In this 1988 ASTA Pedagogy Forum column, Frank Koonce surveys the classical guitar "planting" technique debate—weighing Kerry Alt's cautions against it, and gathering perspectives from guitarists David Tanenbaum, Manuel Barrueco, and David Russell—before concluding that music, not method, should always dictate the technique used.

This 1988 GFA Soundboard article by Frank Koonce outlines a systematic method for building right- and left-hand velocity on classical guitar—using dotted rhythms, speed bursts, staccato/planting preparation, string-crossing patterns, and rhythmic scale variations—to develop coordination, accuracy, and speed.

This 1986 GFA Soundboard article by Frank Koonce surveys and compares the differing right-hand positioning philosophies of prominent classical guitar pedagogues—including Pepe Romero, Aaron Shearer, Charles Duncan, Lee F. Ryan, Abel Carlevaro, and David Russell—concluding that while their methods vary in terminology and technique, they share common ground in muscular alignment and relaxation, with the "best" approach ultimately depending on each player's individual anatomy and preferences.

This guide by Frank Koonce walks independent musicians through the practical realities of releasing a recording—from planning, recording, editing, and mastering, through copyright and mechanical licensing, physical vs. digital distribution, graphic design, and CD manufacturing—drawing on his experience with Soundset Recordings to help demystify an industry that has shifted dramatically from CDs to downloads to streaming.

In this article, Frank Koonce introduces "aim-directed movement" as a foundation for efficient left-hand technique, then presents a practical "bag of tricks"—pivot and guide fingers, weight transference, inverted fingerings, extensions, and thoughtfully placed shifts—illustrated with examples from Sor, Carcassi, Villa-Lobos, Barrios, and Giuliani, for solving common left-hand movement problems in classical guitar playing.

In this Part II sequel, Frank Koonce examines barré technique in depth—covering notation for full and partial barrés, preparatory and hinge barrés, barrés formed with fingers other than the first, and cross-fret barrés—illustrating each with examples from Sor, Giuliani, Carcassi, Villa-Lobos, Bach, Tárrega, Llobet, and Barrios to show how these techniques solve otherwise difficult left-hand fingering problems.

In this article, Frank Koonce examines how Bach himself transformed compound-melodic (single-line) notation from his violin and cello works into polyphonic notation when arranging them for lute or keyboard—using detailed comparisons of parallel passages to draw practical lessons for guitarists on voicing, articulation, and the balance between transcription and interpretive arrangement.

In this article, Frank Koonce examines how Baroque articulation, note durations, and implied polyphony in Bach's lute and lute-related works should inform guitar transcription and fingering choices—addressing bass-line articulation, melodic versus harmonic fingering, octave displacement, chord re-voicing, and the interpretation of implied multi-voice textures—to help guitarists render Bach's music with historically informed clarity and expressiveness.

In this article, Frank Koonce draws on Paul Creston's theoretical framework to distinguish rhythm from meter—explaining meter, tempo, accent, and pattern as separate components, and surveying Creston's five "rhythmic structures" (regular subdivision, irregular subdivision, overlapping, and their combinations)—illustrating each concept with guitar repertoire examples ranging from Renaissance vihuela music to Bach, Sanz, Bartók, and twentieth-century guitar works, to show how notation choices like hemiola, multimetric writing, and multiple meter shape performers' understanding of rhythmic structure.

In this interview, guitarist Frank Koonce discusses his English-language recording of 18 selections from Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's setting of Juan Ramón Jiménez's Platero y yo, reflecting on why the work moved him, the challenges of translating and adapting the text and music (including editing the guitar part to fit the instrument's limitations), his selection process for the recording, and audiences' emotional response to hearing guitar and narration together.