General Topics
LAGA Publishing – Classical Guitar Sheet Music
LAGA Classical – Online Classical Guitar Lessons
LAGA Flamenco – Online Flamenco Guitar Lessons
How do the online guitar lessons work?
Our on-demand programs (LAGA Classical and LAGA Flamenco) feature a systematically designed curriculum of pre-recorded videos that can accessed 24/7 through your student homepage.
* NEW* Our new program, LAGA Prime, provides unlimited access to both curricula (Classical and flamenco) at a low monthly cost.
For those who are interested in purchasing sheet music for specific pieces, it is available on our classical guitar sheet music page.
Is there a prerequisite for your programs?
There are no prerequisites or formal admission procedures for any of the programs. You can start our online guitar courses as a complete beginner, an advanced guitarist, or anywhere in between.
What technical specifications are required for the online lesson programs?
For on-demand programs, all that is required is a decent internet connection to view the video lessons. To take advantage of the LAGA Faculty Feedback, you need a video camera, phone or tablet that can record your playing and be able to upload it for faculty review.
For webcam lessons, you would need a webcam and a reliable internet connection.
Will the site work on both PC and MAC?
Yes. The website and video content are platform-independent. We encourage individuals to signup for our Free Trial program to ensure it will work on your computer before enrolling.
The site is best viewed on Chrome browsers. If you experience intermittent video issues, make sure no other programs that use your internet connection heavily are running in the background while you view the videos. In addition, check your internet speed at http://www.speedtest.net to ensure you have a stable, medium-high speed connection.
Should I signup for the live or on-demand programs?
This mainly depends on your interest, goals, practice time and budget. Please have a look at the program comparison chart. You will also find a questionnaire at the bottom of the page to help you decide.
Are there viewing restrictions for the online lessons?
In our Free Trial membership, some of the units are restricted.
In LAGA Classical and LAGA Flamenco, you will have unlimited 24/7 access to the lessons at the default level (Levels 1-4). Advancing beyond Level 4 requires approval via LAGA Faculty Feedback.
* NEW* LAGA Prime provides unlimited access with no level advancement requirement. The upper levels are automatically unlocked over time, based on the schedule on the registration page.
Do I need to be a member to purchase sheet music?
No. Most of our sheet music releases are available for instant download upon purchase. Some of the newer, upper-advanced releases are available for the LAGA students and community. If you are a patron (via Patreon or YouTube) or a former/current student, please contact us for direct access.
Will I need a classical / nylon string guitar, or will my steel string acoustic do?
Within the initial units, you may be able to work on the basic left and right-hand techniques on a steel-string guitar. Eventually, however, you will need a true classical or Flamenco guitar.
I take lessons in person at one of the local LAGA Studios. Can I sign up for LAGA Classical or LAGA Flamenco? How about LAGA Live?
Yes, you can supplement your studio lessons with any on-demand programs or vice versa. As for LAGA Live, it is our online webcam instruction program. Most of our studio students who have scheduling conflicts, or live far away from our studios prefer LAGA Live.
I signed up for the Free Trial, and I’m interested in enrolling in LAGA Classical. How do I upgrade?
You can easily upgrade your Free Trial account to a full membership by logging in/browsing to your student homepage, clicking ‘Add/Renew subscription’ and following the instructions.
I’m already taking lessons from a local teacher. Can I benefit from the LAGA Online programs? Is it possible to learn guitar just by watching videos?
Yes. All LAGA Online programs have been designed by professional guitarists and dedicated music educators. The curriculum for each program is based on conventional guitar pedagogy and enhanced with breakthrough concepts in music education. Therefore, the overall content and general skill sequencing will be similar to reputable private instruction by LAGA Faculty. LAGA programs are suitable for those interested in independent home study and are also a great way to supplement your private guitar lessons or expand your repertoire. All LAGA programs can be supplemented by live, one on one coaching in our virtual classroom through LAGA Live.
I’m on a budget. Why are your programs priced at a premium?
Our programs follow a proven, systematic approach using the same method and curriculum that we use in our studios. The curriculum we offer not only spans the traditional guitar repertoire, but also includes unique classical pieces expertly arranged for solo classical guitar by our faculty. Each instructor has a graduate degree or Doctorate in Musical Arts from some of the very best music schools. The online programs also offer a value-added feature, LAGA Faculty Feedback, monthly personalized feedback from our faculty.
Lessons are therefore priced at a higher premium. While we will not speak ill of our competitors, we believe the qualifications of our instructors, the quality of their instruction, the extensive curriculum which is regularly updated, and our personal dedication to your progress demands more. That said, our online programs mirror our in-person studio lessons at a fraction of the cost.
* NEW* Our new program, LAGA Prime, provides unlimited access to both programs at a low monthly cost.
Are online payments secure?
Your payments are securely processed through a 256-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption and never recorded or stored.
Can I let my friend borrow my account information to access the online programs?
As outlined in our Terms and Conditions, you are the only person authorized to access the programs for which you’ve signed up. LAGA Online server monitors account activity each time you login in an effort to prevent abuse. Detection of multiple IP access may result in your account being blocked.
How can I cancel my monthly subscription? What is the procedure for discontinuing automatic payments?
You can unenroll any time by browsing to Account settings page through your Student Homepage. Please make sure to follow the prompts until you receive confirmation that your subscription is canceled.
To re-enroll in the future, just login back to your LAGA account and browse to Add/Renew Subscription.
Please Note: Any discount applied will be rendered null and void upon cancellation.
Can I come to your studios to study with you in person?
Absolutely. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you may schedule an introductory session before signing up for private studio lessons.
How long before I see results?
Regardless of your level, within your first week, you will be able to perform fun pieces in their entirety and even perform them as a duo with your instructor with our play-along videos. The technical and musical level of the pieces will gradually increase as you advance through the program, improving your sight-reading skills, ear training, rhythm, and coordination. Moving forward, your progress will depend on many factors, including your musical and technical background (grasp of rhythm, ear training, hand/eye/ear coordination, etc.), time you have to devote to practice, and your current sight-reading level.
How long does it take to complete the program?
There are 7 levels in our online classical guitar program, LAGA Classical. Spending a few months in each level, it will take you approximately 20 to 28 months to complete the entire course, depending on your current proficiency, the time you dedicate towards your practice, and your goals.
How do I advance through the program? What is LAGA Faculty Feedback?
* NEW* Our new program, LAGA Prime, provides unlimited access with no level advancement requirement. The upper levels are automatically unlocked over time, based on the schedule on the registration page.
In LAGA Classical and LAGA Flamenco, our students are guided throughout the program via LAGA Faculty Feedback – free personalized coaching by our own accomplished instructors. This unique, value-added feature allows you to submit videos of your performance of a particular piece/drill directly to our faculty. With your submission, you will be provided with a comprehensive technical commentary via email once per month. We encourage you to take advantage of this feature, though, it is optional for those in the Beginner/Upper-Intermediate Levels (1 to 4 out of 7). When you begin your subscription, Levels 1 through 4 are immediately accessible. Access to Level 5 (and higher) is granted via video submission and faculty feedback.
Which level do I start with?
Our program is structured in a systematic, step-by-step manner, with each new skill dependent upon the student’s mastery of the previous concepts. We generally recommend that even advanced level students review the initial levels to identify and correct any potential bad habits that they may have acquired along the way. Please visit our Goals and Expectations webpage for information on levels and suggested timelines per level.
How soon will I learn to read music in your online classical guitar program?
Our online classical guitar curriculum features a step-by-step process that will walk you through learning to read sheet music beginning in Level 1, Unit 1.
Does LAGA Classical come with sheet music?
Yes, LAGA Classical comes with sheet music (PDF format) that is designed to supplement your video lessons.
Does the sheet music in LAGA Classical (or Prime) include fingering numbers?
All sheet music in LAGA Classical is integrated with the curriculum that systematically teaches students to make their own fingering choices as they progress through the units. Therefore, the class materials and sheet music in LAGA Classical come with selective referential fingering numbers to facilitate this process.
Fingering for each piece is a personal choice for each musician based on dexterity, technical level, and stylistic choices, such as the period the piece is composed in (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, for example), ornamentation, phrasing, and articulation. Making effective fingering choices is important to developing a fine technique on the classical guitar. It is an integral part of our teaching system that will take your technique, sight-reading, interpretive, and ear training skills to the next level gradually. The curriculum provides a systematic, step-by-step approach that teaches students to think on their own in a logical progression. Each lesson was specifically designed to reinforce the student’s ability to recognize the inherent structure of the fingerboard.
To supplement your studies and to boost this process, you may consider purchasing standalone sheet music from LAGA Publishing to complement your LAGA Classical membership. Some of our students exercise this option to gain access to pieces beyond their current level or gain further insight into transitioning towards making good fingering choices.
Does the sheet music in LAGA Classical come with tabs?
The sheet music in LAGA Classical does not come with tab notation, but our publications via LAGA Publishing do. **NEW**Please check out our tablature release announcement.
Although tabs seem to be an easy shortcut for simple works at beginning levels, they are not an effective or comprehensive medium of transmitting and sharing music. In the 14th and 15th centuries, composers used tablature notation to indicate the frets on which the fingers are to be placed for various fretted, stringed instruments such as the vihuela, theorbo, and lute – the predecessors of the modern classical guitar. As the complexity of the repertoire increased, this practice evolved into the modern standard staff notation that allows a composer or arranger to indicate multiple layered textures (for example, how long a particular voice needs to sustain in a multi-layer texture), in addition to key aspects of the music, such as articulation, ornamentation, phrasing and harmonic structure (such as key signatures and modulatory changes.) – all of which are not included in tablature notation.
I don’t see an advanced level piece from your YouTube channel on my LAGA Classical lesson menu. Where can I find this piece?
The level of the piece may be beyond the default level enabled in your program.
In LAGA Prime, the upper levels are automatically unlocked over time, based on the schedule outlined on the registration page.
In LAGA Classical and LAGA Flamenco, the upper-level access is granted via a level matriculation system. You can find out more about it here.
I’m at a good level technically, but I use tabs. Will I have to learn sheet music?
We strongly recommend learning to sightread. Please see our tab release announcement along with disclaimers for more information.
Where can I find the music sheet for the pieces/lessons?
You will find the sheet music for the pieces in the text instruction area below each video as you browse the lesson menu. You need to have the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to view the PDF files.
How do I download the lesson videos?
The lesson curriculum is designed to be streamed from the video interface in your Student Homepage and used along with the accompanying notes and class materials during your membership – they are not downloadable.
I’m struggling to move beyond single melodies. What do I do?
It is a common challenge for most students to progress to multi-texture pieces from single-line melodic pieces. This is an important step since multi-texture pieces lie at the heart of the classical guitar repertoire. The curriculum is designed to take your level gradually up through these steps one step at a time. In general, if a given piece is taking you too long to learn, you may have skipped a lesson/unit that covers a specific concept/technique that you may have to go back and practice further. The key is to find this point in the curriculum. If you are having trouble finding this point, an easier solution is to follow the curriculum in order, without skipping any lessons, and paying special attention to pieces that you may have to focus on further.
I already signed up for LAGA Classical, I’m interested in LAGA Flamenco as well. Do I need to submit a new registration form?
* NEW* Our new program, LAGA Prime, provides unlimited access to both curricula (Classical and flamenco) at a low monthly cost.
No. If you have an active subscription to a LAGA program (including the Free Trial), or if you were a member in the past, you can login/browser to your Student Homepage and use the upgrade option to easily sign up for any program.
Note that we offer bundled pricing for LAGA Classical and LAGA Flamenco. If you wish to take advantage of this special discount, please cancel your current subscription and sign-up for this package.
I’ve completed the entire program. What next?
Should you wish to advance further and continue your guitar education in a customized format, you may consider LAGA Live for one-on-one webcam lessons or LAGA Studio for in-person instruction within the Los Angeles area. Such personalized sessions will, undoubtedly, take your performance to the next level and help you to expand your repertoire beyond our curriculum.
How long before I see results with LAGA Flamenco?
Regardless of your level, within your first week, you will be able to perform fun falsettas and pieces in their entirety. The technical and musical level of the pieces will gradually increase as you advance through the program, improving your rhythm, hearing level and coordination. Moving forward, your progress will depend on many factors, including your musical and technical background (grasp of rhythm, ear training, hand/eye/ear coordination, etc.), the time you have to devote to practice, and level of focus during such practice time. As for practice time, most beginner level students who seek fast progress devote 2+ hours of practice per day.
How long does it take to complete LAGA Flamenco?
There are 7 levels in our online flamenco guitar program, LAGA Flamenco. Spending a few months in each level, it will take you approximately 26 to 32 months to complete the entire course, depending on your current proficiency, the time you dedicate towards your practice, and your goals.
Does the LAGA Flamenco course come with sheet music? Which one should I sign up for: LAGA Classical or LAGA Flamenco?
In our Flamenco video curriculum, we follow the time-honored method that Flamenco guitarists have used to pass down this musical art form. Traditionally, Flamenco guitarists learn by closely listening to the teacher, observing his technique, then imitating those movements – the goal is to faithfully reproduce his sound. Written materials – such as tabs, scores/sheet music – actually get in the way of this process. The subtle nuances inherent in the music are best understood, by hearing the music, watching the finely-detailed movements of the instructor, and then reproducing the phrases on their own instrument. Hence, we do not use tabs or written material in our Flamenco course. That said, some sheet music is provided as transitional supplements to assist those students with a classical background and do not reflect all the aspects of Flamenco guitar playing.
Our Flamenco curriculum progresses in a logical, step-by-step fashion. Each skill builds upon the ones previously mastered. The curriculum is designed to take students from the simplest drills to the most advanced levels. It is a gradual process that takes great patience on the part of the student – but is well worth the wait.
If, however, you would like a course that focuses on the written aspects of guitar music, we would suggest our classical course, LAGA Classical. It incorporates some skills, such as rasgueados, which are used in Flamenco music, but also provides sheet music, scales, and drills in its method. Many students supplement their study of Flamenco guitar with classical guitar, or vice versa, as the styles complement and support each other musically and technically.
How does LAGA Flamenco compare to music school training?
There are no music schools or conservatories that offer flamenco guitar as a major area of study. There are only a handful of universities that offer flamenco guitar as a minor program. Our faculty members are graduates of one such university, USC. However, in contrast with LAGA’s online courses, studying the guitar at a university can be costly, time-consuming, and involves a rigorous admission process that excludes many students who have not reached advanced levels. Because university programs are not laser-focused exclusively on teaching students to play the guitar, a guitarist can take four or more years to complete a Bachelor of Music degree at a university. To earn a master of music degree, a performance degree, or an artist diploma, a student must spend two years more in their study of the guitar. To earn a doctorate, a guitar student can spend four or more years. With Los Angeles Guitar Academy’s flamenco guitar program, however, you can expect to learn more in less time through our focused, on-point online guitar curriculum.
Is going to Spain the best way to study Flamenco guitar?
It is a common misconception that going to Spain is the best way to study the Flamenco guitar. Students can end up spending an outrageous amount of time and money in this pursuit. The cost of a round-trip flight to Spain, lodging, finding a reputable teacher and paying them can really add up. What’s more, lessons conducted within a constrained period of time can be hurried and unsystematic – missing the step-by step building blocks that characterize traditional Flamenco instruction.
In contrast to the above scenario, we have designed a systematic approach in our meticulously organized online curriculum that teaches you using the time-tested, step-by-step coaching that you would receive if you were to travel to Spain for Flamenco lessons.
Do I need to be a member to purchase sheet music?
No, all sheet music by LAGA Publishing is available for instant download upon purchase with a credit card.
Does the sheet music by LAGA Publishing have fingering numbers?
Yes. All sheet music available from LAGA Publishing are standard classical guitar scores **NEW** (now with tabs as well) complete with fingering notations, barres and other necessary notations. Keep in mind that fingering is a personal choice. That which appears on sheet music, generally, should be considered mere suggestions. LAGA Publishing, however, includes the fingering used and developed by the arranger himself, and incorporates his interpretation through an intimate understanding of the fingerboard.
Does the sheet music by LAGA Publishing come with tabs?
No, the sheet music in LAGA Classical does not come with tab notation.
**NEW** Yes! Check our tablature announcement here.**NEW**
Although tabs seem to be an easy shortcut for simple works at beginning levels, they are not an effective and comprehensive medium of transmitting and sharing music. In the 14th and 15th centuries, composers used tablature to indicate fingerings for various fretted stringed instruments such as the vihuela, theorbo, and lute, which were the predecessors of the modern classical guitar. As the complexity of the repertoire increased, this practice evolved into the modern standard staff notation.
The advantages of using standard staff notation for guitar music are many. With staff notation, a composer or arranger can indicate multiple layered textures (for example, how long a particular voice needs to sustain in a multi-layer texture), in addition to giving important information about key aspects of the music, such as articulation, harmonic structure (such as key signatures and modulatory changes.)
I just purchased sheet music but wasn’t able to download it. What am I doing wrong?
When you purchase sheet music, book or a collection from LAGA Publishing, an email with a download link will be sent to your email address upon purchase. Just click on that link to open your secure download page. Make sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see the email in your inbox.
Please note that if you are accessing the download link on a tablet or a mobile phone, you would need a PDF viewer app installed on your device in order to view/download the PDF file. Alternatively, you can simply open the purchase email on a desktop or a laptop computer, click the download link and print out the score.
I’m having a hard time playing sheet music I’ve purchased. What do I do?
Purchases from LAGA Publishing do not entitle instruction or support, though some inquiries are briefly answered.
If you are having difficulty with a particular piece, you may consider our systematic, online classical guitar course to bring your technique to a level at which you can play your favorite pieces with ease. LAGA Classical includes all of the sheet music in our curriculum, which may be accessed by those students who have demonstrated proficiency by advancing through the levels. More importantly, it has spot practice clips, close-up views, and detailed instructions on the technical and interpretive aspects of each piece in each lesson. The sheet music included with our online classical guitar lessons allows the student to develop their ability to choose fingering that is appropriate for both the style of music being played, their ability level, and the physical structure of their hands.
I’m looking for the sheet music from one of your pieces on your YouTube channel. How can I get it?
There are two ways:
1. You can purchase them on our classical guitar sheet music page.
2. You can obtain them as part of your membership to our online on-demand classical guitar lesson program, LAGA Classical. LAGA Classical includes all of the sheet music in our curriculum, which may be accessed by those students who have demonstrated proficiency by advancing through the levels.
If you are experiencing difficulty with developing the visual-kinesthetic connection on the fingerboard and/or choose to cut corners as a LAGA Classical student, you may consider purchasing standalone sheet music from LAGA Publishing to complement your LAGA Classical membership. Exercise this option to gain access to pieces beyond your current level of study or get help in transitioning towards making good fingering choices.
I want to practice the latest piece you posted on YouTube channel. When will it be available for purchase?
Most of our sheet music releases are available for instant download upon purchase. Some of the newer, upper-advanced releases are available for the LAGA students and community. If you are a patron (via Patreon or YouTube) or a former/current student, please contact us for direct access.
Can I make copies of the sheet music I purchased from your site? Is it copyrighted? Can I perform it publicly?
Music showcased via LAGA Online, LAGA Publishing or LAGA’s YouTube Channel has secured international copyright protection. The copying of scores and books – whether in full or in part – without express permission of LAGA Publishing is strictly prohibited. Please refer to the copyright information page for details on commercial, personal and educational use.
What is pre-release pricing?
We’ve been receiving numerous messages and requests from our students, friends and colleagues asking that we publish new works more frequently. So we decided to publish the arrangements as soon as they are completed along with a quick video preview (rather than the full performance video) before the full video performance is published. Moreover, these pre-release editions are available at a discounted price for a limited time. As with our full release publications, pre-releases feature expertly arranged and notated sheet music (with tabs) with the same emphasis on quality.
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