Classical Guitar Rage
I have recently taken to playing the classical guitar in an attempt to fill out on my desire to learn a musical instrument. Its amazing what a classical guitar can do.
I am just starting out o my own, with notes borrowed here and there, asking people a little this and that, so far so good. The bean sprouts are making more sense to me than ever instead of looking like food or tadpoles strung on lines.
I will most probably take lessons soon. Classical guitar lessons of course. There is a difference between classical guitar and the usual strumming and sing type.
Whats the difference you ask?
Let me educate you.
Pop songs played on a classical/acoustic guitar are played by chords.
Chords are usually played by strumming adjacent, separate or all of the strings. So songs that can be played by chords are usually easy and simple. Just remember your finger placing with respect to the chord and strum and sing. Not difficult to master if you ask me.
Classical guitar pieces are like any other musical pieces, with notes sprawled all over the pages, you pluck or strum individual strings. Of course chords are part of it as well. Like playing a piano.
Then there's something else, a guitar tab. Which looks like a matrix for people whom have never been exposed to it before. Basically its a graphical interpretation for the finger on the strings. It looks something like this :
e|7--7--7--|7--5--3--|3--2--0--|0--3--7--|
B|-0--0--0-|-0--0--0-|-0--0--0-|-0--0--0-|
G|--0--0--0|--0--0--0|--0--0--0|--0--0--0|
D|---------|---------|---------|---------|
A|---------|---------|---------|---------|
E|0--------|0--------|0--------|0--------|
See? Told you it looks like a matrix.
How to read it if it is a graphical interpretation?
You read it from top to bottom, in a straight row. So the first row reads e-7 and E-0.
It means that you have to pluck the 1st string (e string) with your left finger placed at the 7th fret TOGETHER with the 6th string (E string) with no fingers on any fret (open).
And the next is to play the B string open and so on and so forth reading in a column from left to right.
Easier to comprehend but lacks tempo to guide you as to how the piece should flow, so could be difficult to achieve what the composer had intended. Best if you've heard the piece before.
So anyone keen to learn together with me? :)
Last but not least, a highly addictive piece played by Nelson Amos, Spanish Romance.