If you are a beginner guitarist, you might be wondering about how to choose between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. I worked in a very large music store for over 4½ years and I always saw people who couldn't quite decide on which way to go. In this lesson I will give you some tips that will help you decide between starting on an acoustic or electric guitar. For even more great guitar tips you can sign up for the GuitarLessons.com Practice Routine Generator.
The first thing that I usually tell people, when they are trying to decide between an acoustic and an electric guitar, is to choose the one that they like the most. If you like folk, country or bluegrass music you should probably go with an acoustic guitar. If you are more drawn to metal and hard rock music you should go with an electric guitar. Choosing a guitar that goes with the style of music that you enjoy listening to is a great way to pick out a guitar. If you pick a guitar that fits the style of music that you are in to, you will probably more and get better faster.
The acoustic and electric guitar both have some unique advantages that you should be aware of. The acoustic guitar is nice because you can just grab it and play pretty much anywhere you want. You can go camping, to the beach, or over to your friends house to play and you don’t need an amplifier or electricity. Acoustic guitars are great to just grab and go, but they can be a bit harder to play than an electric guitar.
Electric guitars are nice because you can play around with distortion and effects. It is really nice to have an electric guitar when you want to play more aggressive music like metal and rock. Electric guitars are a bit easier to play than acoustic guitars, but you usually have to have some kind of battery powered device or electricity to get the most out of them.
If you don’t really know what kind of guitar that you want, I would recommend that you go to your local music store and just play around on all of the electric and acoustic guitars that you can get your hands on. It might help to listen to many different types of music and see which style you enjoy the most. Don’t be in a hurry to buy a guitar. Go back to the music store as many times as you need to. Play around and experiment with all types of guitars until one really jumps out and says “Buy Me!”. Of course, if you can afford an acoustic and an electric, that would be the most fun.
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