New Tutorial – Antonio Lauro’s Vals Venezolano No. 3 (Natalia)

NEW TUTORIAL – Vals Venezolano No. 3 (Natalia)

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Natalia (Vals Venezolano No. 3) by Antonio Lauro is a beloved standard in the classical guitar repertoire and one of the most requested pieces from our students. This piece is full of life and color and combines Strauss-like waltzes with South American syncopated rhythms. Check out the note for note tutorial, grab your guitars and let’s get to work! Also, check out the general practice tips tucked away in the tutorial segments; these might just set you up for some great progress. Guitar: 2018 Jake Fuller “Purnell”, courtesy of Guitar Salon International

New Tutorial: Girl With the Flaxen Hair

NEW TUTORIAL – The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

‘The Girl with the Flaxen Hair’ is known for its musical simplicity and is one of Debussy’s most recorded pieces, both in its original version and in subsequent various arrangements.The guitar arrangement is one of the few arrangements that accurately renders Debussy’s compositional genius. Something is often lost in transcribing a piece originally written for the piano to the guitar but in this case the arrangement is fluid and guitaristic in approach. Check out Kevin Enstrom’s soulful playing of this piece and detailed tutorial. Grab your guitars and let’s practice, people! Guitar Used for Tutorial: 1987 Manuel Velazquez, Courtesy of Guitar Salon International

Scott Tennant Album Release We would like to congratulate Scott Tennant on the release of his latest album with the compositions of Andres Segovia. Taso and Tavi alongside Andrew York, the Park Brothers and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, joined Scott Tennant in a concert celebrating the completion of this wonderful recording. Check out the blog posting on the GSI website and enjoy the photos. It was a wonderful evening of music making on a very special guitar, namely, Segovia’s own 1969 Ramirez.

Ines Thome: Status Update Many of you inquired about Ines Thome and her relationship to EliteGuitarist. Upon her graduating with a doctoral degree from USC, Ines and her husband Michael both accepted teaching appointments in Ohio. We were sad to see them leave Southern California but we are so excited to see how their individual careers are developing. Ines and Michael are expecting their first child who is due to arrive any day now. We miss Ines sorely and, with regards to her playing and pedagogical proficiency, she is irreplaceable. We can’t wait to have Ines back recording and teaching again, as soon as they get a bit more settled in their new family routine.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Jazz Tutorials: * Falling in Love with Love – Larry Koonse * Alone Together – Larry Koonse * Giant Steps – Larry Koonse Classical Tutorials: * Gavotte En Rondeau – Taso Comanescu * Malaguena – Tavi Jinariu * Farewell – Tavi Jinariu * Natalia (Valse Venezolano) – Tavi Jinariu * Andaluza (Granados’ Spanish Dance #5) – Kevin Enstrom

Torija by Torroba – Classical Guitar Tutorial

NEW TUTORIAL – TORIJA from ‘Castles of Spain’

If you are a subscriber to our Classical Track, your subscription just went up in value with the addition the new Torija tutorial taught by Kevin Enstrom! If you are one of our Jazz Track subscribers, don’t feel left out; we have tons of new material we are going to add in the next few weeks. Torroba’s ‘Castillos de España’ is a set of brief pieces that take the listener on a musical tour of Spain’s famous castles. The Torija castle is located just off the road between Madrid and Barcelona. This piece is a reflective, introspective musical depiction of Torija and in this tutorial instructor Kevin Enstrom shares all the secrets of the trade that help bring this piece to life. From phrasing insights, to slight variations of the tempo and dynamics you will be able to transport your listeners to the wonderful Torija castle. Guitar: 1987 Manuel Velazquez, courtesy of Guitar Salon International KEVIN ENSTROM – Biographical Sketch In this brief video Kevin Enstrom recounts his beginnings with the classical guitar and offers words of encouragement for those who have undertaken the classical guitar journey. Check out his biographical sketch.

2018 EliteGuitarist Year In Review

This is why we play the guitar! Check out the video below and why the guitar is a magical instrument to us.

 

 

New Classical Track Website & Tutorials ▪ In 2018 we released 25 tutorials of some of the most beloved pieces in the classical guitar repertoire. ▪ As our library of resources continues to grow, we have updated our website to include expanded search capabilities. ▪ At your request, we implemented PayPal as a subscription payment option. ▪ You can now insert your comments on the page of the video tutorials and enjoy the input of other guitarists. This is a new function that we have implemented in our website and we think it will help connect various subscribing students in more tangible ways.

New Website Layout Tutorial Library

New Comprehensive Jazz Guitar Track

Check out the comprehensive jazz guitar track taught by Larry Koonse, twice Grammy-nominated artist. This site deals comprehensively with all vital jazz concepts, music theory and contains insightful note for note repertoire tutorials suitable for all type of guitarists, including classical players.

Jazz Guitar Track Jazz Guitar Tutorials

EliteGuitarist Instructors

We want to extend a word of thanks to our wonderful instructors for their generosity in teaching, for their commitment to excellence and dedication to the promotion of music in general and the guitar in particular. Check out these videos in which each instructor talks about their beginnings with the instrument. These are the elements that make the guitar a magical instrument, in our opinions.

Tavi Jinariu

Check out Tavi’s performance of Natalia (Valse Venezolano No. 3) by Antonio Lauro.

Taso Comanescu

Check out Taso’s performance of Serenata Espanola by Joaquin Malats.

Kevin Enstrom

Check out some additional performances by Kevin Enstrom. Allegro by J.S. Bach & The Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy

Larry Koonse

Check out this performance by Larry Koonse

YOUTUBE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM CONTACT

All The Things You Are – Jazz Guitar Tutorial

NEW JAZZ TUTORIAL – All the Things You Are

We are excited to release a new jazz repertoire tutorial. In this tutorial Larry Koonse spends nearly 2 hours dealing with the mechanics of playing this arrangement, comping ideas, fingering and interpretive principles. The tutorial is organized and taught in such a way that fingerstyle guitarists of various backgrounds can benefit from it. Check it out at www.EliteGuitarist.com

New EliteGuitarist Jazz Track Website

The Jazz Track segment of the EliteGuitarist website just received a major makeover. Check out the new website layout and capabilities. Larry Koonse, a twice-Grammy award nominated artist, has recorded some amazing tutorials dealing with Jazz theory and repertoire. In the future we will release 5 different tutorials of well-known American standards. Stay tuned for these performance tutorials suitable not only to jazz guitarist but any fingerstyle guitarist wanting to play jazz.

Barrios Valse Opus 8 No. 3 – Guitar Tutorial

New Tutorial – Vals Op. 8 No. 3 by Augustin Barrios

Here is a new tutorial by Taso Comanescu playing and teaching Augustin Barrios’ Vals Op. 8 No. 3. Taso’s soulful performance of this piece has become my favorite version of this piece. The tutorial displays a deep understanding of the piece, provides tons of performance pointers, focuses on phrasing details and is a wealth of fingering principles. Augustin Barrios Mangore is one of the most prolific classical guitar composers. As a performing guitarist himself, Barrios wrote with a deep understanding of guitar technique and pushed the technical boundaries of the classical guitar repertoire further than ever before. Check out this great tutorial, suitable for intermediate-advanced level students. Guitar: 2018 Dominik Wurth, courtesy of Guitar Salon International

Carcassi Opus 60 No. 7 – Guitar Tutorial

New Tutorial – Carcassi Study Op 60 No. 7

Carcassi’s study Opus 60 No. 7 is a standard in the classical guitar repertoire. Far from being a mere exercise in dexterity, this piece offers ample opportunities for phrasing development, chord formation, tremolo practice, as well as dynamic and tonal variations. Dr. Ines Thome insightfully deals with each of these performance aspects and enlarges the EliteGuitarist library of resources with a another great tutorial. Thanks to our friends at Guitar Salon International for loaning us this 2018 German Vazquez Rubio guitar.

 

Congratulations Dr. Ines Thome!

We would like to publicly congratulate Dr. Ines Thome for successfully passing her comprehensive examinations for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Southern California. Ines is a rare combination of a great performer and a superb pedagog of the classical guitar and we are so happy to have her as one of our instructors. Ines is preparing for her final recital in November 2018 and we are cheering her on as she showcases the amazing guitarist she has become over these many arduous years of practice. Ines is available for private lessons both in-person and on Skype. Check out her website for more details and to inquire about private lessons.

Upcoming Projects

These are busy days for us as we are working on several new projects. Over the next several weeks we will release tutorials of Barrios’ Waltz No. 3 in D Minor, Granados Spanish Dance #5 (Andaluza), Farewell by Sergio Assad and others. We are also working on adding several amazing tutorials to the jazz track. Grammy award guitarist, Larry Koonse, has arranged several jazz standards for solo guitar that are some of the best we have heard. These tutorials are detailed and packed with all the necessary information to perform these pieces like the professionals do.

TANGO EN SKAI – Guitar Tutorial

New Tutorial – Tango En Skai by Roland Dyens

Over the past year we have received so many requests for a tutorial of Tango En Skai by Roland Dyens. I finally got around to record this wonderful piece and can’t wait to see how you, our students, will take this iconic piece to the next performance level. Roland Dyens’ ‘Tango En Skai‘ is a favorite of audiences worldwide. This flamboyant piece, with its engaging rhythms and ostentatious runs, invites the guitarist to use virtually every technique and sound the classical guitar can produce. Get ready for a technical and musical hike. After slow and careful practice, once you get to the proverbial top of the mountain the view is pretty awesome and the musical rewards are great. Guitar: 2010 Jose Luis Gil, courtesy of Guitar Salon International Missing Roland Dyens I often wonder why the passing of significant artists, especially guitarists, has such a deep impact on me. In the case of Roland Dyens, his guitar artistry has been an important formative force in my development as a guitarist and his compositions/arrangements have left an indelible mark on the way I analyze and enjoy music. I suppose it is normal to feel a deep sense of loss when such an artist dies even thou the relational connection may be at the level of acquaintances. Over the years I have internalized his music to such an extent that in a very real sense I feel a deep level of connection with him, even though we only met once. Several years ago, as Roland Dyens was touring throughout Southern California, Guitar Salon International organized a master class with the maestro. I have always wanted to take a lesson from Roland and this was the perfect opportunity. I am so glad I did and got a chance to interact with Roland shortly before his passing. I was so musically enriched by Roland and these are some things that stand out to me as I recall that special time. Roland had a contagious enjoyment of music and enjoyed trying to get in the composer’s mind. Unlike most classical musicians, he was incredibly relaxed with the score and made statements of the sort: “the composition is not completed until you, the guitarist, perform it.” He was warm and kind and there was no air of superiority or egotism in his instruction. He focused fully on his students and instructed with generosity of heart and winsomeness. As I recorded this tutorial, I am again reminded of how much I miss Roland. Let’s keep his memory alive by enjoying and playing the vast amount of music he left for us.

GUITAR NAILS: SHAPE, POLISH & REPAIR

Guitar Nails: Shape, Repair, Tone

Guitar Nails: a riddle wrapped in an enigma. One size does not fit all but here is Tavi Jinariu’s approach to filing and repairing nails for optimum tonal quality.

Many of you have been requesting a tutorial on how to properly file your nails and achieve great tone. Playing with great tone is a combination of careful nail filing/polishing and plucking technique.

These may be the strangest videos you have seen on www.EliteGuitarist.com to date. If you can deal with the weirdness of watching a dude file his nails for 10 minutes straight, you will likely derive some benefit from these general nail-filing principles. In the end, if we cannot make it in this world as concert guitarists, surely we stand a chance to open some of the best nail salons in town.

TECHNIQUE: PLAYING WITH GREAT TONE

The second aspect to achieving great tone, beyond your nails shape and polish, is your plucking technique. Check out these two videos on tone production for proper plucking technique and general tone production principles. Keep up the good work everyone! We have several tutorials in the editing stages and I am excited to release those in the coming couple of weeks (Tango En Skai, Valse 3 by Barrios, Farewell by John Doan, Carcassi Etude)