Learn Classical Guitar Online

Classical Guitar Corner Academy is an online school for classical guitar that offers a structured curriculum, dedicated teachers, and a supportive community.

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Highlights of Membership

Classical Guitar Corner Academy

What is it?

A complete learning resource for classical guitar. Featuring a comprehensive curriculum from beginner to advanced, PDF downloads, video lessons, optional exams, live (Zoom) workshops, regular open mics, one-to-one coaching, meetups, an annual online festival, an annual in-person summer school and a vibrant online community of students.

Structured Curriculum

Our well-organized, progressive curriculum ensures that you build a solid foundation and steadily advance your skills.

Quality Instruction

Learn from Dr. Simon Powis and other expert instructors who are dedicated to helping you succeed.

Learn Classical Guitar at CGC Academy

Supportive Community

Connect with fellow guitar enthusiasts, share your progress, and receive encouragement and feedback from a like-minded community.

Flexible Learning

Study at your own pace, from the comfort of your home, with access to our extensive online resources available 24/7

Our Classical Guitar Curriculum

The Cornerstone Method for Classical Guitar

The CGC Academy Curriculum is divided into eight grades that flow on from one another. This allows for goal setting and a sense of achievement as you progress through the courses.

The fundamentals start right at the very beginning as a preliminary course and grades 7 & 8 are suitable for advanced players and university students. Grades 1 – 6 bridge that gap with a steady path to reaching your goal.

The Fundamentals Course prepares the absolute beginner to start studying with correct technique, posture, and a working knowledge of the guitar. It is a quick course that will get you started and playing within a short period of time. No prior experience is needed with guitar or music.

The first four grades cover core techniques that are used in classical guitar playing. Techniques such as free stroke, rest stroke, arpeggios, and nail shaping are all covered. In addition to technique you will learn how to read music, get and introduction to music theory, musicianship, and sight reading.

Repertoire has been carefully selected to help you progress without frustration. You will have lessons for all of the repertoire in level one and even duets to further use your new found skills.

Should you want to take a grade exam, you can submit in either a Spring or Fall exam period. From these submissions you will receive personal feedback, guidance, and a certificate to mark your achievement.

Grades 5 & 6 are designed for the intermediate guitarist and includes repertoire from Bach, Tarrega, Giuliani, Carcassi and more.

Courses are available in all core areas of study: Technique, Musicianship, Notation, Sight Reading, Theory, Analysis, Duets

Grades 7 & 8 incorporate advanced techniques and true masterpieces of the repertoire. Examples include: Bach Allemande BWV 996, Bach Prelude from Cello Suite No.1 BWV 1007, Scarlatti sonantas, Giuliani etudes, Legnani, Tarrega’s Capricho Arabe, Villa Lobos Prelude No.1, Julia Florida by Barrios and more.

You will find advanced courses on rasgueado technique, and in depth workshops from Ben Verdery, Gohar Vardanyan, Fred Hand and other teachers.

Meet the Team

Simon Powis

Founder & Director

Simon is the head teacher for the CGC curriculum, directs the Summer School, hosts the podcast, teaches students in coaching calls and runs bi-weekly performance seminars. Simon holds a doctorate in classical guitar performance from Yale University.

Nicoletta Todesco

General Manager

Niki is an Italian guitarist with a masters in classical guitar performance from Yale University. She runs all of the events at CGC, teaches, and keeps our projects running smoothly.

David Belcher

Community Manager

David Belcher is an experienced guitarist who has performed throughout the United States. At CGC you will bump into Dave on the forum and via email as he helps manage the site and answer your questions.

Sanja Plohl

Teacher

Internationally acclaimed as a virtuoso performer, Plohl has received over 30 major awards including first prizes at Córdoba Guitar Festival, Ivor Mairants Award (London) and Seville International Guitar Competition.

James Erickson

Teacher

James Erickson has an active career teaching classical and rock guitar throughout the New York metropolitan area and Long Island. James is an adjunct instructor of music at Nassau Community College, LIU Post, and Suffolk County Community College.

Jane Curry

Teacher

Born in the UK and now based in New Zealand, Jane has recorded six CD’s including a disc of Vivaldi and Graupner concertos with Archi D’Amore Zelanda and Orkiestra Ars Longa (Poland) and a Naxos CD of New Zealand Music for Two Guitars.

Simon Powis is the rare combination of a virtuoso guitarist and a thoughtful, forward thinking pedagogue.

Ben Verdery, Yale School of Music

Although he has performed, taught and given master classes all over the world, the talented and personable guitarist is perhaps most widely known these days for his highly regarded online classical guitar pedagogy: Classical Guitar Corner.

Classical Guitar Magazine

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.

Acoustic Guitar Magazine

Your Personal Guide to Learn Classical Guitar

Structured . Progressive . Personal

Welcome to CGC

My name is Simon Powis and I am the founder of Classical Guitar Corner.

Whether you are just starting out, or you are re-visiting the guitar after many years, it is quite possible that the overwhelming amount of content available on the internet has left you confused about where to begin.

Personally, I need structure in order to learn, and that is why I have created a curriculum that is comprehensive (covering theory, technique, musicianship, sight-reading, repertoire, and ensemble playing) but also laid out in a step-by-step format that is easy to follow.

Simon Powis Classical Guitarist

Teaching Credentials

  • Doctorate in performance from Yale University
  • Masterclasses taught in major universities and international festivals
  • Teaching online for over fifteen years
  • Author of multiple books including a beginner guitar method and sight-reading curriculum
  • Director of the annual CGC Summer School

Performance Credentials

  • International concert performances including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Centre, the GFA symposium, and Banff Center for Performing Arts.
  • Multiple album recordings both solo and collaborations
  • Solo concerts at guitar festivals in Mexico, Peru, U.S., U.K. Australia, New Zealand, China, and Europe.

Reviews &Testimonials

Finding this site has been one of the great joys in my life.

Barry , CGC Member

I’ve seen a lot of change in guitar pedagogy in my life and I think that the clarity of your teaching as well as your expert use of technology provides enormous value to guitar students at all levels.

Lou, CGC Member

I am now 56 years young and it took a lot of trial and error trying to learn on my own and jumping from one you tube channel to the next without any clear path for progression until I came upon Classical Guitar Corner!

Chris, CGC Member

CGC Highlights

Classical Guitar Corner Podcast

The Classical Guitar Corner Podcast brings you master musicians from around the world in conversations that provide insight into their learning process.
Some highlights so far include:

Classical Guitar Corner Free Lessons

The Classical Guitar Corner Blog has some thought provoking and inspiring articles that delve into a range of topics.
Some highlights so far include:

7 Best Exercises for Classical Guitar

CGC Membership

Membership at CGC is for you if you are dedicated to improving your playing and willing to be part of a supportive and enthusiastic community of guitarists. There is a lively forum where you can get your questions answered, a comprehensive set of courses that you can approach step-by-step, and regular live coaching sessions where you can get individualized feedback. If you would like to read or see more specifics…

Memorizing music on the classical guitar

Learn Classical Guitar Online With Our Free Resources

Beginner Lessons

Beginner Classical Guitar Lessons

Repertoire Lessons

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Technique Lessons

Classical Guitar Technique

Sight-Reading

Classical Guitar Sight Reading

Guitar Theory

Classical Guitar Theory

How to Practice

Classical Guitar Practice

Easy Classical Guitar Volume 1

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