Guitar All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1

Introducing the Classical Guitar

IN THIS CHAPTER

Defining the term classical guitar

Surveying the classical guitar’s history in music

Noting the differences between a classical guitar and other guitar types

Holding the guitar

Fretting and stroking the strings

In the right hands, the classical guitar can produce some of the most beautiful sounds in all of music. With it, a skilled performer can create miniature moments of intimate tenderness or stirring sagas of grandeur and passion. One reason the classical (or any) guitar is capable of wide-ranging textures and emotions is that it’s one of the few stringed instruments that can play chords and single notes with equal ease. And many people credit its special emotive powers to the fact that the performer uses both hands to touch the strings directly to make a sound, allowing him to coax out the softest melody or to vigorously ring out triumphant, full-voiced chords. The tonal variations you can achieve on a guitar played ...