Benefits of Playing Classical Guitar

Children and adults alike benefit from playing a musical instrument, especially a guitar. In the realm of guitars however, steel-string acoustic guitars and electric guitars seem to be the instrument of choice among most musicians. Nylon-string classical guitars don’t seem to receive the same amount of attention steel-stringers do.

But the winds of change are blowing with a renewed interest in nylon-stringed guitars. It may have something to do with the continued popularity of the guitar’s smaller nylon-stringed cousin the ukulele. It can also be that people are also starting to have a renewed appreciation for the classical guitar sound.

If you want to learn to play an instrument and you’ve always loved the sound a classical guitar makes, then by all means check out the most-recommended classical guitars and take your pick. Sign up for lessons or take online courses, whichever works for you. And to further encourage you to learn classical guitar, here are some of the best benefits you can get from playing it.

Your fingers won’t be as sore

Sore fretting hand fingertips are a common complaint among beginners to steel-string and sometimes electric guitars. While this is normal as the fingers gain strength (and develop calluses), it’s not as painful as when you play a guitar with nylon strings. For some players, there is hardly any pain at all!

This is also why classical guitar is recommended for children learning to play guitar. The nylon strings are easier on young fingers and they are easier to strum and pick. Steel-string guitars have a higher string tension, which means you’ll have to press twice as hard on the strings to make chord shapes.

You will learn valuable musical knowledge and skills

Learning to play classical guitar involves learning to read staff notation, which lets you understand music more thoroughly. This is different from simply playing from chord charts or tabs. With this musical ability, you will also find it easier to communicate and play alongside musicians who play other instruments, like in an ensemble.

A classical approach to learning guitar also equips you with valuable skills and techniques that will enable you to play rhythm, lead and bass on one guitar – all at the same time! This is because classical guitar playing involves mastery of the fingerstyle technique as well as fretting-hand precision.

You’ll be able to play a variety of musical styles

The knowledge and techniques you learn from playing classical guitar will give you the ability to play a wide range of music styles, not just compositions from Beethoven, Paganini or Bach. You can make your own classical guitar arrangements of the pop, rock and other songs you like. It can be a challenge but it’s definitely fulfilling to come up with your own version – or your own composition!

The best benefit perhaps is that you will be able to give yourself something you can enjoy, something that makes you feel good about yourself. Sure you may feel down or demotivated at some point when you’re learning, but it’s part of the process – the important thing is to get back up and remember why you wanted to play classical guitar in the first place.

Now go grab a classical guitar and play to your heart’s content. Have fun!

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