Exactly what is classical guitar? Well, the "classical" doesn't acutally refer to classical music itself, but to the classic way in which the guitar is built, held and played.

A classical guitar's strings (usually six, but more are not uncommon) are made with brass or copper-wrapped nylon for the lower-pictched strings and nylon for the higher-pitched ones (they were all originally made of cattle guts). The strings are attached by threading them through, then knotting them around the guitar's bridge, before threading and knotting them around the tuning keys.

A classical guitar is usually held with the larger end of the soundboard (the lower bout) between the thighs, pointing up the neck at a higher angle, while most other guitarists keep the neck nearly horizontal. Playing is done entirely by plucking and strumming the strings with the fingers, never a pick.

The very best way to learn classical guitar is through a private instructor. They can provide you with personal attention, particularly to your hand and body positions, as well as help you develop a technique. But there is the disadvantage of the price, which can be at least $20 US per half hour.

One solution would be to find a teacher that teaches lessons to several students at once. You can also try learning classical guitar from books, but the lack of personal supervision might cause you to develop bad habits, costing you in effort what you save in dollars and cents.

Fortunately, you can get lots of good instruction and advice about classical guitar playing from Internet. A quick search of the Web's video directories and music sites can give you useful information on what to look for in purchasing a classical guitar, basics such a string winding and proper posture, and of course, video performances of classical guitar masters. Even more fortunately, formal classical guitar instruction is now available online.

World famous music schools like Berklee are sure to have a classical guitar module or two listed among their online guitar course offerings. More important, guitar learning software programs which once only targeted those wanting to learn the most popular music genres have also expanded their curriculums to include classical guitar. They can provide the next best thing to one-on-one instruction with video lessons, and with matching guitar tablature notation, you can play along even if you can't read music.

With beginner guitars priced at under $200 US, and Internet guitar lessons available for less than $20 a month, learning classical guitar doesn't have to be pipe dream. If it truly interests you that much, go for it!