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 Being diverse in your musical entourage will come easier once you have learned to play one or two instruments well. When it comes to playing the Spanish guitar, which is also called the classical guitar, it is always best to dedicate your time to learning it well, and then switching to other types of guitars you fancy.
 A classical guitar is a bit harder to play, but when learned, you’ll have the ability to easily play other acoustic or electric variations with ease.
Generally, a steel-stringed acoustic guitar is played using a plectrum, known also as a pick. The pick is held between the index finger and thumb and makes strumming easier. However, with a Spanish guitar, one uses the fingernails and the tips of the fingers so that different patterns of strumming are employed. In order that different digits are used, the Spanish guitar is made with greater gaps between strings and the fingerboard on the base of the head is wider. Contrasting with an acoustic guitar, the Spanish guitar can be supported by the left leg, which is usually raised and supported by a small wooden footstool. This allows the weight of the guitar to be balanced on the left leg, giving the right arm and hands greater space with which to work. More mobility means that a guitarist playing a Spanish or classical model can strum fast and freely.
Another great aspect of using a Spanish guitar is that you’ll have a wider range of sounds or “voices” that you’ll be able to create. Because the bare fingers are used for strumming, a wider range of voices can be played simultaneously, adding to the rich flavor that makes the classical instrument so appealing.
In addition to the different playing manners of various guitars, the Spanish guitar does not use steel strings. Steel was not an available option for classical players and the sound created from different strings is quite apparent. In the classical sense, the Spanish guitar uses nylon strings. Nylon does not require as much tension as an acoustic steel-stringed instrument, and gives an alluring sound without sounding overly hollow. Furthermore, Spanish guitars might be lighter than their acoustic or electronic counterparts, which most often use an inner steel rod that helps support the tension created by steel strings and does take away from the overall sound produced. Newer Spanish guitars don’t use nylon as often, but synthetic materials that are said to mock the quality of nylon well.
Finally, typical Spanish guitars have six stings, but many can be purchased with seven or more, allowing the player to reach other tones. The more strings, the more difficult to play because different chords and fret positions will vary. Also, depending upon the brand of Spanish guitar you are considering, the keys or tension pegs, found on the outer neck of the instrument, will be slightly turned in towards the player, allowing the player to quickly and accurately adjust the sound of the instrument. Overall, learning to play the Spanish guitar first will give you a better understanding of guitars as a whole and will mean greater adaptability later.
The difference between a regular, acoustic guitar and a Latin guitar is not all that widespread. An acoustic guitar is an evolution of the Latin guitar in many ways. When someone says they want to learn to play the Latin guitar, what they actually mean is they want to learn to play an original guitar from the Romantic era, or the Latin area of the world – namely Europe. The Middle East and parts of Africa have also used a guitar for centuries and it is hard to decipher where the modern guitar takes most of its form. However, the Latin guitar is still played in Central and South America. It is also still played in Spain, and used for such types of music as Flamenco.
The modern Latin guitar was enhanced and fully developed in Latin American countries, namely in Havana Cuba, where modern Latin guitar rhythms are rooted. Latin guitar often inspires dance and has been said to inspire silent meditation on an almost religious level. The reason, however, that many people want to learn to play the Latin guitar today is because the genre of music has something that other types of music cannot come close to matching – rhythm. The player has to be able to concentrate and play numerous rhythms at once and cross with other instruments that also add their own musical harmony.
In the traditional, Cuban sense, other rhythmic instruments, such as the congas, timbales, and other stringed instruments, always accompany the Latin guitar. Oftentimes, a piano or keyboard will join in the ensemble, which is how more modern contemporary Latin music is enjoyed. The Latin guitar, keeping to its namesake, uses what is called a clave, in order that the music produced falls within certain parameters. The clave is put together using a 3-2 progression and sometimes composed using other patterns. In full, a clave is a musical pattern held to the rhythm of two sticks that sort of lead the group as a composer might lead a symphony. While some improvisation is allowed, the group generally follows the beat of the clave coordinator.
When playing the Latin guitar, it is important that one understands how Latin music is held together, made up of a beginning, middle, and end, with a generally long introduction. In fact, many northern American listeners would say that the introduction is overly prolonged. But, for Latin music lovers, the introduction gives the listener a chance to become involved –letting the power of the music seep in and take over. The middle of the song is followed by a band that plays various chord progressions that intensify as the playing continues. The piece is then ended by playing something similar to the introduction, only shorter, and something that leads to a feeling of closure. All of these variables work together to create, hold, play, and end a piece of Latin music, even when played on the guitar.
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