In my 20 years as a guitar instructor I had quite few students and it’s interesting to notice that the questions beginners ask are often the same. Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to rectify a few issues. An all time favorite is whether you should start with acoustic or electric guitar lessons and my answer is always the same: “Acoustic guitar lessons!” My reasons are the following:
If you have an acoustic guitar you don’t need anything else. Because it’s loud enough you don’t need an amplifier or any other gadgets you would normally need with an electric guitar. That should save you some money you could use for a better guitar or even tuition.
When you play electric guitar you often use more advanced techniques like string bending and tremolo bar, while if you start with acoustic guitar lessons you are more inclined to practice basic techniques like strumming, chords changes and fingerpicking. It’s so important to lay down a strong foundation and therefore to start with the basics.
Playing pop songs on an acoustic guitar sounds so much better and natural that will motivate you to play more.
Acoustic guitar is easier to take with you on camps, friends house or everywhere you want just because you don’t need to plug it into an amp and it’s completely self sufficient.
Starting on an acoustic guitar will make your hands stronger because the stings are a bit harder to press than on an electric guitar. This is perfectly fine remember we are laying down foundations here.
Once established we should leave the electric guitar for a later stage, the next question is whether to buy a nylon or a steel string guitar. That is completely a personal choice as the two instruments have a completely different sound and are used in different genres of music. If you like to play classical, flamenco, bossa nova or latino a nylon string is what you need while the steel string is common in more contemporary styles like pop, country and rock.
After you have been playing for a while and are comfortable playing song you can start considering getting yourself an electric guitar.
Playing a musical instrument is a very enjoyable activity and the effort you put in will soon pay off. Therefore keep on practicing as practice make perfect and at all times have fun in the process.
Tommy Beltrani has been teaching guitar for almost 20 years and he’s focusing on acoustic guitar lessons. You can get access for a limited period to a 4 weeks Quick Start Guide with great guitar instructions and video tutorials. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
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