iFingers Guitar Experience

Guitar Player TV looks like becoming a nice site for us axe slingers. Good use of video for free online lessons, if you can handle the bandwidth.

This is the tutorial that comes with the limited edition DVD which is included with Rodrigo y Gabriela’s self-titled album. I have downloaded the iPod version for my erm, iPod.

Life is Good - hey, why don’t you download it onto your iPod and play along at home?

Rodrigo y Gabriela

I have just discovered Rodrigo y Gabriela, if you already know their music, you are probably nodding in silent acknowledgement and with a knowing grin. These Mexican born artists now reside in Ireland and blend classical, flamenco, jazz and heavy metal all using nylon strung acoustic guitars.

Acoustic = Freedom

Gabriela, the flamenco/percussion half of the duo says “Acoustic equals freedom”. I was coming to the same conclusions myself. I have seen my guitar setup shrink from Marshall stacks to just a classical guitar. Which makes it nice and easy to carry round, doesn’t need any AC or DC to make it work and will not get me evicted from my flat.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - The Album

If you like guitars - buy the Rodrigo y Gabriela album, and if you play guitars - buy this album immediately! It comes with a Limited Edition DVD which includes interviews, live footage and more importantly for guitar players - a tutorial Gabriela and Rodrigo show us how to play Tamacun. I am trying to master the flamenco/percussion side of things and Gabriela’s tricks and technique are brilliant and truly inspiring. Highly recommended.

Rodrigo and Gabriela are guitar heroes for the twenty first century. Fans of Page and Metallica, they have made it cool to play Stairway to Heaven again - guitar shops beware!

RodGab.com

This is a wonderful piece of classical music for guitar by Mauro Giuliani.

Downloads: Andante in C pdf, Andante in C Midi File

Andante means “A relaxed, walking tempo”.

The classical guitar aka Spanish guitar is usually a six stringed acoustic, musical instrument with 19 frets.

Nylon Strings

Classical guitars use nylon strings, as opposed to steel strung electric or acoustic guitars. The lower three ‘bass’ strings are typically wound with silver or nickel. Traditionally classical guitars used catgut strings, which despite the name were made from sheep or goat intestines. Nowadays nylon is the preferred medium, and the strings have a lot lower tension than a steel strung guitar. These are easier on the fingers and produce a rich, full tone.

Neck, Fingerboard and Sound box

The fingerboard on a classical guitar is a lot wider than a typical acoustic or electric guitar too. The lower string tension allows for necks to be made entirely from wood. An electric or steel-strung acoustic would have a metal truss rod to help keep the neck true.

This lower string tension allows for a less rigid sound board, again helping to produce a rich tone. The vibration of the string is amplified and projected from the guitar’s body (sound box) through the sound hole.

Tuning

The machine heads are used to tune the guitar; by varying the tension of the strings, in order to acheive the desired pitch. The guitar is usually tuned E, A, D, G, B , E (from low to high / thick to thin).

I have been playing the guitar for over 20 years. Find out what happens when I enroll on a classical guitar course. Laugh at my sight reading attempts, snigger as I tune my guitar and have pity for my teacher, Ian Topping as I test his patience and fortitude as we explore the world of the nylon strung guitar.

Welcome to the iFingers Guitar Experience. A journey into the domain of the guitar, exploring guitars, amps and even those four string axes called basses. I have been playing the guitar for about 20 years, my music is testamount to my lack of discipline and practice, yet for whatever technique I do lack, I am very passionate about the guitar, guitarists, bassists and the music they create with their stringed instruments.