Classical music on electric

[DarkHorseJ27]

I love the classical guitar. I have a book of Bach for classical guitar. I can't get a good tone out of nylon strings, so I was planning on using my steel string dreadnought. However, there are two things:

 

1. I have practiced fingerpicking much more than alternate picking, but my alternate picking chops are significantly better than my fingerpicking chops.

 

2. I've had chronic tendonitis on and off over the past two years. It can feel it want to come back if I try to play too much acoustic. I don't have that problem on electric, no matter how fast I play.

 

Because of those two I think I'm just simply meant for electric. However, I still want to play classical music on guitar. On a good number of classical guitar pieces I've heard it almost sounds like one person playing the melody then someone else playing bass notes. And especially if its Bach, then the melodies are more than strong enough to stand on their own.

 

My question is, could I just play the top notes out of my Bach book on electric guitar. Perhaps bits where I can't get away without playing more than one note at once I can use hybrid picking.

[Jasco]

Lot's of other people have gotten a good tone from a classical nylon string guitar. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to also. Maybe you should say "not yet" instead of "can't".

 

However it is perfectly OK to play classical pieces on a steel string acoustic or electric.

 

I wouldn't limit myself to thinking "I'm only going to do this on electric", though. Why not play your classical music on all three types of guitars?

 

As far as tendonitis, it mainly has to do with keeping your wrist straight and relaxed while playing. Check some of the other recent threads for more tendonitis info.

 

And yes you could play just the top melody from Bach pieces. Or you could hybrid pick n' fingers. Or you could fingerpick. Or a combination of all three. No real rules, just do what you want.

 

- Jasco

[DarkHorseJ27]

I know a lot about tendonitis, but it just always seems to want to come back from the extra exertion it takes to fret acoustic strings. My electric has incredible action and it almost seems to play itself sometimes.

 

I have thought about getting a nylon string, but considering that I only like them for classical (and flamenco a little too) and that I don't have a lot of extra money, I have decided against it (not to mention there would be having to convince my fiancee). My tone on nylons do has gotten better though from me playing around on them at stores.

 

I don't like to fingerpick a lot of acoustic stuff on electric because for some things the extra sustain of an electric makes the notes kind of jumble together (kind of like if you play open chords with heavy distortion).

 

I should have phrased my main question in my first post better. Do you guys think for the most part would classical pieces sound good if I mainly played the top notes, and hybrid picked the part where the bass notes are really needed to make the part sound good? Also, would it work on other pieces other than just ones by Bach?

[Jasco]

 

I know a lot about tendonitis, but it just always seems to want to come back from the extra exertion it takes to fret acoustic strings. My electric has incredible action and it almost seems to play itself sometimes. I have thought about getting a nylon string, but considering that I only like them for classical (and flamenco a little too) and that I don't have a lot of extra money, I have decided against it (not to mention there would be having to convince my fiancee). My tone on nylons do has gotten better though from me playing around on them at stores. I don't like to fingerpick a lot of acoustic stuff on electric because for some things the extra sustain of an electric makes the notes kind of jumble together (kind of like if you play open chords with heavy distortion). I should have phrased my main question in my first post better. Do you guys think for the most part would classical pieces sound good if I mainly played the top notes, and hybrid picked the part where the bass notes are really needed to make the part sound good? Also, would it work on other pieces other than just ones by Bach?

 

 

I always find it amusing when you give someone some answers and they resist what you told them.

 

As far as fingerpicking on electric it's not the 'fingerpicking' part that makes notes jumble together, but rather it is the lack of various muting techniques with both hands. I've done a lot of work adapting classical and flamenco right hand technique to electric. My notes don't 'jumble' together. But I've had to really concentrate on my muting.

 

As far as things sounding good, that is a judgement you'll have to make for yourself after experimenting with the different aproaches you've mentioned.

[DarkHorseJ27]

I wasn't resisting you on your answers, I was just speaking from my experience. I did have a "duh" moment when you mentioned muting.

 

I would still rather stick more with alternate picking because I am better at it, and plus for fingerpicking I am used to the wider string spacing on a acoustic.

 

I'm just not a very good fingerpicker.

[chisa]

grow you fingernails.

[DarkHorseJ27]

I did have nails, but clipped them after returning to electric because they got in they way of practicing tapping.