Non-Classical Method For Playing The Classical Guitar!

[NewGuitarist]

Greetings everyone!

Might sound a bit strange.. but anyone here aware of a method book that teaches you how to play the classical guitar (the instrument not the style) in a non-classical way?
...Meaning, one that helps the total beginner build the right technique for playing the nylon string classical guitar, along with teaching him how to play music OTHER than classical music on the instrument.. such as latin, bossa nova, jazz..

If anyone knows such method book then please let me know. I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

[charles Tauber]

technique is technique. Once learned, one can apply it to any style of music one wishes.

One must learn the technique somehow, and the usual methods involve scales, arpeggios, slurs (legato, ascending and descending) and so on. These aren't music-style specific, but, rather, basic building blocks of classical guitar technique. Apply them to the music style or your choice.

I'm not aware of any specific book that teaches classical guitar technique in the context of "non-classical"/"traditional" music.

[scottishrogue]

The important difference when playing a classical guitar is the posture. The lower bout between the legs, neck raised at the steeper angle, and both left and right hand positions, for the wider string spacing.

Most instructional books and DVDs will briefly explain the differences. Try the website www.joedocmusic.com as he offers a DVD for Absolute Beginners. If you're learning on a classical style guitar, the techniques he uses could prove more difficult for a beginner, because of the wider string spacing, but can be done with practice. I hope that helps.

Glen

[wcap]

I have a wonderful classical guitar that I love, and I play it quite a bit, alongside my various steel string guitars.

I play a bit of classical music, but I guess most of what I play on classical guitar could better be described as fingerstyle guitar.

I think the biggest thing to master that might be a bit different from steel string guitar is right hand technique. And yes, good playing posture (as described above) helps a lot too.

Good nails, a good right hand position, and a good attack are key to getting good volume and good tone out of nylon strings. These things can all matter a lot on steel string guitar too, of course, but good right hand technique is really pretty much essential if you want a classical guitar to sound good.

I've had no formal training at all (on any instrument, except for some failed attempts from my sisters to teach me piano when I was a kid), but when I first got really interested in classical guitars I did some reading on the Internet about the very basics of classical guitar technique - right hand positions in particular. And then I played a lot and experimented a lot, and listened carefully to the sounds I was getting and experimented till I got tone I liked. People tell me I have very good tone, and some are convinced (based on my right hand technique) that I have had years of classical guitar training.

I don't know what books to recommend, but you might check out Douglas Niedt's website. He is a fabulous player (I've heard him in person), and incidentally he plays a lot of things on his classical guitars in addition to classical music. He has a lot of free mini-lessons available (though you have to subscribe to see them all). Scroll down on this page and you will find a lot of lessons that are available for free: http://douglasniedt.com/vaultofclass...niquetips.html

I haven't watched this one completely, but I skimmed this and it looks like it could probably be really useful for helping you start to develop good right hand position: http://douglasniedt.com/techtiprighthandposition.html

Here he is playing Take 5 (and you can get some good technique information from analyzing this video too, in particular with regard to right hand technique and guitar position):



Here is another nice one - Cavatina:



Lots of nice close-up views showing his right hand technique here too.

The bottom line, for me, is that a classical guitar is just a guitar, but one that requires particularly good right hand technique to sound good. Once you have figured that out, then you are all set to play all sorts of things on your classical guitar (you can hear some examples of what I do with my classical guitar at my link below - several of the recordings were done with my classical).

Incidentally, after several decades of playing 5-string banjo, my first serious guitar, which was my only guitar really worth playing for my first 5 years of serious guitar playing, was a classical guitar. I then got a few nice steel string guitars, and, more recently, 12 string guitars. I use the same playing position and same right hand technique on all my guitars, and I think it improves my tone on my steel string guitars as well.

I find that some (many actually) of the things I play sound best on classical guitar, including some original pieces that were inspired by, and composed on, my steel string guitars. Some other things (including at least one piece that I composed or arranged on classical guitar) sound best on steel string guitar.

[icuker]

Not sure if this would be helpful but I've seen folks on youtube play out of the William Leavitt Book 1 on classical guitar playing fingerstyle without a pick. It seemed to work real well. I am using the book with pick and find I like it. If you can find the book with the CD that might be more useful for you. It is in notation only, though, with no tabs. But that's what I wanted to learn. It's not real hard at this level to learn the notation, I'm finding. More advanced stuff would be a different story I'm sure.

[brucefulton]

A guitar is a guitar. If you want to learn classical guitar technique, they study classical guitar. But otherwise, if you want to learn how to play jazz, get a good jazz book or find a good jazz teacher. It doesn't matter whether the guitar has nylon or steel strings.

[zhunter]

I am prejudiced. I think flamenco players have among the most demanding right hand technique requirements. When I set out to adapt to nylon, I put down the pick and started studying right hand flamenco methods. YouTube is loaded with free stuff. I violate some rules in that I don't use fingernails, I don't typically rest stroke, and I don't necessarily follow classical or flamenco p,i,m,a protocals. I do use picado and a hybrid p,i,p,i and lately a p,i,p,m technique for speed stuff. Not speedy enough unfortunately. Also for gig practice and for gigs, I play standing and when I do play seated I use the non-classical flamenco right leg support. I do play Latin, flamenco "flavored", jazz, Brazilian and more using flamenco techniques I have adapted. There is more but if I could offer a path, study flamenco right hand.

Gabriela, of Rodrigo y Gabriela, has some cool right hand rhythm concepts that she shares on a DVD that is included with one of their CDs. I think you can probably dig that out in YouTube too.

hunter

[NewGuitarist]

Can't thank you enough guys..

@Glen, yeah I only know a bit about classical guitar technique. And thanks for suggesting that website.

@wcap, thanks for all the infos and the advice.. I checked your YT channel.. wow, that's really inspiring. Don't blame those who think you had formal lessons! Unbelievable.

@icuker, would you please refer me to their videos on YT? I got Leavitt's book 1 but not sure how to use it to play with my fingers instead of using the pick.

@charles, agreed. Exactly what I'm thinking. I wanna get the classical guitar technique basics down then use them to play all different types of music on my classical.

@bruce, you're right.. don't have to worry much about the type of guitar I'm using.. but as wcap stated.. playing a nylon string classical requires a good RH technique to get a good tone.. that's basically what I'm trying to work on..

@hunter, interesting! I'd really love to hear a sample of your playing. BTW, do you use the right hand flamenco technique on a classical or a flamenco guitar?

Well guys.. what I was trying to say originally is that all the method books that teach classical guitar technique (which I'm aware of) do so in the context of playing classical music.

As far as I know, the nylon string classical guitar is the "folk" instrument (correct me if I'm wrong) in Brazil and many latin american countries..
And since I dig latin, bossa nova and jazz I was thinking there might be some method book(s) out there that teach those types of music (NOT classical music) on the nylon string classical guitar which should probably also cover the technique needed to play and get a good tone on this instrument.

[creamburmese]

There are also lots of published books on other musical genres for classical guitar - I'm currently working on finger style tunes from "beatles for classical guitar" and Spanish music for classical guitar (don't have the actual info with me). You can probably browse through them if you have a local guitar center - ours has a section on those books so you can actually see what you will be getting as opposed to winging it on Amazon...

[icuker]

Yes, here is the person I was talking about, He has other vids on Youtube also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zB0nfzgRQ4

[NewGuitarist]

Thanks icuker. Much appreciated

[bohemian]

More inspiration

Charlie Byrd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPyY80pUujE

Here's another; note the bit of tape on the seventh fret of his Ramirez.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxnUZqYGG-8

And Luiz Bonfa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xevuv4HLrbA

The incomparable Baden Powell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGoca5m-loY

And later in life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN6ti5ay108

[wcap]

The mention of Charlie Byrd above reminded me that some of his pieces and arrangements, as well as some other bossa nova type pieces can be found on this wonderful website:

http://frettedinstrumentsnyc.com/

The Advanced Guitar section has Meditation, How Insensitive, and Girl from Ipanema, for example.

Availability of the tablature on this website seems to vary from visit to visit. Sometims nothing is available other than the Midi files. When I looked just now at the Advanced Guitar section those tablature files were available. If you see something that interests you there, download it immediately - it may or may not be available the next time you visit.

There are some other similar websites with even more that might be of interest to you. I'll try to dig up those links.

[wcap]

OK, this was the wonderful site I was about to recommend:

http://dirk.meineke.free.fr/

Unfortunately, as you see if you click the link, this site has been basically shut down. Darn. I had meant to go back and download a bunch of files at some point.

The lesson here is that if you find something great and useful on the web, download it immediately. Resources on the web are anything but permanent.