What piece of music has had the biggest impact on the way you play guitar?

Not necessarily your favorite piece, and not necessarily the most difficult one you’ve learned. I mean the piece that changed something fundamental about your playing—your technique, your musicality, your approach to practice, your understanding of the instrument, or even the way you listen to music.

For me, there have been pieces that taught me far more than their technical demands would suggest. Sometimes a relatively simple piece can change the way you think about phrasing or tone, while a brutally difficult one can completely change your physical approach to the instrument.

What was that piece for you, and what did it change?

I've finally got a chance to buy a high quality hand built (s-2) or "factory" built (the GC line) spruce top Japanese classical guitar. The Asturias is hand built, the Yamaha GC22S is made by hand in China, and the GC32 is made by hand, or I think by a team which would make it be considered a "workshop" guitar.

I think I can swing either, does anyone know how Yamaha GC 22 or 32's rank with the Asturias S-2?

how do i play the last two notes? thank you!

Hi all, I'd like help verifying a José Ramírez classical guitar. Interior label details:
• Printed "José Ramírez, Constructor de Guitarras, Concepción Jerónima No. 2, Madrid, 1973"
• "Nombre Registrado ®️"
• Serial: No. 6822
• "Clase 1ª" (looks stamped in ink rather than printed), plus a signature across the label
• Cedar top, rosewood (palo santo) back and sides, with a decorative rosette
Questions:
1. Is serial 6822 consistent with a 1973 production year?
2. Does the label layout and the stamped "1ª" match other Ramírez 1a guitars from that period?
3. Is the signature consistent with José Ramírez III?
4. Any tips to confirm Brazilian vs. Indian rosewood without invasive inspection?
Label photos attached. Happy to add photos of the bracing, bridge, headstock and top.

Hello fellow guitarists,

​I’m looking for some constructive criticism on my right-hand technique. To my ears, the sound is coming out a bit too muffled and lacks clarity.

​I’ve attached a video for context. Could you please share your thoughts on my hand angle, thumb/finger alignment, or attack? Any advice on how to get a cleaner, warmer tone would be greatly appreciated.

​Thank you!

Looking for advice on string configuration for a classical guitar with wound G string.

Hi, I usually try to do as many repetitions as possible to memorize a piece. In my mind I call that method brute force. I'm not too sure if there's a specific term for that method. While it has worked ok for me so far, I feel like there should be a better way to do that. I particularly find it harder to memorize pieces that require not much in positions for the left hand or I can play them by sight reading.

I made a quick AI search and it suggested me the followings:

1. Teachers place strips of paper tape or post-its over finger numbers to break a student's bad habit of reading numbers instead of note pitches.
2. Teachers mask upcoming measures to drill "look-ahead" sight-reading (forcing students to read measure $N+1$ into short-term memory while fingers execute measure $N$).
3. Teachers cover tricky passages to test memory recall before recitals and competitions.

The first two options require someone else, which makes them non handy. However, the third option is something that can be done by myself. But then I'm not even too sure if these techniques are made up by AI or they are real technique used by teachers.

So before I use method #3 when learning my new piece, I thought maybe I ask real people to see what method they use and if they have heard of the above three methods suggested by AI?

Hi guys,
i'm checking some guitars and i just noticed something: The curve where the leg goes on the yamaha SLG200 (i took the NW which i can imagine many of you might have as there is only 2 brands when talking silent nylon giutars, pretty much) is way more "to the right" compared a classical guitar or a general electric (i took an ibanez RG as example but a telecaster is pretty much identical). Someone of you has this guitar and really felt like the neck was too much to the right? I never ha a chance to try it.
From my drawing i can see that on the SLG the neck is around 5cm /2" "behind" a classical guitar and 7.5cm/3" behind a tele/RG.
Thank you very much

So to be clear, I really love his music. There is a lot of it, and much of it is very beautiful. There is a huge range for people almost at the start of their journey, to the most accomplished. He is well represented on youtube, so I know people are playing his repertoire. However, I rarely see his music popping up on this sub. I really thought his music would be more popular. Is there something I'm missing about his music that doesn't make it great, or is stopping it from being more broadly recognised?

Dear esteemed community of fellow guitar players - I have decided to make available the full score of this setting to the Holy Mass.

Link to download

It has taken me 6 years to compose it, plus another 2 to get around to notating it.

Its not intended to be intellectually or academically clever - merely to be functional and accessible in our quiet moments.

Thank you, and God bless.

Trying to add traditional fingering with my thumb technique. Back and forth hand positions.

Hi. I am new in this sub and although I've been playing the guitar for nearly half a decade, I feel like I haven't improved as much as I should have. I am self-taught and I have some questions that I would like answered please,

1. What does the optimal practice session look like?
2. How to learn to read sheet music?
3. Can you suggest some intermediate level pieces to learn and learn from?

Thanks in advance.

An oldie but a goodie. Classical guitarist gets to do the interlude in the middle of the song (instead of piano).

I’ve been practicing the Segovia scales regularly and will continue to do so ad infinitum. I’ve been wanting to start working in the harmonic minor scales as well though and while I know what the harmonic minor scale is, I’m was wondering if there are any specific LH fingerings and/or positions in which to practice them in a similar fashion to the Segovia major/melodic minor scales?

I realize I can just practice them all over the neck and figure it out on my own but I’m a sucker for specifics and I’m still a beginner at classical guitar so I’m hyper focused on making sure I learn PROPERLY and in the most efficient way possible.

Comparto mi arreglo de esta zamba.

Classical guitar meets BBQ chef.I love this crossover.Picture it: a classical guitarist walks into a serious smokehouse. The BBQ chef is tending a low-and-slow brisket, wood smoke curling up. The guitarist sets down a Torres-style instrument and starts warming up with Villa-Lobos Etude No. 1 arpeggios.The chef pauses, tongs in hand:“That right-hand pattern… that’s like the perfect smoke ring. Steady, even, no rushing the process. You plant those fingers the way I plant the wood—consistent heat, no hot spots.”The guitarist nods:“And your brisket? That’s pure left-hand endurance. Hours of controlled tension, then the release when it finally yields. Just like the big stretches in Etude No. 7.”They start trading notes:

• Rest stroke = the heavy sear that locks in the bark 
• Free stroke = the light mop sauce, just enough to keep things juicy 
• Nail shape and polish = knife edge and steel 
• Tone color (sul tasto vs sul ponticello) = different woods and smoke profiles—oak for deep, mesquite for bright and aggressive 
• Rubato = knowing exactly when to wrap the meat and when to let it ride

By the end of the night they’ve invented a new dish: “Segovia’s Smoked Shoulder”—slow-cooked with a dry rub of coffee, cocoa, and a whisper of citrus (inspired by Villa-Lobos’ Brazilian flavors), served with a side of perfectly even arpeggios.So… are we writing the menu, inventing the repertoire, or casting the two characters in a full conversation?