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Position:Home>Performing Arts> I want to learn how to play the guitar. What kind is the best to start with. AnyQuestion:Hi, When it comes to getting your first guitar you have a few options. Here are a few of the determining factors. 1. What is your budget? When students ask me about getting a guitar this is always my first question. I know it sounds kind of like a car salesman but you have to know what you are willing to spend. It also narrows your options and saves time. 2. Electric or acoustic? This depends on the style of music you are interested in. If you want to be a rocker or are interested in music that is electric in nature then start with the electric. The reverse is true as well. One thing to remember, with the electric guitar you will also need a small amp as well. You can get a decent practice amp for under $100. In general, electric guitars are easier to play than acoustic guitars. The strings are easier to push down because electric guitars have less string tension. There are a few techniques that are much easier on the electric guitar. For example, bending strings on the acoustic guitar is much more difficult than on the electric guitar. Some people think that you should start on acoustic and move to electric but in my experience teaching guitar, that is not the case. Again, let the style of music determine what you want. 3. Don't be afraid of buying a used guitar. I have helped many students get a great used guitar that is of much higher quality that a new one. A used guitar might have a few cosmetic blemishes from use but in general there is usually minimal risk in buying a used guitar. Most music stores will look over a guitar and tell you if it has any problems. Or if you have any friends that play guitar they can check it out for you. I have been able to get some great deals on eBay as well. 4. Once you get your guitar get started right. You can teach yourself but it's important to develop good technique from the beginning. This will save you a lot of time and frustration later on. If you can afford it, find a good teacher to get a solid foundation. From there it will be much easier to move out on your own. Learning to play the guitar is a great gift to your self. It will provide you with many years of enjoyment. Best Wishes and enjoy! Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Hi, When it comes to getting your first guitar you have a few options. Here are a few of the determining factors. 1. What is your budget? When students ask me about getting a guitar this is always my first question. I know it sounds kind of like a car salesman but you have to know what you are willing to spend. It also narrows your options and saves time. 2. Electric or acoustic? This depends on the style of music you are interested in. If you want to be a rocker or are interested in music that is electric in nature then start with the electric. The reverse is true as well. One thing to remember, with the electric guitar you will also need a small amp as well. You can get a decent practice amp for under $100. In general, electric guitars are easier to play than acoustic guitars. The strings are easier to push down because electric guitars have less string tension. There are a few techniques that are much easier on the electric guitar. For example, bending strings on the acoustic guitar is much more difficult than on the electric guitar. Some people think that you should start on acoustic and move to electric but in my experience teaching guitar, that is not the case. Again, let the style of music determine what you want. 3. Don't be afraid of buying a used guitar. I have helped many students get a great used guitar that is of much higher quality that a new one. A used guitar might have a few cosmetic blemishes from use but in general there is usually minimal risk in buying a used guitar. Most music stores will look over a guitar and tell you if it has any problems. Or if you have any friends that play guitar they can check it out for you. I have been able to get some great deals on eBay as well. 4. Once you get your guitar get started right. You can teach yourself but it's important to develop good technique from the beginning. This will save you a lot of time and frustration later on. If you can afford it, find a good teacher to get a solid foundation. From there it will be much easier to move out on your own. Learning to play the guitar is a great gift to your self. It will provide you with many years of enjoyment. Best Wishes and enjoy! i really want to too! i learnt the first bit of seven nation army by white stripes dead easy thats all i can do though www.ultimate-guitar.com is a good website sorry i havent got much advice, but its a good question It depends on how much you are willing to spend on your first guitar. I'd recommend an Epiphone SG or an Ibanez, Hamer is good too. Those brands all have models at reasonable prices, some of them are more expensive but you can find one in your price range.It depends on what kind of music you want to play too. But those are good starter guitars. My best advice is to try out a bunch of guitars at the store, don't buy the first one you try, play a bunch first, and buy whichever one you like the best. There are a lot of great websites out there that will help you learn guitar too, www.ultimate-guitar.com is a good one, I've been using that one for years. Also you might want to try out www.guitarmasterclass.net, they have video lessons on that site, most of the videos are free. Oh yeah, you might want to buy some new strings too, DR's are the best I've found, they last longer and they have great clarity. Hope the helps you out! good luck with the guitar learning! If you have any other questions about guitar you can e-mail, I'd be glad to answer I've been teaching classical and acoustic guitar for over thirty five years, and to me the best way to learn is to have a teacher, either private or at a music store.....from answering questions on Yahoo I've noticed that a lot of students do not have access to a teacher or cannot afford one. The next best thing to do in my opinion is to go to one of the sites on the Internet, but it does cost some, they want you to either by one of their Cd's, videos, or DVD's, ( they also have online tutors,) but for what you get they are well worth it.....I'm not to fond of the free sites, they are not very complete, but I'll give you a few at the end and you be the judge.....the exception is the free lessons on youtube, give those a look. http://www.jamplay.com/ (this site has 6 free lessons) http://www.billbrutal.com/ http://www.guitarchordsmagic.com/ http://www.8notes.com/ (click on the guitar, very interesting site for guitarist, if you want to know how to make a chord click on it and this site shows you how to make it, and lots of other information for guitarist ) http://www.stringdancer.com/ (this site has a free electronic tuner on it's homepage) http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/ http://www.fret2fret.com/ http://www.justinguitar.com/ http://www.guitartutoronline.com/ http://www.learnplayguitar.net/ http://www.absolutelyunderstandguitar.co... http://www.worldguitar.com/ http://www.fretplay.com/ http://www.chordie.com/ http://www.top100guitarsites.com/ http://www.learn-to-play-guitar-online.i... http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ Free sites : http://www.freebasicguitar.com/ http://www.guitar.about.com/ http://www.learnhowtoplayguitar.com/ http://www.abclearnguitar.com/ http://www.dirkmeineke.free.fr/ Tabs : http://www.cyberfret.com/ http://www.ultimateguitar.com/ I'm not into tab, I'd much rather see the student learn how to read music. I hope that one of the sites above helps you to get started, print the above so that you'll have them for reference.....good luck to you, bye !!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure, but I think you're asking about the actual guitar. If that's the case, my advice would be to track down a guitar teacher and negotiate with him/her to let you use your first lesson helping you pick out a guitar. Good teachers are everywhere, but in my opinion, if you live close to a university that has a decent music department, the best place to start with your search is there. Talk to the professors there and ask them to recommend someone. There's also a good chance one of the students would be willing to work out a pretty decent rate for lessons. Anyone can tell you his preferred brand of first guitar, but because instruments are highly personal, it's better to find one that fits you, not someone else. Good teachers know this and can help with that. As an example, some guitarists who play my acoustic guitar --even the good musicians--sound like they're terrible because of the way it is adjusted for my playing style. I'm not a virtuoso by any means, but when I play it, it sounds fine. So listen to what others say about which brands are good because it's important, but please don't let that be your only source of information. Good luck! Buy a Takaminie acoustic. They are not expensive and really sound good. If it's a nylon string classical , buy a yamaha. They are around $90. |