Beginning Classical or Finger-style Guitar

If you are buying a guitar for a child, I recommend a small steel string guitar. I have past students that started on the steel string acoustic and switched to the classical and play really good and most will tell me the same story. They worked their fingers hard. These were all the kids when they were little that really did their practicing. It is wonderful to see they are still playing.

The next thing we need to do is make sure your nails on the left hand are cut short. We can keep the nails long on the right hand if you chose. The guitar should be a classical guitar with nylon strings.

We use the index finger is number 1, the middle finger is 2, and the ring finger is 3, the little finger is 4. Also, the right hand can be referred to as p = thumb, index = I. middle =M, ring = A. The thumb is very important in this type of guitar playing, the thumb gives the guitar the steadiness for your left hand.. You will need to make sure the thumb stays at the back of the guitar neck.

The thumb can use a rest stroke to play the sixth and fifth and fourth string. If you are going to teach yourself there are several good books that can be used with or without a teacher. A good finger-style book is Happy Traum's Basic Guitar Book 3. A good all Classical Guitar book for beginners is Classical Guitar by Paul Henry. These books are both excellent and easy to understand. Some people use the word picking,but we are not using a pick we are plucking the strings. This type of playing is very different from picking an acoustic steel string guitar.

Try working the three bass strings using the free stroke. This basically means the finger will not touch any other string, it is plucked freely. The three treble string fingers rest on the strings when using the thumb to hold the guitar. . Refer to the video if you have any problems. If I pluck the first string, I will rest on B. and return to where I started.

The Carcassi Classical Guitar Method by Carl Fisher is a very good organized book that introduces each step in an orderly fashion. It starts out with the rudiments of music. The book has very easy to follow diagrams, chords, and arpeggios. I will display arpeggios on the video. Many pieces are written for your pleasure.

The book is a great addition for any beginning Classical or finger style player. The book has everything you will need to get started with or without a teacher.

I just want to update this hub, and let others know that the students that started out on acoustic steel string guitars for approximately 2 to 3 years are doing great on their classical guitar. Those that switch to classical seem to be able to master this type of music quickly.

The Classical Guitar ia a warn sounding instrument tht will not break the buget if you should buy this one. It comes as apackage that inclues a padded zippered bag to carry the guitar. The guitar stays in tune, and plays very easy. It is very good for a beginner child or adult.

Another book I have found is the Hal Leonard Guitar Method, by Paul Henry. It is a good book that holds the interest of the new student. This book is extra helpful because it comes with a CD of all 25 pieces to play. Paul Henry is one of the finest classical performers. He is a true perfectionist and a great teacher. He was a student of Andres Segovia. Some of the pieces in the book are :

Theme In A - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Hungarian Air - Francesco Bathioli

Andante - Robert Schumann This is one of my favorite pieces.

Waltz- Ferdinando Carulli I like his music and it is usually easy to play which means I can concentrate more on the feeling of the music.

The D-2R is a guitar that is great for finger-style or pick. It is truly a steel string that plays both styles of music. For me there is no comparison between the two styles. Finger-style is awesome it lets me play 2 parts at one time.

This guitar gives me the best of both worlds. This plays everything and is a great choice. The finger style video above shows a wonderful guitar player. The source is YouTube.

What is the big question? What do you want to play? If you are an adult you already know what type of music you want to play. Classical, folk, and fingerstyle sound great on a classical guitar. Blues, rock&roll, rock, country, and bluegrass all sound good on steel string acoustic guitars.

Arch top, the guitar with the F holes, and the high action, is great for playing jazz. . This is the first step know what music you want to play.