Your Classical Guitar Input Here

killer guitar riffs from a monstrous guitarist

by jun a. ditan
(manila, philippines)

1. Paco de Lucia - Perhaps one of the guitarists whom I admire most. Having seen him play "entre dos aguas" via Youtube makes my jaw drop. Just by listening alone, you might think his arpeggios at the beginning of the song are just simple. But as the song progresses, you'll notice that if you'll try to emulate his fingerings, you'll be amazed. Worth checking.

2. John McLaughlin - I saw this guy, join forces with Paco de Lucia and another guitarist named Al di Meola in a song entitled "Mediterranean Sun Dance". The combination of these three guitar gods in classical genre complements each other's part of the riffs. I just loved their rendition of that song.

3. Perfecto de Castro - This guy, who hailed from the Philippines, is one of my guitar heroes. If you'll just listen to him play classical pieces you might think it's just plain to emulate. But once you've seen him play live, you'll fall in love with the sound from his guitar - and not just any classical guitar at that...a 1973 Jose Ramirez ten string classical guitar. Seeing him work his fingers through the guitar's ten strings would certainly inspire you to grab your nylon string axe - and start playing.