Electric Guitar for Beginners: There Really Is No Such Thing

If you wish to learn the electric guitar there are many who would advise starting off with an acoustic guitar and when you are on the way to some level of proficiency, move up to, or upgrade to, an electric. Some would advocate starting with an electric guitar for beginners. Well let me tell you, there is no such thing! I personally learnt to play on an acoustic guitar when I was about thirteen but that was not from choice but simple economics. My sister had one of these guitars and it was cheaper for me to rent it off her (yes, rent! I think she now realises how mean she was) than buy an electric guitar. My first electric arrived some months later as a birthday present.

Why There Is Confusion

People can be forgiven for thinking that there is such a beast as an electric guitar for beginners. Electrics are made for children i.e. they are simply smaller in size such that a small child could handle the guitar properly and safely. Guitars are also made in three quarter size. This is not an electric guitar for beginners because it is smaller; it is purely because some people prefer to play an instrument of this size. So, because there are smaller guitars available I can understand some people's confusion. Additionally, some manufacturers like Fender and Gibson produce what they call "starter kits". They are called this purely because everything is enclosed in the package e.g. guitar, amplifier, lead, chord book or chart, spare strings and even the guitar pick or plectrum. If you wish to learn an electric guitar, learn on one! There really is no merit in purchasing the acoustic version unless you aspire to be John Martin and that is the instrument you wish to play. The chords on each are exactly the same, the notes on each are the same, the basic structure is the same etc. To be honest, it is probably easier if anything to learn on an electric as the guitar neck is thinner which makes fingering chords less difficult.

Electric or Acoustic Guitar?

The advantage of using an acoustic rather than an electric guitar for beginners is that, that is all you need. As mentioned, with an electric guitar you will need an amplifier to hear how the guitar sounds. It can be played without an amp but that's not why you wanted to learn the electric guitar, is it! It can be said that it is harder to learn electric guitar for beginners but this is only because you have a greater choice of sounds from the combination of the guitar and amplifier to manipulate and be satisfied with. So, it's not harder but simply there is more to learn. However seeing what sounds you can produce is the real fun part after you have started to bang out a few chords or licks. Even more fun comes when you start purchasing and experimenting with effects pedals to further enhance the range of sounds you find you are producing. So, just so there is no confusion, there is no such thing as an electric guitar for beginners. Whether you go for the acoustic or electric options, you will have a lot of hard work in front of you if you wish to play to a proficient level but, you will also have hours of fun, enjoyment and satisfaction to go with that. Rock and Roll!

Mark J Emslie has been a guitarist and musician for over 35 years. Much of that time has been in a professional capacity. He also provides driving lessons and intensive driving courses.

Can You Really Handle Learning to Play Guitar?

The guitar is an incredibly appealing musical instrument. It is easy to understand the popularity it enjoys because irrespective of the music genre, the guitar usually plays a critical part in any song.

The lead singers in most bands also know how to play the guitar. So, if learning to play guitar is something that interests you, read on. Many thousands of people before you have learned to play the guitar, and most likely thousands more will want to learn as well. But learning to play guitar will require several things from you so think carefully, wanting to play the guitar will be hard going if you cannot handle the following facts, you will be wasting your time and money.

Learning to play guitar is far from easy; no short-cut exists to enable you to play like a professional, there are no magic spells or brain implants either. And yes, you will see guys on TV playing their 3 minute songs that make it look so easy, but what you need to remember is that they put thousands of practice hours into learning the guitar before they joined a band or even got to that point.

Learning to play guitar is going to take time and you should not expect to pick up a guitar and have it mastered within a week. You must expect to put the work into it and that means you have to practice. You must learn how to tune your guitar, learn simple chords, then learn how to play simple songs and improve from there.

Learning to play guitar, as with any musical instrument takes patience and you will make mistakes. You will experience days when you just want smash your guitar against the wall out of pure frustration. If you are the type of person who gives up at the first problem or difficulty, then learning to play the guitar will probably be hard work for you. Try to envisage your guitar hero quitting the first time they ran into adversity while learning. Would they be a star now, perhaps not?

If you possess realistic expectations about how difficult it can be learning to play guitar; the time commitment; the patience to overcome any trouble you may encounter while learning; then you are probably ready to learn to play the guitar. How you make up your mind to learn to play guitar will be up to you.

Learning to play guitar quickly and easily can be achieved by using online guitar courses and most of these sites offer everything that you need in one convenient place to learn how to play the guitar. Of course, the better quality sites will charge a fee for the material, however the relative cost is insignificant compared to the cost of lessons. And of course, you will be able to learn at a time that suits you from the comfort of your own home.

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