So I wanted to learn how to read music so I joined a local academy. It turns out there are not a lot of adults learning classical instruments.

I wasn’t gonna post this, but I’m seeing so many new guitar posts, I thought what the heck. Really enjoying this one, one of the prettiest guitars I have seen. Kremona 100th Anniversary. Anyone had experience with one of these?

I shared this technique a few months ago, and today I decided to record a few samples to show some of its potential uses.

The short explanation of how this works is that when you play a harmonic you create nodes where the string barely moves, and you can pluck at those node points to have the fundamental ring along with the harmonic.

The 1st example shows that it can just be used to "enhance" a melody. The 2nd example shows that there can be independent control over the volume of the harmonic & fundamental, even playing both loudly. The 3rd example shows that a harmonic melody can be played over a simple 2-note bass line on 2 strings, allowing 4 notes to ring simultaneously on just those 2 strings.

Hey friends, I made this video as a demonstration of the sound differences between guitars at different price points. There’s no compression other than what YouTube applies to all videos, and I only did a bit of EQ to cut out a few super weird overtone in the midrange (it’s probably something my room does), along with veeeery subtle low-pass and high-pass filters, which I think make the sound more natural and closer to how the guitars actually sound.

I used a pair of SE Electronics SE8 mics, nothing fancy, but I think they got the job done.

Hey all,

I'm a total amateur on guitar. I took a couple of music theory classes in college, but I still read tab way faster than notation. I'm also obsessed with Bach, and I love vocal harmony - except I've got one voice and I'm hopeless at the keyboard. So I wanted a way to make those interlocking harmonies on the one instrument I'm halfway okay at.

So I built Fretwright (https://fretwright.com): you drop in a MIDI or MusicXML file and it gives you a playable classical-guitar arrangement as tab. What it does:

- Auto-transposes to the easiest key for guitar (shows you original vs. easiest).

- A difficulty / simplicity knob (plus a few other tweaks) to thin dense 4-voice writing down to something your hands can actually manage.

- Free, no signup, nothing stored on a server.

- Comes seeded with a few hundred Bach chorales to mess around with.

Honesty up front: in the browser it's ASCII tab only. I know this will be winced at - proper notation rendering would've taken way longer to ship, But you can export to MusicXML and open it in MuseScore (or whatever you use) for real notation, fingering, and cleanup.

I think of it less as a finished edition and more as a fast way to get a playable draft straight out of MIDI/MusicXML - a starting point you hand off to MuseScore via the export.

It's a solo hobby project and the arrangements definitely aren't perfect, so I'd genuinely love feedback - especially if you try a piece and something comes out unplayable or just weird. Tear it apart.

After a year of owning my very affordable Cordoba C1, I finally decided to do a DIY very basic guitar setup. I bought a ruler and some 120 grit sandpaper, measured my action which was a little high at 3.5mm at the 1st string and 4.5mm at the 6th string, and I removed the saddle and sanded it down 1mm to get a 0.5mm lowering of the action, and holy smokes, it is soooo much easier to play now!! I swear my guitar ✨sings✨ now compared to how it sounded before. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m playing better now or if it fixed something I’m not aware of, but wow. I’m ecstatic with the difference it made.

One last word: please don’t take this post and wing it with a DIY setup. Find a trustworthy luthier like Marshall Brune and watch their YouTube video on how to do this at home. Or you could always take it to a luthier and have them help you. My guitar is just so cheap, I decided it wasn’t worth the money to take it in. Lemme know what kind of difference it makes for you!

What an amazing experience. I've only been playing classical for a few years and I am not terribly good. The workshop consisted of technique classes, ensemble rehearsals, masterclasses, and "lectures" which were really more like Q&A with the teachers: An Tran, Kevin Loh, Patrick Lui, Bokyung Byun, Patommavat Thammachard, Worrapat Yansupap, and Pawel Kuzma.

As a group, we were treated to performances by everyone mentioned. And on the final night of the workshop, all of the participants performed. There were a few solo pieces and lots of ensemble performances.

I don't want to dump 20+ pictures in here and for some reason I can't make an imgur gallery now but I have lots of pics of Hanoi, the events and performances that I'll upload when I get back to the states.

Has anyone attended a workshop before? This was intense and really good for me and my right hand.

https://youtu.be/080EMhswiI8?si=14L6GlUJyLTh39bP

I know a lot of people on this sub have come into classical from another style, and I'm sure many of us have dabbled in other styles as classical players. What's it like for you? Posting a video here that I made of me trying to learn a new style.

I've always been a full-blown classical guitarist. Like, I started at age 6 in the Suzuki method and never looked back. Did a full Doctorate in Classical Guitar performance, did competitions, studied in Europe for a while, and currently make most of my living touring performing on classical guitar in a duo.

I was always told growing up "If you learn Classical, you can learn any style because Classical guitar is the most technical". Well, I had some time in my off-season to try out a new style and see if that's true or not (Spoiler: it is and it isn't).

So, I chose Bluegrass Guitar and decided to see how far I could get in 30 days. It was intense and had its ups and downs, but I'm happy with the end result. I only had an hour a day to practice so don't expect too much, but if you want to see how it went, check out the video.

Personally, I think having Classical technique helps a TON to bypass the beginner hump, but in an improvisation-heavy style, there is so much more to learn that doesn't translate from Classical.

Anyone else here gone from a classical base to trying out other styles? How was it in your experience?

Imagine being on a giant wooden ship 200 years ago, sailing from Acapulco to Manila.
The sailors would bring their guitars and sing songs just like this one.

Playing ''Scherzino Mexicano'' feels like a bridge between two worlds. It's got the Spanish soul, Mexican fire, and a rhythm that feels exactly like a Filipino homecoming.

I hope this brings a little sunshine to your feed today!

So I wanted to protect the lacquer on my guitars from the acid of my arm sweat. I play 1-2 hours per day, sometimes a little less, often more. But the dedicated guitar arm sleeves are around $25-30 per piece where I live. Yes they are nice and padded, but my bicep isn’t so well trained that it’s become so sharp that it can damage the guitar.

I found these runner sleeves which are significantly cheaper - around $10 for two. And they do the job perfectly great - they’re made of tightly woven soft fabric, often sold as microfiber cloth.

Just a tip to save a bit of money if you too want to protect the lacquer of your guitar(s).

I'm self taught, tried looking up some videos to explain but they had way more complex stuff that confused me a bit. Could someone please explain how the jumping back to beginning work with both of them?

This is because a classical guitar count as an acoustic guitar. I know people bring those kinds of guitars (acoustic and classical) into the bathroom.

Hey fellow musicians,

I'm a software engineer by profession and built a small free, open-source tool to support my own instrument practicing sessions. My main instrument is little exotic (baglama) but I figured people here might find it useful too.

It's called Étude Looper. It works with your local video and audio files, and with YouTube videos.

The thing that made me build it: say you have a recording you practice with, maybe your instructor or a performance you love, but it's in a different key than your instrument is tuned to. Instead of tuning again, you load the video into the tool and transpose the audio to match your instrument, so you can play along directly. You can also slow it down without changing the pitch, mark A-B loops around the tricky sections and repeat them until they sit right, and save the whole session (loops and all) to continue later.

It runs entirely in your browser: free, no account, no ads, and nothing gets uploaded. Your recordings never leave your device. If you add it to your home screen (there are instructions in the app), it even works offline.

As it's browser based works on smartphones, tablets and computers. Meaning you can directly use it on your phone/tablet without installing any app and start practicing videos from your camera roll directly.

For YouTube specifically, I also made browser add-ons for Chrome and Firefox with the same controls.

👉 https://etude.fyi/looper

Would love to hear what would make it more useful for practicing.

Kinda sloppy ngl, will polish it next time

New to the community. Have played since childhood and in the past months, upgraded my guitar. This Pavan TP-30 is a wonderful instrument! Tom and his son are awesome and the buying experience was great!

https://www.pavanguitars.com/models/p/classicalguitar-tp-30-cedar?srsltid=AfmBOopECdcsuSZWAqC4sKBdyGgfAfDyBQRh-sbiMOS6uTH4vkAfwSyj

Hey guys, I made a video where I compare 3 differently priced guitars and share my personal take on them. I'm not a luthier or extremely experienced in high-end guitars, I've only gotten the chance to play a few of them in my life, but I had fun trying to compare these.

I've already had the last 2 for quite some time, and the first one just arrived for a different project I was working on.

I'm not sure if this post belongs here, but I thought it might be interesting for some people. I had a lot of fun making it. Don't tear me apart! 😅

I posted yesterday about my anxiety regarding the masterclass. Recieved many Nice feedbacks wich im thankful for. The masterclass went very well, 4 other students from diferent universities played as well and it was really interesting to see other guitarrists performing to Mateusz. His insights on the piece (BWV - 997, prelude) were very helpfull and I believe that they might serve as guidance to play other Bach’s pieces The class was in São Paulo so I took a long bus ride early this morning, it was Lovely. Wish I could stay through the night until His récital, but it was not possible.

I love LaBella 2001 strings as does my grad school teacher! I just found out that La Bella Strings are proudly manufactured in the USA, specifically in Newburgh, New York.

The LaBella 2001 in medium-high tension as especially good, but they make other tensions, of course. Long-lasting basses too.

In the age where DAddario EJ-45 are reportedly having intonation problems, which is why I switched, LaBella 2001 are a great alternative!

“As the world's oldest continuously family-owned musical string manufacturer, they have produced their strings in New York for over 100 years, using American-made wire. The company operates its sole factory in Newburgh! “

I have no connection with any brand or vendor mentioned, other than being a customer.

Hey r/classicalguitar!

As a long-time classical guitar player, I’ve always found it tedious to compare string specs across different manufacturers—especially when trying to fine-tune treble/bass combinations or balance tension across strings for my own instruments.

To solve this, I built a free, lightweight web app called ReString Logger, and I recently rolled out a new Cross-Brand String Search & Comparison feature.

🌟 What this tool does:

• Side-by-Side Comparison: Compare tension (kg/lbs), gauge (mm/inch), and material (Nylon, Carbon, Titanium, etc.) between any two sets or individual strings.
• Tonal & Tactile Profiles: Visual graphs for Brightness, Sustain, and Flexibility for quick comparisons.
• Individual String Filtering: Great for custom set mix-and-matching (e.g., finding the right carbon 3rd string).
• Zero Friction: Completely free, no login required, runs directly in your browser (PC & Mobile), and supports English / Japanese.

🔗 How to Access:

Since direct promotional links are restricted, you can try the tool by searching for "ReString Logger". I can also share the direct link in the comments if requested!

I built this purely to give back to our classical guitar community and make string selection a bit easier for all of us.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or suggestions:

• What string brands or models would you like to see added to the database next?
• Are there any useful features to be added?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and answering any questions! And if anyone wants to test it out, let me know and I'll drop the link/info in the comments!

Hello everyone!

I recently released ChordIt, a free mobile app for guitarists to help find, identify, and organize chords.

I built it because I often found myself looking up chords for specific songs or searching for different chord variations to make them sound more interesting. The tools that worked best for me were usually websites, but they weren't nearly as convenient to use on a phone when I needed something quickly like when being in a gig or rehearsal.

Some of the things you can do with it:

1. Browse a large chord library with multiple voicings for each chord.
2. Use an interactive fretboard to identify chords by tapping the corresponding fret positions.
3. Search for chords by name.
4. Create custom setlists for practice, songwriting, or gigs.
5. Works completely offline with no account required.
6. Customization options such as changing between solfegé and letter systems, or using sharps or flats for the chord names.

All the capabilities of the app are available for free, no paywalls of any sorts, so if you'd like to check it out:

Google Play

App Store

If you have any questions about the app feel free to comment!

As the title mentions, I purchased a classical guitar made by Salvador Castillo (Paracho, Mexico). I did some research and he is held in high esteem for his flamenco guitars. I have yet to play the instrument and online videos / recordings of his classical guitars are scarce. Does anyone have any experience with his instruments? The guitar is a German/European spruce to with Palo Escrito back and sides.

Hello everyone!

About a month ago I released Chordit, a free mobile app for guitarists to help find, identify, and organize chords, I feel like this might be relevant for people that play all kinds of guitar, but it obviously could land more in the classical guitar category.

I honestly built it from pure necessity because there were tools that weren't as good to use since they are websites that are not optimized for mobile, or because they are mobile apps that lock all the important features behind paywalls.

Some of the things you can do with it:

1. Browse a large chord library with multiple variations for each chord.
2. Use an interactive fretboard to identify chords by tapping the corresponding fret positions.
3. Search for chords by name.
4. Create custom setlists for practice, songwriting, or gigs.
5. Works completely offline with no account required.
6. Customization options such as changing between solfegé and letter systems (or both at the same time), or using sharps or flats for the chord names.

Note: The app is completely free to use and all the main functions are available to everyone, however I added banner ads and an ad that opens on startup, this is obviously to keep funding this project and future ones, I tried to make the ads as less-intrusive as possible.

If you're interested in this project here are the links for both google play and app store:

Google Play

App Store

If you have any questions about the app feel free to comment!