Total Beginner"s Guide on Guitars
To the inexperienced and unenthusiastic musician, all guitars look and sound the same.
It is this notion that most guitar buyers, especially beginners, go home with the wrong guitar for them or their loved ones.
It's either too big, too small, the strings are too hard to strum or rust easily.
The bottomline is, there's a guitar for every player, but for beginners, there's usually a general guide so as not to use solely the guitar's color or detailed design as the basis for purchase, leading to the wrong guitar for the novice player.
"No Steel Strings Attached" A beginner can be any person from age to 5 to 55, but basically, the primary consideration is that anyone who desires to learn the art of guitar playing is likely to have low tolerance for finger pain, so it's better to pick a guitar that has nylon strings.
The sound quality may not be at par with steel strings, but compared to the latter, the former has softer strings which can be tuned easily and entails easier care or maintenance.
Steel strings may be the "gold standard" in terms of sound quality according to some experts, but these are hard to tune and rust in time, as such, constant cleaning and oiling are necessary; something which a beginner, especially a young beginner would have no patience for as their minds are only focused on learning and playing; they live in the moment as most kids do.
Size Matters It does.
A guitar is useless if the player has a hard time wrapping his fingers around the frets or couldn't reach the open strings because the body it is far too wide for his or her arm reach.
Even adult beginners are persuaded from buying a large guitar.
A good tip would be to feel the guitar against your body, like a pro would, and see if you could easily reach the frets, moving from one bar to the next.
As for the other hand, see and feel if you could easily strum or pluck each string.
This is actually quite self-explanatory and picking the guitar size is not a matter of getting used to.
Remember that you're just starting out to play, your utmost concern is comfort and ease which will help you learn properly and quickly, and not whether you look like a Jimi Hendrix or Carlos Santana protege.
Which Side Is It? Left or Right? Unlike the piano which is designed for ambidextrous playing, guitars are designed for either a right-handed or left-handed player.
Some players have the right hand as their dominant (writing) hand, some have otherwise, but it usually does not follow in guitar playing.
Some lefties play with their right hand and vice-versa.
As mentioned above, get a feel of the instrument while you're in the store (so this goes without saying that you should be present while selecting and purchasing your first guitar; many newbies have committed the mistake of doing otherwise).
Don't aim for ambidexterity right away, pick the guitar you'd have ease of playing with and if you excel, maybe you can follow the footsteps of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai.
Electric or Classic? Many experts say that it doesn't really matter if you pick electric or classic as both are preferable for beginners.
The only thing to consider is safety when it comes to electric guitars, as well as amplifiers.
It is more advisable to buy brand new ones than second-hand ones to lessen the risks of electrocution and other accidents as used electric guitars and amps may pose the risks of short circuits and faulty wirings due to previous user modifications.
Guitar-caused electrocutions does happen, and sometimes, it happens live on stage during a performance, so take this advice seriously for safety's sake.
Final Note The important things to consider in purchasing your first guitar is comfort, ease of playing, ease of maintenance and safety, and whether you're 5 or 55, these things matter.
Another piece of advice: it is not wrong to aim to be at par with the best troubadours of all time, but it is also wise to manage your expectations.
Learn the art in stages, don't overwhelm yourself, enjoy and master the art little by little through constant practice because that's how the pros did it.
It is this notion that most guitar buyers, especially beginners, go home with the wrong guitar for them or their loved ones.
It's either too big, too small, the strings are too hard to strum or rust easily.
The bottomline is, there's a guitar for every player, but for beginners, there's usually a general guide so as not to use solely the guitar's color or detailed design as the basis for purchase, leading to the wrong guitar for the novice player.
"No Steel Strings Attached" A beginner can be any person from age to 5 to 55, but basically, the primary consideration is that anyone who desires to learn the art of guitar playing is likely to have low tolerance for finger pain, so it's better to pick a guitar that has nylon strings.
The sound quality may not be at par with steel strings, but compared to the latter, the former has softer strings which can be tuned easily and entails easier care or maintenance.
Steel strings may be the "gold standard" in terms of sound quality according to some experts, but these are hard to tune and rust in time, as such, constant cleaning and oiling are necessary; something which a beginner, especially a young beginner would have no patience for as their minds are only focused on learning and playing; they live in the moment as most kids do.
Size Matters It does.
A guitar is useless if the player has a hard time wrapping his fingers around the frets or couldn't reach the open strings because the body it is far too wide for his or her arm reach.
Even adult beginners are persuaded from buying a large guitar.
A good tip would be to feel the guitar against your body, like a pro would, and see if you could easily reach the frets, moving from one bar to the next.
As for the other hand, see and feel if you could easily strum or pluck each string.
This is actually quite self-explanatory and picking the guitar size is not a matter of getting used to.
Remember that you're just starting out to play, your utmost concern is comfort and ease which will help you learn properly and quickly, and not whether you look like a Jimi Hendrix or Carlos Santana protege.
Which Side Is It? Left or Right? Unlike the piano which is designed for ambidextrous playing, guitars are designed for either a right-handed or left-handed player.
Some players have the right hand as their dominant (writing) hand, some have otherwise, but it usually does not follow in guitar playing.
Some lefties play with their right hand and vice-versa.
As mentioned above, get a feel of the instrument while you're in the store (so this goes without saying that you should be present while selecting and purchasing your first guitar; many newbies have committed the mistake of doing otherwise).
Don't aim for ambidexterity right away, pick the guitar you'd have ease of playing with and if you excel, maybe you can follow the footsteps of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai.
Electric or Classic? Many experts say that it doesn't really matter if you pick electric or classic as both are preferable for beginners.
The only thing to consider is safety when it comes to electric guitars, as well as amplifiers.
It is more advisable to buy brand new ones than second-hand ones to lessen the risks of electrocution and other accidents as used electric guitars and amps may pose the risks of short circuits and faulty wirings due to previous user modifications.
Guitar-caused electrocutions does happen, and sometimes, it happens live on stage during a performance, so take this advice seriously for safety's sake.
Final Note The important things to consider in purchasing your first guitar is comfort, ease of playing, ease of maintenance and safety, and whether you're 5 or 55, these things matter.
Another piece of advice: it is not wrong to aim to be at par with the best troubadours of all time, but it is also wise to manage your expectations.
Learn the art in stages, don't overwhelm yourself, enjoy and master the art little by little through constant practice because that's how the pros did it.
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