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Classical
vs. Flamenco
Q
What
is the difference between a classical and a flamenco guitar?
Paul
Hassett
Littleton, Colorado
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A
The answer
may depend on whom you ask. It's useful to think of flamenco
and classical guitars as slightly different models of the
Spanish guitar. As late as the 1950s, Spanish guitar makers
didn't distinguish between flamenco and classical guitars,
but between guitarras blancas (white guitars, made
of Spanish cypress) and guitarras negras (black guitars,
made of rosewood). This was more of a materialÐand, of course,
financialÐdesignation than a musical one. The cheaper cypress
guitars were most often bought by ordinary working people
who played popular folk (flamenco) music, and the more expensive
rosewood instruments were bought by people of means, whose
musical tastes ran to classical and other more "refined" styles.
Another feature
often used to differentiate between classical and flamenco
guitars is the presence or absence of the plastic tap plate
(similar to an oversized pickguard and usually made out of
clear or white plastic). Flamenco playing is physical and
percussive, and the tap plate protects the guitar's top from
dings and scratches from the player's nails. Many flamenco
guitars also use friction pegs, while classical guitars feature
mechanical, geared tuners. (In the old days, mechanical tuners
were more expensive than friction pegs and were therefore
included only on the more expensive instruments.) Finally,
flamenco guitars have very low action, making them easy to
play. Unlike classical guitars, which must be buzz-free, a
little buzz in a flamenco guitar is considered part of the
sound. In order to remain buzz-free, classical guitars have
higher action.
The similarities
between classical and flamenco guitars, however, outnumber
the differences. They are both meant to be played with the
fingers (rather than with a pick), and so the necks, nuts,
and bridges are the same size. The string lengths are virtually
identical, as are soundbox sizes and depths. The construction
of the backs and tops are also nearly identical. Flamenco
guitars are sometimes braced more lightly, but many classical
guitars are lightly braced, too, so there's considerable overlap
in bracing design.
—Ervin
Somogyi
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A
flamenco guitar usually has a tap plate to suit the percussive
style of playing.
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Transcribing
Tips
Q
Do
you have any tips for transcribing complex chords?
Mitch
Gutter
Honolulu, Hawaii
A
If you're stumped
by a chord, try separating the voices; if you can hear the notes
individually, then you can piece them together to create the chord.
It helps to have a computer audio program such as Deck (www.bias-inc.com)
or the Amazing Slow Downer (www.ronimusic.com)
that can loop sections over and over and stretch the time so the
pitches last longer. Sometimes it also helps to think of the chord
in context. For example, if you know the previous set of chords
was played up at the tenth fret, listen to those chords and try
to hear where each voice moves on the fingerboard for the next chord.
This process can be tedious at times, but it can really help in
finding the right chord voicings.
—Andrew
DuBrock
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Graphite
Reinforcement
Q I
would like to reinforce the neck of my nylon-string guitar by inserting
a graphite bar. Will it alter the tone or sustain of the guitar?
Should I insert it flat or vertically?
George
W. Byrd
Mesquite, Texas
A The
tension and weight of the neck have a lot to do with a guitar's
sound and feel. A graphite bar may have some subtle effect on the
sound of the guitar, but it would be difficult to measure. It certainly
shouldn't harm the overall sound, and it might even improve it.
Whether you're adding this to a new guitar or repairing an older
one, it is important that the fingerboard and neck woods be properly
seasoned and that you glue the fingerboard on under optimum humidity
conditions, around 45 to 50 percent. Ebony is a very hygroscopic
wood, and if a fingerboard isn't properly dried, it can easily warp
even a graphite-reinforced neck. The graphite bar was probably manufactured
to provide the most stiffness verticallyÐto check, look at the end
of the bar to see the grain structure of the lamination. Installed
either way, it will help with neck stability. Be sure that the neck
is thick enough to allow for the depth of the channel.
—Kenny
Hill
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to Top
Excerpted from
Acoustic Guitar magazine,
December
2002, No. 120.
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