| Having played the guitar for a number of | | | | acoustic on the other hand might be simpler |
| years, I am often asked this question by | | | | to start with. It plays right out of the |
| eager learners - "Should I start learning | | | | box!ConvenienceAgain the acoustic wins as you |
| with the acoustic or electric guitar?" In | | | | can take it almost everywhere without |
| this article, I'll talk a bit about both so | | | | worrying about a power socket. There are |
| you can come to an informed decision.First of | | | | personal practice gadgets available for the |
| all, let me get something straight. The | | | | electric guitar which allows you to practice |
| actual notes and fretboards work the same for | | | | with headphones.PlayabilityMy personal |
| both, so if you start with either one, its | | | | preference here is the electric guitar. I |
| always interchangeable, although the playing | | | | find it easier to play, with the strings |
| techniques might differ.Most younger players | | | | being softer and thus less effort to |
| would gravitate towards the electric guitar | | | | play.Either way, they both should be |
| thanks to MTV and the "cool factor". The | | | | respected and used for what they are and any |
| acoustic guitar seems to have a more "folksy" | | | | good guitarist should be adept at both. For |
| image to it. Both sound very different, with | | | | the beginner, I would prefer the acoustic as |
| the acoustic relying purely on natural | | | | it helps a lot in ear training as you get |
| acoustic principles to generate the sound, | | | | accustomed to the vibrations of the body |
| using the body of the guitar as an | | | | making the tuning of the strings are easier |
| "amplifier". The electric guitar on the other | | | | to detect.My final piece of advice is to |
| hand needs an electric amplifier to generate | | | | don't get too obsessed with your instrument |
| sound. There are of course hybrids, but that | | | | while you're learning but focus on the music |
| is not relevent in this article.So, which is | | | | instead. Once you start to get better at it |
| better for the beginner? I'll cover 3 aspects | | | | you'll know instinctively what sort of 'ax' |
| below - cost, convenience and | | | | you'll need. I've met my fair share of |
| playability.CostBoth are about the same, you | | | | musicians who are so into the gear but have |
| can get really expensive custom built | | | | not improved in their skill much and on the |
| electric of acoustic guitars. However, the | | | | other hand, have heard some amazing, |
| electric can start to get more expensive | | | | soul-stirring music from blues masters that |
| simply because of the tempting options and | | | | have played the same guitar all their life!Al |
| accessories like amplifiers, pre-amps, | | | | Tan tries to be a guitarist when he's not |
| effects pedals, volume pedals, etc. The | | | | building websites. |