Classical Guitar Playing Technique

Subject: Recent Purchase
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 20:06:46 -0400

I must apologize for asking this less-than-intelligent question, but I would appreciate your patience.

I recently purchased from you a Lucida LG-540 guitar. I am fifty-two years of age, and want to determine, once and for all, whether I am really tone deaf, as I, and most of my friends, have suspected for years. I am using an analog, quartz tuner in order to tune the strings. According to the readout, each string is being tuned fairly accurately. However, I am having difficulty producing a clean note when fretting notes on the D, A, and low E strings. Most of the notes (I am using only the first five frets) have an aurally overshadowing buzz, with an accompanying vibration. If I play a note at the first fret on the 6th string, I hear nothing like the clean note which I hear when I play the comparable F on an electronic keyboard. The same is true when trying to play other notes within the five-fret frame on those three strings.

I am a beginner, so I am acutely aware that the problem may be in my primitive technique. However, I try diligently to make that each note is fretted properly, and that I am not causing a collision of strings. In addition, I have access to another guitar on which I tried the same approach, but was able to obtain at least some degree of clarity. (I will not speculate on whether the action on that instrument is different, as I will leave such topics to the experts.)

I will try to attach to this message a wav file of the three notes played in open position and at the first fret. I would appreciate any assistance, however brief, you may be able to provide.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Donald M. Dotson Invoice Number 6579

Greetings Donald,

I can understand your apprehensions...

Classical guitars have much more string movement, when vibrating, on the bass side than a steel string guitar...Medium can also influence the outcome...most classical guitars to my ear sound like they have a slight buzz to them when I'm using a flatpick or a thumbpick. Classical guitars, such as the LG-540, were designed to be played with fingernails and, on the bass side, with a thumbnail. This lightens the attack tremendously. All Lucidas ship with a standard classical action (the distance from the frets to the strings) designed to be played traditionally with fingernails. I'm not sure which medium you're currently using; there certainly is nothing wrong with using a pick on a classical guitar. Willie Nelson, himself, plays a classical with a flatpick; Chet Atkins played a classical guitar with a thumbpick...and, come to think about it, most of the time, Willie Nelson's lead playing reveals some buzzing qualities. I did listen to your wav files and did determine a very slight buzz as you played the last 3 notes. This can easily be rectified by setting the guitar up with a slightly higher action. The only problem with higher actions is the fretting can become more difficult. Therefore, before doing any adjustments, you might try the following suggestions (you may have already tried most of these suggestions):

1. When fretting the note, be sure to place your finger as close to the fret in front of it as possible. This will ensure a clear ringing note and is considered a formal playing position...a good habit to develop no matter what fretted string instrument you play.

2. If you're using a flatpick, try playing the same notes with fingernails to determine if the medium is influencing the tonal quality of the fretted note.

3. Try playing the note from soft to loud to determine if the attack is affecting the outcome.

4. Be sure to fret the note with the very tip of the finger...not the side of the finger.

5. Try picking the string closer to the bridge...this minimizes the vibration of the string which can be the cause of the buzzing. If you're picking too close to the fingerboard, the length of the vibration is amplified.

Please let me know if any of the above helps in any way...maybe we can get closer to the cause. We're completely at your disposal...Mickey