Classical Guitar Lessons for Beginners

Published on: 13 September 2018 Last Updated on: 12 September 2024

Okay so you want to learn how to play the classical guitar but you have no idea where to begin. It really isn’t that hard to learn how to play as long as you have the necessary time to put into the craft and the patience to make it through the tough learning curve.

In this classical guitar lesson, I will be going over something for you to get started such as your posture and the way you hold the guitar. If you didn’t know the classical guitar is the model every other acoustic guitar is based on. The main way you can tell the two guitars apart is that the classical normally has a wider fretboard and utilizes nylon instead of the steel strings you’ll see on acoustics.

This type of guitar is designed to let the top of the musical instrument vibrate but keep the neck, back, or sides from vibrating. Try to avoid picking a classical guitar that has a laminated top since they won’t give you the quality sound you want. If you don’t mind spending a little extra money trying to get a classic guitar made out of rosewood or spruce. However, the guitars that have the plywood tops with a thin layer of cedar will do just fine.

Keep in mind though that going for a guitar with better wood will help preserve your guitar for longer since they age better. The guitars made of cheaper wood will be good when you first get them and then the quality of the guitar and sound produced will decline over time. Meanwhile, the guitars made with better woods will actually keep getting better as time goes on.

Your posture is very important when it comes to playing this hollow bodied instrument. Take a look at any professional classical guitar player and you’ll notice that they have an upright posture with their foot on a stool. With the right sitting position, you’ll be able to minimize the amount of effort you have to use and you’ll be more stable and comfortable.

The proper sitting position involves keeping your back straight and resting the guitar on the thigh that is on the neck side. You will need the help of a footstool or a support placed on the thigh to raise the head of the guitar level.

You will rest the elbow on the edge of the body of the guitar and place the hand that plays the strings over the sound hole. You will need to bring the hand up to the height of the shoulder and to do this you’ll need to bend the arm on the neck side.

Position your thumb behind the neck, below the 2nd fret, and behind the 3rd string. The key to playing the guitar properly is to relax your entire upper body from the shoulders to your hands. Now get a chair so you can support your guitar and make it more stable. Try to use a chair that will make your thigh horizontal. If your thigh is not angled correctly your guitar will keep slipping and interrupt your playing.

Once you get the grasp of holding the guitar in the proper position it’s time to start practicing pieces. You must make sure you avoid difficult pieces like Asturias or you might end up giving up on the guitar forever. Start with pieces like Fernando Carulli.

You can head to your local music store and get a book to study him. Pieces like “Waltz in E Minor” and “Country Dance” should get you started and help you build technique and confidence. If you are using tabs I would suggest that you try using sheet music. Just do a simple search for it online for some sight reading books.

One good book I know of is authored by Robert Benedict called “Sight Reading for the Classical Guitar levels 1 to 3″. Start off with the simple pieces and as your technique gets better you’ll begin to learn more complex pieces.

Not only should you learn how to play music on your classical guitar but you should also get familiar with how to string it and tune it. Many classical guitar players attempt to grow their nails to pluck the strings, while others use the flesh of their fingertips. This decision is all yours and depends on what you’re comfortable with.

Also, when you take classical guitar lessons for beginners it’ll be in your best interest to learn how to read conventional music notation. Try to learn more about half notes, whole notes, time signatures, scales, and accidental notes. Once you learn the proper sitting position and learn a few easy pieces you’ll be well on your way to becoming a pretty good classical guitar player.

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Basic Steps For A Jazz Guitarist Beginner

Jazz is one of the oldest forms of music which had lost its popularity due to the other latest and modern forms of music like rock music. But, in recent times, jazz music has regained its popularity and has brought a twist in the music world. Today, the guitarists are learning jazz music because of the latest trend of this genre. Carlos Santana, today, has helped build and maintain the popularity of Jazz today. Jazz, with all its quirks, has surprisingly influenced other genres like rock and metal. It is an interesting field - as you will find out on MusicCritic - though it is not for everyone's taste. However, it is free for anyone to explore. Learning jazz is not an easy task for beginners. But, it is also not impossible to learn the genre. The guitarists need to pay a little more attention to the learning, compared to learning other forms of music. Moreover, the jazz musicians say that learning jazz can be fun and relatively easy in the initial stage, and enjoyable eventually. To learn to play jazz music on a guitar is easy once you understand the basics of music theory and the specific techniques used in it. The Basics Of Music Theory For Jazz A lot of jazz guitar is based on your improvisational ability, and therefore, you need to have a strong command of music theory. You should be knowing each of the scales, modes, chords, and arpeggios to implement them in playing. Moreover, when you know these basics of jazz music, you will be able to make different patterns with them and create different notes. Moreover, jazz songs are basically made up of rhythm, chord progressions, and licks. As a guitarist, you need to learn them and then make various combinations to make songs. The main reason for jazz guitar to make it unique is the type of chord progressions used and also the type of chords specifically used in jazz music. However, a majority of the chords used in jazz music are the modified versions of standard major and minor chords. How To Learn a New Chord? For learning a new chord you need to follow these points: You need to ensure that each note of the chord is clean and clear. Do not rush. Take it slow and get comfortable with the chord. Practice the chord by moving it up and down on the fretboard. Swapping between the chords will give you good practice. Build up the speed during the process eventually. By following the steps mentioned, you can put it all together. Points To Be Considered While Learning Solo When you are learning solo, it is better to practice with a metronome on all the four beats and also on 2 and 4. For this purpose, you can download a metronome app and there are lots of them available online. It is better if you practice your solo with a backing track so that you can know how it sounds in a musical environment. You can also write down the notes while playing and practicing it so, you can refer them when you play the next time. Also, write down the rhythms of the chords, so that you can know what is happening over each chord. It is very important to analyze each line harmonically and rhythmically and then make exercises out them for the purpose of practice. Learning 32 bars may seem difficult at first sight. But, if you set small and realistic goals, it is not much difficult to do so. You can transcribe one section in a week, which is 2 bars in a day. Likewise, you can learn the entire chorus in a month and if you learn 4 bars a day, then you can learn it in just 2 weeks. However, it is crucial that after learning the chords, you need to practice them with variations to make new notes, which will make your music stronger. Moreover, it is also important for a jazz guitarist to carry out improvisation, which you can do when you have learned at least 8 bars of the solo. How To Learn Improvisation? Learn The Vocabulary Try to learn the melodic and harmonic patterns and ideas from other musicians and guitarist, whom you like. Moreover, you can also for different and useful ideas in this relevance to your music teacher, which can be the best way to learn the vocabulary. When you are a beginner, taking assistance from your teacher is the best option to learn. Use the Vocabulary It is important that you stick to one idea or lick at a time while practicing. Combine The Licks, Patterns Or Ideas You Learned When you have learned different licks or patterns, you can make different variations and use them to make solos. At this point in time, your solos will sound more original. Using the above steps and tips, you can do improvisation in your music and create different notes and solos. Learning jazz music is not that difficult if you learn it systematically and don’t rush into learning it fast. It just needs practice and more importantly, the improvisation ability. Read More : How To Choose The Best Soundbars System For Your Home Demystified: The Interesting Connection Between Politics And Music Reference Links: http://jamieholroydguitar.com/beginner-jazz-guitar-lesson-practice-schedule http://www.fretdojo.com/jazz-guitar-improvisation-for-beginners/ https://blog.udemy.com/jazz-guitar-lessons/ http://pickupjazz.com/beginner-jazz-guitar-chords/

Is Spotify Hurting New Talent The Most?

I can still remember sitting at my ancient desktop computer in the early 2000s risking not only my computer's health but also getting into a huge fight with my parents once they realized I had given my computer yet another virus to download my favorite band’s album off of LimeWire. Now I, like everyone who used LimeWire or any other site to download free music, knew I should have been paying for the music, but I was a kid and who cared- it was free! After all, Nelly was rich enough, I shouldn't have to use my own money to listen to Hot In Herre on my Walkman CD player on my way to the bus stop. I, along with what seemed like everyone else in the world, was contributing to the decline in profits for those in the music industry. Now that LimeWire and sites alike are practically extinct, you would think that the music industry would be on the rise again, but you would be wrong. Today, you can get “free” music without crashing your computer or risking any trouble from illegally downloading music. Apps and websites, like Spotify, are completely legal and can be completely free for users. Spotify makes streaming easy, convenient, and affordable, whether you pay $10 a month for a membership or listen to an ad every other song. However, Spotify still makes money off of you whether you pay a membership fee or not due to those advertisements. You would think that money would go straight to the artists and Spotify would keep only a small percentage (after all it’s their music you’re listening to) but that's just not the case. Even with millions of people streaming music on Spotify each month, the artists are not being compensated nearly as much as they should be for their music. That being said, unless you’re a superstar, you’re making next to nothing compared to what you should be making from Spotify. So basically unless you’re a Drake or Nicki of the world, that check may never come, and if it does you’d be lucky if it was enough to afford you your morning coffee. So, what about new or local artists? Forget about it! Big musicians, while still being affected by Spotify negatively, are not hurting as bad as new talent. There isn’t even an option to search for new talent or artists in your area on Spotify. If you’re looking to discover some local gems you’re better off googling live music near me and hitting up a local bar or music venue. At least that way you know they’re making money from it whether the venue is paying them or you’re putting money directly in their tip jar. These new and local artists aren’t even getting a fair chance at streaming on apps like Spotify to make the small fraction of a penny per stream they are paying. These free music apps like Spotify may be convenient and cost effective for us to use, but if we don't support local and growing artists with our dollars they may not be able to continue creating music. With many excellent musicians today struggling to make it, you may not even get the chance to hear their music, especially if your music collection consists solely of the playlists you made on your Spotify account. Read Also: Top Ways That Tech Keeps Us Entertained 8 Problems Only Music Lovers Will Know

Receiptify: A New Way To Learn About Your Favorite Songs!

If you wish to know which are your favorite songs and artists on Spotify, it tells you so - only once at the start of the year. This is why websites like Receiptify have been created to allow Spotify users to learn about their favorite songs they love listening to over and over again. To learn more about this website and how to use it, read this post till the end. What Is Receiptify? Receiptify is a website that has gained popularity for generating a report of your most listened songs on Spotify in the form of a receipt. In this receipt report, your favorite songs appear as items, with their duration appearing as the amount. Believe it or not, this Spotify panel actually brings you closer to your favorite music. Receiptify Can Generate Reports From Which Platforms? The main feature of Spotify Receiptify is to generate reports of your favorite songs from your subscribed music streaming platforms. Here are the three music streaming services from which this website tries to understand your musical preferences: 1. Spotify Image Source: d3.harvard.edu Spotify is by far one of the most popular and most used music streaming platforms. Used by millions of subscribers worldwide, Spotify is one of the best places to get all the new music releases. In addition, you also get access to a lot of podcasts, which are becoming more and more popular on Spotify. 2. Last.fm Image Source: last.fm If you want to be a part of a growing community of music lovers, then creating an account in Last.fm is one of the best things that you can do. Here, after you create your profile, Last.fm will collect all data about what music you listen to. They allow you to link your Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, and other accounts to gain an understanding of your musical taste from there. After the site creates a musical persona of you, Autoscrobbler will start recommending music to you based on what you listen to. 3. Apple Music (iTunes) Image Source: apple.com Like Spotify, iTunes, or Apple Music, it is exactly what it is - music for Apple device owners. Although you don’t need an Apple device to create an iTunes account, you can listen to an extensive catalog of music from here - available at the highest quality not offered by other platforms - like Lossless sound quality. How To Connect Spotify Account With Receiptify? Image Source: businessrobotic.com If you think generating your specialized “receipt” reports of your most heard tracks on Spotify is complex, then you can relax after knowing that it’s easier than you think. To generate your receipt reports of your most-heard songs on Spotify using Receiptify, you must first link your account. Here is a detailed explanation of the steps you need to follow: First, open your web browser on your smartphone or computer. There, search for Receiptify and enter its official website - https://receiptify.herokuapp.com/index.html. Next, as you enter the website's homepage, you will see options for generating reports for three platforms - Spotify, Last.fm, and iTunes. Choose any one of them. For this explanation, I will be sticking with Spotify. Now, you must enter your account details like email ID and username. After you have given these details, it's time to allow Receiptify to have permission to use your session details from Spotify. You can do so when the permission page opens up in another browser tab. Congratulations! You have linked your Spotify account with Receiptify! Now, this website will be able to track all your session details on Spotify (or iTunes/Last.fm). How To Make Receiptify Spotify Reports? Image Source: i.ytimg.com After you link your Spotify account with Receiptify, it’s now time for you to generate your much-awaited “Receipt” reports! To generate Spotify reports (and of other platforms), here is a step-by-step guide on what you must do: First, open your web browser on your smartphone or computer. There, search for Receiptify and enter its official website Next, as you enter the website's homepage, you will see options for generating reports for three platforms - Spotify, Last.fm, and iTunes. Choose any one of them. For this explanation, I will be sticking with Spotify. Now, you must enter your account details like email ID and username. After you log in with your Spotify account, you can now choose between three options for report types. These three report types are based on reporting on your favorite songs for different periods. They are: Last Month (last 30 days) Last Six Months Of All Time (since account creation) Once you select which reporter to generate, this website takes a few minutes to create the report for you. It will then present the report to you in a Receipt-like format. Is Receiptify Safe? Image Source: static1.srcdn.com Yes, this website is totally safe to use and link your Spotify account to. Many Spotify users have voiced concerns that since this is a this-party website that asks you to connect your Spotify account with it, it can steal your personal information available on Spotify, including your payment information. However, Receiptify is different from sites like WcoStream. Every information that you share here is encrypted, ensuring that your data doesn’t get stolen or misused. Other Third-Party Spotify Apps You Can Use In 2023 Apart from Receiptify Spotify, there are various other applications that Spotify users should know about. Here are some of the other Spotify third-party programs I recommend you try out: 1. Spotify Palette Image Source: static1.srcdn.com This website allows you to view your favorite songs in terms of colors. Depending on the genre of the music you listen to and the mood it creates, this site will generate a color palette for you. This color palette is based on your musical preferences over the last six months. After it generates a color palette for you, it will then create an image for you based on your color palettes. These images will be taken from the database of Google Art and Culture. 2. Icebergify Image Source: scotsman.com As the name implies, this website presents your musical taste as an iceberg. Here, the website collects information about your Top 50 artists on Spotify. Here, the tip of the iceberg represents your favorite artist at the top, with others following below. 3. Your Pie! Image Source: showmetech.com.br We all love pies, don't we? Why not have your musical preferences served as a pie? By using this website, you can generate a report that represents the musical genres you listen to the most in the form of a pie graph. Don’t Forget To Take Your Spotify Receipt! Image Source: scotsman.com Spotify Receiptify has become famous for its unique and fun way of displaying your most listened-to songs on Spotify. It lists them all like a receipt, with the songs and their durations being your orders and prices, respectively. If you use Spotify, I highly recommend you try this out! Please tell us about what your most listened-to songs on Spotify are in the comments below! Read Also: 8 Problems Only Music Lovers Will Know Find the Required Music Lyrics at Allmusicals.com Headphones vs Earbuds: How to Choose for the Best Music Experience

Classical Guitar Lessons for Beginners

Want to Learn How to Learn How to Play an Instrument? Here’s What Every Beginner Should Know…v

Is Spotify Hurting New Talent The Most?

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

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Basic Steps For A Jazz Guitarist Beginner

Is Spotify Hurting New Talent The Most?

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Classical Guitar Lessons for Beginners

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Want to Learn How to Learn How to Play an Instrument? Here’s What Every Beginner Should Know…v

Is Spotify Hurting New Talent The Most?

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

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Follow Us

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