This is about learning scored music on the guitar.
This is not about how to play guitar. It’s about how to learn to play.
Learning takes mental sweat, but merely sweating doesn’t mean the work you’re doing is effective. I review eleven authors—Iznaola, Kappel, Mathews, Provost, Viloteau, Sloan, Tennant, Werner, Van Betuw, Fei Yang, and Ossareh—from the perspective of what we currently know about learning.
My list is not exhaustive: Aaron Shearer, Stanley Yates, Frederick Noad, Charles Duncan, Christopher Parkening, and Carcassi, Carulli, and Pujol are missing, for example.
There are five parts to being a classical guitarist:
- Learning the music, that is, what to intend
- Learning how physically express the music with the guitar
- Learning how to do both effectively, i.e., practicing self-assessment and self-regulation
- Performing in public
- Teaching
People vary from eager anticipation to finger-crumpling dread about public performance. Teaching engages a complex set of skills; knowing how to play is only part of it.
This is only about learning the music (no. 1) and learning how to learn the music (no. 3).
All eleven authors are generous in sharing their knowledge. Each plainly wants the people applying their methods/books/advice to be terrific musicians by the shortest, most effective route.
Musicians, especially classical guitarists for whom there are no orchestra seats, make incomes that are wildly disproportionate to their contributions to our mental health and well-being. Please buy their books.
Learning music on guitar 