classical guitar corner vs classical guitar shed

This is just one of the reasons why it is important to not buy an instrument based solely on the name of the builder, or the expectation of a certain price tag, but to hold the instrument and play it before purchase to make sure that you are acquiring an instrument that feels like an extension of yourself. In addition to this the transformation from sheet of wood to each guitar is a long and complicated process that depends on not only the builder of the instrument, but a plethora of inimitable conditions. Trees, like humans or grape vines used for wine, all live a life in which their identity is shaped and enhanced by their seedling beginnings, the conditions of their life (in a tree’s case weather, climate, light, access to water) and the moment at which their produce is harvested. This being said, the identity of every single piece of wood used for soundboards is unique. Spruce is bright, punchy and clear which allows for a nuanced and wide tone pallet and due to the overtones produced the sound is more direct and linear than that of a cedar top from which the sound emanates from the instrument.Ĭedar tends to produce a naturally warmer sound and where spruce will develop and change sonically over time, cedar tends to be more consistent. Spruce has historically been the most popular wood for use in guitar building, Torres, Bouchet, Hauser and almost all legendary guitar builders in the modern classical guitar’s history have used spruce tops for their instruments.

Most classical guitars are either made from spruce or cedar wood due to the natural tonal properties of these softwoods. The instrument you play has massive bearing on the tone that you produce, and the sound you want to produce is therefore something you should take into consideration when choosing an instrument. In this article we’ll discuss the elements that contribute to tone on the instrument, the things you can control and change and where to start looking for your unique sound. So it seems only natural that we talk about tone simply as the raw unique identity of a musician’s voice, whether it be singing, bowing, strumming or plucking, not how a musician plays, but how they sound while they are playing.įinding your tone is a matter of chasing what you think sounds the best on your instrument and letting the qualities of your instrument and your physicality define the rest. Music is more than a sound which is pleasing to our ears, it is a medium through which stories are told, emotions are expressed and personalities are created. We live, however, in a world and a time where the coarse, nasal crooning of Bob Dylan and the honey-like warmth of Mariah Carey are some of the most celebrated and loved voices. In classical music discourse we often hear tone being talked about as if sound lies on a spectrum of good and bad - “her tone is so warm”, “her tone is too jagged” etc.

Classical guitar corner vs classical guitar shed