Tag Archives: acoustic guitar

Which Guitar To Learn On?

Written by admin on October 17, 2011 — Leave a Comment

Because there are many types of guitars; being Classical, Acoustic and Electric the three main ones, I wanted to have a look at what guitar is the best one for you to learn on.

Chances are that if you have asked someone if you can use their guitar for a while, it would probably be an old classical acoustic guitar or maybe a steel string acoustic. These guitars are excellent to learn on because electric guitars require things like cables, amps, speakers and power. With acoustic guitars you only need a pick.

The other great thing about acoustic guitars is that you can’t turn them up loud. When you are learning it is probably better to play on a guitar that isn’t going to be loud – only loud enough so your ears can hear your errors and your good performances.

If you don’t know which type of guitar you want to play on, ask yourself, ‘what kind of music do I want to play?’

Pick a song that you like for its guitar sound. Listen to the guitar sounds and only the guitar sounds. Are they clean, soft sounds? Or are they harsh, heavy or distorted? Generally, acoustic guitars are softer and cleaner. Distorted, heavy sounds come from electric guitars that are plugged into amplifiers and effects units. Can you hear individual notes being picked or are the strings being strummed hard? The harder you play, the thicker your strings need to be. You need to know what style you want to play.

OK you have found a style of music that you like. Try and find the video for that song and watch it. There will probably be a section in there where the band is playing. Look at the guitarist. Is he/she playing on an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar? What brand is it? What style? If you know the exact guitar from the video, you can ask to play it at your local guitar shop to see if it suits you.

People play guitar for many different reasons. You need to understand what it is that you want to get out of the guitar. To discover your tastes in guitar music, listening to different styles and genres. Ask musicians at music shops about what kind of guitars different bands use, or ask them what kind of amps/effects those artists use to get that sound. The answers don’t have to be exact because they will get you thinking about what you need to buy to achieve the sound you are after.

So, a lot of think to do and a lot of music to hear… That two things will help you finding out the best guitar for you! Hope this helps!

Posted by Moses Robins

Posted in acoustic guitars, buying guitars, Electric Guitars, gear, learning | Tagged electric guitar, guitars, learning

GENERAL TIPS FOR BUYING A GUITAR

Written by Cam Findlay on June 17, 2010 — Leave a Comment

One of the most important things you’ll ever do in your music career is buy a guitar. We are often asked to give people advice about how to find a good guitar. The fact is that there is a LOT that goes into buying a guitar, way too much to put in one Newsletter, but here are some basic tips.

homework GENERAL TIPS FOR BUYING A GUITAR 1) Do Your Homework
When you’re buying a guitar you have to do your homework. As a beginning guitar player it’s easy to get confused with all the information and advice that is available. There are a lot of places you can get information and you should check them all. Guitar magazines are a good place to find prices and reviews on different models of guitars. You can also get information at your local music store. Another great tool is the internet – you can get information on the manufacturers, search for other guitarist’s reviews and opinions and find the best prices online.

Remember that a lot of the information and opinions that you will find will be biased. A salesman in a music store wants you to buy the brand of guitar that HE SELLS, so make sure you read reviews and opinions from independent sources.

save GENERAL TIPS FOR BUYING A GUITAR 2) Stick to Your Budget
Once you’ve got the background knowledge that you need, you should make a short list of guitars that you are interested in and set a budget for yourself. THEN STICK WITH YOUR BUDGET! Don’t let salespeople talk you into spending more money than you planned.

Research price differences on the internet with a trusted site like Ebay. You could buy new or used but again, it is worth finding out how much the same item generally costs.

3) Play it BEFORE Your Buy It
Trying out the guitars you have short listed can be intimidating for beginners. It is important to remember that you are not in a guitar store to show everyone how good a guitar player you are – you are there to decide whether the guitar on your list is right for you.

One of the most important things about a guitar is how it “feels” when you play it. There are also mechanical things to check. Check the frets for buzzing by playing each one. Make sure that the neck is not warped by looking down it as if you were sighting a gun. Check that all of the volume and tone controls work.

borrow GENERAL TIPS FOR BUYING A GUITAR 4) Borrow Someone Else’s Experience
It is also a good idea to take an experienced guitarist along with you when you are looking at guitars. Not only will they be able to offer helpful advice, they will be good moral support when it’s time to pick up the guitar and play it in public.