Dionisio Aguado y García (1784-1849), born in Madrid, Spain, was a classical guitarist and composer during the late classical and early Romantic periods. He lived in Paris in 1826 where he became friends with fellow classical guitar composer Fernando Sor.
Popular Guitar Pieces by Aguado
Aguado is most well-known for his massive educational work Escuela de Guitarra, a reference that is still taught and discussed in guitar pedagogy today. Aguado was especially interested in improving the body posture, guitar and hand positions of guitarists.
Rondo Op.2, No.3
His most popular concert-level piece is the epic Rondo Op.2 No.3, seen here played by the great Julian Bream:
Aguado Studies
Estudio in A Minor
One of my favorite studies for beginner classical guitarists is Estudio in A minor by Dionisio Aguado. This study provides an excellent introduction to arpeggios, while still including interesting phrasing and rich harmonic material.
With a recurring right hand pattern of p-i-m-i, students learn how to bring out a distinctive bass melody with the thumb while maintaining a steady accompaniment with the index and middle fingers. You can get my free edition of Aguado’s Estudio in Am here.
Estudio in E Minor
Dionisio Aguado’s beginner classical guitar study Estudio in E Minor is a fantastic arpeggio piece! The continuous right hand pattern (p-i-m-a-m-i) seems easy at first, but requires careful articulation of each note to keep the piece interesting.
The etude progresses with bold chords, E minor, A minor, and B7, while projecting a deliberate melodic bass line. Some of these shifts can be slightly tricky, especially the move from E minor to B7. Use guide fingers and planting as much as possible to help with speed and ease of playing. In addition, this etude is a good opportunity to make sure that your fingers aren’t causing any interference on these common chord shapes. I recommend you also experiment with dynamics to tell a story with this piece–this is especially important with repetitive arpeggio studies!
You can find more free sheet music for Aguado here.
