Classical Guitar Online Lessons Academy

I have my dad’s old guitar and an old guitar book, but I want some tips.

Pick a simple song you like and see if you can find the tab on the internet. Tablature (tab) is a method of notation that shows you what fret to play and what string it’s played on. It was developed for classical guitar, but it’s used for all kinds of music. And there’s tons of free tab around. Just search google for the name of the song you want to learn and add guitar tab to the search term. You might also want to add the artist name if other artists perform it.

Also, check youtube and google videos for guitar lessons. And see if any of your friends are playing guitar.

I am a fourteen year old female who was in band and is a singer. I am interested in learning how to play guitar because I think it would be good to be able to sing and play the guitar at the same time. Honestly, how hard is it to learn how to play the guitar if you take one lesson a week on a scale of one to twenty (twenty being really really hard). Honestly please. What are the pros and cons of the guitar. And have you ever tried? Please tell me what you know from experience. Thanks!

Playing any instrument is not easy, unless it’s the triangle. First you have to get your fingers and hand muscles ready, this could take about three months just to get the callouses nessasary to play without pain. I play classical guitar and I also love fingerstyle, and I’ve put years and years into it. I’ve taught a lot of kids your age to play and most girls give up too quickly, #1 they don’t want to cut their nails on the left hand as short as they need to be, and second they complaine about the pain in their fingers and hand, I try to tell them that in time after you develope those callouses it will get a lot easier, but most quit, I have one girl who is doing quite well, she was amazed how after about six months she could do things that she thought were impossiable in the beginning, she was so cute in the beginning trying to change cords from an F to a G she said that I had to be kidding, that was impossiable, well now she does it with no problem. So if you decide to play get yourself a good teacher and give it a try, in the beginning it will seem imposiable but believe me it get easier with time and patience. If you can’t get a teacher go to Sam Ash and get a good method book, tell the clerk what style your interested in and try to get the book with the teaching Cd in the back. As for you scale of one to twenty everyone’s different, some think it’s a twenty and some think its a ten, when I started I thought it was about fifteen especially the full barr cords.

I play the classical guitar.

Well, since you play guitar already you have some of the basic techniques down already. Remember that although you are playing a bass "guitar" it is a whole other animal than your classical.

I would suggest getting a method book or two and going from there. If it all possible take a few lessons. Maybe since you already have some musical knowledge getting a friend to guide you through some of the basics could be enough. But seriously do get a method book. If anything else you will get those basics/ funda,entals that are key to playing any instrument.

And I don’t know if you would be into this or not but I have seen a bass guitar book that contains bass arrangements of classical compositions. I would check out musiciansfriend.com or Amazon.com. It may have been called "Bach for Bass" (or something like that). With the classical arrangements you could be working on technique while also becoming more familiar with the instrument.

Good luck!

They offer elementary, intermediate and advanced guitar at my community college and it’s 2 hours per week vs 30 min of private guitar lesson?

Which one is better?

Lessons offered by the music department of a College will
most likely involve :
A group of students at a time
(not so good but it could be supportive for students with elementary guitar skills)
A review of music fundamentals as it applies to the guitar.
(This is good for anyone starting guitar studies)

MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE THAN PRIVATE LESSONS
(At the local college the tuition is only $20.00 for state residents students)

You will meet other students with skills similar to yours and
you could possibly benefit by practicing together.

NOW FOR PRIVATE LESSONS:
The high cost compared to college tuition fees (not good)
(already mentioned)
Is the teacher trained in the STYLE of guitar music that you
are interest in learning?
You want value for your money and should be selective in choosing a teacher that knows how to sight-read music as
well as a practicing performer OR experienced instructor that can meet your current guitar style of music.
(If you are interested in classical guitar seek one teacher that
is into this field of guitar music, NOT a rock guitar-player who also "teaches all styles".

Thru my guitarist friends I have heard that there are some
"teachers of all styles of guitar" that according to them
"won’t be able to teach a dog how to eat meat".

Private teacher (if properly chosen) would be able to help you progress quicker. However 30 minutes goes fast and by the time you open your guitar case and set up your gear about
4 to 5 minutes cut into the class before any actual "teaching" takes place.
If your teacher is a "clock watcher" and wants you out at exactly 30 minutes from the time you seat down, look for another teacher pronto.
A teacher interested in his/her students is willing to share
"small-talk " about guitar practicing and preparation for your
next class and not treat the students like a ‘processing factory belt".

Good Luck in whatever method you choose.

Are there any books or websites that will give me all the information in the grades one and two syllabus. i want to be able to read music for guitars and understand some basic theory.
thanks alot
bobby

p.s i will also be getting some lessons once i have reached around grade two, i need to see if i am committed before i commit to lessons!

I’m a classical guitar conservatoire graduate with lots of performance and teaching experience. I say this not to impress somebody, but simply because from my experience of learning and teaching the classical guitar there is only one real answer to your question:

Get a classical guitar method! One such as those from Mateo Carcassi or Sagreras. These books cover all the thing you mentioned (including note reading and how it relates to the guitar neck, technique and interpretation), but the they do it in an educational manner that has been proven to get results.

These books have been written in such a way as to gradually give you tangible results. Because they are method books, they teach the student in a progressive and correct way, and as a result you may find yourself tackling your favorite piece easily and with great results. They use exercises as well as “studies” (musical pieces devoted to teaching you a certain technique) to build your technical as well as interpretative skills. Besides teaching technique, methods also facilitate intimate knowledge of your instrument, which is just a fancy way of saying that you will know your guitar inside and out. But can you really teach yourself classical guitar? Yes, you can. Two of the greatest classical guitar players ever, Tarrega and Segovia, where self taught. For more in depth theory you might have to get some theory books, but a good classical guitar method will give you the basics.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Best wishes,
Ben Dressen

http://www.RezZonator.com

I have an Ibanez Classical Acoustic Guitar and Ive had it almost 2 years but the neck is starting to bend. I heard that the bolt on the inside needs tightened. How much would it cost on average to fix it (cheapest please) or how can i fix it?
Im not using steel strings. I just bought new nylon ones. And I wouldnt fix it myself.

Classical guitars usually have no truss rod – if yours does, a guitar tech can adjust it for you. If you have a full setup done on the guitar it might cost as much as $50 – 75, but a quick rod adjustment should not cost anywhere near that.

In cases where there is no rod, as on most classicals, or in cases where the rod is not sufficient to bring the neck into proper adjustment, there are two ways to change the neck curvature. One is to remove the frets and plane the fretboard, and the other is to use heat and clamps to try and bring the neck into the right shape. Many repairmen feel that the heat/clamp method doesn’t work well or last very long. Both methods are rather expensive and not the sort of thing you would do on a beginner guitar.

You didn’t say which direction the neck is going, but significant neck warping on a 2-year-old classical is quite unusual because of the low string tension. Has the guitar been subjected to high temperatures or abnormal pressure on the neck? Is it under warranty by any chance?

P.S. Are you sure that the problem is the neck bending, and not a shifting in the area of the neck/body joint causing the neck to lean forward? Not that that’s any cheaper to fix…Anyway, I suggest you show the guitar to a repairman and see what he says after thoroughly inspecting it.

Meaning, the right tutor for the type of guitar you want to learn from. I aim to learn classical guitar playing if it suits me

Hi Caz. I’m a professional classical guitarist. Here is what to look for in a guitar teacher. If you want to learn classical guitar, find a teacher who has a Bachelor’s degree or better. You are in luck, because there are more of us out there than the market can bear, so a lot of fine teachers are branching out, not being able to get the rare university teaching positions. They’re teaching privately and in all kinds of institutions. So you’re likely to find someone good, esp. in a major metropolitan area like Melbourne.
Now , I’m not sharp on the scene in Australia, but I can tell you some more things that should help you. It is true that your teacher should be someone who is well-versed in music, and in the style you’re interested in. Studying with a blues guitarist who has no experience with classical guitar, for ex., would be a trial.
Now, someone mentioned a "test lesson" – someone mentioned this…. You won’t know enough after one single lesson about the teacher or his/her methods after a single lesson to judge. Instead, do your research before hand thoroughly, and sign up with the teacher you choose for a good three months or more. It would be ok to look for someone who is "nice" as well – nice makes it easier to learn, but you don’t want a teacher who is too "nice" or they may not have the courage to tell you when you’re on the wrong road.
Here are some very good links that should help in your search! The first is the Guitar Foundation of America. It is a treasure trove of everything classical guitar. The links page has a lot of great info, and you should look at the Guitar Societies in particular.
http://guitarfoundation.org/
http://www.classicalguitarsydney.org.au/
http://www.guitarwa.com.au/
those last two are much closer to home. Good luck, and if you want some assistance, feel free to contact me via my 360 page.

I play classical guitar and I need my nails to play. The only problem that I have is that my nails are really weak and they brake easily. Is there anything I can do to make my nails stronger?

Yes

Eat almonds. Honestly. If you eat 6-10 almonds a day, your nails will get stronger. I have been using this method for months, and within a week of eating almonds, my nails arent "bendable", and they never break. I keep my nails constantly painted black, and they do not weaken under the paint. Ive also found my hair to be thicker

Gelatin also helps you to have healthier skin, hair, and nails.

Not consuming enough Vitamin B and C often leads to nails cracking and breaking too.

Some other methods are to rub your nails with orange peel or garlic (i know its werid) for at least five min. Oils are also good, for many dry nails crack. If your nails are discolored, you may have a health problem, our nails are hair are very often easy ways to see how good your health is.

I would stick to the almonds though, its easy and it works.

I have been looking for a flamenco guitar but have been unable to find any locally. I have found a few classical guitars, which my friend says are pretty much the same other than visually. I was wondering if there were any other differences between the two (other than playing styles).

Absolutely.. I play Flamenco on my Taylor NS34ce CLASSICAL guitar all the time… it’s just one more method and style of playing. There IS a slight difference between a true FLAMENCO guitar and a CLASSICAL guitar in that the Flamenco guitar has a LOWER ACTION.. in fact.. Flamenco guitars have the lowest action of any type of guitar… but, you can take your Classical guitar to any decent Luthier and get it set up to play both Flamenco and Classical..

i bought a classical guitar 1 1/2 years ago, but i dont like it, i rather have an electric or an acoustic.
its price was 130$, its in perfect conditions, where could i go sell it?to a musical instruments store? how much would i get from it more or less?
and another thing, is it harder to learn how to play guitar with an acoustic or electric guitar than with a classical one?
I already know how to but some people have asked me about it and didnt know

Ideally you should have a list of classical guitar, electric guitar, and how to play each of them. Looking at them one by one to get an idea of each and every different learning methods

Classical Guitar
http://astore.amazon.com/amazon.discounts-20/search?node=8&keywords=classical+guitar&x=0&y=0&preview=

Electric Guitar
http://astore.amazon.com/amazon.discounts-20/search?node=8&keywords=electric+guitar&x=0&y=0&preview=

How to play electric guitar
http://astore.amazon.com/index0-20/search?node=109&keywords=how+to+play+electric+guitar&x=0&y=0&preview=

How to play acoustic guitar
http://astore.amazon.com/index0-20/search?node=109&keywords=how+to+play+acoustic+guitar&x=0&y=0&preview=

Hope this helped