# gabrielezanotti.com ## Posts - [Why Self-Taught Classical Guitarists Hit a Plateau (And What Actually Fixes It)](https://gabrielezanotti.com/classical-guitar-plateau-self-taught/): Here’s something that happens in almost every first lesson with a new student. They play a piece at full tempo, and they’re proud of it, you can see it on their face, they feel like it’s basically finished. So I ask one simple question: now that you’ve played it at final speed, what can we improve? Almost nobody can answer that right away. Not because they haven’t worked hard, their practice clearly got them somewhere real. It’s that nobody ever gave them a way to look past speed. Speed is the thing you can measure: you either get through the piece […] - [The Right Hand in Classical Guitar: Why It Is Your Most Powerful Tool](https://gabrielezanotti.com/right-hand-technique-classical-guitar/): If you’ve been studying classical guitar for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed something: the left hand gets most of the attention. Chord shapes, scales, finger independence, position shifts, it can feel like the left hand is where all the real work happens. But here’s what took me years to fully understand, and what I now tell every student from the very first lesson: the right hand is your voice. The left hand determines which notes you play. The right hand determines how they sound. And in classical guitar, how something sounds is everything. In this article I want to […] - [How Long Does It Take to Learn Classical Guitar? The Honest Truth](https://gabrielezanotti.com/how-long-to-learn-classical-guitar/): So you want to learn classical guitar. Maybe you’ve just picked one up for the first time, or you’ve been playing for a few weeks and you’re starting to wonder: am I on track? Is this supposed to feel this hard? And how long before I can actually play something that sounds like music? It’s the question every beginner asks, and most answers online are either vaguely optimistic (“you’ll be playing songs in weeks!”) or so discouraging that they make you want to put the guitar down permanently. Here’s what I want to offer instead: a genuinely honest, experience-based answer. After […] - [5 Common Interpretation Mistakes Classical Guitar Players Make (And How to Fix Them)](https://gabrielezanotti.com/classical-guitar-interpretation-mistakes/): Here’s a scenario that points straight at common interpretation mistakes: you’ve been practicing for months, the notes are mostly right, your fingering is cleaner than it used to be, and you can get through a piece from start to finish without stopping. But then you record yourself, and something feels off. Technical, yes. Correct, mostly. But also… flat. Empty. Like someone reading a book aloud without any emotion. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And the problem almost certainly isn’t your technique. It’s your interpretation. Most intermediate classical guitar players spend the majority of their practice time on what to […] - [Classical Guitar Technique: How to Use Silence to Sound More Musical](https://gabrielezanotti.com/classical-guitar-technique-silence/): One classical guitar technique gets almost no attention, even though it changes everything: controlling silence. Most students focus on one thing instead: how to produce a better sound. Richer tone. More resonance. Cleaner arpeggios. And that makes sense, we’re musicians. Sound is our medium. But here’s what I’ve seen after years of teaching classical guitar, both online and in person: the intermediate players who make the biggest leap in musicality are almost never the ones who learned a new scale or mastered a faster tremolo. They’re the ones who finally learned to control silence. In This Article What Most Intermediate Players […] - [Can AI Actually Make You a Better Classical Guitarist? (My 2026 Experiment with Gemini)](https://gabrielezanotti.com/ai-classical-guitar-practice/): Is AI classical guitar coaching actually useful, or just a gimmick? More and more guitarists are asking whether AI can teach classical guitar, or even replace a teacher, especially when you’re stuck at an intermediate level and you need real progress, not generic advice. In this article I’ll share a real experiment I ran with Google’s Gemini: what it got right, where it failed, and the smartest way to use AI in your practice in 2026. In This Article The Experiment: I Tried Learning as a Beginner Using AI What AI Can Do Well (And When It’s Genuinely Useful) Where AI […] - [5 Mistakes Beginner Classical Guitar Students Make (And How to Fix Them)](https://gabrielezanotti.com/beginner-classical-guitar-mistakes/): These are five common beginner classical guitar mistakes I see again and again, starting with something I once believed myself: that improvement was mostly about practicing for hours every single day. Over time, first as a student, and later as a teacher, I realized something important: progress is often less about quantity and more about awareness. Many beginners work hard and still feel stuck, not because they lack talent, but because they unknowingly build habits that quietly slow their progress down. I made many of these mistakes myself, and I’m still learning every day. That’s part of music. Here are five […] - [The Biomechanics of the Stroke – From Force to Efficiency](https://gabrielezanotti.com/biomechanics-of-the-stroke/): Understanding the biomechanics of the stroke changes everything about how you produce sound. Many classical guitar students make the mistake of thinking that a powerful tone comes from muscular strength in the fingers. In reality, the classical guitar is an instrument of leverage and release, not pressure. To achieve a professional timbre, we need to look at what actually happens in the millisecond the finger meets the string. In This Article The Principle of “Planting” The Triad: Flesh, Nail, and Release The Role of the Large Knuckle Ready to Put This Into Practice? The Principle of “Planting” The secret to a […] ## Pages - [Cookie Policy (EU)](https://gabrielezanotti.com/cookie-policy-eu/) - [Thank you — free course (English)](https://gabrielezanotti.com/thank-you-free-course/): You’re in. I’ll email you within a day to confirm your place. First thing: join the group Everything happens there: the reminder before each lesson, the sheet music, and the answers to questions during the week. If you’re not in the group, you’ll miss things. When We start on Sunday 13 September at 17:00 CEST (11am New York, 4pm London). Then every Sunday until 11 October. Each lesson runs 60 minutes on average, up to 75 at most. The lessons are live and I don’t record them. If you miss one, you miss it. Put the five Sundays in your calendar […] - [Free Beginner Course](https://gabrielezanotti.com/free-beginner-course/): Free 5-week beginner course In five weeks you play your first piece. Free. Five live lessons, starting from actual zero. Even if you’ve had a guitar in the house for years. We start on Sunday 13 September, at 17:00 CEST (11am New York, 4pm London).One lesson a week, until 11 October. Each lesson runs 60 minutes on average, up to 75 at most. Enrollment closes Friday 11 September. Only 20 spots per group. Gabriele Zanotti Classical guitarist & teacher Trained at the Conservatory in Italy, then a few years teaching and performing in Spain. In the first ten minutes of a […] - [Thank You - Business Inquiry](https://gabrielezanotti.com/thank-you-business-inquiry/): Inquiry received Thank you for your interest. I’ve received your inquiry and will get back to you within 24–48 hours with more details. In the meantime, feel free to browse my performances. View performances Back to home - [Thank You](https://gabrielezanotti.com/thank-you/): Message sent Thanks — let’s get started. I’ve received your message and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours to set up your trial lesson. In the meantime, feel free to have a look around. Explore lessons Back to home - [Leave a Review](https://gabrielezanotti.com/leave-a-review/): Thank you for being a student Share your experience Your feedback helps other students understand what lessons with me are like. Thank you for taking a minute to write it. - [About Me](https://gabrielezanotti.com/about-me/): Twenty years with the same six strings I started playing classical guitar at eight years old, in a small Italian town — without knowing yet that music would end up shaping my whole life. Before committing fully to the guitar, I spent a few years studying graphic design. It wasn’t wasted time: it’s where the precision and attention to detail I now bring into a lesson actually come from. Eventually music won, and I graduated with top marks from the Conservatorio “Licinio Refice” in Frosinone, followed by a Master’s degree with honors in 2023. Through the Erasmus+ programme I spent several […] - [Contact](https://gabrielezanotti.com/contact/): Let’s talk Take your time. I’m listening. A free 30-minute conversation. Tell me where you are and what you’d like to work on. I reply within 24h. Video call platform, your choice. For brands, festivals, venues, associations, press, and proposals. Send a business inquiry → - [Blog](https://gabrielezanotti.com/blog/) - [Performances](https://gabrielezanotti.com/performances/): Classical guitarist, ready for the next stage Beyond teaching, I perform regularly as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. I’m open to artistic proposals for festivals, concert series, and collaborations. Selected performances A selection of the stages I’ve performed on. Solarino International Guitar FestivalItaly Camino de SantiagoSpain Festival Internacional de Guitarra Clasica, Monasterio de IracheSpain Iglesia de San Nicolas de BariPamplona, Spain Iglesia de San SaturninoPamplona, Spain Listen and watch Listen on your favorite platform Formations Solo Classical guitar recitals Chamber music Duo Z, with Mirko Zanotti Ensemble Ensemble E-cetra Gallery Are you a student? Book a trial lesson Representing a […] - [Lessons](https://gabrielezanotti.com/lessons/): Lessons Let’s turn technique into music. Not ten isolated exercises, but these online classical guitar lessons give you a clear path from correct hand mechanics to phrasing you actually mean, wherever you’re starting from. Book a trial lesson (30 min) Who it’s for Beginners Intermediate / Advanced Conservatory / Exams What an online lesson looks like Every lesson starts the same way: we find the one thing costing you the most right now, not a list of ten small fixes. I explain why it matters, in plain terms, before I ask you to change anything, then we apply it immediately to […] - [Home](https://gabrielezanotti.com/): Hi, I’m Gabriele Classical guitarist & teacher Classical guitar, taught with reasons, not rules. Right notes are easy to fake. Understanding why they matter is what turns correct playing into music you actually want to hear. Trained the traditional way. Teaching a better one. I trained at the Conservatory in Italy and spent an Erasmus+ period teaching and performing in Spain. But most of what ends up in a lesson isn’t from a diploma, it’s from years of trying to explain, clearly, why something works. I work with players who are tired of being told “play it like this” without ever […] - [Privacy Policy](https://gabrielezanotti.com/privacy-policy/): Last updated: 24 July 2026. Who we are This website is operated by Gabriele Zanotti, classical guitarist and teacher. For any question about this policy or your data, you can reach me at gabriele.guitarist@gmail.com. What information we collect When you fill in a form on the Contact page (Trial Lesson Request or Business Inquiry), we collect the information you enter: your name and surname, your email address, and anything else you choose to write, such as your current level, what you would like to work on, preferred days and time, your message, phone number, or brand and organization name. 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