I want to play classical guitar

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I may be buying a used guitar tomorrow from a friend of a co worker and was curious about your experiences with guitars. Please share stories and advice about leraning how to play the guitar.

[Ripper 0]

I may be buying a used guitar tomorrow from a friend of a co worker and was curious about your experiences with guitars. Please share stories and advice about leraning how to play the guitar.

Classical guitar or accoustic. Because if are getting a classical...man...I wanted to throw the shit away when I was trying to string the fucking thing.

 

Basically, it is going to take a while before you are anything worth listening too as a classical guy with all the finger picking. I say get a acoustic, learn some cords and get all angsty about love and shit and you could be on TRL in about 3-4 months.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

The guitar I may be getting is an acoustic guitar that I haven't seen yet. The girl who I'm buying it from bought it for about $200 and never really learned how to play it. One of her friends broke a string on it which has me concerned about it. She's willing to sell it for $50 to me instead of having it sit around and collect dust. I'll be looking at it and taking it to a used guitar shop tomorrow.

 

I'm going to look at it and take it to someone who know's what their looking at before I make a decision though. It might turn out to be a decent investment. I'm hoping that I'll be able to play some classical songs on it, but from what I've heard a classical guitar is the best for that (who would have thought) because of the spacing of the strings. It seems very complicated since there are alot of things happening in the songs, but I think that's the appeal of it to me.

 

How long did you play classical guitar for and did you ever get any good at it?

 

I say get a acoustic, learn some cords and get all angsty about love and shit and you could be on TRL in about 3-4 months.

 

If only I could sing. The way I see it, I'm too pretty to not know how to, so learning how to play an instrument is the second best thing.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

It's pretty hard if you want to be good at it. Don't even think about being self-taught if you want to play classical, either. Fifty bucks for a guitar though? Can't beat that. Pick it up, even if it's a piece. If all that's wrong with it is a broken string, you can fix that for a couple bucks.

[Ripper 0]

Okay, its an acoustic so you are cool. You can actually strum cords and finger pick and such. Although you are about to experience the PAIN~! of learning Acoustic.

 

Its easiest to learn on a electric and honestly you can do almost everything that you can do on a electric that you can do on a acoustic.

 

It is hard though. I would suggest a few lessons to get you started or such. If it was a classical guitar though, you might as well for get being self taught like AoO said.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

What about the Mexican style of guitar music? Would that be considered classical guitar and would I be able to play it with an acoustic guitar?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Classical guitar is more about the style, though. A person could still pick up a '51 Martin Classical Acoustic and strum out some John Mayer bullshit. There's a very definite "right" way to play classical music though, and if you don't learn it properly, it'll never sound the way it should.

 

That said, in my personal opinion, acoustic guitars are a waste of time unless you're camping or happen to be Bob Dylan.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

How much would guitar lessons cost and how long would a typical session be?

[Ripper 0]

Classical guitar is more about the style, though. A person could still pick up a '51 Martin Classical Acoustic and strum out some John Mayer bullshit. There's a very definite "right" way to play classical music though, and if you don't learn it properly, it'll never sound the way it should.

 

That said, in my personal opinion, acoustic guitars are a waste of time unless you're camping or happen to be Bob Dylan.

See, I love the sound of a acoustic myself so thats what I gots.

 

Although I am thinking of picking up another electric(the first one had a accident...I try not to talk about it *cries*) but I love my acousitc.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Classical guitar is more about the style, though. A person could still pick up a '51 Martin Classical Acoustic and strum out some John Mayer bullshit. There's a very definite "right" way to play classical music though, and if you don't learn it properly, it'll never sound the way it should.

 

That said, in my personal opinion, acoustic guitars are a waste of time unless you're camping or happen to be Bob Dylan.

See, I love the sound of a acoustic myself so thats what I gots.

 

Although I am thinking of picking up another electric(the first one had a accident...I try not to talk about it *cries*) but I love my acousitc.

I prefer the sound of an acoustic guitar myself. The reason why I want to play a guitar is because I can play a song without needing accompaniment. I played the piano when I was really little and stopped after a few years. I then started playing stuff like the trombone and baritone when I was about 10 or so. I played those type of instruments all the way until I got to college. I don't know if this is true of all instruments, but if you stop playing a brass instrument, you are screwed because your lips can't do the same shit that they would be able to do after years and years of practice. I want to play music again, but I think a piano or a guitar would be the only instrument I would be able to play by myself and feel satisfied with. I was thinking about buying a keyboard and relearning how to play, but this is something new and a good deal came along first.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Electrics have so much more you can do with them, though. Maybe it's just because I'm white.

 

Prices vary on lessons. If I'm giving it, it'd cost you a joint and last about 45 minutes. If it's someone more professional, probably 15-20 bucks for an hour. If you're taking lessons though, make sure you're learning theory, and not just how to play. That comes through practice.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

When you say theory, does that mean being taught how to compose songs and stuff like that?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Exactly. The nitty gritty of sheet music, how chords are built, composition, etc etc. You're already familiar with playing music though, so you've already probably got a good jump on this. Just make sure you can do it on a guitar, too.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

When you say theory, does that mean being taught how to compose songs and stuff like that?

Yes. Theory will teach you patterns in music. It will also teach you all of the major and minor relative scales as well as all of the intervals between chords/notes. It is a VERY useful thing to learn theory. It will help you as a player, and if you choose, it will help you as a composer.

 

I speak from experience. When I took piano lessons, I did 45 minutes of theory and 45 minutes of playing/ The theory aspect helped me to better understand the relationships between the notes and chords, why certain notes were used, etc. Theory basically made me a better player. When I decided to start writing my own material, the things I learned from my teacher helped me tremendously.

 

The Mexican/Spanish style is most commonly called Flamenco. There are varous styles of Flamenco, and it can be played on an acoustic. I believe that there are guitars marketed for Flamenco as well. You can also play Flamenco rather easily (well, the style is *NOT* an easy one) on a classical guitar. My uncle does it all the time, or at least tries to. He's been playing for over 40 years and is struggling with it, and he's damn-near virtuoso level when it comes to handling the axe.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

The Mexican/Spanish style is most commonly called Flamenco. There are varous styles of Flamenco, and it can be played on an acoustic. I believe that there are guitars marketed for Flamenco as well. You can also play Flamenco rather easily (well, the style is *NOT* an easy one) on a classical guitar. My uncle does it all the time, or at least tries to. He's been playing for over 40 years and is struggling with it, and he's damn-near virtuoso level when it comes to handling the axe.

 

Fuck. How long has he been playing Flamenco?

[Red Baron 0]

The Mexican/Spanish style is most commonly called Flamenco. There are varous styles of Flamenco, and it can be played on an acoustic. I believe that there are guitars marketed for Flamenco as well. You can also play Flamenco rather easily (well, the style is *NOT* an easy one) on a classical guitar. My uncle does it all the time, or at least tries to. He's been playing for over 40 years and is struggling with it, and he's damn-near virtuoso level when it comes to handling the axe.

 

Fuck. How long has he been playing Flamenco?

If you want to learn some Flamenco stuff, the most recongized person doing that in the Rock business is Robby Kreiger of The Doors.

 

Theory is the key of playing very well. Its best learning chords and scales, then just shredding away on the guitar, thinking your the next Eddie Van Halen.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

The Mexican/Spanish style is most commonly called Flamenco. There are varous styles of Flamenco, and it can be played on an acoustic. I believe that there are guitars marketed for Flamenco as well. You can also play Flamenco rather easily (well, the style is *NOT* an easy one) on a classical guitar. My uncle does it all the time, or at least tries to. He's been playing for over 40 years and is struggling with it, and he's damn-near virtuoso level when it comes to handling the axe.

 

Fuck. How long has he been playing Flamenco?

He's only picked it up in the last year or so. He was engulfed in the rok scene for a LONG time and has recently branched out into other genres.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

[MrRant 0]

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

Racist~!

 

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I just got the guitar. It was only $3 to fix. I'm thinking about trading it in for a nicer one at the place where I got it fixed. The onbly problem is that the people who I want to trade it in to know more about guitars than I do and I don't want to get hustled. The guitar I wanted to trade it in for wasn't neccesarily better, it just looked cooler. I think I'll hold onto the one I have for right now.

 

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

 

How many fingers do you have to be able to stroke the guitar with?

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

 

How many fingers do you have to be able to stroke the guitar with?

Well, you'll need ALL FIVE OF THEM. And keep your fingers calloused, I've been told that once your fingers go soft, it's harder to bend and finger-pick.

 

I forgot to ask, what kind of guitar did you buy? Also, what kind of guitar do you want to trade up for? If you have say, a Martin, Taylor or Guild, KEEP IT. They're the best aoustics you can buy. If not, try and trade up for one. You have have some cale, though.

[MrRant 0]

A good inexpensive guitar is the Washburn D10S. About $199 or so and is considered the best acoustic under $500 by a lot of magazines.

[Guest I Got Banned for Sucking]

I've been playing the electric for going three years now, and I just bought the book for Metallica's 'Load', and am working my way through it.

 

If you want advice, then just practice when ever you have the chance and want to - you have to want to do it, or it's not woth even doing it.

 

Just hang in there, and it'll definitely pay off in the long run (well, it will now ).

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I just got the guitar. It was only $3 to fix. I'm thinking about trading it in for a nicer one at the place where I got it fixed. The onbly problem is that the people who I want to trade it in to know more about guitars than I do and I don't want to get hustled. The guitar I wanted to trade it in for wasn't neccesarily better, it just looked cooler. I think I'll hold onto the one I have for right now.

 

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

 

How many fingers do you have to be able to stroke the guitar with?

What did you get, and what do you want? I'll tell you if you're getting hosed or not. Acoustics aren't my forte though, as I can't play them worth a shit.

 

I don't think there's any set number of fingers..

 

I play bass mostly and get by using three and my thumb. For speed-picking, I just use my index finger, and fan it over the string.

 

I've never attempted to play any flamenco music before. I play a lot of super-speedy stuff though, and I can tell you know that it's all about moving your hands efficiently, and not just quickly.

[Guest I Got Banned for Sucking]

I just got the guitar. It was only $3 to fix. I'm thinking about trading it in for a nicer one at the place where I got it fixed. The onbly problem is that the people who I want to trade it in to know more about guitars than I do and I don't want to get hustled. The guitar I wanted to trade it in for wasn't neccesarily better, it just looked cooler. I think I'll hold onto the one I have for right now.

 

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

 

How many fingers do you have to be able to stroke the guitar with?

What did you get, and what do you want? I'll tell you if you're getting hosed or not. Acoustics aren't my forte though, as I can't play them worth a shit.

 

I don't think there's any set number of fingers..

 

I play bass mostly and get by using three and my thumb. For speed-picking, I just use my index finger, and fan it over the string.

 

I've never attempted to play any flamenco music before. I play a lot of super-speedy stuff though, and I can tell you know that it's all about moving your hands efficiently, and not just quickly.

I'm not a bass player, but when I do use one, I pick with my three middle fingers.

 

I got into that habit when I started playing the electric, but as I progressed, discovered that that wouldn't work, so I had to get used to using a pick.

 

In fact, I got a couple of custom-mades done for me the other day for 80c each. Not bad.

[Ripper 0]

A good inexpensive guitar is the Washburn D10S. About $199 or so and is considered the best acoustic under $500 by a lot of magazines.

You know what, there is a company called Spencer and thier guitars sound just as good or better than alot of the midrange guitars and you can probably get one for like 125-150 range.

 

Well, you could until everyone started figuring out they are good guitars. You should still be able to find one in that range.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

I don't think there's any set number of fingers..

There really isn't a set number of fingers, but to really be a great player, you'll need to incorporate all of your fingers. There are lot of intricate patterns, strummings and finger-pickings in that style.

[Slayer 0]

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

 

How many fingers do you have to be able to stroke the guitar with?

How many you got?

 

Things like this make me glad I learned bass instead... of course I don't really have suitable "guitar hands"

[Spicy McHaggis 0]

If you want to hear some good, modern Flamenco, check out Ottmar Liebert.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

You've got to be greasy quick to do that spanish style stuff.

 

How many fingers do you have to be able to stroke the guitar with?

How many you got?

 

Things like this make me glad I learned bass instead... of course I don't really have suitable "guitar hands"

What are guitar hands?