# Metal guitarist vs Classical guitarist: Same skill level? (or set) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2014, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metal-guitarist-vs-classical-guitarist-same-skill-level-or-set/692625 "2014-07-08T11:48:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metal-guitarist-vs-classical-guitarist-same-skill-level-or-set/692625/21 "2014-07-08T19:31:46Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > How many metal guys ever pick up a classical guitar? > > I’ve always assumed a classical guy could switch to metal (with a few months of training). I’m not sure if the reverse is true. It would make a fantastic reality show watching them try. [Skwisgar and Toki (from Dethklok) learn the blues](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADoMfL78Mcc). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metal-guitarist-vs-classical-guitarist-same-skill-level-or-set/692625/22 "2014-07-08T21:11:37Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It seems like any classical guitarist would have some experience playing rock, pop and maybe some metal. They were once teenagers wanting to impress chicks. Unless he lived in a cave or monastery. 😉 They just choose to perform classical professionally. > > How many metal guys ever pick up a classical guitar? > > I’ve always assumed a classical guy could switch to metal (with a few months of training). I’m not sure if the reverse is true. It would make a fantastic reality show watching them try. A fingerpicker can learn use a pick a LOT more easily than a flatpicker can learn how to fingerpick. So unless the metal player is a fingerpicker they would find it much, much tougher to learn. A classical player would struggle with all the distortion and effects, but could deal with them in less time… ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metal-guitarist-vs-classical-guitarist-same-skill-level-or-set/692625/23 "2014-07-08T21:45:53Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > A classical player would struggle with all the distortion and effects, but could deal with them in less time… I’ve had classical and folk guitarists play through my rig (not usually my guitar, since I’m a lefty). The thing I notice is that they make a _lot_ of stray noise. They aren’t used to playing electric guitar with a ton of gain, so they don’t realize how much it amplifies every little squeak and finger sound. As a guy who came up playing with distortion, I guess I (and most rock players) are really good at muting stray sounds - without even really trying. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metal-guitarist-vs-classical-guitarist-same-skill-level-or-set/692625/24 "2014-07-08T22:13:28Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > I’ve had classical and folk guitarists play through my rig (not usually my guitar, since I’m a lefty). The thing I notice is that they make a _lot_ of stray noise. They aren’t used to playing electric guitar with a ton of gain, so they don’t realize how much it amplifies every little squeak and finger sound. > > As a guy who came up playing with distortion, I guess I (and most rock players) are really good at muting stray sounds - without even really trying. Yep. One thing I tell folks who ask me for tips is that with electric, you spend 50% of your effort getting the right notes to sound and 50% of your effort getting all the other noise to not happen. I find this to be the case with steel string acoustic as well, but I happen to play pretty aggressively, with a lot of rhythmic strumming. So I will play partial chords, and then flatten my fretting hand on the strings to mute them and “dry strum” a percussive bit in between. Nylon string flamenco has a lot of that aggressive rhythm, so I bet there is a lot of what you hear vs. what you mute going on there as well. With nylon string classical, though, you are really trying to keep your hands free and “hovering” over the strings, without impeding them in any way. You control the tone with how you pick (nail, nail+flesh, just flesh) and there is very little palm muting with your picking hand, or dry strumming like flamenco. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metal-guitarist-vs-classical-guitarist-same-skill-level-or-set/692625.md?page=1)