If you’re planning to learn guitar, the first thing to ask yourself is what type of guitar would be best suited for you: acoustic or electric? There’s a lot of debate around which guitar would be ideal for beginners, but choosing the right guitar is the most essential part of learning to play the instrument; second only to training under an expert. And that’s what the best music school is for.
You’ve got to start somewhere and to help you make the right choice, here are some similarities and differences between an acoustic and an electric guitar.

Acoustic guitar

Many of the best music schools advice that an acoustic guitar is the better choice for beginners and not because it is easy to play. In fact, the reason is the exact opposite. An acoustic guitar is suggested by experts because it is harder to play, thus making your hands and fingers stronger and quicker. Though, on the flip side, they are also simple to use. Popular belief is that beginners should start with an acoustic guitar and then move on to an electric guitar because that’s the easier way to learn. But this is just a myth. While it is true that knowing how to play both guitars makes your playing better, the type of guitar you play depends on the music you like.

Also Read: Motivate your Kids to Practice Music Lessons without any Tantrums

An acoustic guitar is of two types: nylon string and steel string. A nylon string guitar produces a mellow and warm sound, whereas the steel string one has a clear, high tone. Nylon strings are not as heavy on the fingertips as the steel ones, but the neck on this guitar is broader, thus putting pressure on the hand.

An acoustic guitar doesn’t need plugging, making it easily portable.

Electric guitar

Electric guitars are slightly more complicated than an acoustic guitar because of all the electric switches they have. But the major benefit of an electric guitar is that the strings are lighter. The amplifier takes care of all the sound meaning your guitar strings don’t have to do it. Therefore, an electric guitar is easy on the fingers and learners won’t have to deal with sore fingers.

The amplifier makes it possible to play around with sound effects; the clean channel and the distortion channel give more tone options than an electric guitar. But the amplifier also makes portability an issue; it’s not easy to carry all your guitar accompaniments wherever you want. This guitar is ideal if you’re more interested in metal or rock music.

An electric guitar is of two types: semi-acoustic and solid body. The sound that comes out of this kind of guitar is also quiet and requires an amplifier to boost it.

Some more things to consider before choosing your guitar…

• Choose your guitar keeping in mind the kind of music you’re interested in playing. If rock music is your preference, an electric guitar would suit you better, whereas folk music needs an acoustic guitar.
• Budget is another consideration. An acoustic guitar costs less than an electric guitar. An electric guitar comes with an amplifier and plugs, etc., thereby increasing its cost.
• Acoustic guitars have firmer strings, which means sore fingers for novice players.
• Electric guitars are lighter and they have a thinner neck and slimmer body. Acoustic guitars have a thicker neck which is needed to support the heavier strings.
• Many players eventually learn to play both kinds of guitars, and you might also be one of them. So, whichever guitar you pick, remember that you can always learn to play the other one too.
• The finesse with which the instrument is played is more important than the weight of the instrument. And that’s exactly what any best music school will teach you. Playing the guitar is more about control than strength.

The conclusion

As they say, trial and error is the best way to learn something, and experimenting with both types of guitars will give you a better idea of the one that works best for you.

If you are living around Mississauga & Oakville then enroll in a guitar lesson, which is considered to be one of the best music schools in Mississauga. Here, you can make the most of your guitar lessons by training with the experts.

And training at the best music school can also help you further your career as a musician by giving you a chance to perform at concerts.

Ultimately, learning to play guitar, or any instrument for that matter, is not a quick process, and requires patience and a love/knowledge of music.

9 Myths That Prevent you from Learning the Guitar