Concerto
Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, worked up in three steps — the guitar's best-known concerto, and very few classical guitar concertos have lessons at all.
Welcome to the concerto guitar lessons — dedicated to walking you through some of the most challenging works in the classical guitar repertoire: Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasía para un Gentilhombre.
The Concerto Lessons
Here you'll find everything you need to learn these concertos: extras for getting the notes under your fingers, scale drills, the story behind the Concierto de Aranjuez, and an interview with concert guitarist Dr. Tariq Harb on performing it. Whether you're just starting out or already experienced, these lessons will help you bring their beauty to life through your playing.
Joaquín Rodrigo Concertos
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901–1999) was a Spanish composer best known for his guitar concerto Concierto de Aranjuez, one of the most famous works in the classical guitar repertoire. Born in Sagunto, Valencia, he lost his sight at the age of three after contracting diphtheria.
Despite his blindness, Rodrigo showed an early interest in music and began studying piano and solfège with teachers in Valencia. He later studied harmony, counterpoint and composition with Francisco Antich in Madrid, and eventually earned a doctorate in music from the University of Madrid.
His music was deeply rooted in the Spanish musical tradition, drawing inspiration from composers like Manuel de Falla and Isaac Albéniz. Alongside the guitar concerto, he composed operas, ballets, choral music, and works for orchestra and chamber ensembles — and remained a beloved figure in classical music until his death in 1999.
The Pre-Concerto Warm-up Lessons
This section has bonus lessons on the story behind the Concierto de Aranjuez, scales, slurs, trills and phrasing, plus a slow performance of the first 35 bars to help you learn it — including an interview with concert guitarist Dr. Tariq Harb on performing the Adagio at a professional level. All six live together on the pre-concerto warm-up lesson, rung 4 below.
Concierto de Aranjuez
The concerto, premiered in 1939, was inspired by the gardens of the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, a royal palace near Madrid. Rodrigo was reportedly captivated by the beauty of the gardens and sought to capture their essence in his music.
It's structured in three movements. The first is characterised by a distinctive, lyrical theme played by the guitar with orchestral accompaniment. The second is slower and more introspective — a melancholy melody over lush orchestral accompaniment. The third is a lively, rhythmic dance with virtuosic passages for the guitar.
It's been recorded and performed by countless musicians, arranged for piano, violin and flute, and featured in films including Brassed Off and Gattaca — and remains a masterpiece that helped popularise the guitar as a solo instrument in classical music.
Fantasía para un Gentilhombre
Fantasía para un Gentilhombre, composed in 1954, is another famous Rodrigo work — a guitar concerto in all but name, structured around themes from the Spanish Baroque composer Gaspar Sanz's Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española.
It was commissioned by Andrés Segovia, who premiered it in 1958 with the San Francisco Symphony under Enrique Jordá. It was an immediate success and has since become a staple of the classical guitar repertoire.
It's structured in four movements, each based on a different dance form from Sanz's instruction book: Villano (lively and rhythmic), Españoleta (more contemplative), Danza de las hachas (evoking clashing axes), and Canario (an energetic close).
Bonus Lessons Based on Rodrigo
The lessons below are based on Aranjuez, and will help you improve your timing and your left-hand equal strength. These are extra — fuel for your practice sessions, to keep them fun and fresh.
Timing with Chick Corea & Rodrigo
If you're looking to improve your internal timing and master jazz progressions, this lesson on shell voicing is inspired by Chick Corea's Spain progression, which was itself based on Rodrigo's Aranjuez. Placing the metronome on beats 2 and 4 of a bar builds a greater awareness of tempo, and helps you spot any rushing or dragging.
Micro Study 6 – Timing & the Metronome 1 →Orange Legato Workout, the other lesson in this pair, is rung one of the ladder above.
Concerto Madrigal by Rodrigo
A series of extra lessons on timing, phrasing and basic slur technique, based on Aranjuez and the Concierto Madrigal for two guitars — short, fun lessons to keep your practice sessions fresh. Start with the slurs and build on them across these four.
