The Guitar Virtuosity System
Books, Software and Resources for Classical and Fingerstyle Guitarists
For more information call Toll Free: 1-866-994-2224
or email info@ClassicalGuitarsEtc.com
The Carcassi Crash Course
in Guitar Technique and Musicianship
40 pages - $9.95
Daily athletic conditioning of the fingers is required to maintain the technique and sound control. This unique workout book accomplishes this goal while guiding you quickly through the Carcassi Guitar Method.
Value of Carcassi's approach is that it includes scales, chord progressions in virtually every major and minor key you would encounter in the classical/fingerstyle guitar repertoire. There is also wealth of advanced technical material such as double-note scales, slur exercises, ornamentation exercises (trills, etc.), upper position playing and harmonics.
I'm not aware of any other single-volume method that is so comprehensive. Carcassi also adds dozens of attractive studies and solos in a variety of keys.
My experience as a teacher allows me to identify the most important material in the method, and how to use it properly.
Includes tips on technique, practicing, and musicianship.
(The Carcassi Method, Fischer edition, must be purchased separately at $15.95.)
Guitar Tuning Secrets
25 pages - $4.95
This book unravels the mysteries and myths surrounding guitar tuning and establishes a solid foundation for beautiful playing.
Many guitarists don't know how to properly tune their guitar, or don't recognize when it's out of tune. They may also be unaware that the two most popular methods, unison tuning (matching strings at the 4th or 5th frets with open strings) or harmonic tuning (matching harmonics between adjacent strings) are either wrong or highly error-prone. Usually, the resulting tuning problems are minor. Nonetheless, the outcome is numerous slightly "off" notes and note combinations (intervals and chords).
The Fingerboard Professor Software
$9.95
Thorough knowledge of the fingerboard is a must to avoid mistakes and learn new music quickly. It also makes composing, improvising and arranging easier. This software program will teach you all the notes on the fingerboard in 1-3 months.
Note Reading Chart
$4.95
A simple, yet powerful chart that allows you to easily identify where the notes of any guitar solo are on the fingerboard while you are working from the score. It also provides specialized training that helps "unlock" the fingerboard. This is not a typical fingerboard chart.
A three-octave chromatic scale exercise and practice notes are included on the reverse side. Laminated.
Essentials of Music Theory for Guitar
40 pages - $9.95
A concise, 40-page guide to the most important music theory facts and concepts. A must for teachers and students, who need to understand the building blocks and structure of music. This knowledge will allow you to play the guitar more beautifully and communicate effectively with other musicians.
Essentials of Chord Theory for Guitar
35 pages - $9.95
Reveals all the major secrets of creating professional-sounding chord progressions and voicings. Includes a system for categorizing and constructing virtually any chord, an explanation of how the Circle of Fifths relates to chord usage, the importance of "color" tones, and harmonic analysis (determining the name, inversion, and function of chords in music).
Chord-Melody System for Guitar
30 pages - $9.95
An easy-to-learn system for creating beautiful, original, crowd-pleasing solos from any music consisting of melody and chords (lead sheets, fake books, piano-vocal-guitar books, etc.).
With this system, you can expand your repertoire of performance pieces indefinitely. Once it is mastered, new solos can be created in a matter of hours or even minutes. The most experienced guitarists will be able to improvise chord-melody solos at sight.
Creating chord-melody solos is also a fabulous way to master the fingerboard and the art of voicing chords (rearranging the notes of chords for the best sound individually and in combination with other chords.)
Overall, creating chord-melody solos is
one of the most important aspects of mastering the guitar
technically, musically and creatively.
Baroque Hits for Guitar
20 pages - $19.95
A collection of 10 of my favorite pieces from the Baroque Period. Includes the Minuet from Sonata No. 12 by Weiss, an intermediate piece with one of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard.
Korg TM-40 Metronome and Chromatic Tuner
$39.95
A metronome with volume control and
the ability to sub divide the beat into eighth notes, triplets,
sixteenth notes, dotted eighths, etc.
This device is compact and fits easily in the accessory
compartment of your guitar case.
EarMaster Pro Ear Training Software
A simple, easy-to-use software program to develop your ear.
Top 100 Fingerstyle/Classical Guitar Hits
$4.95
After developing incredible technique and control of sound with my system, you need a repertoire to showcase these skills. Like me, you may be dissatisfied with standard anthologies, which are full of over-played or unimaginative classical/fingerstyle guitar music.
After years of searching for satisfying repertoire, I discovered that the most creative and attractive guitar solos are published as single works or in small collections. Others are available for free only on the Internet. A small percentage exist in standard anthologies, but the average guitarist doesn't have the time to play through dozens of dull pieces in these books in order to find them.
My list of the Top 100 Classical Guitar Hits will help you build a repertoire of memorable, crowd-pleasing solos that will keep you in demand as a performer and recording artist.
The greatest delight for me in finding this music was the sense that I can now play pieces rivalling those for the classical piano in terms of beauty and creativity.
Note that the list includes many popular and contemporary selections.
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LINKS
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Call Toll Free: 1-866-994-2224
or email info@ClassicalGuitarsEtc.com