Which type of guitar is best for beginners?
In the past, the guitar for beginners was the concert guitar, usually without ifs and buts. In the meantime, it faces serious competition in the form of the electric guitar, and if it were up to the ideas of the future rock stars, the decision would often be in their favor. One question that frequently bothers people is about the type of guitar to start with.
There is still the argument that, despite a student’s musical preferences in rock and pop, the classical guitar is best for starting, and quite a few schools and guitar teachers still emphasize this approach today.
We have listed several arguments that should clarify the question and possibly make the decision a little easier.
Six arguments that speak for playing on the classical guitar at the beginning.
Image Credit: @azadazahari
- The reduction to the essentials
An important point that speaks for the beginning with the classical guitar is that you don’t need accessories such as amplifiers or effect devices. Even if amps nowadays come up with good sounds and effects that can undoubtedly inspire your own playing, they also provide beginners with distractions that can negatively affect the learning process. Especially for children because they should focus on guitar lessons.
- An acoustic guitar is easy to transport
You can accompany the first songs, and now you want to perform them together with your friends at the campfire? The electric guitar and its accessories are not suitable for this. An acoustic guitar, on the other hand, can be quickly packed and easily taken anywhere.
- The first chords
While we’re on the subject of campfires, the campfire chords should not be missing from this discussion.
Even if learning the first chords on the wider neck of a classical guitar may require a little more practice, they sound much better for the typical “song strumming” at the beginning. Above all, the more resistant nylon strings provide better intonation and thus a cleaner chord sound. At the same time, “strumming” with the thumb of the right hand on nylon strings is significantly more pleasant.
- Nylon strings are easier on the fingertips in the beginning
Gripping steel strings puts a lot of strain on the fingertips at the beginning and can therefore have a demotivating effect on the student. Nylon strings, on the other hand, are more comfortable for beginners to grip.
- Tone formation
The student on a classical guitar can better experience both the tone’s production with the right and with the left hand at the beginning.
So the student can explore the dynamic and tonal characteristics of the tone with the fingers of the right hand directly. Intonation, already mentioned, is also easier to accomplish with the left hand. On the other hand, with thin steel strings on an electric guitar, beginners often tend to press the string down too hard, resulting in a somewhat crooked-sounding tone.
- The larger string spacing makes fingerpicking easier
In addition to strumming, chord playing typically includes fingerpicking, where the chord’s notes are struck one at a time in a pattern with the right hand. The larger string spacing on a classical guitar makes this playing technique more comfortable to accomplish.
Six arguments in favor of starting on the electric guitar
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- Learning electric guitar-specific techniques
You can also learn essential right-hand playing techniques for the electric guitar much better on an electric guitar. This includes damping the strings with the heel of the hand (palm muting) and, for example, creating the so beautiful whistling pinch harmonics, which are very often used in combination with a distorted sound in rock music. To learn these, you can’t get around an electric guitar and amp. Besides, classical guitar lessons teach a different technique for the right hand, which does little to achieve the student’s goals interested in rock music.
- The pulling of the strings
Typical of electric guitar playing is the so-called bending, in which the pitch is changed by pulling strings with the picking hand. This technique can only be done correctly with thinner steel strings and must be practiced on the electric guitar right from the start.
- Small fingers have it easier on an electric guitar neck
As already mentioned, the fingers are more comfortable on nylon strings at first, but it is challenging for small hands to finger chords on the wide neck of a classical guitar. A narrow and flat electric guitar neck offers an advantage without question. Finally, we should mention the Western guitar. It tends with its neck, steel strings, and playing to be more like an electric guitar. But you can play on it without additional equipment. So, this is a good compromise for our problem.
- You need to research the electric guitar equipment
If you want to get to know today’s popular music better, you can’t get around the rich offer of electric guitar equipment. Each effect device has its specific sound suitable for certain playing styles and tonal cliches. There are also significant differences in guitar amps and electric guitar models. This wide range of sounds can inspire the student to look more closely at specific playing techniques.
- Band playing
Do you want to play together in a band with like-minded people as soon as possible? Without a doubt, you better play on an electric guitar or an acoustic steel-string guitar (acoustic guitar) with a pickup system and be more flexible in terms of sound.
- The external effect
Let’s be honest: Who is cooler to his friends? The electric guitarist whose guitar hangs casually just above his knees, or the classical guitarist with a footrest.