recognizing Some Baroque Composers
			Back to Bach
			Getting a handle on Handel
		Playing Pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras
	Chapter 16 The Guitar Comes of Age: The Classical, Romantic, and Modern Eras
		The Classical Era: Mozart’s Muse
		Getting in Touch with Beethoven, the Classical Hopeless Romantic
		Letting the Inside Out with the Romantics: Brahms
		Dreaming with Debussy: Music Becomes Modern
		Playing Pieces from the Classical, Romantic, and Modern Eras
Part 5 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 17 Ten (Or So) Classical Guitarists You Should Know
		Andrés Segovia (1893–1987)
		Julian Bream (b. 1933–2020)
		Oscar Ghiglia (b. 1938)
		John Williams (b. 1941)
		Pepe Romero and Angel Romero (b. 1944, 1946)
		Christopher Parkening (b. 1947)
		David Starobin (b. 1951)
		Manuel Barrueco (b. 1952)
		Eliot Fisk (b. 1954)
		Benjamin Verdery (b. 1955)
		Sharon Isbin (b. 1956)
	Chapter 18 Ten Things to Do When Shopping for a Classical Guitar
		Go Retail if You Aren’t 100 Percent Sure What You Want
		Bring a Friend Along
		Decide on a Price Range Before You Go
		Know Your Materials
		Evaluate the Construction and Workmanship
		Get a Feel for the Guitar
		Check the Intonation
		Listen to the Sound
		Judge the Aesthetics
		Determine a Guitar’s Growth Potential
Part 6 Appendixes
	Appendix A Basic Guitar Care and Maintenance
		Keeping Your Guitar Comfortable
			Temperature
			Humidity
			Protection, both at home and on the road
		Cleaning Your Guitar
		Changing the Strings on Your Classical Guitar
			Step one: Remove the old string
			Step two: Tie off the string at the bridge
			Step three: Secure the string to the roller
		Making Minor Repairs
	Appendix B About the Online Tracks and Videos
		Relating the Text to the Online Files
		Listening to the Tracks
		Watching the Videos
Index
EULA