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Acoustic Guitar

Despite its relatively young age compared to other instruments, the acoustic guitar is one of the most popular, widely-heard instruments in the world. The guitar itself has a long history, stretching back millennia through Middle Eastern and Mediterranean history; however, the acoustic guitar as we know it has only existed in its form during the late 19th to the 20th century. It certainly did not become popular until the 20th century, where the role of the guitar grew through blues and jazz, stretching into rock ‘n roll, country, folk, and almost every kind of popular music that exists today. It is a rare thing to find a modern music group of any kind that doesn’t have an acoustic guitarist on hand.

It’s a testament to the influence of this instrument that when you mention guitars of any kind, the image that comes to mind first is the acoustic guitar. Many guitarists who eventually moved on to other guitar types began with the acoustic guitar. This is why we recommend acoustic guitar for students who don't have a preference of guitar type, as the acoustic seems the most adaptable to multiple styles and allows the learner to move more easily to electric or classical guitar if desired. If your aim is to play contemporary rock or pop, the acoustic guitar is the most versatile instrument you could choose. Almost any contemporary song was likely written using an acoustic guitar!

What sets acoustic guitars from its closely-related sibling, the Spanish guitar, are the steel strings that allow acoustic guitars to naturally possess a great deal of volume. As a result of the steel material and the tension, acoustic guitars have gained a reputation for being more difficult to play than electric guitars or classical guitars, which use a much softer gauge string and require less force to create sound. However, this should not scare you! What makes acoustic guitar advantageous to new players is that once they’ve mastered acoustic guitar, moving onto a new kind of guitar is simply a matter of changing technique rather than building strength or endurance in their hands.

Classical Guitar

Also known as the Spanish guitar, this type of guitar looks identical to common acoustic guitars at first glance. However, among a few differences, there is one physical change that makes a world of difference: classical guitars employ nylon strings, once called cat-gut (because musical string was once made of sheep intestine before manufacturing methods improved and steel and plastics became an option). Nylon strings, which are much softer, produce a sound that is much mellower and has less “twang” than steel strings would produce.

Nylon strings produce that smooth sound that you’ll hear in Latin and jazz music. Steel’s advantage is its sharp, loud sound that makes it perfect for pop music—nylon’s advantage is that it does not demand attention as much as it gracefully dances through the music, which is why it is suited to classical compositions. It also makes a perfect accompaniment to soft, understated vocals that would normally be swallowed up by the volume of a steel-string guitar.

In addition to its musical strengths, the nylon offers a technique to new players that would be much more difficult on a steel-string acoustic: fingerpicking. Fingerpicking, like the name implies, is the technique of plucking individual strings with your fingers rather than using a pick or strumming all the strings at once. It’s a technique that requires strong fingers and precise movements, but nylon strings are actually quite forgiving both on your fingers and on your ears. Fingerpicking allows for the atmospheric, mellow melodies that Latin and South American music is known for.

Electric Guitar

The electric guitar hardly needs an introduction—any musician who has dreamt of being a rock star probably imagined themselves holding an electric guitar, producing crunchy riffs and powerfully distorted chords to giant crowds. It is loud, it is fast, and its appeal is self-evident to nearly any American born after 1950. The history of American rock is built on the technical genius of electric guitar players like Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Jimmy Page. These players have shown that electric guitars are capable of truly incredible music that would be impossible to do with any other instrument.

For beginners, electric guitars offer a unique mix of advantages. The advantages of an electric guitar are in its physical attributes and what it represents. Electric guitars have soft gauge steel string, and because the sounds are produced electronically through an amp, very little force is required to produce music. In addition, the neck of an electric guitar is narrower than an acoustic guitar; these two attributes combined means that beginners will have an easier time playing chords and learning basic techniques. It is worth keeping in mind, however, that electric guitars will require more accessories than an acoustic one. You will at the very least need an amp, and perhaps headphones, if you want to practice late at night without waking the neighbors.

The other advantage the electric guitar holds for the beginner is romance. Let’s face it—electric guitars are awesome. They’re alluring because they have a history of being played by rebels, geniuses, and misunderstood artists who moved the world with their fingers. That might seem shallow, but it is actually vital for new musicians to truly be excited about their instrument. Discipline comes with time and commitment, but the only way to ensure that you start playing your instrument is if you are truly in love with playing it. While all instruments have the power to move any musician, electric guitars possess that initial allure and romance more than virtually any other instrument in the world.