Ten-string Spanish guitarist Matthew Fagan says he has played in 120 countries. This includes Australia, where he was once the opening music act for comedian Billy Connolly.

"That was a highlight."

Other career highlights include touring with Shirley Bassey and Michael Crawford.

Fagan says the 10-string guitar has four extra strings than a normal guitar, giving it a large tonal range. He says it is mainly used in Spanish music - but not flamenco, which uses the traditional six-string instrument.

He will be playing both instruments when he comes to Canberra with award-winning pianist Nicholas Young to perform the recital Espana El Vito - The Spirit of Spain. It draws on the repertoire from his record El Vito - which is actually a record, not a CD.

"It's the first classical guitar recording on vinyl in over 20 years in Australia," Fagan says.

"There's been a lot of interest in the tonal quality - it has a much warmer sound [than CD]."

He and Young will play solo sets of Spanish pieces as well as items arranged for duet.

"Spanish guitarists often play transcriptions of orchestral works which have been inspired by flamenco music," Fagan says.

Manuel de Falla will be one of the featured composers, with the Danza ritual del fuego (Ritual Fire Dance ) from El amor brujo (Love the Magician) and Danza del molinero (Farruca) (Dance of the Miller) from El sombrero de tres picos (The three-cornered hat) as well as excerpts from the opera La Vide Breva (The Short Life).

Also on the program are Isaac Albeniz’s Sevilla, Asturias and Tango, Gismonti's Frevo Rasgado and De Azpiazu's El Vito as well as pieces by Fagan himself including Young Fantasy on Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez.

"Nicholas is doing two works from the Iberia suite by Albéniz [Evocacion and Triana] and I'm performing a few traditional flamenco pieces."

Fagan says, "I've been very fortunate - I've just returned from Spain."

He says he spent time in Seville where "I went every day to flamenco concerts, so I've got the repertoire."

Fagan also performed in Spain as well as at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and in Germany and Italy.

Fagan was born in Melbourne and says he's been playing guitar for about 28 years: "I'm getting pretty long in the tooth."

Fagan liked the guitar when he was a child but in his early years he preferred pop music to classical, although "I did have a fantastic classical guitar teacher."

He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and Monash University - classical guitar performance, composition and ethnomusicology and attended masterclasses in Britain and the US. He also attended a masterclass in Canberra with Timothy Kain.

Among the master guitarists he has studied or performed with are John Williams, Paco Pena and Joe Pass.

Fagan also has family in Canberra, giving him another reason to come besides the performance during this tour.

He says, "People love the intimacy of the guitar."