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Active - Public

Guitar

Zachary D. is an American-born flamenco guitarist and teacher. Zach started his guitar journey at Cypress Lake High School Center of the Arts in Florida, becoming their first student to major in Spanish Classical Guitar Studies, and the first to specialize in Flamenco Guitar at 17 years old. Zach would continue his classical studies at Florida Atlantic University, where he received his Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2021. Originally a self-taught flamenco guitarist, Zach would go on to study with great flamenco guitarists including Juan Martin, Kai Narezo, Luciano Ghosn, and Mario Moraga. While being one of the youngest teachers here on TakeLessons at 24 years old, Zach’s passion shows and connects with all of his students! Zach also runs a YouTube channel that focuses on Spanish guitar tutorials for beginners.

“I hope to help my students realize that flamenco is not impossible. You do not have to be a virtuoso to play flamenco as many people think. I am not Spanish-born, nor am I a Gypsy, but that does not mean I cannot play this beautiful music like one. All it takes is passion and dedication to understanding the culture and language of flamenco!”

I hope to make your musical journey an enjoyable one that will last you a lifetime! I'm looking forward to working with you! Please let me know if you have any questions at all, whether it's more about me, what other things go into my lessons, or if you want to know more about what the guitar can offer you!



"Music should reflect the poetry and emotions of life"
                                                       -Juan Martin (flamenco guitarist)

“The beauty of the guitar lies in its soft and persuasive voice and its beauty cannot be equaled by any other instrument.” 
                                                        -Andres Segovia (classical guitarist)

In this class, we will discuss how to start fingerpicking on the guitar using the famous flamenco theme of Malaguena. We will start by using our thumbs to pick the strings, and then gradually add more fingers into the mix! By the end, you will understand guitar arpeggios and will be applying them to traditional flamenco! 

Prerequisites: have taken an intro to guitar class, or my intro to flamenco guitar class offered multiple times a month. Can play melodies with your thumb/pick

Learn and Practice Flamenco-Style Fingerpicking

Zachary is an excellent teacher - I definitely recommend him!

really great teacher and generous with his time and clearly dedicated to his playing. 

A very informative lesson. I really enjoyed it and look forward to practising what I have learned. 

A really good one this week, with some interesting new styles and variations to absorb. 

Very knowledgeable and generous with his information and time

Had my first lesson today and I can honestly say that I finally found the Flamenco guitar instructor that I’ve been looking for. Zach is not only a great guitar player but he’s an excellent teacher and a great person.  I look forward to continue learning from him.

I've learned a lot already and looking forward to future lessons with Zach

Zach is an excellent teacher! very patient even with complete beginners. Class time was split between discussing technique and going over musical pieces. I only wanted to learn some basic acoustic techniques at first but ended up finding a passion for classical guitar I didn't know I had! Zach's expertise and love for the music definitely comes through.

Zach has been patient, consistent and is quite serious in his instruction. Thank you!

Amazing teacher of ukulele! He is experienced in both ukulele and guitar so his knowledge of both is really helping me learn quickly. He always gives feedback, instruction and homework. I really appreciate his style of teaching that he is patient, respectful, organized, knowledge and makes everything seem fun and easy. He has his own book for Flamenco Guitar which he sent me free of charge. Also, he responds quickly to any questions or help on days that I do not have a lesson scheduled. He goes above and beyond. If you need a skilled ukulele or guitar teacher then choose Zach today!

I took a chance with Zach and it may easily be one of the best decisions I've made in my musical journey. I have already taken several guitar classes in the past, as well as being self-taught, so I have a bit of experience with taking guitar classes. He adapts his lesson to whatever skill-level you are at, low or high, he will meet you there and teach you how to get to the next level. I learned flamenco techniques and rhythms I never thought I could do. Zach seriously set the bar high for a guitar class. It made me realize how important it is to have a teacher who genuinely cares about your progress and will go above and beyond to teach you anything you're struggling with. His patience and genuine helpful spirit were things I didn't know would be such important factors to inspire and stir up more passion for guitar. Zach is very knowledgeable, wonderfully communicative and a fantastic teacher. Highly, Highly, Recommending him.

Zach is organized and knows what he's doing. My 10year daughter enjoys her guitar lesson.

I’m so happy to have Zachary as my teacher. He is extremely knowledgeable and eager to help me learn. Zachary instantly made me feel comfortable after my first lesson. Cant wait to see the progress he helps me make!

In this full class, we will discuss how to have a comfortable fretting hand position on the guitar. We will show how to position your hands, how to fret notes, how to play without pain/tension, and how to develop finger independence. Do these exercises everyday, and you will improve your guitar playing guaranteed!

The Left Hand Development Workshop for Beginner Guitarists

In this video, we will discuss the most fundamental technique in flamenco; the rasgueado. We will start by using our index fingers to strum the strings and we will apply it the flamenco palo known as Farruca.

Indice Rasgueado in Farruca

Thanks for trying this course! Remember, the point of this course is to see how much you can learn in one month. It's okay if you did not complete everything in 30 days! Take your time with the material and come see me in my group classes for feedback and more detailed looks at these concepts!

30 Day Flamenco Guitar Challenge Conclusion

In this video, we will look at the Llamada ending for the solo Solea. After this is learned, then you have to combine each section together to make a smooth and continuous compas.

Solea Solo Ending

In this video, we will look at the strummed Escobilla using traditional rasgueado patterns, as well as throw in some ornaments to make the phrase more interesting. 

Solea Solo Rasgueado Escobilla

In this video, we will look at an Escobilla por Solea which we use with arpeggios and Ayudado technique.

Solea Solo Picked Escobilla

In this video, we will look at the next section of the solo Solea in the 30 Day Flamenco Guitar Challenge. A falseta is a melodic variation heard in flamenco music, but staying in compas is still important!

Solea Solo Falseta

In this video, we will look at the opening compas of the solo Solea for the 30 Day Flamenco Guitar Course.

Solea Solo Introduction

In this video, I will perform the full Solea solo that you can play to conclude your journey in the 30 Day Flamenco Guitar Challenge. Rewatch this video multiple times to get a sense of the compas and the mood of this piece.

Solea Solo Performance

In this video, we will discuss slurs in Tarantas, which is my favorite style of flamenco. Follow along as we discuss this beautiful and dramatic style of flamenco.

Slurs in Tarantas

In this video, we will discuss slurs in guitar music, which allows us to play multiple notes smoothly with the fretting hand. 

Slurs in Solea Flamenco

In this video, we will conclude our study of arpeggios by adding our ring finger to our patterns. We will apply our patterns into an Alegrias Escobilla to play smooth phrases.

Learn and Practice Flamenco-Style Fingerpicking - Guitar Class

Zachary's Guitar videos