When looking for guitar lessons beginners can handle, keep in mind that there are small but often significant differences between electric and acoustic guitars. These are what often make the two types of instruments suitable for different types of music, but they may also create a differentiation in how quickly the beginner learns certain techniques. Each instrument has elements that make some things easier and other things harder, so when you learn to play acoustic guitar, you’ll need to take these differences into account.
Almost all the differences in learning between electric guitars and acoustic stem from the ways the two instruments are constructed. The acoustic tends to be lighter, being mostly hollow with a sound hole in front to magnify and enrich the vibrations of the strings.
The electric instruments are solid and generally heavier, with electronic sound pickups to convert the string vibrations into notes coming through a speaker. But if you learn how to play acoustic guitar after comparing it to the feel of its electric counterpart, you’ll recognize a difference in how the strings and frets feel.
A guitar string on the electric instrument is often lighter than one on the acoustic, making it easier to press down. This means that your fingers aren’t likely to get as sore, at least at first, if you learn to play acoustic guitar instead. The electric neck and fret board are often narrower too, meaning you can master the movements of your fingers more easily. With both types of guitars, learning the complicated finger positions of the chords can be difficult, and your fingers really need to limber up. But you might find yourself having to stretch farther on an acoustic instrument.
There doesn’t have to be an either/or in becoming proficient in guitar playing. If you learn to play acoustic guitar, then everything you learn is transferable to the electric. Remember, though, that if you begin learning guitar on an electric and then switch to acoustic, you’ll still have to get used to the fact that the strings are a little harder to work on. But even though there are differences in the actual learning experience, once you know how to play, you’ll be able to do so on any type of guitar.
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