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Question: Would me taking up the acoustic guitar be a good idea!?
i'm 13, and have been playing the piano for 10 years or so!. i can play by ear (left hand chords, right hand melody), but i hate reading music by scores so i dont do well in piano exams and stuff!. i'm in Grade 7!. anyway, i'm thinking of taking up the acoustic guitar!. i have tried a few times at the music store and it seems fun!. and since i have the piano background, and i can play by ear, would it be easier!? and i'm worried about getting callouses for playing the guitar!. my parents say it would really hurt!. any thoughts!? how bad are the callouses and are there any tips to prevent it!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Picking up guitar would be one of the greatest decisions I've ever made!. It is a very fun and rewarding instrument, especially if you already have a background in music!. I still can't read music but can play relatively well - I'd love to be able to learn how and pick up some music theory but don't seem to have the time!. I play by ear and find that very easy!.

The process of getting callouses is the painful part, but it doesn't take long and doesn't hurt a great deal!. The callouses themselves don't hurt at all unless you try to bite them and leave fresh skin coming through!.!.!. so don't do that!

If you want to be a guitarist, you don't want to prevent callouses!. They're a huge blessing if anything!. It's like having a protective shield over your fingertips to stop them from being sliced open or worn out!. Callouses are what you want!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

callouses dont hurt that bad unless you have very soft hands
playing guitar is great
you wont regret learning itWww@QuestionHome@Com

calluses dont hurt at least they didnt for me, but everyones got different fingers i guess!. if you play for hours you might get a bit of pain but its more painful to pinch yourself!. i think its a great idea, exams arent that important coz musics about what it sounds not what it looks like on a sheet of paper, unless you want to go on to be a teacher or play in those organised groups like orchestras and ensembles and stuff!. if it was fun try it!. although you havent said if youve tried anything else, have a go at all the instruments you can, see which one you like the most!. you still have to read by scores for almost every instrument, including guitar, you can get tabs but if you have a teacher/exams they wont give you tabs, i havent played piano but I know that the score for guitar is different to some instruments eg clarinet, its similar but not identicalWww@QuestionHome@Com

Taking up guitar is a great idea!. When I first started, I was around your age and now have been playing piano for eleven years!. The best thing about having much experience in music is that it is pretty easy to pick up other instruments; and the best part is, you've already learnedt one of the hardest instruments to play (both hand movement while reading right and left hand notes at once)!.

The OTHER good thing about it is no matter how bad you think you are, you'll always sound awesome!.!.!. even if you're playing really, really simple chords!. And as for the callouses, start off with a classical guitar with nylon strings until you get the hang of it, then maybe invest in a good, steel string guitar that isn't too big and that you know will last you a lifetime!.

When you start playing the steel string guitar, it'll kinda hurt for a bit!. But maybe after a week or two the callouses will start to form, depending how often you play!. And the best thing is, if they get too thick or uncomfortable, you can 'sand' them off with a soft emery board!.

Best of luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com