Joseph Fernando Macari Sors was born in Barcelona, Spain, on February 13, 1788. He later dropped the final “s” from his last name in favor of Sor, the name by which he is commonly known. At the age of 11 he entered the excellent music school at the monastery of Montserrat, though his enthusiasm for the guitar had to remain private. At the age of 18 he wrote an opera that was produced in Barcelona, and subsequently he went to Madrid, where he enjoyed the patronage of the Duke of Medinaceli and others. During the period of French occupation, Sor chose to support the puppet government of King Joseph Bonaparte in the hope of political reform, and accepted an official appointment in Jerez de la Frontera. When the French were driven out of Spain in 1813, Sor left with them and subsequently settled in Paris.

Two years later he moved to London, where he became celebrated as a performer and teacher of singing and the guitar, publishing many guitar works including his Variations on a Theme of Mozart, one of the most successful guitar pieces ever written. His ballet Cendrillon, based on the Cinderella story, was first produced at the King’s Theatre in London, and went on to a tremendously successful run in Paris and further performances in Moscow.

Of all the classical “guitar gods,” Sor was probably the most rounded musician, and he did much to raise the level of interest and appreciation of the instrument. His works still appear constantly on concert programs. He died in 1839.

Now that you have some playing experience under your belt, we can move ahead to some more interesting playing styles. This chapter covers the basics of playing individual notes,rather than just strumming chords. To learn to play melodies, we have to learn more sophisticated right-hand playing techniques.This chapter introduces two of the more common styles of playing individual notes: the rest stroke and the free stroke. By learning these techniques, you will be able to play notes cleanly and easily, with a full sound. These techniques will lay the basis for all of your future playing, so we will break down their components so you can quickly understand and master
them.

Up to now, most of what we have covered could be played with a pick, but we will be studying arpeggios that are much easier to play with the fingers. For the single-note melodies that follow, a pick could be used, but now is a good moment to learn the principal stroke used for melody lines on the finger-style and classical guitar, known as the rest stroke.

The rest stroke is the technique that produces the fullest sound from a single note. It is played by plucking the string in such a way that, when the movement is completed, the fingertip comes to rest on the adjacent stringhence the name.

Just as there are different types of guitars, there are different types of strings. Here are the principal types:

• Nylon strings are used on classical guitars. In fact, it is dangerous to use heavier strings on a classical guitar, because the instrument is not designed to withstand the high tension they produce. The three lowest strings are made of silver-plated copper wire wound on a core of nylon strands. The upper three are pure nylon filaments.
• Steel strings are designed for acoustic folk guitars. The bass strings are wound on a core of silk or nylon.
• Heavier wound metal strings are designed for electric guitars.

Core and winding materials vary among string makers, and you may wish to experiment with different types to see which produces the sound you like best.Strings are also available with different shapes or contours, from flat to fully rounded. Strings are also sold in light, medium, or heavy gauges. This has to do with the amount of elasticity in the string: light-gauge strings are more elastic and therefore easier to play than heavy ones. Again, depending on the kind of music you play and your own personal taste, you’ll be able to choose the proper string for you. It’s always worthwhile to try different types of strings on your instrument to see if a simple change of strings can lead to improved sound and playability.