Carlos Arana

Carlos Arana Arana is an internationally recognized player and educator in Bossa Nova  and Latin Guitar. He has four books edited by Hal Leonard (Bossa Nova Guitar, Hal Leonard Brazilian Guitar Method, Getz/Gilberto Complete Transcriptions ) and Alfred Publications (Brazilian Rhythms for Guitar) and teaches at major universities and colleges of music around the world. He is the guitarist for Maria Creuza, living legend of Bossa Nova.

Carlos is the head of the Guitar program at the CCBA (Centro Cultural Brazil Argentina) of the Brazilian Embassy in Argentina, has taught classes and workshops at Berklee College of Music and Old Town School of Music in Chicago

Arana´s published works:

- Bossa Nova Guitar (Hal Leonard, 2008)

- Brazilian Rhythms for Guitar (Warner Bros/Alfred Publ, 2006)

- Hal Leonard Brazilian Guitar Method (Hal Leonard Publ, 2013)

- Getz/Gilberto Complete Transcriptions

Arana began his guitar studies at the ITMC (Institute of Contemporary Music, Buenos Aires) in 1990 where he went on to study with some of the most renowned musicians in the local guitar scene, such as Francisco Rivero, Juan “Pollo” Raffo, Miguel Botafogo, Agustín Pereyra Lucena and the great Luis Salinas, with whom he also took private lessons.
Shortly after receiving his music degree, he was invited to join the ITMC staff, giving classes on rhythmic guitar and improvisation from 1992-1997.

In 2000, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he coproduced several recordings with Dave Pomeroy (Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton) and recorded with musicians like Chris Leuzinger (Garth Brooks) and Steve Smith (Willie Nelson, Don Williams).

A year later, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he played in two bands, “Bebeto e a Mixtureba” and “Os Novos Caipiras.” During his time living in Brazil, he did extensive research on Brazilian music styles from a didactical approach, noting the fundamental characteristics and details of each musical genre in order to transmit that knowledge in a music teaching book. In Brazil, he was also active as a professional musician, playing guitar and bass for singers such as Dedeca, Luis Perequé, Evandro and many others. He also directed the music school at the “Paraty Cultural Center”, where he gave classes on music theory and harmony. 

Since returning to Argentina in 2004, he has worked as a guitar player, arranger and musical director for Brazilian singers like María Paula Godoy, Adriana Rios, Josi Dias, among many others. As “Charly Arana,” he has played and recorded with renowned artists like Luis Salinas, Raúl Carnota, Alfredo Remus, Walter Rios, Agustin Pereyra Lucena, Daniel Maza and Ricardo Pellican. He is currently the guitarist for Maria Creuza, one of the living legends of Brazilian Music, considered one of the most influential singers of the Bossa Nova movement.

Since 2004, he has published four books on Brazilian guitar for some of the most important music publishing houses in the world.

He is a columnist for the magazine Premier Guitar.

He has taught classes and given workshops at music schools, festivals and universities in Argentina and the United States (Berklee College of Music in Boston, Old Town School of Music in Chicago, Escuela del Sindicato de Músicos, Festival de Bossa Nova in Buenos Aires, to name a few). He is the head of the Guitar program at the CCBA (Centro Cultural Brazil Argentina) of the Brazilian Embassy in Argentina.