The Classical Guitar (NFW first post)

The Classical Guitar, with Mateo

I was recently reminded that not everyone knows what my instrument is, so I thought that I’d give a brief overview of it here. I think everyone knows what a “normal” acoustic guitar is. Steel-stringed? People often like to experiment with it because it seems relatively simple at first. There’s the electric guitar, the one that everyone wants to play because it’s always in every pop song and is the one that famous guitarists like to “shred” on. And then, there’s the classical guitar. Almost every time I bring it up, people are confused, so what is it? It’s a guitar with 6 nylon strings and typically a larger body than your average acoustic guitar. It’s very delicate and is known for having a softer sound because it’s not played with a pick, but with fingers. Now would be a wonderful time to pull up YouTube and look up “Classical guitar pieces”, and just listen to any of them. Francisco Tárrega is by far one of the greatest classical guitar composers of all time, and I just absolutely adore his music. Recuerdos de la Alhambra is a long but wonderful piece that I would highly recommend listening to. While we’re on the topic of legendary guitar composers, Isaac Albéniz’s “Asturias” is another timeless piece that is recognized worldwide. One thing to note is that the Classical Guitar is mostly centered in Spain, so some of the most popular pieces will sound Spanish. This isn’t to say that the classical guitar can only be Spanish; there are plenty of pieces that were made in other parts of the world, but in general, the classical guitar is centered around Spain. 

By now you’ve hopefully listened to a little classical guitar and can admire the beauty of the instrument. When I specifically bring up the classical guitar, I have to address the long nails. People are normally surprised; I mean, “aren’t nails supposed to be kept trim?” In general, I think that’s what the norm is, so that’s why people are even more confused when they see my left-hand nails are trim… and my right aren’t. The nail maintenance is so tedious. My professor tells me that I need to make a habit of sanding my nails with 1500-grade sandpaper every day, in order to maintain a polished sound with the guitar. Or else you get the dreaded icky sound. I’m not going to include a photo of nails here because I don’t think it’s necessary, but if you’re interested in seeing how nail maintenance works, then go for it. 

Now, if you play an instrument like piano or violin, you might know, in general, how the progression goes: you start young, have lessons, have recitals, get to high school and either quit because it’s too stressful, or continue it in hopes of becoming the best in your orchestra and putting it on college apps or something. My sister is a violin player, so she’s grappling with all these things. Well, guess what. It doesn’t really work that way with guitar. If I were a super serious player, my parents could’ve sent me to a classical guitar school in Poland, but it’s a bit expensive to do that, so it didn’t happen haha. I started off with basic guitar lessons when I was 7, and have been taking them since, but the problem is, with an instrument like this, there isn’t really a curriculum or specific progression associated with it. With the violin, for example, there’s the Suzuki Method, and it’s pretty straightforward, and you get to see exactly how skilled you are. But for the classical guitar, you kind of have to deal with the fact that it’s not a super popular instrument that’s integrated into music schools anymore. Since it’s kind of hard to find places to play the classical guitar in groups, it’s really cool that the U of I has a guitar ensemble that I’ll hopefully be able to join in the spring. Concurrent enrollment makes it really easy to get involved in things like that, but at the same time, it’s not the same feeling as playing instruments with peers your age at a school band; after all, these are doctoral students and not uni high kids. 

So there’s a little bit about the classical guitar. It’s a wonderful instrument with a unique sound and so many possibilities for musical exploration, but the downside is that it’s not super popular, and it’s hard to find people to learn from or play with. 


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