Video Question: nylon string guitar

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Date: April 30th, 2008 | Length: 1.43 | Instructor: Dennis Hodges

HGNative says, "hi another question im going to buy a acoustic guitar i love classical guitar sound and i do (try) to play if i was to buy a nylon string guitar can i still play other music on this with out sounding bad like country rock are is this guitar just for classical thank you jamplay PS every time i see classical guitar music being played its on a nylon string guitar" Another benefit of being a member of JamPlay is the video response section. Our expert staff fields questions from our members and provides video responses each week.

Other Video Responses:

Christmas Songs - December 19th, 2007 (4 minutes, 24 seconds)

Juant asks "I bought my first guitar 1 week ago. I bought a Fender DSG starter package. My immediate goal is to learn two Christmas songs by Christmas Eve, so that I may play them for my 11 month year old son. So far I have learned the: E, A, D, C, and G chords, sand I'm transitioning fairly well between them. Please recommend two songs that only use the above chords, and advise if you have lkessons for them, so that I may cram between now and then. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all the best in 2008. Thank you in advance, Juan Enrique" View Response

Acoustic Guitar Tones - June 7th, 2007 (1 minutes, 17 seconds)

Benjamin asks "I can not seem to get any tone, or the right tone. It's not the tuning, it is that I do not know when I strum the strings with my right hand when I work the fret board with my left. Do I put my finger down on the fret board then strum with my right hand or strum with my right hand and then put my work my fingers with the fret board?" View Response

Strumming - December 11th, 2007 (3 minutes, 11 seconds)

Zcarter asks, "Is there any correct way to "strum" when using the guitar? I have been strumming a specific way for a long time and I think it works okay, however one of my friends said if I keep strumming this specific way, it will be more difficult to play songs in the long run. Does it really matter how I strum? Currently, I hold the pick in between my thumb and index finger, but I think it may be a different way than most people... Thanks! Zac" View Response

String Bends - November 5th, 2007 (2 minutes, 14 seconds)

Lobserve asks: "I'm having trouble with string bends. If I'm in 5th position and I want to play the 8th fret I use my fourth finger but if I want to bend at the 8th fret I think I should use my third finger. This gets confusing in a solo when I seem to need to switch between third and fourth finger for the 8th fret depending on what I want to do there. Is there a good strategy for this situation? Thanks in advance." View Response

Stage Fright - July 18th, 2008 (13 minutes, 12 seconds)

Abadcoverband asks, "Hey there, I'm new around here and loving the site. All the instructors are so talented and it really blows my mind that I was missing out on so much - I've had to pay high prices for tutors once a week and I've learned more in a few days here than in a month elsewhere. So thanks! :) So, on to the questions. The first one concerns scalloped frets - I'm considering purchasing the Steve Vai JEM 77VBK guitar, and I've noticed that the frets closest to the bridge are scalloped. Could you tell me a little bit about the pros and cons of scalloping, and the differences I would expect between a scalloped and unscalloped guitar? Second, I was wondering if you had any suggestions or tips to deal with improvising on the neck, and dealing with stage fright. I recently turned down an offer to join a friend's band as a lead guitarist because I'm really unsure if I could handle the spotlight and not just end up embarassing myself. Do you know of any ways to deal with performing in front of people or tips to work up to it? When I perform in front of friends I really feel the pressure and often times my mind goes blank and I mess up the verse. I've considered busking for some money downtown but again...I'm kind of a shy guy. If you had any tips for improvising a solo, say...a back-up measure to get me out of a bad situation - let's say I forget a verse, but I know in a roundabout way how it should sound - that would be great. Thanks for your time and have a great day! -Matt" View Response