I planing to buy Alvarez AD60CE Dreadnought Electro Acoustic Guitar - Pau Ferro/Indian Laurel Fretboard for learning finger style playing techniques, will this guitar will serve my purpose ?
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2Possible duplicate of [Is it possible to learn Flamenco guitar on a steel-string guitar? Will it sound right?](https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2861/is-it-possible-to-learn-flamenco-guitar-on-a-steel-string-guitar-will-it-sound) Specific product recommendations are off-topic, but no, you need a nylon strung guitar for flamenco. – Tetsujin Sep 03 '19 at 09:35
2 Answers
Flamenco and classical guitar is usually played on nylon strings. The tension is different and the material is quite different. It depends on what you mean by "flamenco techniques". If you mean finger style arpeggiating chords, a lot of acoustic guitar players finger pick. Even some electric players play finger style (Joe Pass for example). However, I think you will have a hard time developing tremolo techniques and some other strumming techniques on the steel string acoustic. Using your nails on the steel strings with force and speed may cause breakage. If you try to learn finger style on any guitar it will be a specific finger style modified for that guitar. The touch is so much different that you cannot, in my experience, just transfer skills from one to another. But you can try, it may work for you.
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For me, the end result of "nails & steel strings", is always "no nails & steel strings". I don't think I've ever tried "nails, tremolo & steel strings", but my guess would be that the end result would be the same, but just very, very, very much quicker. – Willem van Rumpt Sep 04 '19 at 15:50
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@WillemvanRumpt, I agree. Also the flamenco technique of Rasgueado I would think would just pop them off quick. – Sep 04 '19 at 15:53
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@Tim: Congratulations, you have some strong nails going on. From a few time steel strings, I'm usually able to recover with filing down the nails to a usable state. After that, it's "wait for the nails to grow" time. – Willem van Rumpt Sep 04 '19 at 16:13
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@Tim, good for you, what's your secret? Diet, exercise. Mine are weak, they break easy. – Sep 04 '19 at 16:35
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You can learn finger style playing techniques in any guitar, but to sound the way you want and to execute the technique correctly you need at least a guitar with nylon strings.
In any case, transporting knowledge from one guitar to another won't be difficult, but the touch and the space between the strings is different.
Also keep in mind that you cannot change the type of strings for which the guitar is prepared.
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1That last statement is a little too sweeping. It can be done, but sometimes there are risks. Others, none. – Tim Sep 04 '19 at 16:00