Hello fellow guitar enthusiasts!

I'm guessing you clicked on this blog because you love listening to and/or playing the guitar. It's one of the most soothing and frustrating things you can do at times. People have been fascinated with the sounds of the guitar and it's wide range of abilities for decades. We have come so far and have accomplished some really amazing things with guitars. Some guitars can even sound like brass instruments, pianos, and much more. But the one question I get a lot is "If I want to learn the guitar, should I start with acoustic or electric guitar?" Well, I am going to break down the argument and let you decide what's best for you based on what you read below.

Acoustic guitar has some great qualities. You can play it anywhere, anytime. This is one of the biggest benefits to picking this guitar first. It's also harder to play and harder to make it sound good because the tension and gauge of the strings, so it's tougher on your fingers. You won't be able to bend notes as much on the acoustic guitar due to this issue but your fingers will get a beating and become stronger faster which is a great thing in the long run. So, if you like to do some serious bends right out of the box, you might not want to pick an acoustic. Acoustic guitars can also be used as drums by tapping the body of the guitar when you play. This is a technique that takes time to master but very fun and unique to the acoustic guitar. These guitars are not meant to soar to the high notes like an electric guitar but they can reach these notes if you have a cutaway-shape body that lets you access more of your guitar's frets. You can pick up an acoustic classical guitar that is strung with nylon strings for a lighter touch but this will have it's own set of sound limitations along with range limitations too. All in all, it's a great choice for a beginner or even the advanced player but check out what the electric can do in comparison.

Electric guitar, the mighty axe of the ages. This instrument has been the main gun in many songs for decades. You can get a smooth Santana like sound, a rough metal sound with distortion, and everything in between. Some of these electric guitars can even sound like pianos, saxophones, flutes, bagpipes, and more with the help of MIDI expression pedal units. If you want to be able to bend far and make deep dives this is the choice for you. Pick scrapes also sound way better with an electric guitar as you drag your pick down the strings to make some cool squealing, melt-your-face-off sound effects. You can use a slide to play your acoustic guitar but it sounds much better on an electric guitar as you use your slide to make some cool, smooth blues riffs that would make the girls swoon. The downside is that it doesn't sound that great without the help of a guitar amplifier (amp for short). You will have many choices on amps as well which might make things either more stressful or more fun as you have options of what you want your guitar to sound more like. Electric guitars are art pieces, not that acoustics can't be pretty too, but electric guitars are usually sought after for their cool looks and unique designs. You can get an electric guitar in pretty much any color, size, and sound quality. Electric can be easier to start learning on because their is less tension and smaller gauge of strings. It just depends how much you want to challenge yourself with at first.

So after looking at both, electric is easier on your fingers and hands at first but acoustic has it's awesome portability to boast. But at the end of the day, you choose which one is best and rock on no matter what! Please leave comments below and start a conversation. Share with your friends and family. Thanks.

Kevin Nassiff

CEO/Owner

Texas Guitarville Music Schools

Should I start learning on an acoustic or an electric guitar?