Jul 17
So how is classical guitar playing different than fingerstyle? The simple answer is that there is great similarity, for example you play with all of your fingers plucking strings on your right hand, and most of the time the songs aren’t improvised. However, there are a few key differences which certainly separate the two. It’s kind of like asking what’s the difference between a Ferrari and a Honda. Well, yeah they are both cars, but the difference is in the details. The three key differences are in the material played, the instrument, and the delivery.
Here’s a run down:
| Classical Guitar | Fingerstyle Guitar | |
| Material Played | Music mostly Italian and Spanish from the 18th century | Music from the 20th century and mainly written in the Americas |
| Instrument | Played on a well kept classical nylon string guitar | Played on an ofter beat up acoustic guitar with steel strings |
| Delivery | Played with impeccable technique and exquisite delivery | Often played with guts and glory, impeccable technique optional |
And I in no way intend to make this appear to be a Classical Guitar bashing session. There’s some great classical guitar and composers out there, I’m particularly fond of Christopher Parkening’s playing, however as a genre Classical Guitar isn’t for everyone and it carries more limitation in style and practice than does fingerstyle guitar. I like to play both personally, but enjoy more the freedoms of fingerstyle guitar.
This post was written by
Michael Jae.
Michael is a guitarist of over 18 years and has taught lessons, played in front of live audiences, and wrote and recorded his own acoustic fingerstyle albums. He's especially fond of playing classic rock, heavy metal, classical guitar, and fingerstyle acoustic guitar in the style of Leo Kottke and John Fahey.
Thanks for differentiating the difference between finger guitar and classical guitar.
This is good explanation! I must admit that I didn’t think about it, but I’ve got one more thing to add – classical players play their music always the same way, as it’s written, and fingerstyle players that play contemporary music improvise and play their tunes in different ways.
Well, they are similar in appearance. To me, playing guitar is just for fun. So, I didn’t think that there are difference. Even, I didn’t know the term of classical guitar and fingerstyle one. All thing I know is that the thing is named as ‘guitar’. Anyway, thanks for the info.