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RE: Flamenco on a classical guitar? (in reply to Tricky Fish)
Hi Tricky
Allow me to be the one to give the usual response to this question. Do a search on the foro. It has been dealt with many times before in one form or another! Ordinary keywords are fine.
Good luck in your search a) for truth in flamenco and b) for the answer to your question.
Posts: 482
Joined: May 6 2009
From: Iran (living in London)
RE: Flamenco on a classical guitar? (in reply to Tricky Fish)
Tricky,
In a nutshell, if you can get a Flamenco guitar to start with, get one. If you can't (for whatsoever reason), stick a golpeador on your classical guitar and play. Then give yourself a few months to decide if Flamenco is your cup of tea or not
RE: Flamenco on a classical guitar? (in reply to Tricky Fish)
quote:
What will I be missing if I play flamenco on a classical guitar
To start flamenco playing on a classical is prudent. It will take time before you understand what you value in a flamenco model.
Most of us started off with a classical. If you have an existing classical. I suggest two things: Buy a new saddle and lower your action. Then use the light gauge strings of your choice to ease your right hand techniques.
Posts: 797
Joined: Jun. 1 2010
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
RE: Flamenco on a classical guitar? (in reply to Tricky Fish)
Hi Tricky, welcome to the Foro!
If you play the same flamenco falseta three times on a classical guitar, the ghost of Segovia will visit you at night and give you an atomic wedgie.
Aside from that, it's certainly not a terrible way to take your first steps into flamenco. Good advice so far. Scour those archives, you'll find lots of great discussion on this topic.
Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: Flamenco on a classical guitar? (in reply to Tricky Fish)
Unless your classical is one with a high action (such as a Ramirez) you should be able to play Flamenco on it with no modifications save one: the golpeador is essential.
Nowadays you can buy stick-on ones, as others have said. When I started (1960s) I cut one out of cardboard and stuck it on with Sellotape (=US Scotch tape).
Some pieces (e.g. guajiras, especially in D) will sound great on a classical guitar. Others, especially the more percussive ones such as bulerías, will not sound as good. But at least you can learn.
RE: Flamenco on a classical guitar? (in reply to Tricky Fish)
One thing to remember is that until a certain price point, all you get is classical guitars with lighter colored back & sides.
Once your right hand starts to develop you'll be able to shape your sound to a point where you can sound good on any guitar. Rasgueados for example will sound like crap for a long time (bonk bonk bonk) and that lack of technique will certainly show more on classical guitars (boomy muddy thuddy).
Just play whatever you can get and later on you'll know what you like/need. For now you should (IMO) make sure that you get an anatomically correct guitar (setup) in order to avoid unecessary difficulties.
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