Jon Chappell & Mark Phillips 
Classical Guitar For Dummies 

Learn to:

* Select the right classical guitar for you

* Develop correct hand position and posture


* Tune your guitar

* Play along with exercises and pieces on the audio CD

The fun and easy way¯® to start playing classical guitar!

Want to be a classical guitarist, but never had a lesson? No problem — this hands-on guide teaches you all the fundamental techniques you need to
play scales, melodies, and full-length pieces in the classical style. You get plenty of practice exercises to stretch your skills, selections from the classical
repertoire, and a bonus audio CD that helps you play along with the music pieces from the book!

* Get acquainted with your guitar — familiarize yourself with the unique make-up and parts of a classical guitar

* Start making some music — play melodies on individual strings, move on to arpeggios, and get your fingers in shape with scales

* Ramp up your technique — play barres, slurs, and trills; handle harmonics; master right-hand tremolo; and venture up the neck to play in the higher positions

* Build your classical repertoire — from Renaissance and Baroque to Classical, Romantic, and Modern, play pieces from the major eras in classical music

* Practice makes perfect — improve your performance with expert guidance through each exercise and piece in the book

Open the book and find:



* Tips and techniques for playing beautiful pieces


* How to read music notation and tablature

* Basic finger and thumb strokes


* Right- and left-hand techniques

* Musical examples, charts, and photos

* Music pieces from the guitar greats


* The best ways to care for your guitar

* A step-by-step tutorial on changing your strings

Bonus CD Includes

More than 140 recorded performances of the exercises and pieces featured in the book

Pieces performed using a count-off, allowing you to play along in time with the music

Tuning notes to help you tune up your guitar

Table of Content

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting to Know the Classical Guitar 9

Chapter 1: An Acoustic Guitar in a League of Its Own 11

Chapter 2: Getting Ready to Play 23

Chapter 3: Deciphering Music Notation and Tablature 45

Part II: Starting to Play: The Basics 61

Chapter 4: One Note at a Time: Playing Simple Melodies 63

Chapter 5: Rolling the Notes of a Chord: Arpeggio Technique 85

Chapter 6: Practicing Scales in First and Second Position 105

Chapter 7: Exploring Musical Textures 127

Part III: Improving Your Technique 143

Chapter 8: Flat-Fingered Fretting with Barres 145

Chapter 9: Getting a Smooth Sound with Slurs and Trills 155

Chapter 10: Coloring Your Sound with Tone-Production Techniques 167

Chapter 11: Scaling the Musical Ladder beyond Second Position 183

Chapter 12: Combining Arpeggios and Melody 201

Chapter 13: Combining Left-Hand Techniques While Playing up the Neck 223

Part IV: Mastering Classical Guitar Repertoire 235

Chapter 14: Playing Pieces by the Guitar Greats 237

Chapter 15: Early Guitar Music from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras 257

Chapter 16: The Guitar Comes of Age: The Classical, Romantic, and Modern Eras 275

Part V: The Part of Tens 293

Chapter 17: Ten (Or So) Classical Guitarists You Should Know 295

Chapter 18: Ten Things to Do When Shopping for a Classical Guitar 301

Part VI: Appendixes 307

Appendix A: Basic Guitar Care and Maintenance 309

Appendix B: How to Use the CD 317

Index 323

About the author

Mark Phillips is a guitarist, arranger, author, and editor with more than 35 years in music publishing. Jon Chappell is a multi-style guitarist,
arranger, author, and journalist, as well as a former editor-in-chief of Guitar magazine. Phillips and Chappell are also the authors of
the bestselling Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition.