Jorge Cardoso is a recognized performer who has travelled the world over giving hundreds or concerts as a soloist, in duos, and with orchestras. There are innumerable recordings of his performances, and he is a prolific composer whose works have been recorded by other guitarists in more than thirty albums. Cardoso is also a master teacher with followers around the world.

This DVD also traces the historical path of the guitar, showing the instrument's ancestors and tracing its development to its current form. It includes a visit to the workshops of Manuel Contreras II and Ars Antiqva, Jose Angel Espejo's workshop, followed by a detailed analysis of the factors that contribute to the proper development of classical guitar technique. 

As Jorge Cardoso says in the introduction, this course “can be useful both to beginners and to more advanced players. . . it can be useful to anyone who plays a plucked stringed instrument.” It includes basic demonstrations and explanations about how the hands work from the moment they are placed on the guitar, as well as exercises and concert pieces of the highest level. There is a discussion of strumming technique, of “toque mixto” and four complete pieces interpreted by the author. The course will also be useful for electric guitarists and others who have focused on the use of the pick and have neglected other essential guitar techniques.

Author: Jorge Cardoso
DVD 120 minutes
5 languages: Spanish, English, French, German and Japanese
Score booklet included (58 pages)

Concert themes

• Misionerita (Lucas Braulio Areco), performance in the Colegiata Sta. M'. A major as an homage to his teache
• Milonga (Jorge Cardoso), Jorge Cardoso's best-known work interpreted by the author himself
• Vals peruano (Jorge Cardoso), performance of this piece from the Suite Sudamerican
• Canción (Jorge Cardoso), piece interpreted with flamenco tremolo
• Pizzicato (Mª Luisa Anido), a virtuosic fragment from a piece by Mª Luisa Anido
• Tambora, includes a fragment from Preludio y Danza

Introduction to the guitar

• The modern workshop - A visit to the workshop of M. Contreras II
• Early instruments workshop - A visit to the Ars Antiqva workshop of Josd Angel Espejo.
• A review of the guitar's predecessors ("Paysanos" as background music)
• The "toque mixto.” A baroque five-string guitar technique with surprising results applied to the anonymous composition
• "Los Impossibles"; seemingly simple but of a high technical level

The technique

• Introduction
• Introduction, outline of the course, general comments. 
• Anatomical problems of the ring finger.
• The seat
• Factors to keep in mind when choosing a seat.
• The positions
• Historic review of the ways of holding the guitar
• The "máquina de Aguado" (“Aguado's machine”)
• Sor's support system
• Attachments and equipment
• Cardoso's design
• Tuning
• A detailed description of the classical technique for all levels
• Hand grips, placement, and positions
• The main hand grips. Transverse and longitudinal positions.
• Basic exercise: 12131214
• Twelve patterns for the development of all the fingers
• Longitudinal extension
• Exercise for “stretching” the left hand
• Development of sensory perception
• Right hand techniques
• Two fingers, dedillo, figueta and variations
• Left-right combinations
• Table and exercises with 12 of the possible combinations
• Four-part arpeggios with preparation
• Arpeggio technique with preparation to achieve tactile references
• Six-part arpeggios
• 24 combinations of six parts
• Accenting of arpeggios 
• Table with 32 patterns for thumb independence
• Summary exercise 
• Studies N. 1 and N. 2 for applying arpeggio patterns
• The ring finger in arpeggios
• The fingerings of Merchi and others
• Slurs
• Table with 20 possible combinations (upward and downward)
• Basic slur exercise 
• Use of slurs in ornamentation
• Performance of measures 5 - 10 of the Suite in E minor for Lute by J. S. Bach
• Incorrect slurs
• Scales
• Creation of patterns related to improvisation
• Tremolo
• Classical, flamenco and others
• Strumming
• Exercise for strumming patterns with clicks 
• Variations on Las Folías de España by François Le Cocq
• Harmonics
• Natural and artificial
• Dampers – vibrato – bars
• Transverse extension
• Exercise for “opening” the left hand

Other examples

• Guárdame las vacas, theme and ornamented variation: Partita N.2, Chaconne (J. S. Bach). Arpeggio with “violin bow” pattern 
• Etude in E minor (F. Sor) without using the ring finger
• Galop (M. Carcassi)
• Preludio y Danza (Eduardo Falú) 
• Improvisation using thumb dedillo

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