De Anza College - Music Department
Location: Room A31, Time: Saturday, 9:30 am - 12:25 pm, Office Hour: 8:30 am - 9:30 am

2010 Spring Beginning Classical Guitar (MUSI 14) Syllabus

Textbook: "First Book for the Guitar" by Frederick Noad, available at bookstore.

Preliminary exercises:
· Treble Strings
· Bass Strings

For more music PDFs please visit the Lessons page (look under "Exercises").

Resources for guitar concerts:
Sonart Concert Series (San Bruno)
South Bay Guitar Society (San Jose)
Omni Foundation (San Francisco)

The following pages contain some videos of various guitar performances.

The classical guitar that we identify with today has a rich history that can be traced back more than 500 years ago. Naturally, guitar music has undergone many changes and embraces many styles. Below are just a few examples.



Today, many classical guitarists go beyond their traditional backgrounds to incorporate other musical styles into their own music. As a result, one should understand that “classical guitar” is an ever-expanding term; it will continue to evolve and change with each generation of new guitarists.

This study guide contains varied musical examples. Not all examples are performed on the guitar, but in music, it is often helpful and useful to observe differences and similarities and to compare and contrast.

The materials presented in these pages can barely begin to represent the history and culture surrounding the classical guitar. One will almost always find tradition in the classical guitar, but as musicians and creative persons, the classical guitar will continue to develop in new and exciting ways.

Simply put, “Guitar Repertoire” refers to the musical pieces that can be performed on the guitar.

The guitar has traversed many historical periods, and subsequently, many musical styles have emerged. Most guitarists agree that the guitar’s traditional repertoire includes: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Spanish, and some Contemporary.

Here are some samples of these different styles:


Renaissance: Angel Romero performing "Canarios" by Gaspar Sanz



Baroque: Shin-Ichi Fukuda performing "Gavotte en Rondeau" by Johann Sebastian Bach



Classical: Andrea Dieci performing "Variations on a theme of Mozart" by Fernando Sor



Romantic: Lorenzo Micheili performing "Cavatina" by Alexandre Tansman



Spanish: Eliot Fisk performing "Cordoba" by Isaac Albeniz



Contemporary: Marcin Dylla performing "Finale" from Guitar Sonata by Alberto Ginastera

From Mexico to Chile, the guitar is ever present, and it is no wonder that the music from Latin America is so readily associated with the guitar. The folk and local music are as diverse as the terrain and landscapes in this region.

Below are sample of sounds from various Latin American countries. Not ever clip features the guitar as a main instrument, but it is important to remember that the guitar is also very important as an accompanying instrument that forms a part of an ensemble.


Venezuela: "Zumba Zumba", performed by Aquiles Machado & Aquiles Baez



Cuba: Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan



Argentina: Tango "Muerte del Angel" by Astor Piazzolla



Brasil: Brazilian guitar performed by Yamandu Costa


Mexico: Tlen-Huicani from Jalapa, Verzcuz, Mexico

When we look at the music from various cultures in the world, we find that there are many guitar-like stringed instruments. These include the Indian sitar, the Turkish ud, the Japanese samisen, and the Chinese pipa.


Indian Sitar, performed by Ravi Shankar



Chinese Pipa Music



Middle-Eastern Ud



Japanese Shamisen