if i start out playing acoustic guitar and then switch to electic will it be harder for me to play?
cause im going to learn to play guitar and electric guitars are EXPENCIVE so im thinking about starting out on a cheap acoustic till i have enough cash for electric
So far, good answers; yes, most people start on acoustic. Yes, a cheap acoustic may very well be a piece of junk that won’t last and will be hard to play.
So let me take this a bit further for you–everything a beginner should think about–
1) Instrument: go to a very good music store–a Sam Ash, Guitar Center, or the big local shop that sells orchestral and band instruments. These stores don’t sell junk. Try out as many guitars as you can in your price range (or slightly above). Try them out for feel–even if you don’t play yet, you can put the neck in your left hand and see if the fingers feel good pressing on all strings, you can strum right the right hand and see how the arm likes being draped over that body.
Once you have several that feel good, have a sales clerk or a friend play the same tunes on each while you turn your back. This blind listening test is the best way to judge the sound.
Now, since you’re on a budget, the next step is to wait for one of your preferred models to go on discount–or to find one online at ebay (only get one that comes with warranty), http://www.musiciansfriend.com or maybe even http://www.shopgoodwill.com but if it’s goodwill, you’ll need maybe another $100 in reserve in case you need to take it to a repair shop (try one of those music stores listed above) for adjustments.
2) Find a teacher. As a beginner, you’ll make lots of mistakes, and you won’t catch all of them. If you don’t get the right fundamentals at first, you risk long-term not being able to play up to your potential, and maybe even getting nerve and joint repetitive motion injuries.
Cheapest teachers are found by putting a note on a bulleting board at the music department of a local college and landing a guitar major. Second choice would be to try one of the music stores listed above.
After about a dozen lessons, your fundamentals will be sound; then you can drop lessons and self-educate. Try getting books, cds, dvds, etc. from ebay–you’ll save money.
3) Plan to practice for not more than ten minutes at a time, several times a day, at first. This yields fastest progress. Second week, extend the time up to 12 minutes–and keep going up a couple of minutes a week, eventually dropping back to 4 then 3 then 2 practices, until you’ve built the stamina and knowledge to benefit from a one-hour practice (or longer) daily.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
I would think it would be easier to switch from an acoustic to an electric.
I started out on an electric, and it’s much tougher to hold down the strings on an acoustic. It was like learning to play an entirely new instrument with the same fingering. So if you were to start out with an acoustic, I would think electric would be much easier to switch to later.
It’ll be fine whatever you do.
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February 10th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Nearly everyone starts out on a cheap acoustic…it’ll be just fine…
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February 10th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
there are places you can buy cheaper electic guitar combos
with guitar amp picks 1/4 cable and starp for under a $100 if you want links let me know.
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February 10th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
hmmm most people start on a acoustic guitar, it can be a more painfull learning experience as the strings are much more taught and physically more demanding but can be helped with a lower gage string such as .11 or.10 mm, and the type of guitar. get someone u know who has played guitar for a while to help u pick it out, and advise from sales man. But u can buy relatively cheap electric guitars too maybe $120 for a fender Squire and $50 for practice amplifier. Good luck and stick with it. Great instrument to learn and relatively easy to get to stage to play ur favorite songs and sing away. Good luck
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February 11th, 2010 at 12:39 am
It is actually the reverse ; the electric guitars are easier to play.
You can get a nice Fender Squire for about $150 and this will be a much better guitar than any cheap acoustic you could buy.
The trouble with cheap acoustic guitars is that they usually are very hard to play. The action is usually set way too high and they often sound like rubbish.
Put it this way : for X dollars you can get a better electric guitar than you can get an acoustic guitar. The reason is that good acoustic guitars are so much harder to make than a solid body electric guitar.
Get an electric guitar.
References :
February 11th, 2010 at 12:50 am
So far, good answers; yes, most people start on acoustic. Yes, a cheap acoustic may very well be a piece of junk that won’t last and will be hard to play.
So let me take this a bit further for you–everything a beginner should think about–
1) Instrument: go to a very good music store–a Sam Ash, Guitar Center, or the big local shop that sells orchestral and band instruments. These stores don’t sell junk. Try out as many guitars as you can in your price range (or slightly above). Try them out for feel–even if you don’t play yet, you can put the neck in your left hand and see if the fingers feel good pressing on all strings, you can strum right the right hand and see how the arm likes being draped over that body.
Once you have several that feel good, have a sales clerk or a friend play the same tunes on each while you turn your back. This blind listening test is the best way to judge the sound.
Now, since you’re on a budget, the next step is to wait for one of your preferred models to go on discount–or to find one online at ebay (only get one that comes with warranty), http://www.musiciansfriend.com or maybe even http://www.shopgoodwill.com but if it’s goodwill, you’ll need maybe another $100 in reserve in case you need to take it to a repair shop (try one of those music stores listed above) for adjustments.
2) Find a teacher. As a beginner, you’ll make lots of mistakes, and you won’t catch all of them. If you don’t get the right fundamentals at first, you risk long-term not being able to play up to your potential, and maybe even getting nerve and joint repetitive motion injuries.
Cheapest teachers are found by putting a note on a bulleting board at the music department of a local college and landing a guitar major. Second choice would be to try one of the music stores listed above.
After about a dozen lessons, your fundamentals will be sound; then you can drop lessons and self-educate. Try getting books, cds, dvds, etc. from ebay–you’ll save money.
3) Plan to practice for not more than ten minutes at a time, several times a day, at first. This yields fastest progress. Second week, extend the time up to 12 minutes–and keep going up a couple of minutes a week, eventually dropping back to 4 then 3 then 2 practices, until you’ve built the stamina and knowledge to benefit from a one-hour practice (or longer) daily.
References :
February 11th, 2010 at 1:40 am
Don’t go real cheap on an acoustic. 2-300 will get you a decent one. That’s about the same as for an electric.
It will be easier to play electric if you learn on acoustic. I have a lot of guitars, and I prefer my Top of the line Takamine with a pickup, and all my pedals plugged in to it. I have the best of all world, a fine sounding acoustic, and all the electric effects I want, all in the same intrument.
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