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Classical Guitar Reviews

Guitar Lover — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:46:04 +0000

Once you get beyond the beginner stage in classical guitar, you are immediately looking at serious musical instrument quality. If you do not have a huge guitar-buying budget, you will need to be quite choosy and able to bear in mind the qualities you feel that your present guitar lacks. Your next classical guitar is, to a large degree, your musical voice, so do not let a tight budget make you buy a second grade instrument. Let us start with Alvarez guitars, makers of a wide range of guitars. Alvarez guitars have been recognized as one of the leading acoustic guitar brands in the world. Alvarez guitars have been made in America since 1965 and are handmade in limited quantities making use of traditional construction techniques and naturally seasoned wood. Because the Alvarez craftsmen do not use computers to build their guitars, each guitar has its own unique feel and character. Alvarez Regent Series RC10 Classical Guitar is towards the more affordable end of the Alvarez guitar range. but the Alvarez family craftsmanship still makes itself felt. A hand picked spruce top projects a warm tone topped off by mahogany sides and back. Rosewood fretboard and bridge and a real mosaic rosette make for a sumptuous look set off by gold machine heads. The novice guitar player will be pleased with the low action and optimal string spacing. Alvarez Masterworks Series MC90 Classical Guitar is maybe the finest classical guitar in its price range. Its Indian rosewood back and sides, plus Western cedar top with precision scalloped bracing are features usually found only on much more pricey guitars. This instrument features a really elaborate mosaic rosette, rosewood body binding and headcap. The gold machine heads with tortoise buttons make it a guitar you will be proud to play and be seen playing for many years to come. And now for the Jose Ramirez 4E Classical Guitar. The Ramirez name has been synonymous with fine guitars since 1882, and the 4E Classical Guitar is the top of the line. It is all made completely by hand and contains much of the look and feel of more expensive instruments. With hand-inlaid purfling, the marquetry and detailing are the most refined of all the Ramirez student guitars. Humidicase is included. The Jose Ramirez 4E Classical Guitar features a Cedar soundboard, solid rosewood back and sides, Spanish cedar neck strengthened by ebony topped off by an ebony fretboard and Fustero machine heads. Finally, the Manuel Contreras II C-7 Classical Guitar. Manuel Contreras was born in 1928 and died 1994. He started out as a cabinet maker moved onto making guitars in Jose Ramirez’ guitar shop in Madrid in 1959. He started his own luthier business in 1962. Manuel’s son Pablo was born in 1957 and presently makes guitars himself aided by a smallish staff. Although the Contreras II C-7 guitar is at the low end of the Contreras line, you still get the benefits of the Contreras tradition of making top quality classical guitars. This guitar features a light, player-friendly action and a satisfying clarity and evenness of tone. The Manuel Contreras II C-7 Classical Guitar features a Solid cedar top with Indian rosewood back and sides plus Honduras cedar neck and ebony fingerboard.

Guitar Lesson: How to Improvise the Classical Guitar Way

Guitar Lover — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:43:27 +0000

When I was a fifteen years old guitarist playing rock solos and classical guitar pieces I remember that I had a desire to be able to improvise on my guitar in a classical manner.
Nowadays I have developed this skill and I love to improvise in the style of composers like Sor, Tarrega, Paganini or others or just trying to find myself somewhere among the notes. These special moments are a form of meditation. They clear my mind and also helps me as a composer to stimulate my creative abilities.
The most important reason for learning classical guitar improvisation is that it’s fun!
If you learn classical guitar improvisation it will benefit you in many other ways too:
1. It will be easier for you to memorize classical guitar sheet music.
2. You will find it easier to compose your own guitar pieces in a classical guitar style.
3. You can make up your own techniqal exercises on your guitar on the go.
4. You will understand your guitar better.
There are many ways to develop classical guitar improvisation. How?
You can start with major scales, experimenting with easy chords, or easy classical guitar pieces. The most basic requisite is that you want to learn this art and with this desire you will find ways to practice classical guitar improvisation in all your guitar playing.
I will just mention using classical guitar pieces in this article. But how do you begin?
May I suggest that you begin with an easy melody with just one voice or maybe a two voice piece with bass notes on open strings. Learn a couple of bars by heart and play the melody over and over again and try to change the melody slightly without losing the classical touch.
The ultimate exercise is to use advanced classical guitar solos.
If you think about it you will realize that classical guitar pieces are filled with wonderful licks, more or less complicated.
These licks can be developed and added upon to give you material that will help you developing your improvisational skills.
For example, take a two bar passage in a classical guitar piece that you like and practice it until you master it and then memorize it.
Now you can play around with the passage, break it down, change it, analyze it and so on. If you want to improve as an improvisational guitarist and musician you can regard classical guitar pieces as collections of very musical licks just waiting to be used.
I hope these hints will motivate you to reap the benefits from improvising the classical guitar way.

Planet Waves NS Classical Guitar Capo

Guitar Lover — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:37:42 +0000

Made of Ultra-Light Aerospace Grade Aluminum
One Hand Operation
A Patent-Pending Ned Steinberger Design
Designed for 6- or 12- String Classical Guitars
Fast Micrometer Screw

Product Description
The NS Capo is the product of an ongoing collaboration between famed product designer Ned Steinberger and J. D’Addario & Company. It employs a sleek, ultra-light design for fast and accurate one hand positioning on the guitar’s neck. Just turn the smooth, tactile dial to eliminate the string buzzing and enjoy perfect, in-tune performance. Lightweight aluminum adds virtually no weight to the guitar’s neck when in use.

• Ultra-light aerospace grade aluminum

• One hand operation

• Fast micrometerscrew assures perfect pressure for buzz-free, in-tune performance at every fret

• A patent-pending Ned Steinberger design

• Designed for 6- or 12- string guitars

Planet Waves NS Classical Guitar Capo

A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar – Book and CD Package

Guitar Lover — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:58:53 +0000

For Private, Class or Self-Instruction
Book and CD Package
Introduces Fingerboard Technique and Music Theory
CD Includes Backing Tracks
64 Pages

Product Description
This multi-volume method was developed to allow students to study the art of classical guitar within a new, more con-temporary framework. For private, class or self-instruction. Book One features an all-new format that incorporates chord frames and symbols, as well as a record to assist in tuning and to provide accompaniments for at-home practice. Book One also introduces beginning fingerboard technique and music theory. Book Two and Three build upon the techniques learned in Book One.

A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar – Book and CD Package

Hohner HC03DLX 3/4 Size Classical Guitar

Guitar Lover — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:43:42 +0000

3/4 Size Classical Great For Small Players
Satin Finish
Truss Rod for Neck Adjustment
High Quality Geared Tuners

Product Description
Hohner welcomes you to the world of playing guitar. The Hohner HC03 is a handcrafted classical guitar with a Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. This wood match-up creates a crisp texture to the overall sound of the instrument, and the light satin finish will allow the instrument to vibrate and project better than an instrument with high gloss. A truss rod built into the neck of the guitar will help keep the instrument in playable condition for years to come. The smaller scale of this instrument (considered ¾ sized) is specially designed with the younger player in mind and is highly recommended for the players that are starting between the ages of 8-12. This instrument also comes equipped with light gauge nylon strings for easier fingering as to not discourage the first time player. Hohner has a long tradition of supporting music education. While being in business for over 150 years Hohner has enjoyed creating instruments to help people of all ages express themselves through music. Most recently Hohner has joined forces with GAMA, an organization dedicated to bringing the joy of playing guitar into school systems nationwide. For more information on Hohner and their instruments please visit www.Hohnerusa.com

Hohner HC03DLX 3/4 Size Classical Guitar

Sight Reading for the Classical Guitar, Level IV-v”

Guitar Lover — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:39:42 +0000

Product Description
Daily sight reading material with emphasis on interpratation, phrasing, form, etc.

Sight Reading for the Classical Guitar, Level IV-V”

Lessons for Guitar PRESENTS Classical Gas an Enigma of Modern Music

Guitar Lover — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:37:53 +0000

Classical Gas is one of the most requested and most familiar instrumental pieces of all time. In an episode of The Simpsons called “Last Exit to Springfield” Homer leads the workers of the nuclear power plant in a strike to recover their lost dental plan. While they picket the plant, Lisa plays a bleak worker’s song. As she finishes, Lenny shouts, “Play Classical Gas”. Lisa plays the guitar and everybody watching the episode on TV goes, “Oh, yeah, THAT tune!” Classical Gas is always asked for whenever a bunch of people and a nylon string acoustic guitar are in the same room. It is not really a great technical showcase for finger style guitarists but it is a great vehicle to show off the sound of the classical guitar. Classical Gas was released into the world in 1968. A song by The Doors prevented it from turning into a number one hit but it remained in the second place for two weeks. Forty years later it is still among the most familiar tunes of all time and, along with The Anonymous Romance and Leucona’s Malaguena regarded as an essential element of the classical guitar repertoire. And nobody can say why. The impact of Classical Gas is way more than the sum of its parts. There are very few musical ideas in the tune. It is mainly repetition of a theme made up of a few notes. There are a few parts that are unforgettable “surprises” making use of syncopation, scales, strums, and abrupt time signature changes. Somehow all the bits link together like pearls on a necklace, and the final note adds a sublime resolution. The composer, Mason Williams, states on his website, “I didn’t really have any big plans for it, other than maybe to have a piece to play at parties when they passed the guitar around. I envisioned it as simply repertoire or “fuel” for the classical guitar, so I called it Classical Gasoline. ” Mason Williams’ day job was as a comedy writer and stand-up comedian who had lots of other projects besides writing a classical guitar instrumental. It was Mason Williams’ work on the Smothers Brothers’ “Comedy Hour” which gave him the opportunity to have his pet composition heard by the American public. The original score of the piece shows only chords and a few notes. Mason Williams had a twenty-three year old composer named Mike Post finish off the arrangement. At the Grammys it won Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Performance for Mason Williams and Best Instrumental Arrangement for Mike Post who has had a career full of triumphs in the field of TV theme music. His latest victory is the theme(s) for the “Law And Order” series. Classical Gas has been employed as the theme music for several news programs, the background music for the Apollo 4 movie, and featured in a number of other movies and TV shows. Many people have mistakenly attributed Mason Williams’ solo version of the tune for a cover by Eric Clapton. Classical Gas is quite an easy piece to play, the challenge is to play it with passion and dynamics because it appears to non-guitarists, more difficult to play than it really is. Maybe this is the reason it is among the most requested guitar pieces ever.

Yamaha C40 Classical Guitar Package

Guitar Lover — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:37:42 +0000

Top: Spruce
Back/Sides: Indonesian Mahogany
Neck: Nato
Fretboard: Javanese Rosewood
Bridge: Javanese Rosewood

Product Description
Yamaha guitar packages are an affordable, all in one solution to guitarists seeking a high quality instrument with multiple accessories. The C40 package includes a full sized Yamaha C40 nylon string classical guitar, a guitar case and a CD with examples for the student to listen to and play along with. The C40 guitar features beautiful Indonesian Mahogany back and sides, a Spruce top, Javanese Rosewood fretboard and bridge, and chrome tuners.

Yamaha C40 Classical Guitar Package

Profiles in Classical Guitar: Fernando Sor

Guitar Lover — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:42:55 +0000

Fernando Sor was a classical guitarist and composer who was born in Spain and he lived from 1778 to 1839. He was a contemporary of Beethoven and is often referred to as the “Beethoven of the Guitar”. He wrote many different works for the guitar including his famous Sor Method for the Guitar and his 20 Studies for the Classical Guitar. Both of these works are still in use today.
His Life
Sor grew up in tumultuous time is Spain. It was during the time that Napoleon and the French were attempting to take over Spain and Sor spent time in military service. For a period of time the French successfully occupied Spain but eventually they were ousted. After the war was over and France had been successfully ejected from Spain Sor moved to Paris (around the age of 35) and he never returned to his homeland. He also spent time living in Russia and in London but he eventually returned to Paris where he would live out the remainder of his years. It was during this time in Paris that he achieved a significant amount of fame as a composer, a teacher, and a performer, and he spent many years touring the great cities of Europe.
As a Performer
In Spain during his younger years and early adulthood he achieved an amount of fame that began with a performance of his opera “Telemachus on the Calypso’s Isle” and this lead to a short lived sponsorship by the Duchess of Alba. While living in Europe he reached the height of his fame as both a composer and performer and he performed concerts all over Europe including Paris, Russia, and London.
As a Composer
As a composer of music he had a remarkable wide variety of pieces that ranged from instructional in nature to songs, duets, vocal music for voice and guitar, and even an opera. His style of music ranged from sheer classical to very Spanish in sound.
Some of his more famous work
Much of his work is no longer played and some of it is lost but he does have some pieces that have withstood the test of time and are still regularly performed to this day. Or course there is his method for guitar and his twenty studies; and while these are instructional works they are also comprised of many pieces and arrangements that stand alone on their own right as legitimate performance pieces. A couple of his more famous individual pieces include his Opus 35 number 22 in B minor which is often called “The Moonlight Etude” and his Opus 9 variations on a theme by Mozart (The Magic Flute). Both these pieces are remarkably beautiful and perennial favorites of modern guitarists.
Recordings and More
Many contemporary classical guitarists have incorporated Sor’s compositions into their repertoire and you can readily find works. There are many CD’s by current performers that are devoted solely to the work of Sor. There is also a book about him (Fernando Sor: Composer and Guitarist). It is written by Brian Jeffery and it is a comprehensive and detailed account of Sor’s life. The first edition was published in 1977 and a second edition published in 1994.
Fernando Sor was a remarkable multi-talented man who was a gifted performer, a teacher, and a composer who wrote across many forms and genres of music. His music still lives on today, and through his methods for guitar he is still teaching students over 150 years later.

Learn to Play Classical Guitar

Guitar Lover — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:42:50 +0000

Learning to play classical guitar is an art that should be taken seriously. Classical guitar has a long history and many traditions that need to be respected and upheld when you learn to play classical guitar.
Attitude
Attitude is an important factor when you learn to play classical guitar. When learning there are a few things you need to do before you start. You must be prepared to let go of all of your old habits, and be able to accept new habits and instruction easily. Many people fail at classical guitar because they cannot let go of old habits learned with modern guitar.
The art of classical guitar
Classical guitar is an art form that goes back many centuries. The traditions and history involved in classical guitar are wonderful and interesting. It is important when you first learn to play classical guitar that you take the time to research the history and beginnings of the classical guitar to give you a full understanding on the instrument.
Become one with your guitar
When you learn to play classical guitar you need to understand your guitar and make it an extension of your body. Movement should be smooth and fluid. Playing classical guitar should feel natural and spiritual, this will be displayed in your music and the way you appear when playing. Become one with your classical guitar and you will find everything else will come easily to you.
Relaxation
When you learn to play classical guitar relaxation is important. Learning to relax your body and move with the instrument will ensure you move through chords and notes easily. Sometimes it can be hard to let go of the stiff rigid stance we are used to when playing modern guitar, but once you let go and relax you will find your music will improve.
Teachings
Many teachings have been written for people who want to learn to play classical guitar. Finding the right method for you can be a long process. The best way to find the right teaching method for you is to research and try different teachings until you find the one that works best for you.
Basic principles
Understanding the basic principles when you first learn to play classical guitar is important to future success. Basic principles will provide you with a good foundation for success in the world of classical guitar
Classical guitar is a fun and rewarding instrument. When you first learn to play classical guitar it may seem as though you will never improve or become as good as the professionals. The thing to remember is the professional classical guitar players all started where you are. They were all once beginners too and they achieved success by practicing and mastering their craft.