So you’ve made the decision to take up the guitar but you can’t decide whether to learn electric or acoustic. Some swear by electric, while others swear by acoustic. It can be a tough decision but with a few pointers you’ll be able to make an educated decision. The truth is that this is a highly personal matter and there are a few factors that you should take into consideration when making your choice.

Stick to Your Style and Tastes

Some people are inspired to learn guitar because they love rock music. Rock music fans would most likely learn electric to start so they can play the style of music that brought them to learn guitar in the first place. Other novices might have gotten the urge to play guitar from listening to folk or classical styles of music and naturally they would start off learning acoustic. Keep your tastes in mind when deciding whether to learn electric or acoustic.

Decide Which Learning Curve is for you

Acoustic guitar strings are harder to press down and bend, therefore the first few weeks of learning can be painful. If you look at the fingers of anyone new to the acoustic guitar, you will see calluses on the tips of their fingers. For that reason the learning curve is considered steeper to learn acoustic. The upside to starting with acoustic is that it will be much easier to learn electric afterwards because of your calluses and know-how. If you learn electric first, you may find that it is harder to transition to acoustic.

Further, it may be easier to press the strings down on an electric guitar but there are also a lot more bells and whistles on an electric. An electric guitar lesson does not solely consist of learning chords and scales. You also have to deal with amps and pedals. If you decide to learn electric to start with, on top of learning how to play in general you will have to learn how to adjust tone and sound effects on the amp and pedal.

Elect What is More Convenient for You

Another reason why some people prefer acoustic guitars is because they are portable and convenient. An acoustic guitar doesn’t require an electrical outlet, amp, or pedal and simply strumming it sounds beautiful. You can take an acoustic guitar just about anywhere with you and if you want to whip it out quickly and practice you don’t have to worry about plugging it in and making all of the sound adjustments.

Choosing whether to learn electric or acoustic depends on a variety of factors and all of them have to do with personal taste. Rather than letting an ‘expert’ decide for you, think about what aligns with your needs and interests. Your goal should be to explore your options and settle for what suits you best!

 ↑ Back to Top

Top Learn Guitar Products

Jamorama is a learn guitar course that has been around for along time. They now have over 43,000 students! You get a bunch of videos, e-books, and bonuses. The price isn't that bad for what you get. The material is very good and it makes learning allot of fun. I give it a 9.2 out of 10

Click Here To Learn About Jamorama.

If you want to learn how to improve your ability to play scales then this is realy the only course for you. This is a fairly large course with lots of material to go through. Keep in mind that this course is not really for somone who is just starting out. If you want to get batter with scales then it comes highly recommended. I give it a 8.5 out of 10.

Click Here To Learn More About The Scale Mastery System

This course comes from the same people who made jamorama. This edition is for those who would like to learn the acoustic guitar. With this course you will learn how to play from ear. You get videos and some bonuses. If you want to learn acoustic then this is right for you. I give it an 8.8 out 10.

Click Here To Learn More About The Acoustic Addition

Yet another product from the people at Jamorama. This course is for those who would like to learn how to play the lead guitar. This course is just as good as the other, only it is a little more advanced. If it is your dream to play lead guitar then this is a good place to start. This course comes with a very affordable price tag. I give it a 9 out of 10.

Click Here To Learn How To Play Lead Guitar.

There are not really that many good courses on the market that can teach you how to play blues guitar. You get a book and a rather large selection of videos. This rare course is a good one even if the market was loaded with other courses. I give it a 9.5 out of 10.

Click Here To Learn More About This Blues Guitar Course.