It almost goes without saying that when it comes to learning classical guitar, enlisting the services of a teacher or teachers is the best route to systematic improvement for people serious about mastering the instrument—especially those with aspirations beyond playing as a casual pastime. But there are also many reasons why working with a teacher might not be right for you, ranging from the cost of private instruction or school programs, to the need or desire to progress independently at your own pace, to trepidations about not being comfortable performing for or being judged by another person, to wanting the absolute freedom to study what you want when you want.
Or maybe you just want to learn a little classical technique to improve your playing in the multitude of other fingerstyle settings. The good news is that there has never been a better time to pursue learning classical guitar than right now—if not from scratch, then by studying new-to-you concepts, techniques, and styles of music.
And, not surprisingly, nearly everything you could possibly want to know about the subject is just a few clicks away on the internet. Besides literally thousands of free videos, written tutorials and combinations thereof on virtually any classical-guitar-related topic you can think of, there are also many sites offering systematic instruction, sometimes from well-known players, to help guide you—often, but not always, for a fee annual, monthly, or per lesson; it varies.
We would strongly urge you to do your own comparison shopping for the online learning environment that best suits your needs, but with any luck this will aid you in that search—or at least get you thinking about what steps you might want to take next in your pursuit of becoming a better, more confident player.
Originally from Australia, New York—based guitarist Simon Powis has built his online school into one of the most widely respected sites of its kind.
