Aaron Shearer (6 September 1919 – 21 April 2008) was an American

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

ist known primarily as a

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

History

He was born in

Anatone, Washington Anatone () is a census-designated place in Asotin County, Washington. History Anatone was first settled in 1878 by Daniel McIvor and Charles Isecke. It was named for a Nez Perce woman. It is a working class agricultural area near the tripoint wi ...

to Nettie Pearl Moody and Floyd David Shearer, and was a guitar pupil of

Sophocles Papas Sophocles Papas (1893 or 1894 – 26 February 1986) was a Greek classical guitar pedagogue and music publisher. Early life Papas was born in Sopik, Ottoman Empire. He was exposed to classical music at an early age by his father, who was a church ...

. He has been director of the guitar programs at both

Peabody Conservatory The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a private music and dance conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliated with Johns Hopkins in 1977. History Philanthropist and ...

and

North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a public art school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants a high school diploma, in addition to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina Sc ...

. He held an honorary doctorate from

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...

where he was a faculty member at the Mary Pappert School of Music from 1996 till his death in 2008. His former students include

Manuel Barrueco Manuel Barrueco (born December 16, 1952) is a Cuban classical guitarist resident in the United States. Biography Born in Santiago de Cuba, Barrueco began playing the guitar at the age of eight. Following the 1959 Cuban revolution, Barrueco's f ...

Ricardo Cobo Ricardo Hernando Cobo Lloreda is a Colombian businessman and politician who served as mayor of Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,5 ...

, David Tanenbaum, Thomas Kikta,

David Starobin David Starobin (born September 27, 1951) is a highly honored figure in the world of classical guitar. Called "arguably the most influential American classical guitarist of the 20th century" ('' Soundboard''), Starobin was born in New York City. ...

, Bruce Casteel, Christopher Berg and Edward Stephenson. Shearer has many publications, including his well-known ''Classical Guitar Technique'' method books, his three-volume ''Learning the Classic Guitar'' series and his newly released ''The Shearer Method-Classic Guitar Foundation'' with DVD and CD.

Family

He was the son of Floyd and Nettie Moody Shearer. Aaron had two older brothers, Buford Carl Shearer who died in 1988 and Gwen Dean Shearer who died in 1987.

Selected publications

*''The Shearer Method- Classic Guitar Foundations'' - with DVD and CD (2012) *"Aaron Shearer: A Life With The Guitar-DVD" (2004) *''Learning the Classic Guitar'' - Part 1 (1990) *''Learning the Classic Guitar'' - Part 2 (1990) *''Learning the Classic Guitar'' - Part 3 (1991) *''Slur, Ornament, and Reach Development Exercises'' - Supplement 1 (1960) *''Basic Elements of Music Theory for the Guitar'' - Supplement 2 (1965) *''Scale Pattern Studies for Guitar'' - Supplement 3 (1965) *''Classic Guitar Technique'' - Volume I (1963) *''Classic Guitar Technique'' - Volume II (1969) *''Guitar Note Speller'' (1959) *''Three Tremolo Studies for Guitar Solo'' (1965)

External links

* The Aaron Shearer Foundation *Guitar International: Brad Conroy reviews "Aaron Shearer Classic Guitar Technique", Third Edition *https://web.archive.org/web/20101217134627/http://guitarinternational.com/wpmu/2009/10/01/aaron-shearer-classic-guitar-technique-third-edition-book-review/
Aaron Shearer: A Life With The Guitar
1919 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American classical musicians American classical guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Washington (state) 20th-century American male musicians {{Classical-guitarist-stub