Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1952, Assad is one half of the legendary Sérgio & Odair Assad Duo. Unlike many academic composers, Assad grew up steeped in the choro , samba , and bossa nova of Brazil. He realized that most traditional guitar studies taught the instrument as if it were a European piano—linear, harmonic, and rigid.
| Study No. | Key | Core Concept / Rhythmic Feel | Difficulty | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | C Major | Legato & Syncopation (Samba feel) | Advanced | | No. 2 | A Minor | Arpeggio fluency with shifting accents | Intermediate | | No. 3 | G Major | Slurs (Hammer-ons & Pull-offs) | Intermediate | | No. 4 | E Minor | Right-hand independence / Baião rhythm | Advanced | | No. 5 | D Major | Scale passages in 3rds and 6ths | Advanced | | No. 6 | B Minor | Chord melody and voice leading | Intermediate | | No. 7 | A Major | Rapid string crossings | Expert | | No. 8 | F# Minor | Tone production (Dolce vs. Ponticello) | Advanced | | No. 9 | E Major | Campanella (Bell-like) effects | Expert | | No. 10 | C# Minor | Tremolo (Not standard; rhythmically complex) | Expert | | ... | ... | ... | ... | | No. 24 | D Minor | Final fugue / Toccata (All techniques combined) | Virtuoso | sergio assad 24 studies
After mastering this, returning to a Sor study feels like driving a car with square wheels. You suddenly understand rhythmic lilt . Comparing Assad to the Masters To understand the value of this collection, you must see how it stacks up against the competition: Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1952, Assad
The keys are not random. Assad arranges them in ascending 5ths (C, G, D, A, E...), allowing the guitarist to gradually shift their hand position around the fretboard systematically. Breaking Down the Core Techniques What makes Sergio Assad’s 24 Studies unique is how they address the "blind spots" of traditional pedagogy. 1. The Independence of the Thumb (Study No. 4 & No. 12) Classical guitar usually keeps the thumb ( p ) on the bass strings. Assad frequently demands that the thumb play melodic lines on the treble strings while the fingers ( i, m, a ) play bass counterpoint. This "upside-down" technique is essential for playing modern Brazilian music. 2. Asymmetrical Rhythms (Study No. 7 & No. 18) Forget 4/4. Assad forces you into 7/8, 5/8, and 11/16. Study No. 7 (A Major) feels like a fast frevo from Recife. You cannot play it mechanically; you must feel the internal accent grouping (e.g., 2+2+3). 3. Harmonics as Melody (Study No. 15) While Villa-Lobos used harmonics for color, Assad uses natural and artificial harmonics to play the entire melody . You must learn to produce crystal-clear harmonic tones at high speed—a nightmare for recording, but stunning for live performance. 4. The "Dissonant" Resolution Traditional studies always resolve to a sweet, consonant chord. Assad loves the major 7th with a flattened 9th —the sound of modern jazz and choro sadness. These studies train your ear to love tension, not just tolerate it. Study No. 1: The Gateway Drug Let’s look closely at the opening Study in C Major. On paper, it looks like a simple scale study. But the tempo marking is Quasi Samba ( ♩ = 144). | Study No