Why You Should Start With Acoustic Guitar Lessons
In almost two decades as a guitar teacher I had many students and it’s funny 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 buy an acoustic guitar you don’t need anything else. Because it’s loud enough you don’t need an amp or any other gadgets you would normally need when you buy an electric guitar. That should save you some money you could use for a better guitar or classes.
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 tend 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 simple pop songs on an acoustic guitar sounds so much better and natural that will inspire you to play more.
Acoustic guitar is easier to take with you on camps, school trips or wherever 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 strengthen your hands because it’s 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, the next question is whether to buy a nylon or a steel string guitar. That is a personal choice as the two instruments have a completely different sound and are used in different genres of music. If you want 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.
Once you’ve been going for a while and you’re playing loads of songs then you can move on to electric guitar. Electric will feel much easier to play and you’ll be glad you started with acoustic guitar lessons.
Learn to play guitar is a very rewarding hobby and be reassured that the practice you put in will definitely pay off in due time. There’s a certain level of commitment required to see results, no matter what level you want to play at. So practice, practice, practice and remember at all times to have a good time.
Tommy Beltrani is a guitar teacher with 20 years of experience and his main focus has been acoustic guitar lessons. You can get access for a limited period to a 4 weeks Quick Start Guide with valuable guitar instructions and instruction videos. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
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