Classical Guitar Lessons for Beginners

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

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.

Read Also:

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.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

guitar play

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/

READ MOREDetails
Producer Confidential

4 Strange Facts About Producer Confidential

The music production process is long and huge. And a simple mistake can make the track damage a producer's or artist's career. Additionally, the listeners might not enjoy listening to that label's music even if they do not understand the work that goes into music production. So, what can producers and artists do to satisfy the market and have quality productions? The answer is to do away with traditional techniques and embrace technologically-advanced methods. The conventional approaches might give everyone a beat block, but modern techniques offer producers quicker, imaginative, and creative music production. One modern way is to use producer confidentiality, and here are four facts about this music production method. 1. It can use and inspire the production of high-quality music Producer confidential is an alternative to traditional music production techniques. With its stacks of melodic and beats, the service helps producers have a high-quality production process evident in the end product. The confidence and 'flow' state sought by artists and producers are easily achievable when using the producer confidential. This is because of the service's ability to offer creativity and an array of stacks, content, and melodies to give a beautiful track. 2. It gives instant sound samples Industry experts love producer confidentiality because of the wide variety of samples it gives. According to mix engineers and producers, the producer confidential has several selections to choose from in leading record labels. This gives them various choices and evades the constant work of creating beats and sounds from scratch. Even if they are old beats, there is a way to fine-tune and tweak them to give original-like sounding beats that provide a track with some newness. 3. It is a one-in-all weapon for all instruments Any track needs a perfect balance of instruments. If it is hip hop, blues, or reggae, they have different instrument combinations that give them their unique characteristics. The producer confidential can provide producers with these instrument combinations and churn out the desired track. Even in a track with weak drums, the producer service can help improve the drum set sounds. The service's Drum Magic Kit is ideal for enhancing the drum beats in a track. This is ideal in a track that needs high-octane drum beats such as reggae music. 4. The producer confidentiality gives producers an imagination spark Producer confidential provides producers and users with an upper hand in imagination. Like any art industry, music needs creativity to strike the audience the right way. So, what better way to increase your imagination level in music than using producer confidentiality? Producer confidential users can combine it with other software to up their imagination. Therefore, it is a service that can help all, either a pro or anyone who has zero music production knowledge and skills. Parting shot Music production needs creativity, imagination, and quality. And as technology advances, music production will also grow. The producer confidential has offered a quicker instrument combination method and creative pre-and post-production methods. The only thing left is to embrace and give listeners that high-quality music. Read Also: 8 Problems Only Music Lovers Will Know Headphones vs Earbuds: How to Choose for the Best Music Experience Find the Required Music Lyrics at Allmusicals.com How to Download Music from YouTube

READ MOREDetails
Recording

5 Awesome Tips to Help You Sound Better When Recording

If you have ever tried to record your voice, in a studio or at home, you might have realized that the final recording sounds nothing like you thought it would. You do know that you sound great, have heard that you do, and other people have told you the same thing. So, what happened? The difference is caused by the way we hear sounds; first through the air and then as vibrations that travel through the skill. This combination can muddy how the voice sounds, Here are a few things you can do to make you sound much better when recording: 1. Practice Beforehand Recording in a studio can be very intimidating and to cut the tension, a lot of new singers rush things. This rushing can make you sound a lot worse than you did at home. The best way to overcome these feelings is to practice a lot. When practicing, record everything and listen back to it. Doing so allows you to correct anything you do not like. It also helps you establish the right key for the type of song you are recording and to work on any vocal range issues that come up. Once you have the song and the vocal technique down, recording in a studio will be easier, and you will not have to do too many takes. You will also know the melody and lyrics so well that singing in front of people will not feel intimidating as you will know exactly what you need to do. Many recording studios offer rehearsal spaces to hire too. This is something that the Los Angeles recording studio PIRATE offers for anybody who wants to get some extra hours in before jumping straight into a recording session. 2. Check Your Posture Posture is so important when recording. Slight movements and posture can distort the recording as the microphone in the studio will be very sensitive. The correct posture requires that you start by relaxing your whole body. Any tension, especially in the abdomen, can interfere with your ability to sing. Next, stand with your legs slightly apart with one foot slightly forward. This stance gives you stability while ensuring you are leaning slightly forward. Straighten your back and ensure your chin is parallel to the floor. 3. Select the Right Microphone The microphone makes a massive difference depending on the type of singer you are. Before you start recording, run through some verses using different microphones. You should record three versions of the song without changing the EQ setting and listen back. You will then be able to choose the microphone that makes you sound best. Always choose a recording studio with a condenser microphone. The diaphragms in these microphones are extremely light meaning they follow soundwaves better than dynamic microphones. The other reason why a recording studio might use a condenser microphone is that it has a much higher sensitivity which is great for lower sounds, and a lot less noise than traditional dynamic microphones. A reputable studio will also use a curtained booth to stop interference when recording vocals and ensure crispier recordings. 4. Practice Your Microphone Technique You should also know how to use the microphone you choose correctly. One of the things you should know is the microphone volume control. This involves moving close to the microphone when your voice becomes software and further if it gets loud. Doing so ensures you record at a decent volume for both loud and soft parts which reduces the need for a lot of compressions when mixing. Second, you should learn how to avoid sibilance and popping. Sibilance is the hissing you hear when you make an F or S sound. Popping happens as you pronounce B’s and P’s because these sounds create bursts of air as they are pronounced.  You can avoid both of these issues by adjusting the distance and angle from the microphone. Lastly, you should avoid getting breathing sounds in your recording. This is done by using a pop filter and moving your head to the side and out of the way when taking a breath. If you do not do this, the breath sound will need to be edited out later. Related Resource: Want to Learn How to Learn How to Play an Instrument? Here’s What Every Beginner Should Know 5. Put Emotion in Your Songs Music is meant to move your listeners while also helping them connect with the song. The best way to achieve both of these is to add emotion to your song. To do this, ensure you are communicating the lyrics and not just singing them. Use emotion to make your audience understand what you mean in each line. Remember that the emotions you add to the song will depend on the lyrics and the type of song you are doing. If you have a hard time adding the correct emotion to a song, talk to a producer and they will get you on the right track. Mistakes happen all the time when recording, and you might end up sounding nothing like you expected. Following the tips above and practicing would help you see a noticeable difference in the quality of your recordings. Read Also: Find the Required Music Lyrics at Allmusicals.com 8 Problems Only Music Lovers Will Know Demystified: The interesting connection between politics and music

READ MOREDetails