Play Classical Guitar - Learn Classical Guitar

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Learn to Play Classical Guitar

This lens is aimed at helping those who have not yet fully decided to learn about and take up the noble instrument so they may Play Classical Guitar. At the same time there should be a lot of useful information for the established guitarist too. The Classical Guitar is one of the oldest instruments, it developed from the stringed instruments of Africa and Arabia, gradually being refined and improved to its current form by the great Spanish guitarists of the 19th Century.

The main features of the Classical Guitar are illustrated on the diagram attached. The instrument is stringed from bass E to high E, the strings being E, A, D, G , B and E as seen from left to right on the image. You thread the strings through the bridge and wrap the bottom end under the string then under and over it for 3 turns, the final 1 inch to 1.5 inches is pulled tight and laid along the bottom of the bridge. The next string is inserted through the bridge and its end is wrapped over the loose end of the previous string in order to hold it in place. The top end is passed over the nut and pushed through the hole in the machine head, loop the end around the string and tighten the machine head, use the string to overlap the loose end as you wind, the skill is in not over tightening initially so that the string needs a further 3 or 4 full turns to tighten, Once tight the loose end is always cut off on Classical Guitars, for appearance sake. You string from base E to top E and always replace all strings, if one is broken, this is due to the brightness of the string changing with wear and time. The tone of the instrument will not be balanced if you do not change all strings together. You will have fun learning to Play Classical Guitar.

Playing Classical Guitar

If you are not sure which instrument is best for you, may I suggest that all guitarists should begin with a Classical Guitar. If you can Play Classical Guitar you can play any guitar!

The Classical Guitar is ergonomic to play, if sat correctly on a square backed chair and using a footstool for the left foot. The left arm and hand are totally free to move up and down the instruments neck. The Classical position is easy on the body, but like any other repetitive task you should get up and move around periodically, to avoid cramping and repetitive stress injuries.

In order to play Classical Guitar you will need a guitar, a case, a footstool, spare strings, an instruction book, some music, a tuner, a metronome, a guitar stand and a music stand. I would advise you to find a good instructor, but you could also learn on-line, there are many free lessons on You Tube, and sheet music and tabs can also be found on the web. There are links to useful sites on my guitar blog at Play Classical Guitar


For the entertainment of those who have read this far I have included a video of Peo Kindgren playing Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven on the Classical Guitar. Beautiful! However note Peo does not use a footstool and could over time give himself repetitive stress injuries from this style of play. If you are interested in the correct position watch videos of John Williams, Andres Segovia and Julian Bream.

Stairway to Heaven





Learn To Play Guitar with these Top Rated Internet Courses

Try the Most Popular Guitar Tutoring System on the Internet to learn to play classical guitar, why? because it works! Jamorama.

One specifically for the Electric Guitar Players out there, with 7 different tutors so you can pick the one you like most ,or try them all! It will cost less than a single live instructor and you can repeat a lesson as often as you need. Guitar Super Stars.

These systems are video based and have music you can play along to, students report that these systems give quicker results than standard music lessons, and all the lessons can be repeated as often as you like, until you have mastered them. This makes them both cheaper and faster to learn with than is the case with conventional music lessons.

For those that want to learn by ear there is a neat new product on the market that allows you to slow down the music but keep the correct pitch for each of the notes Riff Master Pro. You speed the music up as your technique improves, until you can play along to the music with correct timing.

If you have a good ear for music and like to learn by ear there is a fantastic new learning product that helps you get absolute pitch and relative pitch skills so that you can name any note and even place it in relation to where it is played on the instrument. The Pure Pitch Method. Wow!

When learning Classical Guitar and Lead Guitar one of the main secrets is mastery of the scales so here is a great course on mastering guitar scales. Guitar Scale Mastery

Many people (like me) have for some reason or another put off learning to play Guitar for many years and now there is a great course just for us! It is specifically designed for the different way that adults approach learning.
Adult Guitar Lessons This course made for the older learner, seems like a great idea to me!

Buying a Classical Guitar

Selecting the right Classical Guitar is important, it has to sound right and it has to feel right, and a lot of this is personal preference. If you have friends or parents that play then getting advice is easy, you should ask them to allow you to feel and practice a few notes on theirs. If this is not an option for you, if there is a good music shop in your nearest city, town or village go in and ask to try some of the instruments, at least to get the feel of them. The store will usually have staff members that can play, if you are not accomplished enough, or are too embarrassed. Once you have got an idea about the instrument that suits you then make a note of the make and model and check with other musicians you know to see what they think of it from experience, or you could leave me a note in the comments section.

The instruments that I have listed below are all good quality, fairly inexpensive models that are currently being offered at reasonable prices by Amazon or for auction on eBay, so it is a good idea to bookmark this page and so you can return often to check out the deals here.

I have found that in some music stores the instruments are handled and played by many people before they are sold. The advantage of buying them here is that the instrument you get will be new and unused and is delivered direct to your home, plus it is backed by Amazon's warranty.

If you live in a remote area then you may not be able to test instruments in a music store, buying through this site means that you get an instrument of good quality delivered to you, if you are not totally satisfied it can always be returned.

Classical Guitar Quiz

A Classical Guitar General Knowledge Quiz to see what you know or have picked up from the site. I apologize that the quiz is written from the perspective of the Right handed guitarist, for you lefties out there.

Play Classical Guitar - My Guitar Blog

Extracts from Play Classical Guitar

My blog site for anyone interested in playing, wanting to buy a Classical Guitar or just listening to great Classical Guitar music, this site also has guitars, strings and music books for sale. I apologize for the html not displaying correctly here (this is a Squidoo issue), however, if you click the post title you can see it correctly displayed in my blog.
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Comparison Of CG40 to CG111C Yamaha Guitars

Comparison of the sounds of a CG40 and a CG111C This clearly shows the difference between a good cheap Classical Guitar and a better Classical Guitar. The sound and timbre of the music will improve with the better wood and material. Like most things you get what you pay for. The CG40 is still an excellent first choice for the young guitarist and had you not heard them back to back its tone is perfectly acceptable.

I would say if you really want better tone then the more expensive the guitar, in general, then the better the tone will be. Yamaha guitars are excellent, as their quality control is second to none. The elite guitarists still prefer handmade instruments from top quality luthiers, but these are variable and are to be advised only if you have a really good ear and are wanting a guitar built to suit your style of playing. I would not advise any guitarist to go this route until they have mastered the instrument or if the money is no object to them.
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Beginner to Intermediate Classical Guitars from Amazon

This is a selection of good and very reasonably priced Classical Guitars from Amazon, the 1/2 size is for children from 4 to 8 and the 3/4 from 8 to 12 (approx) anyone else should use a full size Classical Guitar. This selection is aimed at the beginner and those on a limited budget. The next section is guitars for the more serious and gifted players.
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Intermediate to Advanced Guitars from Amazon

Better guitars are made with stiffer sides and backs, this entails the use of harder woods which reflects more of the sound back towards the sound hole at the front. The face board should be made of a softer more bendy wood as this is going to act like the cone in a loud speaker and pass the sound out to your audience in front of you. The finer quality instruments are made of more expensive harder woods typically mahogany, rosewood, ebony for the fretboard etc. The face board is usually softer spruce and cedar are common. You should be looking for solid wood and fine quality craftsmanship, in this regard it is hard to beat Yamaha who have become very skilled in making quality instruments..
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Professional Standard Classical Guitars From Amazon

There are certain guitar makers, Ramirez is one of the best, that have standards above and beyond the norm. I have selected a few of the top models for the truly professional players out there.
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Guitar Cases from Amazon

Guitar Cases can be soft or hard, I prefer hard for transportation reasons they are better at keeping your guitar at a reasonable temperature and humidity. These cases are all excellent value.
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Guitar Footstools and Stands from Amazon

To keep your posture right you will need the footstool they are adjustable with at least three heights. A guitar stand will protect your instrument from accidentally falling and breaking, an all too familiar experience to those placing them under the bed or against a wall!
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Music Stands from Amazon

You will need to have a music stand to enable you to read the music that you are going to be playing. These are a selection of good stands that are very reasonably priced.
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Guitar Music

These Music Books are all from my personal collection and are the ones that have helped me the most. If you are wanting to learn to play Classical Guitar in the purest possible way the Jason Waldron book Complete Learn to Play Classical Guitar is thew way to go.

If you can not afford lessons get a classical guitar, a footstool, a music stand, a metronome and this book and you can teach yourself.
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Guitar Strings, Capo Tuner and Metronome

The Strings are what give your guitar tone and you will find the best strings for your particular instrument by trial and error. The match of guitar to string is important, but again the overall sound and tone you want will depend on many factors, including your nails, the string tension, the size and shape of your guitar. The general rule is the higher the tension the greater the volume the string creates. Cutaway guitar models do not have quite as full a tone as the traditional shaped guitars (due to the smaller sound box. All of these strings are of good quality so it is really up to you which you use. Personally I prefer Augustine or Savarez, followed by D'Addorio, if I can not get the ones I prefer. Strings typically last from one to three months depending on how much you play.
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StephenJParkin

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I am Stephen Parkin also known as the Dressage Husband. My wife is the Dressage rider and I am also an Internet Marketer, which is helping...
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