Is there a difference between classical guitar and just plain, run-of-the-mill acoustic guitar? If so, what is it?
I was thinking that for my next guitar I'd get some type of acoustic, and it might be fun to get a classical. Is this a bad idea? Is classical harder to play than acoustic?
What makes a classical guitar classical?
I believe classical often has a wider neck and wider fret spacing, along with nylon strings. They are really fun to play!
Dustin
I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.
- Jimi Hendrix
There are some other differences too... classical guitars are much lighter, with thinner woods and less bracing. The neck joins the body at the 12th fret - some acoustics join at 12, but most are at 14 or 15. Classical fingerboards are flat; some acoustics have a bit of curve to them.
Classical guitars are designed to be played with the fingers, instead of a pick. When you alternate pick, you've just got two motions to worry about... with classical, you can play strokes with consecutive fingers, but you've got a lot of possible pairs (I-M, M-I, M-A, A-M, etc) depending on what string your notes are on. It takes a little longer to develop this right hand finger independence.
Playing position is a bit different, too... classical guitar is played with the neck held higher than a steel string. The classical position is to cross the legs, and rest the guitar on the higher leg, but a lot of players will use a footstool instead - your leg goes to sleep after an hour or two in the classical position :)
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