Online Classical guitar lessons via Zoom with Cliff Smith, BMus(Hons).
The classical guitar is mainly used for classical, Spanish, Latin and flamenco styles.
Spanish, Latin and flamenco styles
I always play classical guitar with fingers (not a pick). I give classical guitar lessons from beginner to advanced level, and teach everything from early music through to renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and 20th/21st century pieces.
I also teach a little flamenco – just a little! If you are looking for flamenco lessons in particular, I recommend studying with a flamenco specialist. Flamenco techniques and style make for a great accompaniment to classical guitar study.
I had classical guitar lessons at Kingston University with Grahame Klippel. For further details of my classical guitar teaching repertoire, visit my repertoire page.
Topics covered in my classical guitar lessons
- Technique
- Posture
- Reading music
- Repertoire
- Scales, arpeggios and broken chords
- Flamenco
- Aural
- Analysis and interpretation
- Associated Board, Trinity Guildhall, or RGT exams (optional!)
Classical guitar lessons for beginners
I teach a lot of adult beginners! It is never too late to start. You just need the determination to succeed. My classical guitar lessons will guide you through the early stages of your playing.
You will learn the correct posture and techniques, and how to read music from scratch. I have an excellent method of teaching beginners to read, there is nothing to be afraid of!
We will quickly move on to scales, arpeggios and some simple pieces, before starting to learn the repertoire. There are many directions which we will go in after this, and we will discuss these options as the become available to you. We will cover more advanced techniques and music theory as they become relevant to the music that we are playing.
Classical guitar lessons for experienced guitarists
If you already play the classical guitar, I can help you to take your playing to the next level. Do you play electric or acoustic but have never tried classical? No problem! I will teach you how to read music and cover the basics of posture and technique with you.
I will make sure that you have a good grounding in the fundamentals before working through the repertoire, scales, arpeggios, sight-reading & broken chords etc. We may also study theory and aural.
The Trinity Guildhall and associated Board exam syllabi are very well structured and goal orientated. Hence, they make great learning tools, with or without an exam at the end of each grade.
Classical guitar lessons shopping list
- Classical guitar (nylon string – not steel!)
- Guitar tuner
- Padded gig bag or case
- Music stand
- Footstool
The steel string acoustic guitar is a different Instrument. Please see my Acoustic guitar page for details.
See my Recommended Equipment & Services Page for further advice.