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tonebase Guitar Course

Beginning Guitar Course: Part 1

Taught by renowned guitarist 

Daniel De Arakal

Have you always wanted to play guitar but never knew where to start? Look no further! The tonebase Beginning Guitar Course is your first step on a lifelong journey with music. Daniel De Arakal will take you from the basics of holding and plucking the instrument, all the way to playing your first full concert piece. In addition to the basics of playing the guitar, you'll also learn how to proficiently read music so you can confidently tackle any musical score. At the end of each lesson, you will find suggested composers and pieces to explore so by the end of the course, you'll have over 300 years of classical guitar knowledge at your fingertips!

  • checkmark icon
    Category: 
    Skills
  • checkmark icon
    Difficulty: 
    All-Levels
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    Duration: 
    c. 
    5
     hours
     hour
All courses on tonebase include subtitles in English and Spanish

Course Syllabus

Getting Started

Welcome to the first lesson of the tonebase Beginning Guitar course! In this lesson, we will be looking at one of the most vital aspects of playing classical guitar - the sitting position. As you will hear Daniel say many times throughout this course, the guitar rewards comfort and relaxation, and that all starts with your sitting position.

The Guitar & Body

In this second lesson, you will be learning about the most valuable tool available to the classical guitarist - the right hand. We will be covering the terminology of the fingers, the different types of plucks and to execute and apply them to the instrument.

The Right Hand

In this lesson, we are going to talk about an element that is fundamental, not only to guitarists, but to every musician in the world. This is, of course, the language of music itself. We’ll be discussing how music is written, how sound, duration, and silence are notated, and how to execute notated music on the guitar.

The Language of Music

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this first session, we will be looking at basic rhythms.

Practice Room 1: Basic Rhythms

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this second session, we will be looking at mixed rhythms in 4.

Practice Room 2: Mixed Rhythms in 4

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this third session, we will be looking at mixed rhythms in 3.

Practice Room 3: Mixed Rhythms in 3

In this fourth lesson, we will be discussing the names of the strings and how they appear on the musical staff. We will also explain how to play these notes in performance and move from one to another in an effective manner.

The Open Strings

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this fourth session, we will be looking at the open treble strings.

Practice Room 4: Open Treble Strings

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this fifth session, we will be looking at the open bass strings.

Practice Room 5: Open Bass Strings

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this sixth session, we will be looking at arpeggios.

Practice Room 6: Beginning Arpeggios

In this lesson, we are going to talk about the structure and function of the left hand, terminology that describes the fingers and frets, and cover a few do’s and don’ts in the fretting of notes.

The Left Hand

In this sixth lesson, we will be applying things we learned in previous lessons about the structure and function of the left hand to the playing of written notes on the first two strings. In the Practice Room, we’ll be applying our understanding of these pitches to our first performance of classical repertoire.

Notes on the First & Second Strings

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this seventh session, we will be looking at notes on the 1st and 2nd strings.

Notes on the Third & Fourth Strings

In this lesson, you are going to learn the first few fretted notes on the third and fourth strings, as well as what they look like on the staff. The notes we are learning in this lesson are in the first position, meaning that they can be played while your index finger is over the first fret.

Practice Room 8 - 9: New Strings & Rests

Take the learnings you have just absorbed in the previous lesson and put them to work here in "The Practice Room." In this eighth and ninth session, we will be looking at notes on the 3rd and 4th strings as well as rests.

Click here to download the course workbook PDF and see the full syllabus →
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Daniel De Arakal
meet YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Daniel De Arakal

As an established scholar, pedagogue, and performer, Daniel De Arakal has made it his goal to expand access to the classical guitar, its immense repertoire, and its rich history around the world.

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Daniel De Arakal
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