Can one play acoustic/classical music with an electric guitar?

Question

I've once got a very cheap acoustic guitar when I was very young, I later replaced it by an electrical guitar because I disliked it's quality and I don't know what I was doing when I was young.

Can acoustic music or classical music be played with an electric guitar with similar sound?

Are there guitarists that are actively doing this?

_{If not, I'll probably have to look for music to fit my guitar. Or buy an acoustic guitar or perhaps a piano...}

Answer 1

Well, it's got all the same notes, right?

People have been updating the timbres of classic works for centuries. Take Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, for example. That was originally intended to be played on well-tempered clavichords and harpsichords, but nowadays keyboardists perform it on equal-tempered (not the same thing!) harpsichords, pianos, and even synthesizers.

It is possible, of course, to use electronics to approximate the sounds of an acoustic or classical guitar on an electric (piezoelectric pickups appear to be best at this, and then there's always MIDI), but of course it's never going to be exact, and you don't have a resonating chamber to drum on, and you've got closely spaced steel strings instead of widely spaced nylons, but again, those differences are no bigger than those between a clavichord and a piano.

If you want to perform seriously as a classical guitarist, then yes, eventually you would need to purchase a classical guitar (and not just an acoustic guitar like you had, either). But there's absolutely no harm done in grabbing your electric, dialing in a clean tone, and going to town.

I think you'd be doing yourself more justice as a musician to just approach the classic repertoire using the instrument you have, especially if you're interested in continuing to play electric guitar. Don't let equipment get in the way of your own growth as a musician.

Oh, also: Paganini's 5th Caprice (performed by Steve Vai for the film 'Crossroads'), and Yngwie Malmsteen is very fond of performing Bach.

Answer 2

The other answers (so far) seem to be focused on the sound you'd produce: whether you can replicate the sound of a classical guitar with an electric and whether it's even necessary to do so. I think these are interesting questions, but miss an important point: playing technique.

A classical guitar uses nylon strings with an extremely wide string spacing. They are designed to played fingerstyle, with a well-developed orthodox thumb-and-three-fingers technique. Much of the classical repertoire involves playing multiple parts (e.g. bass and treble) simultaneously. Electric guitars use steel strings, and most use a much narrower string spacing. They are designed to be played with a plectrum (pick), using a combination of strumming and single-note picking.

These techniques are vastly different from each other, and it's not easy to play music written for one type of guitar on the other. I don't mean to suggest you can't play a classical guitar with a pick or that you can't play an electric guitar fingerstyle---you can, and some famous players have. Mark Knopfler, Lindsey Buckingham, Chet Atkins---these guys all play(ed) fingerstyle on electric guitars to great effect. It's worth pointing out, though, that none of them were playing classical music on electrics; they adapted their style to fit the electric's idiosyncrasies and wrote original music of their own.

My point is: the physical differences between the instruments contributes to the very different playing techniques used on each. Even if you play a nylon-string classical guitar with a pick, you won't be able to bend notes nearly as well as you can on an electric, and if you play fingerstyle on an electric, you'll soon find the low string tension and tight string spacing to be serious inconveniences.

You can try to apply the playing techniques of one to the other, but you'll find it difficult to pull off successfully. I don't really recommend it.

Answer 3

It certainly is possible to do so, with some minor technique modification. One of the worlds best classical guitarists, John Williams famously did this during his period with the band 'Sky' back in the early 80's. If you get the chance, check out his album 'Sky2' where he plays several classical pieces with an electric.

To get them to sound the same, you will have to use some form of hardware or software modeller. For instance, I use an Axe-FX, and I found presets that can make my electric sound like a classical, an acoustic or even a sitar!

Bear in mind that your picking style will have to be slightly different with a light tensioned electric as compared to a nylon stringed guitar, i.e. your right hand fingernails will have to be shorter etc.

Answer 4

Short answer: Yes

Long answer:
Yes, you can. I do it a lot, when I want to play some classical for a slight(?) change from heavy metal riffs without switching guitars.
I'm using a Line 6 Spyder IV 15 amp, and the 'Clean' preset sounds just like my classical guitar.
Other amps may vary, but even if it only has overdrive settings, if you turn the drive all the way down you should get a good clean guitar sound.

One thing about this: There is a difference between electric steel string and classical nylon stringed guitars; on a classical, the strings are spaced a lot farther apart than on a steel string, so playing will feel a little different than what you're used to if you don't play on a steel string regularly. But, if you're used to playing on an electric, only the musical style (and sound) will change

Answer 5

I agree with NReilingh's assertion that you really need the right guitar to play a particular style or song well. That said, it's certainly possible to produce nearly identical sounds with a combination of guitars and effects. Just to add in my personal experience, I have an effects pedal for my electric guitar that has a very good acoustic guitar effect. You can tell the difference from a real acoustic guitar, but as technology advances the gap will grow ever smaller.