Can learning some classical guitar technique improve my jazz guitar playing?
The answer, according to most posters is “yes”, but the reasons they give vary. The following is a short list of reasons of why it might be beneficial to your jazz playing to take some classical guitar (CG) lessons (the assumption here is that you are studying with a good instructor): • You will learn how to “properly” hold the guitar. Although there are many fantastic guitarists with terrible technique, it is not a bad idea to see how classical guitarists hold the instrument. The idea that there is a “right way” to hold the guitar is based on the fact that CG players need to play the entire neck of the guitar with facility and through the years they have come up with a posture and placement that allows them to do this. Obviously, there is not just one way that is correct (even among CG players), but you may find, for example, that keeping your thumb behind the neck allows you to move around better than you had before. • You will learn to pay attention to “tone”. In many CG pieces ther
