Andres Segovia has had a profound impact on every aspect of the modern classical guitar from technique, to repertoire, venue, and even the construction of the guitar. And while you can?t take lessons from him you can learn much from the wonderful legacy he has left behind.

Learn From a pupil of the master

Although you can?t take lessons from the master himself you can take lessons from one of the great guitarists that studied under him. Christoper Parkening is one of the more famous pupils that studied under Segovia and he has his own, highly acclaimed series of instructional books for the classical guitar. It is called the Christoper Parkening Method.

Add the Segovia Picking technique to your repertoire

Segovia had a very unique way of plucking the strings with his right hand. While most of the classical guitar world debated whether a guitarist should pluck the strings with the fingertips or the fingernails Segovia used both. He had the unique style of plucking the strings so both the nail and fingertip made contact with the strings. Add this technique to your repertoire. It takes effort but is worth it.

Listen to his recordings with the ears of a musician

There is an astonishingly large selection of recordings by Segovia and you can learn a lot from him just by listening to him play. But make the transition from passive listening where you enjoy the music to active listening where you try to understand what he is doing and how he is doing it. This type of listening can, in a very short period of time, dramatically improve your playing ability.

Read his books and studies

He has many publications that you can learn from including Diatonic Major and Minor Scales, Segovia: My Book of the Guitar, and Andres Segovia: An Autobiography of the Years 1893 ?1920. He also has several transcriptions that you can play including Andres Segovia Studies for Guitar 178 (Estudios fur Gitarre), and his transcription that is considered to be one of the finest guitar transcriptions ever written 20 Studies for the Guitar. Mastery of these 20 pieces is considered to be the pinnacle in classical guitar performance and ability.

Take the Segovia Approach

One of the most important lessons you can learn from the master is that of constant questioning and improvement in all aspects of the guitar. This is something he spent a lifetime pursuing and you should do this too. Always make strides in your playing, your performance, and your technique. And don?t pay too much attention to what is normal. It is through this foresight and courage to break new ground that Segovia rises above all others and this is a lesson that you can truly get a great benefit from.

While you may never be the next Andres Segovia you can dramatically improve your guitar playing by reading about and listening to the legacy that he left for us all to enjoy and emulate.

For novice guitar players, learning to play chords can seem daunting. Watching skilled guitarists, it seems effortless, but actually doing it yourself may prove a bit more challenging. However, as with anything, regular practice and an understanding of the basics can make guitar chords more accessible than you think. While playing one-string melodies can be a fun way to get accustomed to guitar playing, the true personality and flavor of guitar music relies on chords.

What is a guitar chord? Simply put, a chord is performed by striking two or more strings on a guitar. More specifically, this generally involves playing some combination of fretted and open strings. For instance, the A5 chord is played by holding down the second fret of the D string, and striking both the A and D string together. The A major, on the hand, requires the second frets of the D, G, and B strings to be held down, and all strings except the low E string to be played.

One of the big challenges in playing guitar chords is the need to use several fingers in a relatively cramped space, while putting even pressure on each fret, all while ensuring you only strike the strings you’re supposed to. It can be challenging at first, but it does get easier with practice. Some more complex chords require multiple strings to be fretted by the same finger (barre chords), requiring even more finger flexibility. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of chords is the need to quickly and smoothly transition from one chord to the next. Again, experienced players make this look like a cinch, but it does take some getting used to.

To help learn how to finger certain chords, there are many easy-to-follow tools available to the novice player. Guitar chord diagrams may be the easiest to understand when practicing chords. These are basic diagrams that show the basic layout of a guitar neck (vertically), and notate which frets to press and which strings to strike. Guitar tablature (tabs) work in a similar fashion, and show you how to finger the chord while actually playing a song. Here, the neck is shown horizontally as it would appear if the guitar were laying face up on your lap, and numbers on each string indicate which fret should be held. For example, a “1″ on the G string would indicated that the 1st fret should be pressed, while a “0″ would mean the string should be played open. No number means the string is not played at all.

While learning guitar chords does take some work, it is well worth the effort. Chords give new depth and richness to guitar music that can’t be achieved by playing single strings. Look online for resources for learning how to play different chords, such as chord diagrams and guitar tabs. With perserverance, it won’t be long until chords come naturally and require almost no effort or extra thought.