About ClassicalGuitarShed
Are you a member of The Woodshed® Classical Guitar Program? If so, click here.
Welcome, Guitarist
If you’re a fan of guitar music, and you’re exploring the world of classical guitar, this site is made especially for you. And this page will help you get the feel and lay of the site, so you can get started.
Whether you’re 9 or 90, you’ll find articles, video tutorials, courses, and programs that take you from the very beginning stages of learning guitar, all the way up to honing your craft as a mature musician and playing beautifully.
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As you may suspect, music is more than just learning where to put your fingers, and even if you’re early in your guitar journey, you can practice and play in a way that makes even simple tunes much more beautiful. This site will help you to play more beautifully and find more meaning in your music, from where you are right now.
Learning classical guitar is about curiosity, discovery, and small, daily experiences that deepen and expand over time. It’s my goal to help you make guitar practice one of the best parts of your day.
What to Expect from Classical Guitar Shed
There are 4 main components to Classical Guitar Shed.Every week or two you’ll find new in-depth tutorials or articles on:
Classical Guitar Technique – How to move your hands efficiently and create the habits that will let you play beautifully, without pain, excess tension, or wear and tear.
How to Phrase and Play Beautifully – Beauty isn’t all subjective: there are little-known but extremely effective methods that, when used consistently, make music more beautiful.
Articles – Explore many of the ins and outs of studying music and playing guitar. Practice methods, extra skills, and guitar-specific knowledge.
Tuesday Quotes – Find bite-size reflections on music, mastery, and the daily endeavor of practicing guitar.
Free Sheet Music Library – Discover a wealth of classical guitar music and arrangements, with notation and guitar TABs.
You can access the entire site index here.
And keep an eye out: many of the lessons have valuable free bonus materials to extend your learning.
Find very deep dives into specific skills and repertoire pieces. The courses are designed not only to teach you a piece of music, but to advance your phrasing and musicality, as well as how you approach learning pieces.
These are some of my best work, and unlike anything else you’ll find on the internet. New courses are being added all the time. See available courses here.
A complete interactive way to learn classical guitar at home, from beginning to advanced. Including,,,
- A progressive, organized, step-by-step path to ace the top skills and techniques that will serve your playing for a lifetime.
- Frequent member member online events, Q&A calls, and Open Mics
- Access to all (80+) premium classical guitar courses
- Personalized Feedback, with unlimited video reviews and 1-on-1 Zoom check-ins with a teacher included
- The Woodshed® Community Forum, where you can connect with other members in lively conversation
The Woodshed® is one of the most detail-oriented, user-friendly, complete classical guitar programs you’ll find anywhere. Click Here to learn more.
Here's How to Get Started:
There’s so much material on this site, it can easily get overwhelming. But you can relax and just dip a toe.
- First, sign up for emails so you can stay abreast of news and appropriate resources.
- Next, bookmark this page in your browser, so you can find it easily in the future.
- Then, explore some of the links in the drop-down menus below. They’ll point you to a few popular destinations based on your interests or needs.
Hello! I'm Allen Mathews. I spend my days studying classical guitar and sharing what I learn on this site. Though I didn’t find classical guitar until I was 25 (I started folk guitar at 18), I earned a B.A. in classical guitar performance, and have been in private lessons with various teachers and coaches consistently since 1999, primarily in the US, Canada, and in Brazil, where I lived and studied.
In addition to teaching privately, I’ve spent many years on the classical guitar faculty at Lewis and Clark College, and Reed College in Portland, Oregon. I’m proud to be able to say that former students have gone on to win college scholarships, regional grants, and competitions (including one national)!
From 2010 to 2019 I worked with an internationally renowned concert pianist as my musical coach, honing performance practices and learning techniques passed down from some of the greatest musicians in the piano tradition. (Just to clarify, I’m on guitar, he’s on piano.) I’m grateful for my weekly musical coaching, as it gives me different perspectives, and sets me apart as a teacher and musician. It also adds immeasurable joy (and challenge) to my daily guitar practice and life.
It’s an honor and a dream come true for me to be able to spend my life studying music and to be of some small help on your personal journey in classical guitar.
You can hear me play on the CGS Youtube Channel, here.
Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the site. If you ever have a question or need anything, please drop us a line. We're here to help.
All the best,
Allen Mathews
Zak Pleet has been part of the CGS Support Team since 2017.
Zak completed two Master's Degrees in Guitar Performance (the University of Ottawa and the University of Alicante, Spain). His undergraduate degree in Music is from Carleton University in Ottawa.
In addition to teaching private lessons, he has worked for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Conservatory “Leandro Martínez Romero”, and others.
Away from the guitar, Zak runs a vegetable garden during the summer months and can regularly be found using his homegrown tomatoes and peppers in recipes for paella and other tasty Spanish dishes.
Tim Beattie has been on the support team since 2022.
Tim’s performance career has taken him across North America and Europe, both as a solo artist and in ensembles. He has also been featured on radio and TV broadcasts in Holland and the UK (BBC, others).
In addition to teaching privately, Tim has worked for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and St. Andrews University, as well as in several community music schools.
Tim has studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto
Apart from music, Tim enjoys drinking a good mug of coffee or craft beer, playing and watching ice hockey (especially the Toronto Maple Leafs), and traveling.