Electric or acoustic guitar? What should I start learning on and when can I switch instruments?
When students come to us for guitar lessons a common question we hear a lot is “what should I start learning on? Acoustic or electric guitar?”
My answer is always make your decisions based on the kind of music you like to listen or want to learn. If you want to learn how to play rock music such as the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin etc.. then I would suggest starting with electric. If you want to play campfire songs and more pop based stuff I would suggest acoustic. There seems to be a lot of misconception about having to learn the basics on acoustic before being able to move to electric.
Whichever you choose will have a natural carry over to the other instrument should you decide to switch at some point. Inevitably, most guitarists end up with both an electric and acoustic. Electric guitar can be a bit easier to play in the beginning due to the lighter strings but the guitar soloing techniques may be more demanding. Acoustic can be much better for leaning how to fingerpick. One thing to keep in mind is there are number of techniques in rock and blues soloing that can only be done on an electric which is why I suggest choosing electric if you are wanting to learn this kind of style of music.
Other considerations:
Size matters! If you are a smaller person you may want to consider a 3/4 size acoustic or looking into a parlour size guitar. These are excellent guitars with a full length neck but a slightly smaller body shape. You can also get 3/4 electrics aswell but because electric guitar is naturally a bit smaller and thinner most people don’t have to go smaller than a full size.
If you want to take lessons with us we do have extra acoustic and electric guitars in each of our teaching rooms which you can use during the lesson. This may better inform you what the best instrument is for your needs. If you are interested in taking lessons feel free to reach us at info@blueguitarstudio.com
Happy holidays and good luck on your quest for the right guitar!
Paul
