This beginning guitar method was written for aspiring classical and flamenco guitarists who want to improve their technical and sightreading skills. Music from the Spanish tradition—such as Romanza, Pica-Pica, El Vito, Café de Chinitas, Perfidia, and La Virgen de la Macarena—plus flamenco studies by Juan Serrano provide a technical and musical foundation that improves facility in playing scales and arpeggios, tremolo, and rasgueado techniques. Tablature is not included, as one of the primary goals of this method is to improve note reading and understanding of the fundamental elements of music. For ease of learning, online audio recordings are provided for more than 230 musical examples. In addition to numerous flamenco selections, short pieces from the late Classical and Romantic periods by Gaspar Sanz, Dionisio Aguado, Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, Ferdinand Carulli, and Matteo Carcassi are progressively arranged to enhance student repertoire and prepare you for further study in the flamenco and classical guitar styles.

Content:
A Note from the Authors 
The Guitar—A Brief History
La Guitarra (poem) 
Preface 
Parts of the Classical Guitar 
Parts of the Flamenco Guitar
Names of the Open Strings
Tuning
Metronome 
Note Locations on the Fretboard 
Sitting Position and Holding the Guitar 
The Fingers of the Right and Left Hand 
Fingernail Shape and Maintenance 
Picados (Scales) — Apoyando (Rest Stroke) and Tirando (Free Stroke) 
Arpeggios (Broken Chords)
Tremolo (Preparatory Exercise) 
Rasgueado (Strumming) 
Basic Elements of Music Notation 
Musical Expression Symbols 
The Musical Alphabet 
Half Steps and Whole Steps
The Major Scale 
The Open Treble Strings 
Systematic Arpeggio Exercises 
Alternating Index and Middle Fingers
Sueño 
The Open Bass Strings 
Playing on the Bass and Treble Strings
Notes on the First String 
Soleares
Notes on the Second String 
Music in Two Parts
Playing Eighth Notes
Notes on the Third String
Sevillanas 
Sevillanas I (Trio) 
Sharps and Flats on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings
The Fifth Position on the First String 
The Natural Sign 
Romanza in A Minor 
Romanza 
Farrucas 
Sixteenth Notes
Slurs 
Estudio No.2 
Estudio No.2 (Duet)
The Major Scale
The Natural (Relative) Minor Scale 
The A Harmonic Minor Scale
The A Melodic Minor Scale
The Chromatic Scale
Notes on the Fourth String 
Chords 
Fandango 
Fandango Duo 
Notes on the Fifth String
Historia de un Amor 
The Dotted Quarter Note 
Perfidia
Notes on the Sixth String 
Farrucas (Bass Line)
Farrucas
El Zorongo (Bass Line) 
El Zorongo (Melody) 
Playing the F Major Chord 
Playing Two Notes Together (Double-Stops) 
El Vito 
Rasgueado 
Sevillanas Intro 
The Natural Notes 
Sharps and Flats on the Bass Strings 
The Chromatic Scale
El Rancho Grande 
Alternating Bass and Chord Progression 
El Rancho Grande (Duet) 
Ascending and Descending Slurs: Ligados
Left Hand Agility Exercise
Chords in C Major and A minor
Las Mañanitas 
Greensleeves
Scales and Chord Progressions 
Rumba Rhythm
Scales and Chord Progressions cont.
The House of the Rising Sun
Variations on a Theme from Asturias
Malagueña
Intervals
Chords
Triads
C Major Arpeggio and Chord Inversion
The A Minor Arpeggio and Chord
The G Major Arpeggio and Chord
The F Major Triad
Barré Chords  
Chord Progressions  
Petenera  
Café de Chinitas  
La Virgen de la Macarena  
The High D and E on the First String  
Pica-Pica Melody (Guitar I)  
Pica-Pica Accompaniment (Guitar II)  
Pica-Pica Accompaniment (Guitar III)  
Pica-Pica Accompaniment (Guitar IV)  
Pica-Pica (quartet)  
Key  
Chord Substitution  
Key Signatures  
The Circle of Fifths  
Major and Minor Scales in the First Position  
More Chords in the Circle of Fifths…  
Allegro by Ferdinand Carulli  
Allegretto by Carulli  
Andante by Carulli
Allegro in E minor by Carulli  
Etude in G Major by Carulli  
Andantino by Carulli  
Larghetto by Carulli  
Romanza  
Menuet by Robert de Visée  
Lección 38 by Dionisio Aguado  
Clarines de los mosqueteros del rey de Francia by Sanz  
Allegro by Mauro Guiliani  
Andante by Ferdinand Carulli
Conclusion
About the Authors