Beginner's guitar questions?

Question

I'm 13 years old and I'm looking into learning guitar :)

I was wondering that if I start with acoustic guitar, can I also play electric? I feel that it'd be best to start with acoustic since it's quieter and seems easier to work with, and if I'm practicing at home I wouldn't want to disturb my family.

Also, is it okay to self-teach? Can I just learn off of videos and reading? I get that it'd be better to get personal help and private lessons but I wouldn't want my mother to spend more money than she would just by buying the guitar on it's own.

And how do I find the right guitar? I'm afraid if I'll choose the wrong one. Is there anything I should buy with it like tuners and a case? What do you recommend?

Thank you for any help you can provide! :)

Answer 1

Okay, I'll answer your questions in order.



1) Yes, anything you learn on an acoustic guitar will transfer over to electric. They are tuned and played exactly the same. There are advanced techniques used on an electric that you wouldn't do on an acoustic, but you won't be learning those for a few years anyway.



2) An electric can actually be much quieter than an acoustic. You can plug headphones into most practice amps and the only sound anyone else will hear is the unamplified electric guitar, which is much quieter than an acoustic. You don't HAVE to turn your guitar up to ear-splitting levels.



3) Definitely get some lessons from a guitar teacher for a while. There is a lot of confusing stuff that it would be easier to have someone explain in person. You don't have to take lessons forever, but I would recommend at least 5-6 months worth of lessons to start out. After you have a good grasp of the basics you should have the knowledge you need to make sense out of online lessons and video.



4) For an absolute beginner, there really isn't a wrong guitar as long as it is of decent quality. Most of what makes a guitar right for someone is a matter of personal preference, and you don't know enough about guitar to have preferences yet.



I would go with something like this to start out:



http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier-Affinity-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-with-Rosewood-Fingerboard-109134106-i3080671.gc



With an amp like this: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Mustang-I-V-2-20W-1x8-Guitar-Combo-Amp-108587833-i2824871.gc

Answer 2

There are many reasons for learning on an acoustic. A guitar is a guitar. Electric and acoustic are just different types of the same instrument.



To get a suitable instrument you need to be prepared to pay at least $100/£100 and you'd do better to spend more ($150-$200). Buy from a music store, not a department store and not on-line. If you can, take someone with you who can already play and actually knows something about guitars (these are two different things!). I would say, learn as much as you can about guitars before you go to buy one. Tell the staff what you want and what your budget is and stress that you want one that is easy to play and easy to tune. At the same time, buy an electronic chromatic tuner and a spare set of strings. Get someone in the shop to show you how to use the tuner and how to change a string. You might also want to buy some plectrums (picks) and a strap.



Many people taught themselves to play - I think most of the famous players of the seventies were at least mainly self-taught. Get a good beginner's book - ask what the shop recommends, you might get a good deal if you buy everything at once from the same place. Don't be tempted by any "easy" DVD collections etc. Using the Internet to supplement and illustrate what you learn can be really useful but I do NOT recommend that a beginner uses only the Internet. In particular, be aware that there is a lot of misinformed rubbish on You Tube.

Answer 3

Despite the bad spelling and other things Bea..is not so far off.



Except the youtube thing. You have to sort through a lot of bullcrap to find a good lesson.

But classical nylon string guitars are actually easy on the fingers and can be very friendly to a beginner.

I myself learned on a 3/4 sized classical guitar when I was about 9 , so when I transitioned to electric 4 or 5 years later, the neck size was easy to relate to, and the fingertips adjusted quickly to the less tense srings of an electric compared to a steel string acoustic.



her suggestions of learning simple chords is also a good one. and here is a good beginner's site to learn from.

http://www.guitarguitar.net/guitar-lessons.shtml



But a real human teacher IS the best!

Answer 4

yes you are right you need to learn with acoustic first ,electric isn't really easy to play for a beginner .you can use your cellphone software to use it as tuner (but havn't tried it so can't tell how good they work).



you can start with easy chord switching song .there are plenty of beginner song in youtube you can start with it .yes you can learn guitar easily its not that hard to figure out how to play guitar .you don't really need to buy a case as you won't move guitar .so just a guitar & pick ,tuner thats it .try to buy light gauge strings it will be good for your fingers



just go to a store & try some different model shape guitar buy the one which you feel comfortable to hold .

Answer 5

>> I feel that it'd be best to start with acoustic since it's quieter and seems easier to work with...<<



I'm an acoustic guitarist but that's not true at all. Electric guitars can be played through headphones and they're just as easy to play.



>>is it okay to self-teach? <<



Not really - you're a million times better off with lessons with a professional guitar teacher. Most people who self-teach - something like 90% - fail in the attempt.

Answer 6

I recommend you getting the guitar you like, visual and comfort in playing first. When you got the guitar, the youtube offers a thousands of lessons for you to start with. Typing in youtube "beginner guitar lesson", "beginner guitar chords", "beginner guitar" will help you a lot.

Answer 7

You can learn how to tune by watching a youtube video on it, so save your money on that. I would get electric with a 15 watt peavey vypyr amplifier which costs 100 bucks, but is very good and has many effects built inside the amplifier. The peavey vypyr has like 10 guitar pedals in its amp alone and you

can save many settings. Electric is better since you can play more stuff on the lower part of the fretboard.

Answer 8

no....u should try classic guitar first . because accoustic the strings are made of steel and it hurts ur fingers if ur not used to it nd numbs it...try classic first cause the string are made of nylon so it doesnt hurt.. plus classic is made so u can play finger picking on it and if u can do that u can play accoutic and electric very easily.. u can use youtube to teach urself, but if u dont have constant connection just get a sheet of paper of all the popular chords like A, B, D-G and the minor chords-like Am, Bm, Cm...- and sharp chords -like A#, ....- then just practice....get chords of easy songs and just start by strumming and learning..ull go from there...good luck