Here is a list of classical guitar exercises and technique lessons from the site. All the video lessons are 100% free to watch. Four main books are mentioned but you can usually get the exercises just from watching the videos. Studying technique exercises is an essential part of a daily practice routine. I highly recommend you practice the exercises at the beginning of your practice session to allow the technique you learn to pour into the pieces your play afterward. With that little bit of preparation and careful practice you might find your fingers behaving much better in your pieces and you’ll be building a foundation that will last the rest of your life. Here are the four books I mention:
Books Mentioned
- 20 Favorite Exercises, Notation + TAB, PDF, Video lessons, Gr.1-6, Great for crossover or a quick boost. Condensed for fast study, only the essential exercises.
- Classical Guitar Technique: Essential Exercises, Scales, & Arpeggios – 122 pages, PDF, Notation, Video lessons. Hundreds of exercises and very comprehensive.
- Major Scales for Classical Guitar – Beginner to Intermediate, Notation + TAB
- Ten Classical Etudes, Gr.4-7, videos lessons, Notation & Notation + TAB
- Giuliani Left Hand Interval Studies (Exercises) Op.1, Part 2 – Grade 4-9, Sheet Music or Tab
Free Video Lessons for 20 Favorite Exercises
- No. 1 – Right Hand Walking (Alternation)
- No. 2 & 3 – Basic Left Hand Position Exercise and Horizontal Biulders
- No. 4 – Basic Arpeggios + Full & Sequential Planting
- No. 5 – Basic Tremelo Exercise for Classical Guitar
- No. 6 – Left Hand Slur Exercise: Vertical Builder
- No. 7 – Left Hand Slur Exercise: Horizontal Builder
- No. 8 – Right Hand Cross-String Exercise
- No. 9 – Basic Rasgueado Exercise
- No. 10 – Fixed Position Exercise for the Left Hand
- No. 11 – Scale Exercise: Destination Points
- No. 12 – Scale Exercise: Rhythmic Vitality
- No. 13 – Scale Exercise: Articulation and Dynamics
- No. 14 – Slurs and Shifts Combo Exercise
- No. 15 – All-In-One-Arpeggio Pattern
- No. 16 – Barre Exercise for Guitar
- No. 17 – C Major Exercise in Thirds, Sixths, and Octaves
- No. 18 – Chromatic Scale in Octaves
- No. 19 – Scale Etude (alternating i,m)
- No. 20 – Triads & Arpeggios Etude
Free Video Lessons for Classical Guitar Technique: Essential Exercises, Scales, and Arpeggios
- Technique Routines (Discussions on Time Management)
- Beginner Technique Routine
- Late-Beginner Technique Routine
- Early-Intermediate Technique Routine
- Intermediate Technique Routine
- Late-Intermediate Technique Routine
- Early-Advanced Technique Routine
- How to Use Large Technique Books: Maintenance & Exploration
- Lessons for Part 1 – Right Hand Exercises
- Right Hand Open String with i, m, a, No. 1-19 (Page 12-16)
- Skipping Strings Exercise, No.11 (Page 14)
- Right Hand Open String with p,i,m,a, No.20-35 (Page 17-20)
- Preparation (Planting) in the Right Hand (Page 21)
- Open String Exercises, No. 36-71 (Page 22-28)
- Open String Exercises, No. 72-100 (Page 29-32)
- How to Practice Giuliani’s 120 Right Hand Studies (Page 33-53)
- Giuliani Arpeggios No.1-3
- Giuliani Arpeggios No.4-6
- Giuliani Arpeggios No.7-10 & Common Fingering Lesson
- Lessons for Part 2 – Left Hand Alignment, Shifts, and Scales
- Alignment Exercises for the Left Hand (Page 54-57)
- Horizontal Alignment 1-4-2-4-3-4 (Page 57)
- Chromatic Scale Exercises (Page 58-60)
- Variations and Ideas for Practicing Scales (Page 61-63)
- Open Position Scales – Circle of Fifths (Page 64-67)
- One Octave Moveable Major Scales (Page 68-69)
- Shift and String Squeak Exercises (Page 70-71)
- Favourite Two and Three Octave Moveable Scales (Page 72-74)
- Major Scales with Open String Shifts (Page 75-76)
- Triadic Arpeggios (Page 77-79)
- C Major Triadic Arpeggio (Page 77)
- Lessons for Part 3 – Slurs, Finger Independence, and Stretch
- Slur Exercises (Hammer-ons, Pull-offs) (Page 80-90)
- Selected Slur Scales (Page 91-92)
- Left Hand Independence, Alignment, and Stretch (Page 93-100)
- Vertical Stretch Exercises (Page 94, 95, 97)
- Horizontal Stretch Exercises (Page 100)
- Major Scales in 3rds, 6ths, Octaves, and 10ths (Page 101-105)
- C Major Scale in 3rds for Guitar (Page 102)
- C Major Scale in 6ths (Page 103)
- E Chromatic Scale in Octaves (Page 104)
- Lessons for Part 4 – Additional Techniques
- Barre Exercises (Page 106-108)
- Tremolo Exercises (Page 109-113)
- Basic Rasgueado (Page 114-115)
- Common Natural and Artificial Harmonics (Page 116-119)
- Speed and Relaxation (Page 120-122)
Free Video Lessons for Major Scales for Classical Guitar (YouTube Links)
- Tips and ways to practice major scales
- C Major Scales for Guitar
- G Major Scales for Guitar
- D Major Scales for Guitar
- A Major Scales for Guitar
- E Major Scales for Guitar
- F Major Scales for Guitar
- Bb Major Scales for Guitar
- Eb Major Scales for Guitar
- Ab Major Scales for Guitar
- The Five Closed Major Scale Patterns Over the Entire Fretboard
Free Video Lessons for Ten Classical Etudes
- Sor Study, No. 6, Op. 60 by Fernando Sor – Musicality: basic legato, phrasing, and shaping, muting basses
- Allegretto, No. 22, Op. 50 by Mauro Giuliani – Slurs and the four-finger position (one finger per fret)
- Allegro Moderato, Study No. 14, Op. 60 by Matteo Carcassi – Free-stroke scale-work, legato, and position shifts
- Allegro Moderato, Study No. 19, Op. 60 by Matteo Carcassi – Arpeggios, right hand balance, and upper voice melodic phrasing
- Moderato, Study No. 6, Op. 60 by Matteo Carcassi – Right hand balance and voice independence (counterpoint)
- Allegro Moderato, Study, No. 24, Op. 60 by Fernando Sor – Arpeggios, speed work, thumb control and coordination
- Allegretto, Study No. 10, Op. 60 by Matteo Carcassi – Compact left hand position, slurs, thirds, and shifts
- Thirds in G Major No. 5, Op. 1 by Mauro Giuliani – Left hand position, shifts, accuracy, economy of motion
- Octaves in G Major No. 7, Op. 1 by Mauro Giuliani – Left hand position, basic reach and stretch, shifts, accuracy
- Study in B Minor (Allegretto) No. 22, Op. 35 by Fernando Sor – Musicality: balance, shaping, phrasing, arpeggios, melody, tone