The Classical Guitar Companion

by Christopher Berg

The Classical Guitar Companion is an anthology of guitar exercises, etudes, and pieces organized according to technique or musical texture. Expert author Christopher Berg, a veteran guitar instructor, bring together perspectives as an active performing artist and as a teacher who has trained hundreds of guitarists to encourages students to work based on their own strengths and weaknesses.

The book opens with "Learning the Fingerboard", a large section devoted to establishing a thorough knowledge of the guitar fingerboard through a systematic and rigorous study of scales and fingerboard harmony, which will lead to ease and fluency in sight-reading and will reduce the time needed to learn a repertoire piece. The following sections "Scales and Scale Studies", "Repeated Notes", "Slurs", "Harmony", "Arpeggios", "Melody with Accompaniment", "Counterpoint" and "Florid or Virtuoso Studies" each contain text and examples that connect material to fingering practices of composers and practice strategies to open a path to interpretive freedom in performance.

The Classical Guitar Companion will serve as a helpful companion for many years of guitar study.

Table of Contents:

1. Learning the Fingerboard
Fingering Notations and Conventions
Scales and Cadences
Open Position Scales and Lower Position Cadences
Bursts and Exercises for Change of Direction
Moveable Scale Forms and Associated Cadences
Long Scales
Beginning Fingerboard Harmony
Triads on the Top Three Strings
Triad Cycles
Scales in Triads
Triads on the Lower Strings
Triad Progressions
Cadences by Franz Bathioli
2. Scale Exercises and Studies
Fingering Considerations
Carulli's Right-Hand Fingering Practices
Carcassi's Right-Hand Fingering Practices
Giuliani's Right-Hand Fingering Practices
Sor's Right-Hand Fingering Practices
Aguado's Right-Hand Fingering Practices
Coste's Right-Hand Fingering Practices
Mertz's Right-Hand Fingering Practices
Triplets
Scale Exercises and Etudes in Lower Positions
Three Lower Position Scale Exercises with Thumb Accompaniment
Three Scale Exercises from the Carulli method
Attaingnant: Two Haulberroys
Giuliani: Op. 1, Part 3, No. 3
Tárrega: scale exercise in D
Besard: Branle Gay
Mertel: Prelude 8
Dlugorai: Finale (Thesaurus Harmonicus, 1603)
LeRoy: Passemeze and plus diminuée (1568)
Scale Exercises and Etudes in Upper Positions
Three Upper Position Scale Exercises with Thumb Accompaniment
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Study No. 16
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 1
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 14
Tárrega: diminished chord exercises
Tárrega: Prelude 9
Tárrega: scale exercises
Tárrega: Estudio en Forma de Minuetto
anon: Chi Passa (Marsh Lute Book, c. 1595)
Johnson: The Queen's Treble
Dalza: Piva for Two Lutes
Advanced Right-Hand Scale Fingering
Application
Other Applications
3. Repeated Notes
Overview
Repeated Note Exercises and Studies
Horetsky: Op. 15, No. 7
Aguado: Nuevo Método de Guitarra, Op. 6, Exercise 10
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 2
Sor: Op. 6, No. 4
Sor: Op. 35, No. 19
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section Three, Study No. 23
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 7
Giuliani: Op. 83, No. 3 (Antoine de l'Hoyer: Op. 27, No. 4)
Sor: Op. 31, No. 19
4. Slurs
Overview
Slur Exercises and Etudes
Carulli: Prélude from Method, Op. 27
Carcassi: Exercise from Method, Op. 59
Carulli: Andante from Method, Op. 27
Carcassi: Andante from Method, Op. 59
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 8
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 4
Slur Exercises from Horetsky's Op. 33
Horetsky: Op. 15, No. 24
Giuliani, Op. 48, No. 4
Sor: Op. 6, No. 3
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 9
Giuliani: Op. 100, No. 19
Giuliani: Op. 48, No. 9
Advanced Slur Exercises
Virtuoso Slur Exercises
5. Harmony
Overview
Studies
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section Two, Chapter One, Exercise 12
Carcassi: Study in Damping from Method, Op. 59
Sor: Op. 35, No. 11
Sor: Op. 31, No. 22
Tárrega: Prelude 8
Sor: Op. 31, No. 20
Tárrega: Prelude 12
Sor: Op. 35, No. 16
Sor: Op. 29, No. 13
Sor: Op. 29, No. 23
Tárrega: Prelude 4
Advanced Left-Hand Exercises
What Guitar Methods Say
Musical Implications
Applications
6. Arpeggios
Overview
Arpeggio Studies
Carulli: Moderato from Method, Op. 27
Aguado: Nuevo Método de Guitarra, Op. 6, Part Two, Exercise 6
Sor: Op. 31, No. 6
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section 2, Exercise 2
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section 3, Study 5
Aguado: Colección de Estudios, Study 3
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section 2, Exercise 16
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section 2, Exercise 17
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section 2, Exercise 20
Aguado: Colección de Estudios, Study 5
Sor: Op. 35, No. 9
Giuliani: Op. 48, No. 2
Aguado: Nuevo Método de Guitarra, Section Two, Exercise 10
Giuliani: Op. 48, No. 5
Giuliani: Op. 48, No. 6
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Section 3, Study 8
Giuliani: Op. 48, No. 3
Sor: Op. 35, No. 23
Sor: Op. 31, No. 12
7. Melody and Accompaniment
Overview
Chordal Textures
Sor: Op. 31, No. 23
Melody Above an Alberti Bass
Horetsky: Op. 15, No. 2
Giuliani's Fingering Examples
Sor: Op. 35, No. 13
Melody in an Arpeggiated Texture
Sor: Op. 35, No. 22
Sor: Op. 6, No. 11
Simple Melody
Tárrega: Endecha
8. Counterpoint
Overview
Contrapuntal Pieces and Studies
Valderrabano: Duo Pleni Sunt
Giuliani: Op. 139, No. 4
Zani de Ferranti: Caprice, Op. 11, No. 1
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Lesson 38
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Lesson 39
Aguado: Nuevo Método para Guitarra, Lesson 40
Sor: Op. 31, No. 4
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 6
Sor: Op. 6, No. 8
Giovanni Maria da Crema: Recercar Tredecimo
Four Fantasias by Francesco da Milano
Francesco da Milano: Fantasia 28
Francesco da Milano: Fantasia 40
Francesco da Milano: Fantasia 38
Francesco da Milano: Fantasia 34
9. Florid/Virtuoso Etudes
Overview
Virtuosity Is Not Everyday Life
Carcassi: Op. 60, No. 20
Tárrega: La Mariposa
Tárrega: Study in A
Tárrega: Estudio de Velocidad
10. What Next?

Bibliography