Folk Music..

[NewGuitarist]

Greetings!

How you doing guys?

Though I listen to about all music genres, folk guitar music is just what I love the most. It's what I think of first whenever I grab my guitar. Cant help it, it's just beautiful and ...mmm honest!!

I do listen to alot of players.. Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Neil Young, Leo Kottke.. to name some. I also listen to some Irish folk songs occasionally..

So playing folk (particularly folk fingerstyle) is basically what I love and attempt to learn and play.
Now since I play my classical guitar most of the time (Beside the small body of it being really comfy when I play, I find the nylon strings more forgiving and easier to fingerpick), so what do you think of playing such music on a classical guitar?

It could be possible, but I'd really wanna know whether you like playing folk music on a classical guitar. You did it before? Aware of players who actually did it in the past or doing it now?

Not that I don't wanna play it on steel strings too, I'd really love to someday once I can afford a good comfy small body acoustic to play fingerstyle on. But even then I'd still be playing my classical too since I love it and hence I'm asking you what you think of playing playing folk music on it..

Thanks

Regards

[AZLiberty]

Don't like nylon strings. I actually find them to be far more abrasive on my fingerpicking hand than steel strings. (I know, I'm an outlier)

I know lots of folks who play folk on nylons though, with either fingers or a flatpick.

Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul, and Mary) comes to mind as primarily a nylon-guitar folkie, but I think it matters very little what kind of guitar is used for a specific genre. Willie Nelson has played a nylon-string guitar on everything from country to jazz ballads, and many styles in between. Blues guitarists historically have played whatever they've been able to get their hands on, from archtops to cigar boxes.

If you find a classical guitar to be comfortable and inspirational, then it's the perfect guitar for folk music!

[sabatini]

It was very common in the '60s, Joan Baez and many others. Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary has always played primarily nylon strings, first classical guitars and later 14 fret nylon string guitars he had made by David LaPlante.

Willie Nelson, Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, all made a lot of music using nylon strings.

[The Bard Rocks]

First, "guys"? There are also ladies present. (No, I'm not one of them; I'm of the masculine persuasion.)

Back in the days of the Great Folk Scare of the '60's, classical guitars were commonly used. I had one, so did Burl Ives and tons of others. No one thought bad of it. They will still work and even sound better for some music, though not as good on other music (such as blues). I think steel stringed guitars strum better, but that's an opinion of mine and you may not find it so.

If you like your guitar, enjoy it and keep using it!

[JohnW63]

Jerry Reed played on a nylon guitar quite a bit.

[Pitar]

Nylon is cool. I have a cross-over nylon string guitar with steel string guitar build specs made by Yamaha (NTX-1200R) that gives me the best of both. I play it quite a bit. I also play a traditional classical. Most times I'm on a steel string guitar, though. I prefer the steel string sound.

Paul Simon also used a nylon classical style guitar for much of his work.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by NewGuitarist

Greetings!

How you doing guys?

Though I listen to about all music genres, folk guitar music is just what I love the most. It's what I think of first whenever I grab my guitar. Cant help it, it's just beautiful and ...mmm honest!!

I do listen to alot of players.. Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Neil Young, Leo Kottke.. to name some. I also listen to some Irish folk songs occasionally..

So playing folk (particularly folk fingerstyle) is basically what I love and attempt to learn and play.
Now since I play my classical guitar most of the time (Beside the small body of it being really comfy when I play, I find the nylon strings more forgiving and easier to fingerpick), so what do you think of playing such music on a classical guitar?

It could be possible, but I'd really wanna know whether you like playing folk music on a classical guitar. You did it before? Aware of players who actually did it in the past or doing it now?

Not that I don't wanna play it on steel strings too, I'd really love to someday once I can afford a good comfy small body acoustic to play fingerstyle on. But even then I'd still be playing my classical too since I love it and hence I'm asking you what you think of playing playing folk music on it..

Thanks

Regards

It's not common but there's nothing wrong with it. Willie Nelson is as much folk as he is classic country and his signature sound is coming from his Martin N-20 classical guitar strung up with La Bella Folksinger strings which I highly recommend trying for playing folk music on a classical. On his new album Damien Rice has put aside his Lowden and is playing with a nylon string guitar on a few tracks.

[NewGuitarist]

Thanks alot for the feedback.. that helps indeed

Its something about that mid rangy warmth I get from my classical .. I just find it really beautiful for playing folk music, you know.

Though I've seen a man play blues on nylons before.. I agree most blues sound better on steel strings

And Yes I should stop saying guys when talking to a mix-gender group. Bad habit!
So ladies on this amazing forum, I'm so sorry.

Edited to add: I play a straight classical with a standard classical neck (not like the neck of nylon crossover guitars). Would that be a problem?

[Toby Walker]

I agree that folk music can be played on any type of guitar that sounds good to you. Many wonderful folk musicians used classical guitars so if that's your choice then all the power to you.

I would also suspect that folk music is primarily vocal and lyric oriented so the better your voice is the less folks may even notice what kind of guitar you're playing.

[Larry Pattis]

I am playing most of my repertoire on a concert quality classical guitar, (not a crossover) as I experiment back and forth between some very nice instruments I have on-hand right now...

Fun, fun, fun...including the stuff in DADGAD. I guess I can't do my bottleneck slide pieces, but so what...I'll leave that to Toby...!

[zombywoof]

I started out as a folkie in the early 1960s playing Woody and Leadbelly tunes and the like Never much cared for playing nylon string guitars though.

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

First, "guys"? There are also ladies present. (No, I'm not one of them; I'm of the masculine persuasion.)

It is my impression, as one who has watched every episode of "Friends" and "Sex in the City" , that these days, "guys" can be used, in address mode, as a collective for both male and female, and even when addressing an all female group.

Back on topic, Duck Baker is the most eminent player of nylon strung guitar in the folk idiom that I am aware of.

[Dreadfulnaught]

PPM does come to mind, you will see many old videos of them with one nylon string and one steel string guitar, with one guy capoing to give the two guitars different sounds that complement each other. What they did is something I don't see now. Maybe it is hard to find two people who fingerpick well enough to do it together.

[NilsG]

Woody Allen also uses "guys" as an all-sex honorific.
If you like nylon strings and like the sound, use it. If somebody tells you not to because, "you shouldn't play <fill in type of music> on nylon string", tell the guy go go stuff itself.