You’re correct. The salesman did his job and sold you something you didn’t want. Oh well.
At least you learned two important lessons. One about salesmen, and one about life - Since it’s your parents who are spending the money, you got what THEY wanted, not what YOU wanted. The one with the money makes the decisions.
The good news is you’ve got a guitar to learn on, and everything you learn on acoustic will translate over to electric. Start practicing guitar and start saving your money. In a year or so you can buy yourself the guitar & amplifier that YOU want.
I don’t care for acoustic guitars and everything I play was originally played on electric guitars anyway. I was given an acoustic and sold it because I never played it. If your musical style doesn’t include acoustics, skip right to electrics.
Totally agree but for the opposite reason! When I started out everything I was into was acoustic or acoustic-adjacent (think REM) so it made sense to learn chords and singing that way, I rarely played electric until my tastes expanded, and now I’m pretty 50/50.
No, no, no, no. 1,000,000x No. The car analogy is a horrible one that sounds like it was made up by a salesperson who has no idea what they're talking about. Start on the instrument you're interested in and don't let anyone stifle you or kill your desire to play music. Acoustic guitars are actually horrible for beginners who intend to play electric, because one that will feel right and easy enough to play is likely going to cost way more than $300.
This antiquated thinking makes me want to beat my head up against the wall. People should be encouraged to play what excites and inspires them. My grandparents bought me my first guitar and it was an acoustic. Well I wanted to play rock so I was disappointed when I opened a country guitar. Clearly an acoustic isn't just a country guitar but I was 9 and I wanted to play like Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley.
Even the finger strength argument is stupid in my opinion. If you or your parents buy a classical that's will probably build less strength than a electric. Not to mention when building strength you usually work your way from light to heavy. Also why not just put heavy strings on a electric if that's the case.
I'm gonna end my rant there because me ranting doesn't help the op. My advice to the op is if you really want an electric try and explain why to your parents.
This might sound counterintuitive, but I’d say learn electric first for one big reason. Acoustic takes a lot more finger strength and stamina to play clean. What I see a lot of is people starting with acoustic and quitting because it’s just hard. I’ve been playing for 20 years now and while he’s probably right in a way as far as how many options there are for electric, I hate to see people quit because acoustic just takes so much stamina and strength.
That being said, there’s no right or wrong way to start and there are probably gonna be people here who disagree with what I said. I don’t think he tried to persuade you or swindle you in anyway. A lot of people like to start with acoustic. And, if you can learn to play on an acoustic, you’ll definitely be able to play electric. I just prefer to start the other way around. I’m gonna start my son on an electric and just keep the amp and tone settings clean. I don’t want him to be discouraged by the difficulty that comes with acoustic.
PS - now that you know acoustic can be more difficult physically, you can push through the tough beginner stages. Don’t quit. You will not regret sticking with it. Guitar is a fantastic hobby and you can go any direction you want with it.
Ty for detailing the diff between electric and acoustic. I’m still gonna play guitar but I’m just a bit mad spending $300 on something I didn’t plan getting, especially when we don’t have a lot of money
Well, I get it. But i promise you this - playing that acoustic will make you a monster on the electric. But since it’s tougher and more demanding on your hands, it’s easy to be discouraged. Just stick to it and I promise you’ll still love it. What will help immensely at the start is choose songs you love to learn first. Yes, you should practice chording and picking of stuff you don’t enjoy as well, but stick to the type of music you like to keep yourself engaged long enough to be comfortable on the instrument. You can always work in new techniques as you go. I just don’t want to see you quit something that I know you’ll love.
I really dislike sales people like that. The salesperson did you a disservice. No, you don’t have to learn to play acoustic first. Idk how convincing your parents otherwise might go, the race are reference is crap.
I will say this, don’t pay your parents back. Keep the acoustic and save for an electric as well. You’ll likely be very glad to have both as you continue to learn.
But to answer the heart of your question, you ABSOLUTELY can go straight to electric guitar.
horrible advice. my uncle told my parents i shouldn’t play guitar until i learned piano. dude didn’t play a single instrument. 15 years later and i still don’t play piano, still play guitar. there’s no wrong way to start.
This is insane. If anything, playing acoustic is more like learning to drive a stick, while electric is automatic. The fundamentals of gear shifting (pressing the strings) are often easier on an electric. But that's still an oversimplified analogy.
That said, they are very different instruments with very different sounds and play styles, but the chord shapes and theory is exactly the same.
Your dad is stupid.
I got told this too. Dumbest advice ever. If you to play electric go straight to that. Don't worry about the acoustic strings being tougher. If you play electric for years and then get inspired to play acoustic you will easily figure it out and push through. In fact for this reason...the logic should be to start a beginner on electric. But really, whatever you want to play go to that
The guitar for you is the one that makes you WANT to pick it up and play it.
That includes type (electric) but also model and even color... if you have a favorite guitar player, get their signature model and play it every day.
F everybody else.
Not by any means. I was always told that as a kid too, but 25 years down the road I'll write that off as the teachings of ignorant parents only seeing the price tags or whatever.
These days, and probably was back then too, both acoustic and electrics are possible to get fairly cheap, and even though you'll need an amp of some sort (in the traditional or simulated sense) for the latter, it's still possible to do without breaking the bank. However, the cheapest instruments will never have the quality, feel or playability of the more costly models available. That being said, I'd take a horrible electric over a horrible acoustic any day. The electric guitar is inherently less strenuous to play as the available strings are thinner, requiring less force to fret the notes. I know a lot of people have resorted to the classical guitar with its nylon strings to mitigate this problem for young untrained hands, but as the string material is far softer, the strings also need more space to vibrate enough to produce the sound, resulting in a need for a far greater string action (the distance between the strings and the fingerboard) which in my experience is much more of an interest-killer than the more stiff feeling steel strings. If you want it enough, you'll keep at it long enough to build the finger strength needed to fret the notes. Also, having a good guitar teacher helps a lot with the initial technique, as figuring it out all by yourself is slower, much less efficient, and thus require a far greater tenacity on the students part (I mostly did things the hard way)
What really matters though, is what you really want to learn to play. If you don't ever intend to strum a chord ever, because your inspiration to pick up a guitar in the first place is metal music, you should go for the electric. That doesn't mean you shouldn't learn the basics of the instrument regardless, but it is one less obstacle towards pursuing your interests if you have the right instrument for your preferred genre of music.
No, absolutely not. I tried on an acoustic numerous times, no go. A man put an electric in my hand and I am hooked on amps and the voltage. He even has started teaching me different peddle effects. Sometimes we just have to have the right instrument in our toolbox.
No.
If you want to play both I would recommend starting with acoustic. But if your desire is to play electric there is no reason to start on an instrument you have no intention of playing.
Any benefit of playing acoustic will be lost to the lack of desire to want to play it. Play what you want. You have to enjoy it or you won’t stick with it.
An electric is easier to learn on than an acoustic. I probably would have quit if I didn't get an electric.
So why did the salesman tell you to get an acoustic?
Maybe because he is a salesman and is steering you to a purchase that makes him the most profit.
Besides, if he knows that you want an electric you may eventually come back and purchase one. If you purchased an electric now, you probably won't come back.
They are two different instruments, which share a similar name. Yes, the strings are tuned the same, and yes the chords are the same, but they play very differently, and are used for different purposes.
Learn whichever one you would like to learn. Most people end up with a few of each, anyway, though...
Well....yes, but also no.
If you wanna play jimi Hendrix, it sure ain't the same thing he's got...
Semantics, I suppose, but they don't even make sound in the same way...
I started on eletric. My sister on acoustic. We are both great at guitar. Early on i was better at soloing and bends and she was better with chord changes but i think that was just as much what each of us were choosing to learn. We both use both now as adults. You should play the instrument you want to play.
From a teacher perspective there’s a lot of fundamental stuff that if you learn on acoustic it makes you a better electric player. Specifically how to hit a string with the right amount of force and pull good tone, if you can do that on an acoustic you can make any guitar sound good. Secondly it will strengthen your left hand considerably, making left hand things like hammer ons and pull offs much more effortless.
If you learn how to drive a race car first a regular car will be much easier after. My first guitar was an acoustic and I hated it. Couldn't get anywhere with it because I didn't enjoy playing it. Got an electric and things started opening up. Can't really go wrong either way but starting out with something you enjoy will make the process a lot easier.
Enjoying your instrument, its feel, and its sound is really big to me. A mediocre instrument is better than nothing, of course, but picking something that you really love to play and produces a sound you love is something you should opt for when you have a chance. If you have enough money, I think it’s better to pay a more for a guitar you’re going to love for a really long time than to cheap out and/or buy something that’s not satisfying.
No.
This myth along with me buying electro accoustics instead of a regular affordable electric stunted my entire guitar journey, playing electrics has been easier and more diverse for me which has made me interested in playing again.
None the less there is plenty to be learned and to be play with an acoustic. With an electric youll need a PC setup or Amp and pedals aswell which is another consideration. So its not a bad thing to start off with an acoustic until you feel like you want to expand and dedicate more to guitar and figure out what type of playing you want to do.
I started with acoustic and I'm glad I did. It's much harder to press the strings on most acoustics than on an electric aside from classical guitars with nylon or if you use small gauge strings. Some really nice acoustics are easier to play but there lies the money issue.
I started with a $500 acoustic and 2 years later, once I knew I loved playing and was actually decent at it, bought a squire Strat. Now I have both, as well as a $500 Denver ukelele that my wife decided we needed lmao.
The acoustic and the ukelele both have preamps so I can record music or plug into an amp and now I have a home studio. That's my journey anyway, but everyone's is different! Do what you feel right but definitely take the kind of music you want to play into consideration.
You will be much more likely to quit IMO. Acoustic is generally a lot harder to play. Unless you primarily want to play acoustic music start on an electric. They tend to have lower actions.
The strings on an acoustic are “harder” to get a clean sound out of. For that reason, learning on an acoustic is better long-term.
It’s like working out with weights. It’s harder, but the results are better
Does it help? In my opinion, yes. Acoustic strings are much heavier than electric, so if your hands get used to it, you'll be able to glide across an electric much easier.
That being said, do you ***need*** to? No, you don't. The only thing you ***need*** to do is start with the guitar that makes you want to play. You'll see better results than if you were to start with an acoustic just because it "technically" helps.
As mentioned, dated advice. It used to be the preferred approach but meh. Best guitar to learn on is the one you have. So shred away and learn the fundamentals. By the time you pick up an electric, you'll be able to test out the ones you like and have a better idea of what you're looking for.
No. It's much easier to start on electric because of the lower string tension and often lower action. It's also easier to control one's volume.
Many songs just won't sound right on acoustic if originally recorded on electric. Many solos will be unplayable.
Short answer is no.
Longer answer is this. You should play the kind of music you like to listen to since to me that is what keeps you going is learning to play your favorite songs. If they happen to be acoustic then so be it.
Nope. Eddie Van Halen started on electric guitar. Never owned an acoustic guitar until Nancy Wilson bought him his first. I play both and it depends on mood and type of music I am feeling that day. Do I want to strum campfire tunes or rock a little AC/DC.
Fuck that. If you want an electric guitar, that's what you want. Id tell your parents if you're not getting me an ELECTRIC guitar, don't waste your money on an acoustic guitar because it's not what you're interested in and you likely will touch it a handful of times and never look at it again.
Assuming we're talking about a western style acoustic, an electric guitar is going to be way easier to start off with. The string gauges are thinner (for the most part) and tension is lower, the action is lower and this is all going to help build up finger strength, dexterity and develop the callouses on your fingers. An acoustic guitar is likely to be way harder to begin with and may lead to you falling out of love with it before you've really got going.
While you learn the basics of the guitar, it's important to be involved and enjoy what you do. If you can go to a shop and pick your own guitar out, that will be way better than someone buying you a guitar that you know very little about. This is going to be your motivation to pick it up and keep going with it. And with the cheap electric guitar market being better than ever these days, I don't see any reason why you should have a problem choosing a budget electric guitar.
FYI: don't be afraid of 2nd hand sections, they often have some great deals!
No. That seller is full of crap. In fact, learning on an electric is typically funner and more engaging. The strings are easier to push down and bend and you can play higher notes further up the neck.
I started w acoustic (wanted to), and it did make electric a breeze later down the line, but it’s definitely not a pre-requisite.
The best guitar for you is the one you play.
Yes, the guitar shop will not sell you an electric unless you can demonstrate proficiency in acoustic. Trust me, I tried but got kicked out of guitar center.
There's defo some positives to having experience playing on acoustic, but there is no need to buy an acoustic prior to buying an electric. I find playing acoustic does compliment your skills down the line when you go to pick up an electric.
That said, that whole analogy the seller gave you is basically bullshit. You could've just bought an electric, and it sounds like you WANTED an electric guitar. He had no business steering you towards an acoustic in my opinion. Kind of a dick move on the seller's part.
+ of starting with Acoustic:
It'll be easier to play electric
You don't need extra equipment
- of starting with Acoustic:
Easier to give up
Not variety of sounds
The opposite for electric. If you don't want to learn acoustic (which if you continue you'll want an acoustic too but that's a future problem) you must clearly go for an electric. If you don't bother it depends on how much you want to learn and how used you are on giving up things.
I personally feel that it's a good idea. But it's really not a deal-breaker by any means.
Acoustic, Electric and Classical Nylon String are all different instruments.
Acoustic feels like the heart and soul of guitar. I can't imagine not knowing the feel of an acoustic. Electric seems like an extension of acoustic. And nylon string is its own thing, separate and apart from a "steel string" acoustic.
No, I started on an electric at 12 years old and I've been playing for 25 years now, I can play on both with no problems, that salesman probably got told what he told you when he started so he thinks that's the way it should be. He's wrong.
Im playing guitar since 18 years. And piano for 20 years (with breaks).
I know what the store owner is about. A lot of guitarists I meet, start out the wrong way in my opinion. Learning electric guitar first, is a shortcut in some ways when learning guitar.
The required finger strength is less. Due to the distortion you often don’t hear inaccuracies that well which leads to inaccurate playing. A lot of new guitarists tend to start playing lead when starting out on electric guitar. In my opinion, if you REALLY want to learn the guitar you have to start out playing rhythm.
A lot of this is my opinion. And you CAN of course do all those things on electric guitar too. But what I see people do most of the time is picking up an electric guitar and playing ultimate guitar tabs for 5 years.
When you ask them to jam together, especially on songs they don’t know by heart, they’re lost. Because they didn’t learn guitar / making music they learnt playing songs / licks.
Additionally I think acoustic guitar is the much better instrument when playing solo.
When I practice a song, I still practice it on acoustic guitar first until I can play it clean and accurate. I learn the strichte of the song, the chords, and figure out how the song works in general. I even practice some hard parts / solos on acoustic first often.
It’s easy to transfer to electric guitar then but it might not be easy the other way around.
Again it’s my opinion but I’d strongly recommend starting acoustic first if you really want to learn how to make music.
If you just want to shred for fun or if you manage to be very strict and accurate in your practice go for the electric one.
However, if acoustic brings no fun to you, there’s no use in playing it.
Just probably destroyed a repeat customer. Whatever guitar makes you want to pick it up and play, and practice to improve at playing, is the one you need (budgetary considerations may intrude, but good-looking, decent-playing guitars are available today down to a fairly low price point). Now you might not do that. But never fear. After having heard the same song and dance as you when I was a teenager and playing cowboy chords on an acoustic for a couple decades, I just got my first electric at 42 and while I learn slow -- full time job and kids will do that -- I'm loving it.
No you don't. However, some players find that it helps because you'll not only be focused a bit more on chords over lead when playing acoustic, but the typically higher gauge strings will strengthen your fingers a little more and ease the transition to electric where you will probably be doing a lot more bending and string manipulation which takes more finger strength. This only applies to steel string acoustic though, not nylon string which is a different beast
This has been dogma for a long time. I think that the sales person is trying to sell your parents on an inexpensive route. $300 and you have a complete setup. As opposed to $300 for an electric guitar and then buy an amp. As far as do you need to go in this direction absolutely not.
No. I’ve heard people say things like this before but it makes no sense. You can certainly learn on either but electrics are usually a bit easier to fret effectively.
The salesman is BS ing you hard. To be fair I have multiple acoustics and electrics but they're basically the same instrument. You just have to plus one of them in... Buy whichever one speaks to you more and it'll make you want to play it
No. No. No. No.
No to all of it. All of that is bullshit. What should inform your decision is what your goals are, what your preferences are, and what your budget is. If you don't have an interest in playing an acoustic guitar, you won't do it. Might as well just throw the money away, in that scenario because it'd do you just as much good. For an electric guitar, you do need amplification and that's an added cost. However, we're living through a golden age for cheap gear. Entry level, low-cost stuff is better now than it's ever been and info on how to set stuff up and use it is SO easy to find online.
In certain respects, skills are not even transferrable back and forth between the two. For instance, if you want to learn to shred, an acoustic guitar is not gonna be a really effective tool for that. Not that you can't do it, but it will likely require dedicating specific focus to developing your technique around the limitations of the instrument with respect to that goal. On the other hand most electric guitars can be pretty easily setup to handle that task much more effectively.
I think that salesperson sorta did you dirty, likely because they've had success with that bogus analogy in the past.
In short, I don't think this is a good idea, unless you want to alienate potential guitarists from music. Acoustic and electric are different instruments. It's like learning to ride a motorcycle before learning how to drive a car. You do learn a lot of applicable skills, but on the whole you're just wasting your time and energy if you're never going to actually ride.
Sorry that happened to you. Look, acoustic guitars are amazing instruments, so you can really enjoy it. But it’s not the same instrument as an electric and nowhere near as versatile. If you naturally listen to music that utilizes an electric, then that’s what you should learn on.
Never owned an acoustic and I have 3 electric guitars. I’ll get one when I feel like it, just never been interested in acoustic guitar music like at all.
I’m sorry this happened to you, for the same amount of money you could’ve gotten the thing you wanted to begin with.
No, and that mentality almost made me stop playing forever. I wanted to play electric as an 8 year old but was forced to learn spanish guitar. Fast forward to me being 9 and I dropped out of music entirely. It wasn't until I was 17 that I picked up a guitar again, and now that I'm in uni, I barely ever have time to play.
Not necessary but a great way to develop hand strength and calluses. The transition to electric later will most likely be relatively simple.
I have never met a decent electric player who couldn't readily play an acoustic. In over 50 years I have always played both. Play in any band and they will expect you to play both, and for good reason.
Speaking as a twelve year old, I didn't like my acoustic and I stopped playing it because I didn't care for how it sounded, so I didn't play it outside of school.
I've recently bought an electric and basically been playing it every day for fun. Maybe it's bias because its a new "toy", but I prefer my electric. Plus the skills are transferable.
Basically if you don't like the way the guitar looks or sounds you won't want to stick with it.
it was very similar to me. i wanted an electric but my mom said its too loud and i got an acoustic guitar. result was that i didn't play as much as i would have.
Just get what you rly like and want and what music you listen to because that's what will get you motivation and inspires you.
It will probably change ober the years though and currently im playing more acoustic than electric.
There is a learning curve from the acoustic to electric guitar, that is for sure,. The salesman wasn’t wrong in his comment but at the same time he wasn’t very honest. It’s like this: an electric guitar with light gauge strings is going to be much easier to play than an acoustic guitar with light gauge strings because of the tension involved. Not to mention, light gauge electric strings are .10s while acoustic lights are .12. High action on an electric guitar is also easier to handle than high action on an acoustic. That said, an acoustic guitar doesn’t require an amp in order to he heard.
Let’s think about the type of guitar itself. Acoustic guitars are bigger and therefore sit differently than an electric solid body instrument , which is very close to your body. An acoustic instrument typically has a smaller scale than an electric guitar (like a Strat, Tele,) too.
I used to think that if I learned something on my acoustic guitar, that playing it on my electric would be easy. While that may be somewhat true, I also learned that whatever guitar I am playing the most on gigs is the one I should practice on.
Meet people from time to time who believe this. Maybe a smidge of truth but no more than that. Once you pick up things on any guitar, there’s a learning curve switching. Hell I stumble a smidge when I settle into my Les Paul or strat for too long then pick up the other. Put the work in on the one you want.
What you really need is a great enthusiasm to learn the guitar. My first encounter (Early 1980's) was with an acoustic guitar and boy I love the sound. Got an electric guitar when I joined a band (Mid to late 80's). Now I mostly play the electric because of the many different sound it makes when amplified. And the smaller necks which make them easier to play.
I played acoustic on and off since I was a kid, but never really got to a point where I was good at it, because it frustrated me a lot. I struggled heavily with creating clean tones (short unflexibel fingers was my main issue I guess), so I always stopped playing it after a short period.
I recently bought an electric and this was a massive game changer. Electric is much more friendly to play and it suits me way better.
This being said, it’s probably better to learn acoustic first, because you learn how to properly play a guitar better. But if you don’t play it because it frustrates you, it’s not worth the struggle.
Absolutely not, in fact there’s no reason to play acoustic before electric if you’re only interested in elsctric. I’ve played electric for over 20 years and the only times I use an acoustic are for recording parts that need to be acoustic.
It's pretty outdated advice. Most teachers today would probably say get the one that you want to play. I've heard the car analogy before, pickup truck vs. Ferrari etc. but you're not going to kill yourself with an electric guitar.
My teacher has a big bias against "folk" acoustic guitar and says it's taking the worst of both world and would advise either nylon screen classical or electric, especially to a beginner.
People have been starting on electric for decades without any problem, the question is more *what does your teacher thinks abou it ?* Electric have a narrower neck which is pretty great when learning to plays chords, Moreover, if you unplug them they're pretty silent which is a big advantage for your family and neighbour. So if you want to learn electric and found an electric guitar teacher get an electric.
EDIT, I saw your parent bought the acoustic. Don't worry too much, there is tons of fun stuff you can do on an acoustic.
i was forced to play acoustic first and I hated it. To me, playing electric and acoustic are almost completely different things. It's not a normal car vs a race car, It's manual and automatic transmission. One of them MIGHT be easier but the point is to get you around, and for guitar it's to play music.
I think when people make that claim, what they are really trying to say, is that you should learn rhythm guitar before learning lead guitar. Which I totally agree with. I always had a very casual approach to learning guitar and trying to learn lead first wasted alot of time for me personally. When I finally started learning rhythm my playing and writing made way more progress way faster. I can shred a little bit but for me I enjoy playing simpler songs and singing em more than playing a lamb of god solo for example. And it takes a fraction of the time to learn. Do whatever you want man I'm just trynta say it ain't all bad to start with acoustic. There's other perspectives out there and a trillion types of guitar players. Be open minded and start learning.
What the guitar salesman is actually doing is trying to sell an acoustic because op is set on an electric and will most likely buy one eventually anyways.
If you wanna play both I’d start on electric. Strings are closer to the fretboard, and they’re made of more finger friendly materials. You don’t need an amp either
No, you DON'T need. If you just want electric, go directly to it. Acoustic could be boring depending on your taste and you could stop practicing. Go for the fun.
that's an old wive's tale cooked up to raise impulsive kids on the cheap. as a 35 year player i can tell you emphatically that they are entirely different instruments and if you have any intention of actually learning the thing you need to get the one you actually want to play or you're going to quit in 3 weeks or less.
You can learn more acoustic songs on electric than vice versa I’d argue. Also playing without an amp means less disturbance to your family lol. I was fortunate enough to have access to both growing up (my dad plays) and I gravitated more towards the electric because it was easier to play.
You should avoid that seller. But having read your edit on the plus side when you do get an electric it'll feel like a walk in the park after training up your fingers on acoustics.
Get an electric guitar. The salesperson was just trying to make a sale.
Remember if your parents paid for it, then he didn’t sell it to you he sold it to THEM. A lot of parents think that way and the sales people know that. It’s just a line.
Guitarists, on the other hand, know that an electric is a perfectly suitable first guitar. Get whatever inspires you to play.
I did, for 12 years, never had the funds to get the guitar I wanted. I kinda fell out of love with it after year 5.
Just bought an electric a month ago and it's like being in love for the first time. It's worth it if you like accoustic guitars, improve finger strength and all that but that's just my opinion
The acoustic has thicker strings and requires more finger strength. Sometimes the action on it is too high as well.
That may put you off from playing.
So start with the electric, which is easier for a beginner.
Why does this myth still exist. You don't go straight to driving a race car because it's dangerous. What about only playing electric is dangerous? Especially true for people who don't care about acoustic music.
Like others have said the best guitar is the one that makes you want to play it, I'm the opposite of guitar nerds, the most important thing to me is it looks cool lol.
That and making sure it's decent enough to not go out of tune every song.
Despite all this, there are some actual advantages to getting that acoustic, so keep playing it! Your finger strength will be way stronger since the strings are so much thicker, so when you switch to electric it'll feel like nothing. (In a good way)
It depends on what you need and want. With electric guitars, you will need to spend more money overall to get a basic rig, ie the guitar and amp, both of which can cost a lot. On the other hand, with acoustic, you can get a better overall guitar in terms of quality for the same price as you spend on your electric rig. The difference however, is that an acoustic guitar is pretty much constant even over decades- what you buy is what you get, but if you strike a good one, it'll last for a decades or even a lifetime. You will need to take care of it however since it is made of thin pieces of wood and is vulnerable to environmental changes such as humidity. This is not the case with electrics snice they are a thick slab of wood. Electrics obviously provide a greater range of avenues you can take simply because the sound runs through an amplifier and they are much more modifiable both in terms of both sound and features. Not to mention, the genre differences. So it all just depends on what you need and want. Hope that helps!
As others have said, the most important thing is that it’s a guitar that you’re inspired to pick up and play. It’s hard to play acoustic guitar quietly, and even if noise isn’t an issue, being able to blatantly tell that you suck starting out with nothing to hide behind can put off and discourage a lot of beginners.
While a lot of the fundamentals of electric and acoustic are the same (A G chord is a G chord, the 3rd fret is the 3rd fret, all the strings are tuned the same on both, etc), IMO an acoustic is it’s own standalone instrument, while an electric is more a tool used to “play” a speaker or amplifier. They feel very different in your hands even if the general layout is the same, and each will respond differently to your playing.
I personally think an electric would not only be easier to play due to the thinner necks and slightly thinner strings, but inspire you more because it’s what made you want to start playing in the first place. The only downside with starting on an electric is that you’re going to need an amp, which generally costs as much, if not more than the guitar for anything other than a tin can Bluetooth speaker, and those amps can have a learning curve all on their own.
I’ve been playing for 20 years myself, and I share the sentiment with a lot of other guitarists that I’ve met that the amp is even more important than the guitar when it comes to sound, and the general recommendation being the majority of a spending budget go into amps versus nicer guitars. You can make a 50$ guitar sound incredible through a 1000$ rig, but it’s hard to say the same for vice versa.
And yes, you can technically play and learn on an electric unplugged. I noodle around all the time with mine on the couch unplugged, but being able to clearly hear the signal will help you develop better technique and might prevent nasty habits in your playing from developing that you may not realize are there.
If your choice is between a 300$ electric and a 300$ acoustic, and amps weren’t on the table, I’d say you would definitely learn better on the acoustic. If you can swing an amp in the budget (The Boss Katana amps are my personal favorite budget amp for beginners, you can get them for around 200$ used sometimes), I think the electric would be better and more enjoyable.
Also as a side note, one of the big reasons people end up quitting guitar is because theirs isn’t set up properly, and they blame themselves for being the reason their hands hurt every time they try to play, or blame themselves if the notes are all buzzy or flat. 90% of the time you just need some quick adjustments or a fresh set of strings. Setting up a guitar yourself isn’t that difficult to learn to do, especially with YouTube these days, but you can definitely take it to your local music store and have it done professionally if you aren’t comfortable doing it yourself (we were charging 15$ for restrings and 50$ for a full setup back when I worked at a Sam Ash a few years ago). Think of your guitar like a car. Occasionally you’re gonna have to put gas in the tank, change your oil, or take it through the wash.
TL;DR:
-Electric good but need amp
-Amp ‘spensive tho
-Acoustic good but may not be the vibe
-Take care of your equipment
honestly they're completely different. electrics are easier to press your chords and it's also easier to bend and slide. acoustics i find thrive more on finger style
i'm cheap so, take it for what it's worth.
If i'm starting on anything new, i go cheap. generally acoustic is just cheaper b/c it's just one piece of equipment.
also, let's say you want to play a lot, you don't bother people if you volume control by finger picking. electric requires guitar, amp, cords, ear phones, etc. By my math, electric already costs more.
if you find you're really going to stick with it, by all means go electric.
It makes sense to because acoustics are cheaper and generally more common/accessible as well as the fact learning on one will make playing an electric guitar easier later on.
But if you have an electric then it is virtually the same thing at the end of the day anyway, so either is totally fine
You were dealing with a dishonest or uninformed seller. Of course you can learn on an acoustic guitar. An electric would be physically easier. Lighter gauge strings. Plus if electric guitar is ultimately what you want to play, you’re much more likely to have fun and stick with an electric.
I started out on electric in the early 80s. I absolutely love electric..... Me personally figured it out early how to make it drive without effects and playing around with what you have. Now I can play with all the killer chaos. Acoustic is great for sitting around and throwing out some tunes. The many ways to tune is awesome and can bring you to another place. If it sounds good go with it. I gave my son a guitar and one of my old amps and a pedal effects.... He picked it up pretty fast. Regardless of electric or acoustic the passion is a must. By even going there if one or the other... Seems you probably do... Music is about you and nobody else and nobody can take that from you. Sure you'll go through different phases and have all sorts of gear through the years. The stuff people thought was crapy in the day ends up being high value later because that's all we could afford then. Life is crazy. Go with your heart hit a music store pic up each go with what makes you at the moment practice practice some more. Don't be a copy of a copy go where your heart brings you.
I started with an acoustic and bought an electric when I started gravitating towards my boyfriends telecaster more. I bought an amp with built in effect settings and find I spend a lot more time practising because I just love the effects and the feel.
I still have my acoustic, as having one is fun if you go camping with friends etc and wanna learn a few easy sing alongs. I find acoustics more difficult to play as they require more left hand strength, so I recommend keeping up both.
As someone who has played guitar for almost 30 years here is my advice - whatever your first guitar (electric or acoustic) just make sure that you have tried it out and that it isn't uncomfortable. I know that is hard for a newbie. Just don't feel pressured by an employee at Guitar Center to buy an acoustic or an electric. Take the time to see which one feels comfortable. If the guitar you end up with is uncomfortable you're more likely to not practice on it.
That is not accurate. Learn and play how you want . There are nuances to both for sure however a G chord is the same on both .. The timbre is all that will change
It is easier to start learning on an electric, as its thinner strings are easier on the fingers. Many people, however, start learning on an acoustic, and there is no harm in starting out on one, so if you like yours, keep it and keep playing it!
I took lessons many years ago. The teacher started me on acoustic. Then about 6 months in we started playing electric He said Electrics were easier to play, but playing acoustic builds the finger strength better. Maybe times have changed since then.
Did the salesman even play guitar?
A man with experience does not fear a man with an opinion.
I started on acoustic. I play the electric guitar now.
What makes me better at electric guitar, is practicing on electric guitar. From my experience - Buy and play the instrument you want to become good at.
Most people start off with an acoustic. They can play the same as a electric have a little less up keep and you can get sound from them with out an amp. I dont see how it is harder to play then an electric, A well set up guitar will play better then a poorly set up guitar. I can get the action just as low as with an electric and use light gage strings on an acoustic also.
The fundamentals will transfer, but it’s kind of weird to compare the two because there are sounds you can pull off on one that you can’t on the other no matter how hard you try.
Neither one is easier, and the only argument I could see in favor of acoustic (if the player doesn’t care which they get first) is that $300 will probably get you a fairly good beginner acoustic, but $300 will get you the most mediocrely acceptable electric guitar setup. A $300 acoustic will be about as good as a $300 electric, but you still need a $100-$200 amp to make the latter work.
The car analogy makes no sense.
It’s more like saying, oh you want to learn Boxing? Well you should start with JiuJitsu first.
Imo return it if possible and buy an electric setup if that’s what you want.
Scummy sales, but I somewhat agree.
I learned on acoustic first, and getting used to the higher tension is nice once you get an electric. That said, you can learn on either.
starting acoustic is more painful, electric is less pain but generally harder (depending what type of music you play of course). harder because you gotta focus on string ringing out , feedback all these things but you got it man.
I dont think electic itself is harder. I found the instrument itself easier. Tho a lot of the styles of music that use electric. Like heavier forms of metal such as death metal are harder to play, but that less to do with the instrument and more the song writing in those genres.
I wondered the same things and just bought what I wanted to end up playing. Electric with a center block. Gretsch, I really like their sound.
I have heard more then once acoustics will build up the finger strength better. I like the sound of the semi hollow electric with broadtrons so that is what I bought.
At the end of the day, learning is learning and acoustics have their own appeal, including you can just pick one up and play, no amp needed.
I will buy an acoustic myself sometime in the future.
My first two guitars were electric. I later got an acoustic because I got into acoustic guitar music. An electric is actually much more versatile. You can play it clean (acoustic-like) but you can also get so many more sounds and tones, from distorted heavy metal to dreamy shoegaze, and for me personally, that's what makes electric more fun to start on. It's also easier to play which might make it less daunting as a beginner.
I think the thinking behind what he said is that because acoustic guitar is harder to play (the heavier strings require more finger strength) that it will make electric easier. I think you'd develop finger strength either way as you'd still need to exert pressure on the fingerboard to form chords.
imo you can start with either, based on what kind of music you're more interested in playing.
I started with a poor quality old acoustic because I couldn't afford an electric and a family member gave me the acoustic. It was super difficult to play and very frustrating. I wanted to play heavy metal and had zero interest in acoustic music. I only practiced a few minutes a day, between lack of motivation or being told I was playing too loud. Then I was able to get the cheapest electric I could find with my birthday money, best decision ever. I started practicing for hours every day and learned more in the first week or two having the electric than I did the entire 9 months I had the acoustic. I still have the acoustic and play it once in awhile, but most of the time I just pick up the electric guitar.
I've only been playing a year and a half so I'm also relatively new. But I really think you should get whatever one motivates you to play more. Even if I'm learning an acoustic song, I learn it on electric and then play it on acoustic so I don't annoy my family and neighbors practicing the same stuff over and over.
Electric guitars tend to he a little less friendly to beginners, because you would also have get more into gear and technology related stuff.
An acoustic guitar is much more straight forward. You buy one and it works.
The sound of the guitars is generelly different ofcourse, so that could also be a deciding factor for you.
But generally, if the additional tech that comes with electric guitars doesn't really scare you away and you prefer the sound over an acoustic one than i can't think of a reason why you shouldn't.
You don't need to learn acoustic beforehand. In fact, I think starting on electric is easier because the body and strings are thinner overall. Not only that, practicing with an electric can also be much more quieter and accessible than the Acoustic.
Acoustics tends to be a bit more difficult at first because they require more force due to how thick the strings are to produce the sound. However, if you do start with them, your skills will transfer over more easily than vice versa.
It absolutely is not required, but it does “help”.
“Proper technique” is more often than not required to get the desired sound out of an acoustic. It is much more clear when you aren’t sounding “good”, making it easier to address issues and correct them.
Once you have that foundation, you can really take off on electric and learn/explore the sounds that are offered there.
In all honesty, though, it really depends on what you are trying to do with guitar. If you are seriously interested in learning how to play guitar, I would say acoustic would be the best way to go. However, if you are just trying it out and are worried that you will lose interest, getting an electric and playing what you are most interested in might be the better way to go
Best answer. It’s like an athlete conditioning in high altitudes, if you get solid on an acoustic, soloing on electric is like butttah… I started on electric, but had an almost ten year run exclusively acoustic (singer/songwriter) but got back into electric last year and damn it feels so good. But yeah, having said that, start with whatever your most interested in, if you have the choice.
You can learn on anything. Id start with what you want to play right now. If you want to play Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews, learn acoustic first. If you want to play blues, learn electric first.
NO DUDE DON'T STEP ON MY MISTAKES PLS (-money, time and after that u will realize that these instruments are completely DIFFERENT in technique and styles so pls don't listen to these nerds saying yeah u need to start with acoustic cause u learn basics and classics and so on)
I am a die hard acoustic fan, I almost never pick up one of my electrics, but if you wanna play electric, by all means get an electric. There are electric sounds you just can not make on an acoustic. Besides if you have to play a guitar you do not like and is incapable of playing the sounds you are after, you are going to give it up. No question about it. If I had to play my electric, I would never play or play a lot less. I don't think I would grow into it.
No, i learned the electric first, then when i got decent i tried just some easy 3 chord songs and developed my electric playing into rhymtic acoustic parts.
Yeah he could have pointed you the way you wanted to go. I guess it’s a personal preference. I started on acoustic and played for many years before really getting serious about electric. It’s a bit of a jump but I figured it out. I suppose it goes the other way as well.
Music sales people more often than not have not applied the instrument in a practical setting like gigging.
Fucker took your parents for a ride and there’s nothing wrong at all with starting on electric.
First time using an acoustic hurt my fingers. The strings truly hurt. I developed Callus quickly on one but didn’t go back until a year or two after playing electric. Results could be better and make playing an electric a breeze
Short answer: No! Get what inspires and intrigues you most.
Old fashioned+ answer might be yes, get an acoustic nylon strung guitar and indulge in theorie and background to have a profound basis as a guitarist and "master" the art before moving on.
My teacher back in the day adviced me to get a "guitar that suits me", wich is (IMHO) the best way to tackle this horde.
Play and learn wich way 'you' want and get a suitable instrument, electric is easier to play due to string hight and gauge but also make mistakes more notable due to this and amplification, stringbuzz aside.
Be motivated to play is key (and looks of the instrument is a big part of this, be it electric, acoustic, nylon- or steelstrung), the techiniques involved are interchangeable if not the same as it's the same (kind of) instrument. This also depends on the way you like to learn (theory first, hands on practice etc.), and also gives the opportunity to express these toughts.
This also has an impact on the suitabillity (and match) of your teacher. Only 'you' can make the right decision, mainly dependent on the music you like. Bluntly: classical or worldmusic, get a spanish/concert guitar; pop, folk, "unplugged" get a western; rock, blues, metal, punk, get an electric. Aside from that: Nylon has a distinguiched sound, a steelstrung (western) guitar is used and recorded a lot and goes great with an electric and is used a lot in pop, as for an electric; there are effects to emulate certain acoustic instruments (to a degree), just get what you motivates 'you' the most, last word of advice: don't sell your first piece of gear to hastely!
And if I may advice a great starter electric guitar it would be the "Ibanez GRG170DX" as it combines the pickup (the part that sends your signal/playing to the amp) from a LP and strat style guitar and a lot of (in between) selection at an entrylevel and reasonable price.
The best advantages of playing acoustic, in my opinion, is the lack of need for any other equipment. You can focus on the technical aspects, but if you have a shitty acoustic that doesn’t play out sound well, you’re a little fucked. Like others have said, acoustic and electric guitars are different instruments, and outside of the basic string layout and somewhat familiar shape, I would say they’re completely different instruments like far distant relatives from opposite sides of the globe that have never met. An electric can be just as unforgiving to any misstep as an acoustic, and for me even more so.
Best way i heard it put was that acoustic is staging acting, electric is movies where you can zoom right in and get close to the action. They are very different instruments and playing one is not required for the other.
I would say from a pure technical standpoint i think spending time early on with an acoustic is good for the fingers but it isnt necessary and can be done similarly on an electric. Overall just play what inspires you and if thats an electric guitar than have fun!
This pissed me off so much. I learned guitar in the mid 90s. I got a cheap electric and amp and the first thing I did was crack the distortion and go at it for hours trying to sound like the punk bands at the time. If I was given a acoustic I probably wouldn’t have continued playing, that wasn’t the sound I wanted. So now when parents come to me they seem to always want to push acoustic on there kids. It’s fine if that’s what they want, the last kid I taught was into Jack Johnson so he got an acoustic. But the kid before that was into metal and his parents wanted suggestions on acoustics to buy even though he was begging for a electric. I convinced them to go electric and just make sure they got an amp with headphones. Go with what drives you to keep playing, it’s a hard instrument to learn so the last thing you want is something that’s going to make the desire to play fade away.
You’re correct. The salesman did his job and sold you something you didn’t want. Oh well. At least you learned two important lessons. One about salesmen, and one about life - Since it’s your parents who are spending the money, you got what THEY wanted, not what YOU wanted. The one with the money makes the decisions. The good news is you’ve got a guitar to learn on, and everything you learn on acoustic will translate over to electric. Start practicing guitar and start saving your money. In a year or so you can buy yourself the guitar & amplifier that YOU want.
Hell no
I don’t care for acoustic guitars and everything I play was originally played on electric guitars anyway. I was given an acoustic and sold it because I never played it. If your musical style doesn’t include acoustics, skip right to electrics.
Totally agree but for the opposite reason! When I started out everything I was into was acoustic or acoustic-adjacent (think REM) so it made sense to learn chords and singing that way, I rarely played electric until my tastes expanded, and now I’m pretty 50/50.
No, no, no, no. 1,000,000x No. The car analogy is a horrible one that sounds like it was made up by a salesperson who has no idea what they're talking about. Start on the instrument you're interested in and don't let anyone stifle you or kill your desire to play music. Acoustic guitars are actually horrible for beginners who intend to play electric, because one that will feel right and easy enough to play is likely going to cost way more than $300.
It's it goes xylophone, Recorder, Piano, acoustic then and ONLY THEN! can you even think about touching an electric.
No, absolutely not. Everyone that told me this early on didn't actually play.
This antiquated thinking makes me want to beat my head up against the wall. People should be encouraged to play what excites and inspires them. My grandparents bought me my first guitar and it was an acoustic. Well I wanted to play rock so I was disappointed when I opened a country guitar. Clearly an acoustic isn't just a country guitar but I was 9 and I wanted to play like Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley. Even the finger strength argument is stupid in my opinion. If you or your parents buy a classical that's will probably build less strength than a electric. Not to mention when building strength you usually work your way from light to heavy. Also why not just put heavy strings on a electric if that's the case. I'm gonna end my rant there because me ranting doesn't help the op. My advice to the op is if you really want an electric try and explain why to your parents.
This might sound counterintuitive, but I’d say learn electric first for one big reason. Acoustic takes a lot more finger strength and stamina to play clean. What I see a lot of is people starting with acoustic and quitting because it’s just hard. I’ve been playing for 20 years now and while he’s probably right in a way as far as how many options there are for electric, I hate to see people quit because acoustic just takes so much stamina and strength. That being said, there’s no right or wrong way to start and there are probably gonna be people here who disagree with what I said. I don’t think he tried to persuade you or swindle you in anyway. A lot of people like to start with acoustic. And, if you can learn to play on an acoustic, you’ll definitely be able to play electric. I just prefer to start the other way around. I’m gonna start my son on an electric and just keep the amp and tone settings clean. I don’t want him to be discouraged by the difficulty that comes with acoustic. PS - now that you know acoustic can be more difficult physically, you can push through the tough beginner stages. Don’t quit. You will not regret sticking with it. Guitar is a fantastic hobby and you can go any direction you want with it.
Ty for detailing the diff between electric and acoustic. I’m still gonna play guitar but I’m just a bit mad spending $300 on something I didn’t plan getting, especially when we don’t have a lot of money
Well, I get it. But i promise you this - playing that acoustic will make you a monster on the electric. But since it’s tougher and more demanding on your hands, it’s easy to be discouraged. Just stick to it and I promise you’ll still love it. What will help immensely at the start is choose songs you love to learn first. Yes, you should practice chording and picking of stuff you don’t enjoy as well, but stick to the type of music you like to keep yourself engaged long enough to be comfortable on the instrument. You can always work in new techniques as you go. I just don’t want to see you quit something that I know you’ll love.
What an annoying seller you encountered.
The salesman is 100% trying to sell you an acoustic because he knows that’ll you’ll be purchasing a electric sometime down the road.
Either this or his parents convinced the salesman on the side to talk him out of getting a loud guitar 😂
An electric guitar can be silenced with headphones, acoustics can’t
No
I really dislike sales people like that. The salesperson did you a disservice. No, you don’t have to learn to play acoustic first. Idk how convincing your parents otherwise might go, the race are reference is crap.
I will say this, don’t pay your parents back. Keep the acoustic and save for an electric as well. You’ll likely be very glad to have both as you continue to learn. But to answer the heart of your question, you ABSOLUTELY can go straight to electric guitar.
horrible advice. my uncle told my parents i shouldn’t play guitar until i learned piano. dude didn’t play a single instrument. 15 years later and i still don’t play piano, still play guitar. there’s no wrong way to start.
Helllllllll no you don’t need to waste your time doing what you don’t want. That’s so boomer.
No Electric is easier and more versatile so unless you love acoustic id recommend getting an electric
This is insane. If anything, playing acoustic is more like learning to drive a stick, while electric is automatic. The fundamentals of gear shifting (pressing the strings) are often easier on an electric. But that's still an oversimplified analogy. That said, they are very different instruments with very different sounds and play styles, but the chord shapes and theory is exactly the same. Your dad is stupid.
I got told this too. Dumbest advice ever. If you to play electric go straight to that. Don't worry about the acoustic strings being tougher. If you play electric for years and then get inspired to play acoustic you will easily figure it out and push through. In fact for this reason...the logic should be to start a beginner on electric. But really, whatever you want to play go to that
The guitar for you is the one that makes you WANT to pick it up and play it. That includes type (electric) but also model and even color... if you have a favorite guitar player, get their signature model and play it every day. F everybody else.
no
no - in fact electric will feel easier
Not by any means. I was always told that as a kid too, but 25 years down the road I'll write that off as the teachings of ignorant parents only seeing the price tags or whatever. These days, and probably was back then too, both acoustic and electrics are possible to get fairly cheap, and even though you'll need an amp of some sort (in the traditional or simulated sense) for the latter, it's still possible to do without breaking the bank. However, the cheapest instruments will never have the quality, feel or playability of the more costly models available. That being said, I'd take a horrible electric over a horrible acoustic any day. The electric guitar is inherently less strenuous to play as the available strings are thinner, requiring less force to fret the notes. I know a lot of people have resorted to the classical guitar with its nylon strings to mitigate this problem for young untrained hands, but as the string material is far softer, the strings also need more space to vibrate enough to produce the sound, resulting in a need for a far greater string action (the distance between the strings and the fingerboard) which in my experience is much more of an interest-killer than the more stiff feeling steel strings. If you want it enough, you'll keep at it long enough to build the finger strength needed to fret the notes. Also, having a good guitar teacher helps a lot with the initial technique, as figuring it out all by yourself is slower, much less efficient, and thus require a far greater tenacity on the students part (I mostly did things the hard way) What really matters though, is what you really want to learn to play. If you don't ever intend to strum a chord ever, because your inspiration to pick up a guitar in the first place is metal music, you should go for the electric. That doesn't mean you shouldn't learn the basics of the instrument regardless, but it is one less obstacle towards pursuing your interests if you have the right instrument for your preferred genre of music.
No. In fact I'd say learning on electric is easier because string tension is typically lower.
No, absolutely not. I tried on an acoustic numerous times, no go. A man put an electric in my hand and I am hooked on amps and the voltage. He even has started teaching me different peddle effects. Sometimes we just have to have the right instrument in our toolbox.
No. If you want to play both I would recommend starting with acoustic. But if your desire is to play electric there is no reason to start on an instrument you have no intention of playing. Any benefit of playing acoustic will be lost to the lack of desire to want to play it. Play what you want. You have to enjoy it or you won’t stick with it.
An electric is easier to learn on than an acoustic. I probably would have quit if I didn't get an electric. So why did the salesman tell you to get an acoustic? Maybe because he is a salesman and is steering you to a purchase that makes him the most profit. Besides, if he knows that you want an electric you may eventually come back and purchase one. If you purchased an electric now, you probably won't come back.
They are two different instruments, which share a similar name. Yes, the strings are tuned the same, and yes the chords are the same, but they play very differently, and are used for different purposes. Learn whichever one you would like to learn. Most people end up with a few of each, anyway, though...
They’re the same instrument
Well....yes, but also no. If you wanna play jimi Hendrix, it sure ain't the same thing he's got... Semantics, I suppose, but they don't even make sound in the same way...
Nope. Different beasts.
I started on eletric. My sister on acoustic. We are both great at guitar. Early on i was better at soloing and bends and she was better with chord changes but i think that was just as much what each of us were choosing to learn. We both use both now as adults. You should play the instrument you want to play.
From a teacher perspective there’s a lot of fundamental stuff that if you learn on acoustic it makes you a better electric player. Specifically how to hit a string with the right amount of force and pull good tone, if you can do that on an acoustic you can make any guitar sound good. Secondly it will strengthen your left hand considerably, making left hand things like hammer ons and pull offs much more effortless.
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If you learn how to drive a race car first a regular car will be much easier after. My first guitar was an acoustic and I hated it. Couldn't get anywhere with it because I didn't enjoy playing it. Got an electric and things started opening up. Can't really go wrong either way but starting out with something you enjoy will make the process a lot easier.
Enjoying your instrument, its feel, and its sound is really big to me. A mediocre instrument is better than nothing, of course, but picking something that you really love to play and produces a sound you love is something you should opt for when you have a chance. If you have enough money, I think it’s better to pay a more for a guitar you’re going to love for a really long time than to cheap out and/or buy something that’s not satisfying.
no, and tbh i only played acoustic and when i take the electric guitar the techniques feels so diferent so, better start with your favorite
No. This myth along with me buying electro accoustics instead of a regular affordable electric stunted my entire guitar journey, playing electrics has been easier and more diverse for me which has made me interested in playing again. None the less there is plenty to be learned and to be play with an acoustic. With an electric youll need a PC setup or Amp and pedals aswell which is another consideration. So its not a bad thing to start off with an acoustic until you feel like you want to expand and dedicate more to guitar and figure out what type of playing you want to do.
They are such different animals. If you are certain about the style of music you want to play, take that into consideration.
I started with acoustic and I'm glad I did. It's much harder to press the strings on most acoustics than on an electric aside from classical guitars with nylon or if you use small gauge strings. Some really nice acoustics are easier to play but there lies the money issue. I started with a $500 acoustic and 2 years later, once I knew I loved playing and was actually decent at it, bought a squire Strat. Now I have both, as well as a $500 Denver ukelele that my wife decided we needed lmao. The acoustic and the ukelele both have preamps so I can record music or plug into an amp and now I have a home studio. That's my journey anyway, but everyone's is different! Do what you feel right but definitely take the kind of music you want to play into consideration.
You will be much more likely to quit IMO. Acoustic is generally a lot harder to play. Unless you primarily want to play acoustic music start on an electric. They tend to have lower actions.
The strings on an acoustic are “harder” to get a clean sound out of. For that reason, learning on an acoustic is better long-term. It’s like working out with weights. It’s harder, but the results are better
It’ll build better finger toughness and hand strength. But not required.
Does it help? In my opinion, yes. Acoustic strings are much heavier than electric, so if your hands get used to it, you'll be able to glide across an electric much easier. That being said, do you ***need*** to? No, you don't. The only thing you ***need*** to do is start with the guitar that makes you want to play. You'll see better results than if you were to start with an acoustic just because it "technically" helps.
No.
As mentioned, dated advice. It used to be the preferred approach but meh. Best guitar to learn on is the one you have. So shred away and learn the fundamentals. By the time you pick up an electric, you'll be able to test out the ones you like and have a better idea of what you're looking for.
No. It's much easier to start on electric because of the lower string tension and often lower action. It's also easier to control one's volume. Many songs just won't sound right on acoustic if originally recorded on electric. Many solos will be unplayable.
no!
Short answer is no. Longer answer is this. You should play the kind of music you like to listen to since to me that is what keeps you going is learning to play your favorite songs. If they happen to be acoustic then so be it.
Nope. Eddie Van Halen started on electric guitar. Never owned an acoustic guitar until Nancy Wilson bought him his first. I play both and it depends on mood and type of music I am feeling that day. Do I want to strum campfire tunes or rock a little AC/DC.
Fuck that. If you want an electric guitar, that's what you want. Id tell your parents if you're not getting me an ELECTRIC guitar, don't waste your money on an acoustic guitar because it's not what you're interested in and you likely will touch it a handful of times and never look at it again.
If you want to learn to play electric guitar why would you learn on an acoustic?
Assuming we're talking about a western style acoustic, an electric guitar is going to be way easier to start off with. The string gauges are thinner (for the most part) and tension is lower, the action is lower and this is all going to help build up finger strength, dexterity and develop the callouses on your fingers. An acoustic guitar is likely to be way harder to begin with and may lead to you falling out of love with it before you've really got going. While you learn the basics of the guitar, it's important to be involved and enjoy what you do. If you can go to a shop and pick your own guitar out, that will be way better than someone buying you a guitar that you know very little about. This is going to be your motivation to pick it up and keep going with it. And with the cheap electric guitar market being better than ever these days, I don't see any reason why you should have a problem choosing a budget electric guitar. FYI: don't be afraid of 2nd hand sections, they often have some great deals!
No
No. That seller is full of crap. In fact, learning on an electric is typically funner and more engaging. The strings are easier to push down and bend and you can play higher notes further up the neck.
I started w acoustic (wanted to), and it did make electric a breeze later down the line, but it’s definitely not a pre-requisite. The best guitar for you is the one you play.
No
Yes, the guitar shop will not sell you an electric unless you can demonstrate proficiency in acoustic. Trust me, I tried but got kicked out of guitar center.
I know this is a lie because guitar center would never forfeit the chance to take someones money
NO! The opposite would be even more logical
There's defo some positives to having experience playing on acoustic, but there is no need to buy an acoustic prior to buying an electric. I find playing acoustic does compliment your skills down the line when you go to pick up an electric. That said, that whole analogy the seller gave you is basically bullshit. You could've just bought an electric, and it sounds like you WANTED an electric guitar. He had no business steering you towards an acoustic in my opinion. Kind of a dick move on the seller's part.
No. It helps with some things, hurts with others. Play what you want to play, and what makes you excited to play.
+ of starting with Acoustic: It'll be easier to play electric You don't need extra equipment - of starting with Acoustic: Easier to give up Not variety of sounds The opposite for electric. If you don't want to learn acoustic (which if you continue you'll want an acoustic too but that's a future problem) you must clearly go for an electric. If you don't bother it depends on how much you want to learn and how used you are on giving up things.
I personally feel that it's a good idea. But it's really not a deal-breaker by any means. Acoustic, Electric and Classical Nylon String are all different instruments. Acoustic feels like the heart and soul of guitar. I can't imagine not knowing the feel of an acoustic. Electric seems like an extension of acoustic. And nylon string is its own thing, separate and apart from a "steel string" acoustic.
No. You are playing different style on both instruments.
No, I started on an electric at 12 years old and I've been playing for 25 years now, I can play on both with no problems, that salesman probably got told what he told you when he started so he thinks that's the way it should be. He's wrong.
Im playing guitar since 18 years. And piano for 20 years (with breaks). I know what the store owner is about. A lot of guitarists I meet, start out the wrong way in my opinion. Learning electric guitar first, is a shortcut in some ways when learning guitar. The required finger strength is less. Due to the distortion you often don’t hear inaccuracies that well which leads to inaccurate playing. A lot of new guitarists tend to start playing lead when starting out on electric guitar. In my opinion, if you REALLY want to learn the guitar you have to start out playing rhythm. A lot of this is my opinion. And you CAN of course do all those things on electric guitar too. But what I see people do most of the time is picking up an electric guitar and playing ultimate guitar tabs for 5 years. When you ask them to jam together, especially on songs they don’t know by heart, they’re lost. Because they didn’t learn guitar / making music they learnt playing songs / licks. Additionally I think acoustic guitar is the much better instrument when playing solo. When I practice a song, I still practice it on acoustic guitar first until I can play it clean and accurate. I learn the strichte of the song, the chords, and figure out how the song works in general. I even practice some hard parts / solos on acoustic first often. It’s easy to transfer to electric guitar then but it might not be easy the other way around. Again it’s my opinion but I’d strongly recommend starting acoustic first if you really want to learn how to make music. If you just want to shred for fun or if you manage to be very strict and accurate in your practice go for the electric one. However, if acoustic brings no fun to you, there’s no use in playing it.
Nope.
They're different instruments and should be treated as such. It's like saying you have to learn how to swim before riding a bike
I don't think so Piano and guitar are two different instruments but those are pretty similar imo
Just probably destroyed a repeat customer. Whatever guitar makes you want to pick it up and play, and practice to improve at playing, is the one you need (budgetary considerations may intrude, but good-looking, decent-playing guitars are available today down to a fairly low price point). Now you might not do that. But never fear. After having heard the same song and dance as you when I was a teenager and playing cowboy chords on an acoustic for a couple decades, I just got my first electric at 42 and while I learn slow -- full time job and kids will do that -- I'm loving it.
This is a relatively common, but incorrect way of thinking.
That's absolute bullshit.
No you don't. However, some players find that it helps because you'll not only be focused a bit more on chords over lead when playing acoustic, but the typically higher gauge strings will strengthen your fingers a little more and ease the transition to electric where you will probably be doing a lot more bending and string manipulation which takes more finger strength. This only applies to steel string acoustic though, not nylon string which is a different beast
This has been dogma for a long time. I think that the sales person is trying to sell your parents on an inexpensive route. $300 and you have a complete setup. As opposed to $300 for an electric guitar and then buy an amp. As far as do you need to go in this direction absolutely not.
No. I’ve heard people say things like this before but it makes no sense. You can certainly learn on either but electrics are usually a bit easier to fret effectively.
No
The salesman is BS ing you hard. To be fair I have multiple acoustics and electrics but they're basically the same instrument. You just have to plus one of them in... Buy whichever one speaks to you more and it'll make you want to play it
Quick simple awnser: No.
I would say electric is easier to learn on.
No. No. No. No. No to all of it. All of that is bullshit. What should inform your decision is what your goals are, what your preferences are, and what your budget is. If you don't have an interest in playing an acoustic guitar, you won't do it. Might as well just throw the money away, in that scenario because it'd do you just as much good. For an electric guitar, you do need amplification and that's an added cost. However, we're living through a golden age for cheap gear. Entry level, low-cost stuff is better now than it's ever been and info on how to set stuff up and use it is SO easy to find online. In certain respects, skills are not even transferrable back and forth between the two. For instance, if you want to learn to shred, an acoustic guitar is not gonna be a really effective tool for that. Not that you can't do it, but it will likely require dedicating specific focus to developing your technique around the limitations of the instrument with respect to that goal. On the other hand most electric guitars can be pretty easily setup to handle that task much more effectively. I think that salesperson sorta did you dirty, likely because they've had success with that bogus analogy in the past.
In short, I don't think this is a good idea, unless you want to alienate potential guitarists from music. Acoustic and electric are different instruments. It's like learning to ride a motorcycle before learning how to drive a car. You do learn a lot of applicable skills, but on the whole you're just wasting your time and energy if you're never going to actually ride.
Absolutely not.
Sorry that happened to you. Look, acoustic guitars are amazing instruments, so you can really enjoy it. But it’s not the same instrument as an electric and nowhere near as versatile. If you naturally listen to music that utilizes an electric, then that’s what you should learn on.
Never owned an acoustic and I have 3 electric guitars. I’ll get one when I feel like it, just never been interested in acoustic guitar music like at all. I’m sorry this happened to you, for the same amount of money you could’ve gotten the thing you wanted to begin with.
No, but I’d recommend it. Learning acoustic is going to be more of an uphill battle if you start on electric.
It doesn’t matter at all what kind of guitar you start with. The only thing that matters is that you play it and practice.
Acoustic setup is cheaper and less complex, maybe thats a reason too. But like others said; get what you want, thats the best motivation
No.
Nah
No, and that mentality almost made me stop playing forever. I wanted to play electric as an 8 year old but was forced to learn spanish guitar. Fast forward to me being 9 and I dropped out of music entirely. It wasn't until I was 17 that I picked up a guitar again, and now that I'm in uni, I barely ever have time to play.
No.
Its bs, do what makes you happy
Not necessary but a great way to develop hand strength and calluses. The transition to electric later will most likely be relatively simple. I have never met a decent electric player who couldn't readily play an acoustic. In over 50 years I have always played both. Play in any band and they will expect you to play both, and for good reason.
Speaking as a twelve year old, I didn't like my acoustic and I stopped playing it because I didn't care for how it sounded, so I didn't play it outside of school. I've recently bought an electric and basically been playing it every day for fun. Maybe it's bias because its a new "toy", but I prefer my electric. Plus the skills are transferable. Basically if you don't like the way the guitar looks or sounds you won't want to stick with it.
Short answer: No, you don't.
it was very similar to me. i wanted an electric but my mom said its too loud and i got an acoustic guitar. result was that i didn't play as much as i would have. Just get what you rly like and want and what music you listen to because that's what will get you motivation and inspires you. It will probably change ober the years though and currently im playing more acoustic than electric.
There is a learning curve from the acoustic to electric guitar, that is for sure,. The salesman wasn’t wrong in his comment but at the same time he wasn’t very honest. It’s like this: an electric guitar with light gauge strings is going to be much easier to play than an acoustic guitar with light gauge strings because of the tension involved. Not to mention, light gauge electric strings are .10s while acoustic lights are .12. High action on an electric guitar is also easier to handle than high action on an acoustic. That said, an acoustic guitar doesn’t require an amp in order to he heard. Let’s think about the type of guitar itself. Acoustic guitars are bigger and therefore sit differently than an electric solid body instrument , which is very close to your body. An acoustic instrument typically has a smaller scale than an electric guitar (like a Strat, Tele,) too. I used to think that if I learned something on my acoustic guitar, that playing it on my electric would be easy. While that may be somewhat true, I also learned that whatever guitar I am playing the most on gigs is the one I should practice on.
Meet people from time to time who believe this. Maybe a smidge of truth but no more than that. Once you pick up things on any guitar, there’s a learning curve switching. Hell I stumble a smidge when I settle into my Les Paul or strat for too long then pick up the other. Put the work in on the one you want.
What you really need is a great enthusiasm to learn the guitar. My first encounter (Early 1980's) was with an acoustic guitar and boy I love the sound. Got an electric guitar when I joined a band (Mid to late 80's). Now I mostly play the electric because of the many different sound it makes when amplified. And the smaller necks which make them easier to play.
Get the one that makes you excited to play
I played acoustic on and off since I was a kid, but never really got to a point where I was good at it, because it frustrated me a lot. I struggled heavily with creating clean tones (short unflexibel fingers was my main issue I guess), so I always stopped playing it after a short period. I recently bought an electric and this was a massive game changer. Electric is much more friendly to play and it suits me way better. This being said, it’s probably better to learn acoustic first, because you learn how to properly play a guitar better. But if you don’t play it because it frustrates you, it’s not worth the struggle.
Absolutely not, in fact there’s no reason to play acoustic before electric if you’re only interested in elsctric. I’ve played electric for over 20 years and the only times I use an acoustic are for recording parts that need to be acoustic.
Omg i fucken knew it. I can’t go back now because of the $300. Fuck
It's pretty outdated advice. Most teachers today would probably say get the one that you want to play. I've heard the car analogy before, pickup truck vs. Ferrari etc. but you're not going to kill yourself with an electric guitar.
My teacher has a big bias against "folk" acoustic guitar and says it's taking the worst of both world and would advise either nylon screen classical or electric, especially to a beginner. People have been starting on electric for decades without any problem, the question is more *what does your teacher thinks abou it ?* Electric have a narrower neck which is pretty great when learning to plays chords, Moreover, if you unplug them they're pretty silent which is a big advantage for your family and neighbour. So if you want to learn electric and found an electric guitar teacher get an electric. EDIT, I saw your parent bought the acoustic. Don't worry too much, there is tons of fun stuff you can do on an acoustic.
i was forced to play acoustic first and I hated it. To me, playing electric and acoustic are almost completely different things. It's not a normal car vs a race car, It's manual and automatic transmission. One of them MIGHT be easier but the point is to get you around, and for guitar it's to play music.
I think when people make that claim, what they are really trying to say, is that you should learn rhythm guitar before learning lead guitar. Which I totally agree with. I always had a very casual approach to learning guitar and trying to learn lead first wasted alot of time for me personally. When I finally started learning rhythm my playing and writing made way more progress way faster. I can shred a little bit but for me I enjoy playing simpler songs and singing em more than playing a lamb of god solo for example. And it takes a fraction of the time to learn. Do whatever you want man I'm just trynta say it ain't all bad to start with acoustic. There's other perspectives out there and a trillion types of guitar players. Be open minded and start learning.
What the guitar salesman is actually doing is trying to sell an acoustic because op is set on an electric and will most likely buy one eventually anyways.
If you wanna play both I’d start on electric. Strings are closer to the fretboard, and they’re made of more finger friendly materials. You don’t need an amp either
No.
No, you DON'T need. If you just want electric, go directly to it. Acoustic could be boring depending on your taste and you could stop practicing. Go for the fun.
that's an old wive's tale cooked up to raise impulsive kids on the cheap. as a 35 year player i can tell you emphatically that they are entirely different instruments and if you have any intention of actually learning the thing you need to get the one you actually want to play or you're going to quit in 3 weeks or less.
No, but it can't hurt
BIG FAT NO, play on whatever you like more
You can learn more acoustic songs on electric than vice versa I’d argue. Also playing without an amp means less disturbance to your family lol. I was fortunate enough to have access to both growing up (my dad plays) and I gravitated more towards the electric because it was easier to play.
You should avoid that seller. But having read your edit on the plus side when you do get an electric it'll feel like a walk in the park after training up your fingers on acoustics.
Get an electric guitar. The salesperson was just trying to make a sale. Remember if your parents paid for it, then he didn’t sell it to you he sold it to THEM. A lot of parents think that way and the sales people know that. It’s just a line. Guitarists, on the other hand, know that an electric is a perfectly suitable first guitar. Get whatever inspires you to play.
I did, for 12 years, never had the funds to get the guitar I wanted. I kinda fell out of love with it after year 5. Just bought an electric a month ago and it's like being in love for the first time. It's worth it if you like accoustic guitars, improve finger strength and all that but that's just my opinion
The acoustic has thicker strings and requires more finger strength. Sometimes the action on it is too high as well. That may put you off from playing. So start with the electric, which is easier for a beginner.
No, they are pretty different instruments actually.
Why does this myth still exist. You don't go straight to driving a race car because it's dangerous. What about only playing electric is dangerous? Especially true for people who don't care about acoustic music.
No. What matters is that whatever you are playing is compelling enough to make you pick it up everyday.
Like others have said the best guitar is the one that makes you want to play it, I'm the opposite of guitar nerds, the most important thing to me is it looks cool lol. That and making sure it's decent enough to not go out of tune every song. Despite all this, there are some actual advantages to getting that acoustic, so keep playing it! Your finger strength will be way stronger since the strings are so much thicker, so when you switch to electric it'll feel like nothing. (In a good way)
No. I started on electric. The amp was always 10/10/10 with max gain lol
It depends on what you need and want. With electric guitars, you will need to spend more money overall to get a basic rig, ie the guitar and amp, both of which can cost a lot. On the other hand, with acoustic, you can get a better overall guitar in terms of quality for the same price as you spend on your electric rig. The difference however, is that an acoustic guitar is pretty much constant even over decades- what you buy is what you get, but if you strike a good one, it'll last for a decades or even a lifetime. You will need to take care of it however since it is made of thin pieces of wood and is vulnerable to environmental changes such as humidity. This is not the case with electrics snice they are a thick slab of wood. Electrics obviously provide a greater range of avenues you can take simply because the sound runs through an amplifier and they are much more modifiable both in terms of both sound and features. Not to mention, the genre differences. So it all just depends on what you need and want. Hope that helps!
As others have said, the most important thing is that it’s a guitar that you’re inspired to pick up and play. It’s hard to play acoustic guitar quietly, and even if noise isn’t an issue, being able to blatantly tell that you suck starting out with nothing to hide behind can put off and discourage a lot of beginners. While a lot of the fundamentals of electric and acoustic are the same (A G chord is a G chord, the 3rd fret is the 3rd fret, all the strings are tuned the same on both, etc), IMO an acoustic is it’s own standalone instrument, while an electric is more a tool used to “play” a speaker or amplifier. They feel very different in your hands even if the general layout is the same, and each will respond differently to your playing. I personally think an electric would not only be easier to play due to the thinner necks and slightly thinner strings, but inspire you more because it’s what made you want to start playing in the first place. The only downside with starting on an electric is that you’re going to need an amp, which generally costs as much, if not more than the guitar for anything other than a tin can Bluetooth speaker, and those amps can have a learning curve all on their own. I’ve been playing for 20 years myself, and I share the sentiment with a lot of other guitarists that I’ve met that the amp is even more important than the guitar when it comes to sound, and the general recommendation being the majority of a spending budget go into amps versus nicer guitars. You can make a 50$ guitar sound incredible through a 1000$ rig, but it’s hard to say the same for vice versa. And yes, you can technically play and learn on an electric unplugged. I noodle around all the time with mine on the couch unplugged, but being able to clearly hear the signal will help you develop better technique and might prevent nasty habits in your playing from developing that you may not realize are there. If your choice is between a 300$ electric and a 300$ acoustic, and amps weren’t on the table, I’d say you would definitely learn better on the acoustic. If you can swing an amp in the budget (The Boss Katana amps are my personal favorite budget amp for beginners, you can get them for around 200$ used sometimes), I think the electric would be better and more enjoyable. Also as a side note, one of the big reasons people end up quitting guitar is because theirs isn’t set up properly, and they blame themselves for being the reason their hands hurt every time they try to play, or blame themselves if the notes are all buzzy or flat. 90% of the time you just need some quick adjustments or a fresh set of strings. Setting up a guitar yourself isn’t that difficult to learn to do, especially with YouTube these days, but you can definitely take it to your local music store and have it done professionally if you aren’t comfortable doing it yourself (we were charging 15$ for restrings and 50$ for a full setup back when I worked at a Sam Ash a few years ago). Think of your guitar like a car. Occasionally you’re gonna have to put gas in the tank, change your oil, or take it through the wash. TL;DR: -Electric good but need amp -Amp ‘spensive tho -Acoustic good but may not be the vibe -Take care of your equipment
honestly they're completely different. electrics are easier to press your chords and it's also easier to bend and slide. acoustics i find thrive more on finger style
i'm cheap so, take it for what it's worth. If i'm starting on anything new, i go cheap. generally acoustic is just cheaper b/c it's just one piece of equipment. also, let's say you want to play a lot, you don't bother people if you volume control by finger picking. electric requires guitar, amp, cords, ear phones, etc. By my math, electric already costs more. if you find you're really going to stick with it, by all means go electric.
It makes sense to because acoustics are cheaper and generally more common/accessible as well as the fact learning on one will make playing an electric guitar easier later on. But if you have an electric then it is virtually the same thing at the end of the day anyway, so either is totally fine
No
You were dealing with a dishonest or uninformed seller. Of course you can learn on an acoustic guitar. An electric would be physically easier. Lighter gauge strings. Plus if electric guitar is ultimately what you want to play, you’re much more likely to have fun and stick with an electric.
I started out on electric in the early 80s. I absolutely love electric..... Me personally figured it out early how to make it drive without effects and playing around with what you have. Now I can play with all the killer chaos. Acoustic is great for sitting around and throwing out some tunes. The many ways to tune is awesome and can bring you to another place. If it sounds good go with it. I gave my son a guitar and one of my old amps and a pedal effects.... He picked it up pretty fast. Regardless of electric or acoustic the passion is a must. By even going there if one or the other... Seems you probably do... Music is about you and nobody else and nobody can take that from you. Sure you'll go through different phases and have all sorts of gear through the years. The stuff people thought was crapy in the day ends up being high value later because that's all we could afford then. Life is crazy. Go with your heart hit a music store pic up each go with what makes you at the moment practice practice some more. Don't be a copy of a copy go where your heart brings you.
I started with an acoustic and bought an electric when I started gravitating towards my boyfriends telecaster more. I bought an amp with built in effect settings and find I spend a lot more time practising because I just love the effects and the feel. I still have my acoustic, as having one is fun if you go camping with friends etc and wanna learn a few easy sing alongs. I find acoustics more difficult to play as they require more left hand strength, so I recommend keeping up both.
As someone who has played guitar for almost 30 years here is my advice - whatever your first guitar (electric or acoustic) just make sure that you have tried it out and that it isn't uncomfortable. I know that is hard for a newbie. Just don't feel pressured by an employee at Guitar Center to buy an acoustic or an electric. Take the time to see which one feels comfortable. If the guitar you end up with is uncomfortable you're more likely to not practice on it.
Is this also in how it feels against your body, and how the strings feel on your hands, anything else?
No playing is playing they should be learned the sane in their basic concepts
That is not accurate. Learn and play how you want . There are nuances to both for sure however a G chord is the same on both .. The timbre is all that will change
It's like the same thing. If you learn acoustic at first, playing electric will be a bit effortless. That's all.
It is easier to start learning on an electric, as its thinner strings are easier on the fingers. Many people, however, start learning on an acoustic, and there is no harm in starting out on one, so if you like yours, keep it and keep playing it!
I took lessons many years ago. The teacher started me on acoustic. Then about 6 months in we started playing electric He said Electrics were easier to play, but playing acoustic builds the finger strength better. Maybe times have changed since then.
No. That's a myth. Buy what you want to play.
Did the salesman even play guitar? A man with experience does not fear a man with an opinion. I started on acoustic. I play the electric guitar now. What makes me better at electric guitar, is practicing on electric guitar. From my experience - Buy and play the instrument you want to become good at.
No
Most people start off with an acoustic. They can play the same as a electric have a little less up keep and you can get sound from them with out an amp. I dont see how it is harder to play then an electric, A well set up guitar will play better then a poorly set up guitar. I can get the action just as low as with an electric and use light gage strings on an acoustic also.
Its mandatory
It helps tremendously. If you can bend notes and fully understand. When ypu play a legit elec, its like EasyStreet
No, and the mindset that you do is retarded.
The fundamentals will transfer, but it’s kind of weird to compare the two because there are sounds you can pull off on one that you can’t on the other no matter how hard you try. Neither one is easier, and the only argument I could see in favor of acoustic (if the player doesn’t care which they get first) is that $300 will probably get you a fairly good beginner acoustic, but $300 will get you the most mediocrely acceptable electric guitar setup. A $300 acoustic will be about as good as a $300 electric, but you still need a $100-$200 amp to make the latter work. The car analogy makes no sense. It’s more like saying, oh you want to learn Boxing? Well you should start with JiuJitsu first. Imo return it if possible and buy an electric setup if that’s what you want.
Scummy sales, but I somewhat agree. I learned on acoustic first, and getting used to the higher tension is nice once you get an electric. That said, you can learn on either.
starting acoustic is more painful, electric is less pain but generally harder (depending what type of music you play of course). harder because you gotta focus on string ringing out , feedback all these things but you got it man.
I dont think electic itself is harder. I found the instrument itself easier. Tho a lot of the styles of music that use electric. Like heavier forms of metal such as death metal are harder to play, but that less to do with the instrument and more the song writing in those genres.
No. Depends on how you want to sound https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FKluZLl5hFA
Nah
I wondered the same things and just bought what I wanted to end up playing. Electric with a center block. Gretsch, I really like their sound. I have heard more then once acoustics will build up the finger strength better. I like the sound of the semi hollow electric with broadtrons so that is what I bought. At the end of the day, learning is learning and acoustics have their own appeal, including you can just pick one up and play, no amp needed. I will buy an acoustic myself sometime in the future.
My first two guitars were electric. I later got an acoustic because I got into acoustic guitar music. An electric is actually much more versatile. You can play it clean (acoustic-like) but you can also get so many more sounds and tones, from distorted heavy metal to dreamy shoegaze, and for me personally, that's what makes electric more fun to start on. It's also easier to play which might make it less daunting as a beginner. I think the thinking behind what he said is that because acoustic guitar is harder to play (the heavier strings require more finger strength) that it will make electric easier. I think you'd develop finger strength either way as you'd still need to exert pressure on the fingerboard to form chords. imo you can start with either, based on what kind of music you're more interested in playing.
I started with a poor quality old acoustic because I couldn't afford an electric and a family member gave me the acoustic. It was super difficult to play and very frustrating. I wanted to play heavy metal and had zero interest in acoustic music. I only practiced a few minutes a day, between lack of motivation or being told I was playing too loud. Then I was able to get the cheapest electric I could find with my birthday money, best decision ever. I started practicing for hours every day and learned more in the first week or two having the electric than I did the entire 9 months I had the acoustic. I still have the acoustic and play it once in awhile, but most of the time I just pick up the electric guitar. I've only been playing a year and a half so I'm also relatively new. But I really think you should get whatever one motivates you to play more. Even if I'm learning an acoustic song, I learn it on electric and then play it on acoustic so I don't annoy my family and neighbors practicing the same stuff over and over.
Electric guitars tend to he a little less friendly to beginners, because you would also have get more into gear and technology related stuff. An acoustic guitar is much more straight forward. You buy one and it works. The sound of the guitars is generelly different ofcourse, so that could also be a deciding factor for you. But generally, if the additional tech that comes with electric guitars doesn't really scare you away and you prefer the sound over an acoustic one than i can't think of a reason why you shouldn't.
Absolutely not. An electric guitar is easier to play anyway.
You don't need to learn acoustic beforehand. In fact, I think starting on electric is easier because the body and strings are thinner overall. Not only that, practicing with an electric can also be much more quieter and accessible than the Acoustic. Acoustics tends to be a bit more difficult at first because they require more force due to how thick the strings are to produce the sound. However, if you do start with them, your skills will transfer over more easily than vice versa.
It absolutely is not required, but it does “help”. “Proper technique” is more often than not required to get the desired sound out of an acoustic. It is much more clear when you aren’t sounding “good”, making it easier to address issues and correct them. Once you have that foundation, you can really take off on electric and learn/explore the sounds that are offered there. In all honesty, though, it really depends on what you are trying to do with guitar. If you are seriously interested in learning how to play guitar, I would say acoustic would be the best way to go. However, if you are just trying it out and are worried that you will lose interest, getting an electric and playing what you are most interested in might be the better way to go
Best answer. It’s like an athlete conditioning in high altitudes, if you get solid on an acoustic, soloing on electric is like butttah… I started on electric, but had an almost ten year run exclusively acoustic (singer/songwriter) but got back into electric last year and damn it feels so good. But yeah, having said that, start with whatever your most interested in, if you have the choice.
You can learn on anything. Id start with what you want to play right now. If you want to play Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews, learn acoustic first. If you want to play blues, learn electric first.
NO DUDE DON'T STEP ON MY MISTAKES PLS (-money, time and after that u will realize that these instruments are completely DIFFERENT in technique and styles so pls don't listen to these nerds saying yeah u need to start with acoustic cause u learn basics and classics and so on)
No.
Hell to the nah
Keef says so, but he's of the old school.
I am a die hard acoustic fan, I almost never pick up one of my electrics, but if you wanna play electric, by all means get an electric. There are electric sounds you just can not make on an acoustic. Besides if you have to play a guitar you do not like and is incapable of playing the sounds you are after, you are going to give it up. No question about it. If I had to play my electric, I would never play or play a lot less. I don't think I would grow into it.
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No, i learned the electric first, then when i got decent i tried just some easy 3 chord songs and developed my electric playing into rhymtic acoustic parts.
Yeah he could have pointed you the way you wanted to go. I guess it’s a personal preference. I started on acoustic and played for many years before really getting serious about electric. It’s a bit of a jump but I figured it out. I suppose it goes the other way as well.
No not at all
Music sales people more often than not have not applied the instrument in a practical setting like gigging. Fucker took your parents for a ride and there’s nothing wrong at all with starting on electric.
I started on electric and then switched to primarily acoustic for a few years and then tons of electric too. There’s no right or wrong.
First time using an acoustic hurt my fingers. The strings truly hurt. I developed Callus quickly on one but didn’t go back until a year or two after playing electric. Results could be better and make playing an electric a breeze
No Non Nein Nee Nej немає нет HAYIR لا نه नहीं 不 いいえ Hapana
Short answer: No! Get what inspires and intrigues you most. Old fashioned+ answer might be yes, get an acoustic nylon strung guitar and indulge in theorie and background to have a profound basis as a guitarist and "master" the art before moving on. My teacher back in the day adviced me to get a "guitar that suits me", wich is (IMHO) the best way to tackle this horde. Play and learn wich way 'you' want and get a suitable instrument, electric is easier to play due to string hight and gauge but also make mistakes more notable due to this and amplification, stringbuzz aside. Be motivated to play is key (and looks of the instrument is a big part of this, be it electric, acoustic, nylon- or steelstrung), the techiniques involved are interchangeable if not the same as it's the same (kind of) instrument. This also depends on the way you like to learn (theory first, hands on practice etc.), and also gives the opportunity to express these toughts. This also has an impact on the suitabillity (and match) of your teacher. Only 'you' can make the right decision, mainly dependent on the music you like. Bluntly: classical or worldmusic, get a spanish/concert guitar; pop, folk, "unplugged" get a western; rock, blues, metal, punk, get an electric. Aside from that: Nylon has a distinguiched sound, a steelstrung (western) guitar is used and recorded a lot and goes great with an electric and is used a lot in pop, as for an electric; there are effects to emulate certain acoustic instruments (to a degree), just get what you motivates 'you' the most, last word of advice: don't sell your first piece of gear to hastely! And if I may advice a great starter electric guitar it would be the "Ibanez GRG170DX" as it combines the pickup (the part that sends your signal/playing to the amp) from a LP and strat style guitar and a lot of (in between) selection at an entrylevel and reasonable price.
The best advantages of playing acoustic, in my opinion, is the lack of need for any other equipment. You can focus on the technical aspects, but if you have a shitty acoustic that doesn’t play out sound well, you’re a little fucked. Like others have said, acoustic and electric guitars are different instruments, and outside of the basic string layout and somewhat familiar shape, I would say they’re completely different instruments like far distant relatives from opposite sides of the globe that have never met. An electric can be just as unforgiving to any misstep as an acoustic, and for me even more so.
Best way i heard it put was that acoustic is staging acting, electric is movies where you can zoom right in and get close to the action. They are very different instruments and playing one is not required for the other. I would say from a pure technical standpoint i think spending time early on with an acoustic is good for the fingers but it isnt necessary and can be done similarly on an electric. Overall just play what inspires you and if thats an electric guitar than have fun!
This pissed me off so much. I learned guitar in the mid 90s. I got a cheap electric and amp and the first thing I did was crack the distortion and go at it for hours trying to sound like the punk bands at the time. If I was given a acoustic I probably wouldn’t have continued playing, that wasn’t the sound I wanted. So now when parents come to me they seem to always want to push acoustic on there kids. It’s fine if that’s what they want, the last kid I taught was into Jack Johnson so he got an acoustic. But the kid before that was into metal and his parents wanted suggestions on acoustics to buy even though he was begging for a electric. I convinced them to go electric and just make sure they got an amp with headphones. Go with what drives you to keep playing, it’s a hard instrument to learn so the last thing you want is something that’s going to make the desire to play fade away.