Looking for Advice for buying first Acoustic Guitar

[MrFigg]

Classical guitar seems to have a certain discipline when it comes to education like the footstool and I see people using sheet music. Reminds me of classical piano lessons. What would you say is a great advantage you got from your teaching? I actually skipped any classical piano lessons. But I do find myself wanting to learn how to write so I can get better at rhythm.

Learning to read music was a big advantage. Before Jazz band and classical guitar, I only knew chords.

My kids learned to play Violin using the Suzuki method. Playing by ear. My eldest daughter learned to read music much later and plays in a youth orchestra and also a folk band. Her playing is pretty technical when she’s following notes. My youngest doesn’t read music but by playing by ear she cracked the code and can now generalize between instruments because she understand how music works and where the notes are. I’ve never learned to read music but can also get a tune out of every instrument I’ve picked up (not saying it sounds good but I can get a tune).
Strangely enough, none of the people I know who learned to read music from the beginning can jam.

[Jackjackdaw]

I think there is a lot of entrenched snobbery in classical training that will produce fabulous musicians who are not in the least bit creative. And a similar snobbery in contemporary musicians that shuns music theory as an oppressive regime.

I was in the second camp for a long time . But when I started listening to more complex music and couldn’t fathom what was going on I started studying theory and it feels like my musicianship is like a video game map. It was mostly dark with a few areas I had discovered by myself over the years. But understanding modes, chordal harmony, voice leading, polyrhythm etc. it’s like a cheat code that illuminates the whole map and now I can just choose wherever I want to go.

But, saying that, if I had told my 18 year old self this while he was stomping on the fuzz box and yelling into a microphone, he would have told me to f. off. Lol

[selig]

My kids learned to play Violin using the Suzuki method. Playing by ear. My eldest daughter learned to read music much later and plays in a youth orchestra and also a folk band. Her playing is pretty technical when she’s following notes. My youngest doesn’t read music but by playing by ear she cracked the code and can now generalize between instruments because she understand how music works and where the notes are. I’ve never learned to read music but can also get a tune out of every instrument I’ve picked up (not saying it sounds good but I can get a tune).
Strangely enough, none of the people I know who learned to read music from the beginning can jam.

I’m a fan of the Suzuki method, wish I had learned piano that way!
As to your last comment, reminds me of the old joke about how to get a guitar player to turn down (give them sheet music to play). My version based on your comment is “how do you get a classical musician to stop playing - take away their sheet music!

My most obvious example was a session where I had written out string parts, and when we had finished recording them I asked the (amazing) violinist to play on one more song where I wanted him to play like a musician at a restaurant wandering from table to table.
He gave me a blank stare, so I suggested he listen to the rough reference I had written to pitch the idea to the artist, which I happened to have printed out with the rest of the scores. As soon as he saw the sheet music he grabbed it and headed right out to the mic, playing EXACTLY what I had written with no variation or ‘interpretation’ whatsoever. That’s when I came up with the ‘joke’ above…

[MrFigg]

My kids learned to play Violin using the Suzuki method. Playing by ear. My eldest daughter learned to read music much later and plays in a youth orchestra and also a folk band. Her playing is pretty technical when she’s following notes. My youngest doesn’t read music but by playing by ear she cracked the code and can now generalize between instruments because she understand how music works and where the notes are. I’ve never learned to read music but can also get a tune out of every instrument I’ve picked up (not saying it sounds good but I can get a tune).
Strangely enough, none of the people I know who learned to read music from the beginning can jam.

I’m a fan of the Suzuki method, wish I had learned piano that way!
As to your last comment, reminds me of the old joke about how to get a guitar player to turn down (give them sheet music to play). My version based on your comment is “how do you get a classical musician to stop playing - take away their sheet music!

My most obvious example was a session where I had written out string parts, and when we had finished recording them I asked the (amazing) violinist to play on one more song where I wanted him to play like a musician at a restaurant wandering from table to table.
He gave me a blank stare, so I suggested he listen to the rough reference I had written to pitch the idea to the artist, which I happened to have printed out with the rest of the scores. As soon as he saw the sheet music he grabbed it and headed right out to the mic, playing EXACTLY what I had written with no variation or ‘interpretation’ whatsoever. That’s when I came up with the ‘joke’ above…

Unfeeling robots the lot of them

[Mistro17]

Thanks for the laughs Personally I like the balance between the 2. Years ago i made songs feeling my way around the keyboard until I found something or playing by ear or memory and finding the notes. But I never knew how to make chords until way later when I sat down and said I want to really understand the instrument I'm working with and learned some theory. Then all the doorways opened up. But I still did not develop the patience to do sheet music. I look at them when I'm too lazy to try by ear just to get the basic chord sequence then I'm off improvising. I like the freedom of being creative rather than being on rails. But the rails are like fundamentals though. I will likely not be effectively reading sheet music until I learn how to write my own. Or if I ever find myself playing with others.

[Mistro17]

Just giving an update. I got the guitar out the shop. It's gonna be a little while before I'm plucking out chords because I just found out quickly that I first have to exercise my way through a few games of twister with my left fingers. Not giving up but right now I feel disabled in my left hand when trying to make a D chord lol

[Mistro17]

It's been less than 2 months and my D string broke while practicing 2 days ago. Today I was gonna replace the string but while on my computer, I heard a noise like a wire slapping my table and when I looked back, my A string is broken also without me even touching the guitar. This is supposed to be a new setup and a new set of strings. I'm wondering why this would happen so soon and could this be a sign that the bridge have a problem? Both strings broke near the bridge.

[MrFigg]

It's been less than 2 months and my D string broke while practicing 2 days ago. Today I was gonna replace the string but while on my computer, I heard a noise like a wire slapping my table and when I looked back, my A string is broken also without me even touching the guitar. This is supposed to be a new setup and a new set of strings. I'm wondering why this would happen so soon and could this be a sign that the bridge have a problem? Both strings broke near the bridge.

Put a new set on and see if it happens again. Just want to ask, just in case, have you tuned standard? I mean you’ve not tuned the strings too high? Probably just the strings.
Edit: What make of strings is it you've got on the guitar? Interested.

[DaveyG]

It's been less than 2 months and my D string broke while practicing 2 days ago. Today I was gonna replace the string but while on my computer, I heard a noise like a wire slapping my table and when I looked back, my A string is broken also without me even touching the guitar. This is supposed to be a new setup and a new set of strings. I'm wondering why this would happen so soon and could this be a sign that the bridge have a problem? Both strings broke near the bridge.

That's strange, especially for it to be the thicker strings.
Given where they are breaking the first thing to check is the saddle. Have a close look at it, with a magnifying glass if possible, and run your fingers along it to check for burrs and sharp edges. Inspect the surviving strings to see if they are showing any wear or damage in that area.

The other thing is the tuning. Are you tuning it against a reference of against itself? If you are doing the latter it's really easy to have the whole guitar tuned higher than intended, putting more strain on the strings. Unlike steel strings, nylon strings tend to stretch "forever" until they break but I'd still expect it to be the thinner strings that give way first.

Failing all that I'd suggest speaking to the shop that did the recent repairs for you.

[Mistro17]

Put a new set on and see if it happens again. Just want to ask, just in case, have you tuned standard? I mean you’ve not tuned the strings too high? Probably just the strings.
Edit: What make of strings is it you've got on the guitar? Interested.

Sorry to reply so late. It's been a super busy couple days for me. I tune it standard I think using a clip on tuner (Fender, Flash Dark). When I first got it out the shop, I had to tune it more constantly. But it got stable. I'm afraid if I just put on the new strings, I will be wasting them. I have a feeling something is going on with the guitar at the bridge. That's where both strings snapped. And when I think back, I found the guitar with a snapped string looking the same way like it broke at the bridge.

That's strange, especially for it to be the thicker strings.
Given where they are breaking the first thing to check is the saddle. Have a close look at it, with a magnifying glass if possible, and run your fingers along it to check for burrs and sharp edges. Inspect the surviving strings to see if they are showing any wear or damage in that area.

The other thing is the tuning. Are you tuning it against a reference of against itself? If you are doing the latter it's really easy to have the whole guitar tuned higher than intended, putting more strain on the strings. Unlike steel strings, nylon strings tend to stretch "forever" until they break but I'd still expect it to be the thinner strings that give way first.

Failing all that I'd suggest speaking to the shop that did the recent repairs for you.

I read that the D string is usually the first to go on classical guitars because the core string is thin compared to the others. The higher 3 G,B and E strings usually outlast the bass strings I guess because they're more solid and not a thin strip with the woven material.

Part of me want to take it back to Guitar Center in case the guy simply did not check everything. For some reason I have a feeling all he did was put on new strings. On the other hand I want to take it to a mom and pop guitar shop to get fresh eyes on it and a second opinion about the guitar overall but then I will have to spend another $100+ for a setup probably unless they give me free advice.

[MrFigg]

Put a new set on and see if it happens again. Just want to ask, just in case, have you tuned standard? I mean you’ve not tuned the strings too high? Probably just the strings.
Edit: What make of strings is it you've got on the guitar? Interested.

Sorry to reply so late. It's been a super busy couple days for me. I tune it standard I think using a clip on tuner (Fender, Flash Dark). When I first got it out the shop, I had to tune it more constantly. But it got stable. I'm afraid if I just put on the new strings, I will be wasting them. I have a feeling something is going on with the guitar at the bridge. That's where both strings snapped. And when I think back, I found the guitar with a snapped string looking the same way like it broke at the bridge.

That's strange, especially for it to be the thicker strings.
Given where they are breaking the first thing to check is the saddle. Have a close look at it, with a magnifying glass if possible, and run your fingers along it to check for burrs and sharp edges. Inspect the surviving strings to see if they are showing any wear or damage in that area.

The other thing is the tuning. Are you tuning it against a reference of against itself? If you are doing the latter it's really easy to have the whole guitar tuned higher than intended, putting more strain on the strings. Unlike steel strings, nylon strings tend to stretch "forever" until they break but I'd still expect it to be the thinner strings that give way first.

Failing all that I'd suggest speaking to the shop that did the recent repairs for you.

I read that the D string is usually the first to go on classical guitars because the core string is thin compared to the others. The higher 3 G,B and E strings usually outlast the bass strings I guess because they're more solid and not a thin strip with the woven material.

Part of me want to take it back to Guitar Center in case the guy simply did not check everything. For some reason I have a feeling all he did was put on new strings. On the other hand I want to take it to a mom and pop guitar shop to get fresh eyes on it and a second opinion about the guitar overall but then I will have to spend another $100+ for a setup probably unless they give me free advice.

Go to guitar center and just ask them. They’ll help you out. Don’t worry. It’s fixable whatever it is. Promise.