Hal Leonard Classical Guitar Method: Third Edition - Learn to Play the Classics!

Thomas Carey: This is the first classical guitar book I used, and I love it.

United States on Jun 22, 2023

John: A generally good book from Hal Leonard, but I hate that there is a second part (which is usual).

Germany on Jun 18, 2023

Laurie S.: I have been studying music for decades but I just started played classical guitar and this book is a great book to get started with and for those who may not have an understanding of the basics of music a good starter on the fundamentals of music.

Canada on May 13, 2023

Brian GableBrian Gable: I started this book on the 23rd of March and by the 28th I was burning through the exercises toot sweet, having given up on guitar in 2022 due to suffering a stroke with my hands being rubbish, I sold all my guitars and dumped all my music pile, then this year I decided to try again, and wow this is so much easier to work with without a teacher beside you all day.
With the audio files on my phone I can listen and aim for the same timing and notes, truly better than I expected, I wish I had this 58 years ago when I boughty first Spanish Guitar and struggled with Frederick Noad etc, not to mention Bert Weedon.
The young have every reason to learn guitar without excuses, these books work if you put in the time.
The picture shows the screenshot on phone of the Hal Leonard website and the library of the books purchased by me and the other shows the list of tunes and exercises available to list to, play on ear buds and away you go.

United Kingdom on Mar 29, 2023

Adam Michelini: This book is great for someone learning to read music and to play classical guitar. The downloadable audio files are really helpful.

United States on Mar 20, 2023

Kathina Molina: My husband really enjoys this

United States on Mar 10, 2023

Jason Bean: This is one of the books I have on classical guitar, and yes, it does provide good information on learning the classical guitar the correct way. Comes with a reference to a webpage with sound files to show how the examples are supposed to be played as well.

Canada on Jun 19, 2022

Lilith Belmont: This book is a wonderful purchase for people new to music entirely, and also for experienced musicians looking to pick up a new instrument. Beginners will be given plenty of detailed lessons teaching them how to read music, and these lessons do not get in the way for someone who can already read.

The book comes with a unique code that allows access to a musical library on the Hal Leonard website. From here, you can listen to recordings of every single practice exercise in the book. In addition, the player used on the site lets you adjust the speed and pitch of the recording, so you'll never be struggling to keep up.

You may have noticed in other reviews that several people have complained about misprints and inaccuracies in the book - THIS IS INCORRECT. The numbers printed next to notes represent which finger on the left hand is used to produce the note, and in different situations the music will be easier to play if you use a different finger.

For example, the book may ask you to play multiple notes in a row that were originally taught with the second finger. It would be overcomplicated to move your second finger repeatedly, and instead the book asks you to...

United States on Feb 05, 2021

James Tinson: A very good book to assist with learning Classical Guitar with some great exercises and downloadable audio examples (using the code in the book).

I am a long-in-the-tooth guitarist of many years, deciding to return to my 'roots' and take up classical guitar properly. This book is great for that, as I am not proficient at reading music, so I can rely on the guitar tablature to assist with playing the songs and exercises. The reference audio clips are also great for checking what you should actually be sounding like.

I've owned several Hal Leonard guitar tab books and they are always very clear and descriptive. This is no exception to that rule.

There's plenty in the book to keep you busy and the 'simple' pieces and exercises are great to get the fingers working. It starts at a reasonably basic level and works you up to some slightly Spanish sounding pieces and Bach Minuets.

You will get out of this what you put in, in terms of practice time, but this is a highly recommended book for either a fledgling classical guitarist, or someone taking the classical route after time served in other genres.

United Kingdom on Jan 26, 2021

Mr Campbell: I am four months into a decision to take up guitar as an adult. I had a musical background from previous work with the saxophone, which included some music theory and sight reading ability. My goal for the first year is to pick up through self-teaching some fluency in modern guitar rhythm and melody and some acquaintance with classical guitar. Accordingly I am working through two books - the Hal Leonard guitar method volume one, and the classical guitar method.

The classical guitar volume is more difficult, though it could serve as an introduction to the guitar for a dedicated individual. The strength of the book is graduated exercises that teach important skills and at the same time sound pleasant and musical and are interesting to play. I can play these exercises in the evening after the rest of the house has gone to sleep and receive only compliments the next morning.

I don't understand some peoples criticism in review about the lack of tablature - surely learning sight reading goes hand in hand with any form of classical study?

I purchased both the hardcopy and the kindle version. Initially I was enthralled by the kindle version - with embedded music, I...

United States on May 01, 2013