Electric or acoustic guitar for beginners? | What your first guitar should be
In this video we are going to answer the big question, should you start with an acoustic or electric guitar if you are a beginner? Both guitars have their pros and cons and I hope my advice leads you down the right path!
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Transcription
So a question I get pretty often, from beginners at least, is should I learn on an acoustic or should I learn on an electric guitar? And if you want the quick answer, I would say go by the type of music you listen to and the type you want to play. If you want to play rock music, buy an electric guitar. If you want to play country music, go with an acoustic. But there is a lot of things to consider of course between them. Like for example, an acoustic is going to be self-sufficient. Like it has the sound hole, you don't need to plug it in or anything. Where an electric, you're going to need electricity to run the amplifier, you're going to need an amplifier and you're going to need a cable to connect the guitar to the amplifier. So, you know, those are some things to consider. Another thing to consider is how easy do you want to be. Because electric guitars are easier to play than acoustics, though you might really like acoustic. One thing you can do is you can get a lighter gauge of strings for acoustic guitar that's made more for like fingerpicking, that kind of thing. But, you know, it does make things a little easier to play. Now, if you want even easier, I recommend a classical guitar because it's got those soft nylon strings. And I'll recommend them to a lot of kids and things like that. I personally also love the sound of them, just like that soft warm sound. But, that's one where you could go if you want like an even easier option, though they do have those like thicker necks. So, it's a bit more stretching, but it is a little easier on the fingers. If you're using price as a factor, like you want the cheaper guitar, honestly if you look for a good deal, you'll find them for about the same price, honestly. I played some guitars that just sound fantastic for a pretty good price for both electric and acoustic. So, I wouldn't necessarily use pricing as like, your gauge for should I get this or should I get that. And if a guitar is too cheap, you probably shouldn't buy it anyway. You want to at least have like an okay guitar. So you stick to like a main brand or something as a first guitar. But, the one thing that could kind of raise the price a little bit is the price of like an amplifier, cable accessories for the electric. But, sometimes you can get like a pack. Where you get the guitar, the amplifier, the cable… And now, of course, they're not going to be the highest quality. But they're not to get started usually with like, at least a name brand like, you know, a Squire, or Ibanez or something like that. Though if you're really torn between the two. I would say do a steel string acoustic because they are more difficult to play and it's going to build your strength up. So, I'll tell a lot of beginners practice on a steel string acoustic if they have it, even if they're playing rock music or something. Because it’s going to build that finger strength up and that dexterity and flexibility and all that. It's easier to transition from a steel string acoustic to an electric guitar than the other way around. You'll find that especially if somebody hands… If you’re always playing electric and then somebody hands you a steel string acoustic with like heavier strings or something, like they happen to have heavy strings on it, you're going to find it really difficult to play. But if you're used to steel string acoustic already, at least with medium strings, when you pick up anybody's electric, generally you're going to find it way easier to play. Hopefully those quick little tips help you with making a decision if you just weren't sure what guitar to get and you're just starting out. If you have additional questions, leave them in the comments! I'd love to get to them! Now go out there, have fun and just enjoy playing!