The Classical Guitar Curriculum Guide

Beginner to Advanced Levels

Beginner: 1-2 years of instruction
Objectives and Concepts:
The student will be able to tune their guitar.
The student will demonstrate correct right and left hand positions and
posture.
The student will learn how to practice 5-15 minutes per day.
The student will be able to produce a clear tone without buzzing notes.
The student will have a basic understanding of the musical alphabet.
The student will have a basic understanding of chord shapes.
The student will have a basic understanding of scales shapes.
Method Books:
Bay, Mel- Mel Bays Modern Guitar Method 1
Leonard, Hal- Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 1
Intermediate: 3-4 years of instruction
Objectives and Concepts:
The student will increase technical skills, musicality, and rhythmic
vocabulary while continuing to build on the solid foundation that has been
established.
The student will increase practice time to 30 minutes per day.
The student will be able to change their guitar strings.
The student will begin to become faster at scales.
The student will have a solid right and left hand technique on which to
continue to improve.
The student should have 15 minutes of repertoire.
The student should be familiar with key signatures, triads, and intervals.
The student should be able to memorize music for a recital.
The student should be able to read beginning sight reading comfortably.
Method Books:
Bay, Mel- Mel Bays Modern Guitar Method 2
Leonard, Hal- Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 2
Tennant, Scott- Pumping Nylon
Noad, Frederick- 100 Graded Classical Guitar Studies

Advanced: 4-5 years of instruction
Objectives and Concepts:
The student should increase practice to 1-2 hours per day.
The student should feel comfortable with techniques such as tremolo,
artificial harmonics, and rasgueados.
The student should have 30 minutes of diverse repertoire.
The student should demonstrate development of musical expression and
style using vibrato, dynamics, as well as a variety of articulations.
Method Books:
Tennant, Scott- Pumping Nylon
Eschig. Max- Villa Lobos Solo Guitar