Classical Nylon String Guitar.
The classical guitar is quite different from the steel-string acoustic or electric guitar in various ways.
It has a softer, warmer sound because it is strung with nylon strings.
The neck is also broader with wider string spacing, which facilitates fingerpicking.
While you could play a classical guitar using a guitar-pick, it’s usually played fingerpicked.
There is something very freeing about playing classical solo pieces, where you don’t need to sing or don’t need band members to sound like a complete song.
Solo pieces are compositions (or arrangements of songs or compositions), where the musician plays the melody, the chords, and the bass lines all combined on 1 instrument.
The cons: is that it is more challenging. It takes more time, discipline, and practice to get really good at classical guitar.
The pros: The feeling of accomplishment is all the sweeter as you get better at it. There is something very gratifying and special about being able to perform a solo instrumental guitar piece, sounding like a complete song all by yourself.
Usually: Solo arrangements usually impress your audience more, than the average rock guitar solo or cover tune.
If you have visitors over who want you to play some guitar for them: they will be much more in awe with your playing, when you perform a classical guitar piece than if you for example strum a folky or pop song that you sing along with.
They will be equally entertained in both cases, but they will be more impressed with the instrumental solo performance.
A solo guitar composition performance, showcases an entirely different level of musicianship, than a strummed pop or rock song performance.
The Curriculum.
Our classical guitar library covers thousands of compositions from all the classical guitar masters.
Our complete beginner classical guitar students, first learn the notes on the guitar and learn how to read music. They start off with easy, short 1 or 2 line melodies that only have a couple of notes. The pieces also train finger independence and control.
Gradually: with lots of repetition, notes are added, including the sharps and flats, resulting in the melodies getting richer. It logically and seamlessly builds up, to the point where the student knows all the notes in the first position and can read most rhythms. That student then moves on to the intermediate level.
The intermediate student take this further. The compositions gradually keep getting more challenging.
We work through a lot of great repertoire by Sors, Carulli, Bach guitar arrangements, Tarrega, Aguado, Carcassi, Ponce, Guiliani, Vivaldi, and so much more.
As the student keeps getting better: the compositions get more interesting, and more fun to play.
For the highly-advanced classical guitarists who are looking to push their performance skills to the next levels: we cover the advanced repertoire.
This includes Heitor Villa-Lobos, Isaac Albeniz (Asturias), and the compositions you would hear performed on CDs by Julian Bream, Christopher Parkening, Elliot Fisk, Sharon Isbin, or any other world-famous classical guitar performer.
Classical guitar is challenging! It is not for everybody.
If you can only practice half an hour a day or if you can only have lessons or practice sporadically: then this is probably not really for you.
However: the personal development and deep satisfaction you get out of the classical guitar journey is more than worth the time and effort.
There is nothing quite like it. Being equally trained at the classical guitar as well as acoustic and electric guitar, I can tell you: playing classical guitar gives you incomparable rewards and joy.
If you would like to explore the wonders and magic of the classical guitar journey…
