Today I'd like to talk about something that almost made me give up playing the guitar at some point - the classical guitar. I got to appreciate it in my late twenties, however as a teenager I saw the classical guitar as boring and not being able to hold my attention and passion for guitar playing. Having matured as a person, I have matured as a guitar player as well. Today I am looking at the classical guitar as a new challenge and a universe to explore. Regardless of your experience with the classical guitar, it is never too late to start studying it and here are some reasons why.
Reading Sheet Music
Even though you can learn classical guitar pieces from tabs, I believe that the right way to do it is by learning to read sheet music. First of all, acquiring this skill will make you literate in the most universal language that world knows, which is music. It seems to me that that not being able to read music is like living in an exotic country, say Thailand or China, and speaking its language, without knowing how to read it and write it. If we thing of literacy as one of the basic qualities of an educated person, being a musician and not being able to read sheet music can be likened to being illiterate, or perhaps being a musical moron, a primitive.
Technique
I believe that studying the classical guitar at a fairly early age (I was eleven at that time) laid foundations for my left and right hand technique for any guitar style that I have performed ever since. The classical guitar technique is, to my mind, the alpha and omega of guitar playing, it's got its rules and truths perpetuated by its masters and professors. Once learned it stays with your for all the years ahead and it will manifest itself in any genre you decide to switch to. The classical guitar exposes all the flaws and imperfections of your guitar playing. Stripped of distortion or other guitar effects to hide behind, when playing the classical guitar you are out there, exposed and vulnerable. Mastering it requires hard work, discipline and time.
Challenge
Guitar players oftentimes find themselves at a point when they don't know what to practise or play anymore. It seems like there are no new interesting riffs, you've learned all the solos you wanted to play, all the improv tracks are boring and you can't look at the scales anymore. Taking up classical guitar might be a great way to stir this fire again. Find yourself a good classical guitar teacher or explore the Internet for sources and set off on a fascinating musical journey.
Get To The Core
Most of electric guitar players start from blues, seen as the father of rock&roll and the grandfather of heavy metal. However, first classical guitar music pieces date back to the late eighteenth century. That is when it all began for the guitar, that's the time when the first guitar was built. Studying and mastering music can be compared to exploring other arts of the Muses; when you study literature, you always go back to the Illiad and the Odyssey and Beowulf. Immersing your in the classical guitar will let you go deeper into the world of music and acquire better understanding of it.
The classical guitar is widely underestimated by electric guitar players. It is not a guarantee of sex, drugs and rock&roll, it doesn't look as cool as a Les Paul on stage and it is way less forgiving than the electric guitar. However, those willing to make an effort to explore it are on the right way to better themselves as guitarists, musicians and artists.
Earworm
There are so many parallels in this article to the world of cooking. So many chefs want to cook molecular gastronomy or other modern cooking techniques and have no foundation in classical cooking. You need to study the classics for years before you can improvise and have it make sense. All modern cooking has come from the classics. If you look closely at even the most complex modern food dish you can see that the inspiration comes from classical cooking. Great article. I enjoyed this very much.
Thanks for you great comment, Steve, much appreciate it!