Meet your teacher

Rafael Elizondo

Classical guitarist & educator

Clear technique connected to expressive playing.

Spanish, English, Italian

Languages

Mexican

Nationality

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Levels

Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−5)

Timezone

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Get to know your teacher

I’m Rafael, a Mexican classical guitarist and educator. My work brings together international performance, specialised teaching in guitar technique and interpretation, and the lessons I share through my YouTube channel, Clases de Guitarra Rafael Elizondo.

I help guitarists connect technical development with the music they want to play. Whether you’re working through a demanding passage or looking for greater clarity and expression, we’ll explore practical ways to develop your playing.

Mexican classical guitarist and educator with an internationally recognised performing and teaching career.

Rafael Elizondo is one of the most distinguished Mexican guitarists of his generation. His career has been recognised with more than ten national and international awards, including First Prize at the “Simone Salmasso” International Guitar Competition in Viareggio, Second Prize at the “Arte a 6 Corde” International Guitar Competition, Second Prize at the National Guitar Competition of Culiacán, and Third Prize at the Paracho International Guitar Competition.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Rafael has performed in Mexico, Spain, Italy and the United States. He has appeared as a soloist with the Orquesta de Baja California and participated in numerous international festivals, including the Heitor Villa-Lobos Festival, Brescia Chitarra, the Acoustic Guitar Festival in California, the Sinaloa International Guitar Festival and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Guitar Festival.

In 2013, Rafael joined the faculty of the Summer Arts Program at California State University, Monterey, where he shared teaching duties with Eliot Fisk, Andrew York, Scott Tennant, Scott Morris and William Kanengiser. He continues to be invited as a guest professor at universities and festivals in the United States, Spain and Mexico, teaching specialised courses in guitar technique and interpretation.

Known for his clear, modern and well-structured technical approach, Rafael also leads the YouTube channel Clases de Guitarra Rafael Elizondo, which has more than 54,000 subscribers. He is the author of two guitar technique books published by Marchione Music in the Netherlands. He brings to the MF Classical Guitar Academy extensive experience as a performer, teacher and specialist in classical guitar technique.

Clear technique, expressive playing

My approach is clear, structured, and focused on understanding how technique serves the music. We’ll examine the challenges in your playing, break them into manageable elements, and connect the work back to your repertoire.

Understand the difficulty
We’ll look closely at coordination, fingerings, and movement to identify what makes a passage challenging. Understanding the cause gives us a useful starting point for choosing exercises and exploring solutions.

Connect exercises to repertoire
Technical practice should have a clear purpose. We’ll use focused exercises to develop the skills your pieces require, then work on applying them within the music.

Develop your interpretation
Alongside technique, we’ll explore phrasing, articulation, tone, and musical character. My aim is to help you bring greater control and expressive intention to your playing, with a clear understanding of what to practise next.