How to play Classical Gas by MASON WILLIAMS on Nylon Classical Guitar (Part 1/4)

I put off learning this song for quite a few years as I knew it would be an undertaking. I started teaching it to a lesson a few years back but unfortunately he gave up on the it.

I had a request for it again in early April 2007, this time from a number of students so I finally tackled it head on and finished it in a few short weeks. Surprisingly enough it wasn't as difficult as I expected. To make this song easier to learn you have to practice it in smaller sections (phrases). Of course it helps if you have already done some finger picking previously.

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Tags:

• classical
• guitar
• nylon
• lesson

[InAShallowGrave]

Good Vid, however you hold your thumb over the neck (I do it to) When I took lessons, my teacher told me that this was wrong

[danpoole70]

Yes my teacher did too, but over the years of teaching and seeing hundreds possibly thousands of different student styles and limitations on what they can do. I believe that even if you have to use your nose to play the song well, then use your nose (this is an extreme example but you get the idea). Let's say you were born with 6 fingers (5 & 1 thumb). It would be a shortsight on the teachers behalf not to get that lesson to use the mutant extra finger!

[AustralLord]

@InAShallowGrave Playing with your thumb behind your neck is a good practice because it allows you to hit a wider array of notes with better accuracy and speed. However, most songs, especially when strumming chords, don't require this, which is why most people don't, it is easier to keep bass strings from ringing with the thumb. Otherwise you have to actually practice to not hit them.

[TheMork29]

damn i really wanna learn this song.. still struggling to get it right

[SquirrelINSANITY]

@danpole70, thank you for this, I did pick up somethings I had trouble with... but IMO you should have gone into more detail about the middle because it is really tricky.

[spiewski]

@InAShallowGrave I use my thumb to play guitar on E and A string ^.o

[italiaguitarest95]

@InAShallowGrave its how hendrix and clapton play it.. dw lol its still how u cna play, i do it too sometimes, but mostly normal bar chords coz i'm more of a classical guitarest

[Roddykay]

nice video mate, easy to follow. i can play this whole section now.

[geordiebaden]

you're not teaching us the song though. You're just playing it bit by bit.

[grnoodleman]

What kind of guitar is that? Sounds great

[daniel11111112]

i have the same guitar but mine is a bit lighter and a childs guitar (had it for 10 years now ^_^)