What is a traditional...acoustic guitar?

[H.I.B.]

What would be considered (not brand or anything, but as far as features) a traditional acoustic guitar? nylon strings or metal strings?

 

What defines a classical guitar and can you play classical guitar on above defined traditional?

[nip]

I'm thinking Spanish guitar i.e nylon strings. Body shape with a narrow waiste and fretboard quite wide and long distance between strings to play classical.

When saying western it's quite clear you are talking about a steel stringed instrument. In europe 'western style' is often classified as a group to look for in musical stores and it's often dreadnoughts as well but not necessarily. And it can be jumbos as well.

That's my view anyway.

[H.I.B.]

Hmm, I think I'm more into spanish/classical.. and also flamenco but that's different too.

[Freeman Keller]

Originally posted by H.I.B. What would be considered (not brand or anything, but as far as features) a traditional acoustic guitar? nylon strings or metal strings? What defines a classical guitar and can you play classical guitar on above defined traditional?

 

 

The terms "classical guitar" are usually used to mean a gut or nylon strung instrument that just happens to be used to play classical music. I have a wonderful book at home on the history guitar - the six string gut strung guitar has remained pretty much unchanged for two or three hundred years. A classical guitar today by any of the great builders will look pretty much the same and will be built very traditionally

 

The steel string guitar was started (FK looks at the Martin tee shirt he is wearing) by CF Martin in 1833. It has grown from the original "parlor sized" guitars of the turn of the century to all the different permutations we know and love today.

 

You can play Bach on a Taylor and you can play blues on a Hauser, but each has been refined for its own kind of music.

 

Classical technique is much more rigid too - the guitar is held just so, fingers are assigned their own chores, the thumb stays on the back of the neck - many players even use a special stool or chair. Steel string player, oh my gawd, they do just about any old thing they want - picks or none, stum 'em or finger 'em, use all sorts of weird chord positions, and play about any kind of music you can think of. Some even slide around with an old wine bottle neck and, horror of horrors, some even electrify them.

 

So, what defines a "traditional acoustic guitar" - I'm not at all sure. What defines a classical guitar is very clear. What can you play on a classical guitar - well, all of the following play nylon string guitar - Segovia, Willie Nelson, Earl Klugg, Buster B Jones. Which one is playing "traditional"

[Stackabones]

Originally posted by Freeman Keller What can you play on a classical guitar - well, all of the following play nylon string guitar - Segovia, Willie Nelson, Earl Klugg, Buster B Jones. Which one is playing "traditional"?

 

 

Well said!

 

Plenty of nylon-string players out there who don't play classical. Nylon-string guitar doesn't mean classical; classical guitar doesn't mean nylon-string.

 

Wasn't it Barrios who played classical on a steel-string?