Guitar for beginners

The Question

Students taking their first steps usually approach teachers with the following question: 'is it better to learn on an acoustic or an electric guitar?' The short answer to that question is 'they are different instruments, and your choice should depend on only one thing: which guitar you would like to see yourself playing.'

There are a number of myths or common misconceptions among starting players, namely that acoustic guitars will make your fingers stronger in the very early stages of practice, nylon stringed guitars can only be used for classical music and electric guitars are easier to play. Though these statements are somewhat based on real facts, they can be misleading and you should not base your choice on them.

Your first thought when you pick up a guitar should be about the music that you want to do with it. If you choose an instrument thinking it’ll be easier than others you will be in for a surprise: even the first steps in guitar playing demand practice time: your fingers will probably get sore when playing either acoustic or electric and you’ll soon come to face technical challenges when practicing a simple tune. 

So the main factor in choosing what type of guitar you’ll be playing is the music you want to make with it. It all comes down to what attracts you and motivates you to play, and you should really pick an instrument that you will look forward to practice with. Consider the music you listen to and you’d like to play and make a choice that won’t leave you stuck with the wrong type of guitar.

The Facts

All of the above considered, there are indeed physical differences between types of guitars. 

Electric guitars can be solid body, semi hollow, or hollow. They use light gauge strings (easy to press down) and, as long as they properly maintained, you’ll find that your hand runs smoothly through the neck. Once plugged into an amplifier, a light touch on the strings will be enough to create sound, making playing less tiresome. This can be convenient for beginners that tend to lose interest if their first experience is not successful. Though smaller in body size and usually thinner in neck, electric guitars can actually feel heavier than their acoustic counterparts. One important thing to keep in mind is that an electric guitar isn't a complete instrument without an amplifier (and that makes for some budget considerations). Some people find that the preparation it takes to play electric guitar (the effort of taking out a cord, plugging the guitar into an amp and turning it on) eventually leads to not practicing that much as they’d like to. 

Acoustic guitars have a bigger body and slightly thicker necks. There are no mics here, as the guitar itself projects the sound: some people feel this gives the acoustic guitar a more ‘intimate’ feel, as the final result depends only on the guitar and the performer. Because of the type of strings they employ, acoustic guitars demand a little more strength and control in fingering and beginners tend to be discouraged by this fact (which presents itself in all its splendor when trying to do barred chords). It is important to keep in mind that this is merely a stage in learning. 

Sometimes acoustic guitars will have electronics fitted (these instruments are usually called electro-acoustic), allowing to plug into an amplifier and reach high volumes without resorting to external microphones. This makes them a little bit more expensive, but it's an investment that makes the guitar usable in band / live show situations. As these guitars need not to be plugged in to work properly, they can be easily picked up at any moment, making them ideal for spontaneous playing. They come in a lot of varieties, with two main types: steel-stringed acoustic guitar and nylon-stringed (also known as classical guitar). 

Classical guitars employ nylon strings, which are easier to press down than steel ones. They have a very characteristic sound, easily distinguishable from the acoustic guitar, and more fitting to specific genres. Their necks are wider, and the action is usually higher.

The action is what guitarists call the distance from the strings to the neck. In general terms, it is recommendable to have a low action (that is to say, the strings near the wood), as this reduces the strength needed by the fretting hand. The more relaxed the left hand can be, the easier it becomes to have a clean tone, develop speed, and perform big stretches. Electric guitars will commonly have the lowest action, while Spanish or classical guitars will tend be have a higher one. An excessively low action can make the strings buzz against the guitar itself, which is something that should be corrected by a luthier. A high action may have some benefits in terms of sound, and it allows the use of a slider, but it comes at the price of not being able to perform at the full potential of the left hand. 

It is easy to find super-cheap acoustic guitars, and some teachers argue that budget instruments are a good choice if the student is not quite sure about sticking with playing the instrument. The reality is that budget acoustic instruments are usually so hard to play it becomes a factor of discouragement for the student, so if money is really an issue it would be wiser to invest in a cheap electric+amp combo. The instrument may be far from the best, but at least it will be easier to play.

Though guitar players often specialize in one type of guitar, most of them will actually be familiar with both electric and acoustic instruments (is not uncommon for professional players to own a variety of them). This is just natural: different types of guitars offer different possibilities, and as time goes a desire to experiment with other sounds and develop new skills will grow. Making your initial choice is important because it determines your first experience with the instrument (and maybe with music itself), but by no means is decisive: a good number of well known musicians started with an instrument and ended up mastering a totally different one years later.

It doesn't matter what type of guitar you choose, always make sure that the guitar you’re buying is correctly adjusted and prepared for playing.  If you can, bring someone else with you to the store and examine the instrument before buying it: try it, go though the high and low registers and make sure that your hand is always comfortable. A poorly crafted instrument can seriously hamper your progress and make you feel like you are not getting better.

Below we offer diagrams of both acoustic and electric instruments and their most commonly mentioned parts. Some items are, of course, common to both types of instruments (headstock, tuners, fretboard, strings, etc.) Cases such as those are not repeated. 

Strings: although traditional guitars employs six strings, there are guitar variations that can use up to fourteen strings,

Neck:  roughly, the piece of wood that extends from the body of the instrument, where the fretboard, frets, and headstock are placed.

Headstock: it is the part of the instrument that holds the strings and, usually, those are fixed to the headstock by means of tuning pegs. Each major guitar brand has a number of signature headstocks that make their instruments easily recognizable. 

Tuners:  also called machine heads or tuning pegs, they are used to tune the instrument by changing the tension of the strings. They are also found in mandolins, banjos, double basses, etc (as opposed to violins, violas, etc. which employ friction pegs). The pinion and worm gear mechanism is traditionally exposed in classical guitars, whereas acoustic and electric guitars usually have them enclosed. Tuning pegs can be arranged in a number of ways, depending on the shape of the headstock: the most common arrangements are three pegs to each side, or all six in a diagonal line (as in Stratocaster electric guitars).

Fretboard: also called fingerboard, it consists of a long strip of wood laminated to the neck of the guitar. The strings run over it, and they are pressed against it to create different pitches. Though in the guitar the fingerboard is usually fretted, other instruments employ unfretted fingerboards or a combination of the two. 

Frets: metal strips inserted into the fingerboard that divide it into semitones, defining the spaces where the strings should be stopped.

EQ: electro acoustic guitars (those with fitted electronics for amplification) will usually have a set of plastic controllers, providing simple EQ options for the microphone, as well as overall gain. Some manufacturers insert special features on this controllers, such as in built tuners.

Body: the body plays a major role in defining the sound of acoustic instruments. String vibration is transmitted though the bridge and saddle to the soundboard, and the shape of the cavity and soundhole have an impact on the final sonority. 

Sound Hole: though technically most of the sound of the guitar comes from the body itself (the sounding board, to be precise), the sound hole allows the instrument to project sound in a more efficient way. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, though the most usual design is circular, surrounded by a rosette pattern.

Scratch Plate: also called pickguard, it is a piece of laminated material (often plastic) used to prevent the plectrum from scratching the body of the guitar. 

String Pins: also called bridge pins, they lock the strings to the guitar, also playing an important role in transferring vibrations to the body. They are made of bone or synthetic elements.

String Tree: employed in some electric popular guitar models (such as the Stratocaster) to hold the strings in place.

Truss Rod Access: through this opening (encased in some models) a luthier may access the truss rod, a long steel rod that runs inside the neck of the guitar, which can be adjusted to adjust its curvature.

Nut: a piece of bone, plastic, brass, or any synthesized material of similar consistency, that is placed at the top of the fretboard to guide the strings into it in a parallell fashion and keeping the appropriate distance from each other. 

Inlay markers:  used as a form of reference to quickly locate certain frets, they are popular in electric and acoustic guitar, but rarely seen in classical guitar. Some companies design their signature inlays (such as PRS's signature birds inlay). Sometimes, there will also be tiny markers on the edge of the neck that faces the guitarist.

Strap pin: used to fit the guitar strap, they come in a variety of shapes and mechanisms. 

Pickups: electronic pieces that detect string vibration and transform it into electrical energy for amplification. Traditionally, they come in single and double-coil varieties, the later being less prone to pick up interference. They can either require batteries or be passive. The type and make of pickups play a big part in the final sound of the instrument.

Selector switch: used to control which pickups are active, they are an essential tone shaping tool for the electric guitarist. They can have two, three, five, or more positions, depending on the type of pickups, the electronic, and the combination possibilities. 

Tone/Volume controls: they control the amount of output gain and the bass/treble balance. Depending on the type of guitar, there may be one or two tone controls and one or two volume controls.

Output jack: where the cable is plugged in to amplify the guitar. 

Brige: used to transfer the vibration from the strings to the body, it also holds the strings in place. Bridges come in a wide variety of designs, some including mechanisms for fine intonation. Some bridges come with an opening for a whammy bar or (wrongly called) tremolo arm to be inserted. These models are spring-loaded and capable of subtly moving to let the guitarist change the tension of the strings (and therefore change the sounding pitch) using the whammy bar. Modern electric instruments come with a saddle system on the bridge that allows for fine calibration.

PICKS

Picks -or plectra- are basically small, flat pieces of plastic employed to strum or pluck the strings. Guitarists playing rock, jazz, and derived genres employ picks more often than those coming from the classical tradition, who play with their fingers. This is by no means a rule, however, as modern guitar technique evolves rapidly, and nowadays a number of hybrid techniques are used by some players.

Picks are usually made of plastic -though other materials may be found, especially in non-guitar picks- and cut in a triangle shape with rounded corners. Pick manufacturers usually print their logo and the thickness of the plastic, which is an important factor in terms of control and precision. Heavy picks usually yield better results, with a more defined attack, and a greater capacity for speed playing (they are less prone to bending). They require more practice to be mastered, however, so its usually recommended that beginners start with thin picks (which as a matter of fact are always good for strumming, because of the particular clicking they emit against the strings).

CAPO

The capo, short for capotasto - Italian for the 'nut' of the instrument - is a device that is placed on the guitar's fretboard in order to reduce the total length of the strings, creating a new 'artificial' nut. In other words, it acts as if the player was pressing the six strings in line, pretty much as it happens with the fretting hand index finger in a barred chord, basically raising the pitch of the open strings.

As the capo leaves all the left hand fingers free to play, musicians use it to easily transpose any piece or chord sequence without having to memorize new fingerings. Because of this, a capo is an invaluable tool for any accompanist or singing guitarist, as it will allow to easily change the key of a song in order to better suit the singing voice. 

There are many designs, sizes and shapes of capos (as they are also used on bass guitars, banjo, mandolins, etc.) Strap-on capos, spring-operated capos... the basic mechanism is always the same: a rubber bar covers the instrument's fretboard, holding the strings down at a given point. Some mechanisms may clamp the strings more evenly, be more reliable than others, or more resistant to time. Usually strap-on capos are the cheapest and they tend to loose their grip with time.

The capo is widely used in several folkloric musical expressions throughout the western world, but rarely seen in jazz and classical music.

METRONOME

A metronome is a tool that produces regular clicks, and it is used by musicians to keep a steady beat. It is an invaluable tool to develop a internal sense of tempo, and exercises featuring the metronome are recommended for students of any instrument since the beginning of their career.  

The metronome is also used as a reference between musicians, as many pieces bear 'metronome marks' to objectively describe the tempos the composer intended. Some metronomes include a visual reference, like a swinging pendulum. Nowadays they are usually small electronic devices.

TUNER

The tuner is an electronic tool used to detect the pitch of a given note, and indicate how far it is from the desired pitch. Simple tuners use a set of led lights to indicate the musician to tune higher or lower, but there are complex devices that give precise details about the frequencies involved, and offer several features such as temperament options, or different tunings. They receive the signal either via a microphone or a line in jack.

Tuners come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They can be small enough to be fitted into a pocket, into a stompbox, or be the size of a rack unit, depending on the construction and complexity of the particular unit. They may work by means of a microphone, a line in jack, picking up vibrations, etc.

They are an useful tool for the beginner guitarist that still has to master the skill of ear-tuning. Tuners can also be invaluable accessories for live settings, when the circumstances don't allow tuning by ear (tuners with the option of connecting a line to them allow for silent tuning).

STRAP

A strap is a strip of material that allows holding the guitar using the shoulders. Most professional straps are wide, adjustable in leght, and padded, in order to better distribute the weight of the instrument and minimize strain. Usually guitars come with strap pins, where the strap can be connected. Most classical guitars will not feature strap pins at all, in which case the player must either modify it or use a neck strap, which supports the guitar by hooking into the sound hole. Strap locks are sometimes used by guitarists as a safer alternative to strap pins.

READING STAND

A stand allows sheetmusic to be read from an appropriate distance, whether whether it be during performance or study sessions. For those musicians making heavy use of printed sheetmusic, its almost a must to own a proper stand, as it allows a correct performing posture. Reading from a table or desk, or leaning the sheetmusic against something, may cause neck strain or make it hard to appropriately turn the pages. There are a good number of stand designs, prepared to hold different sized scores, and with different transportation capabilities. Guitarists often employ light folding stands, which are convenient for touring. however, usually these can't support heavy books.

GUITAR STAND

A guitar stand is designed to support a guitar: they come in folding and non folding versions, and may include an additional arm for supporting the guitar neck. Besides their immediate function of supporting unused guitars onstage, they can also play a part in developing a consistent study routine, as they allow to have the guitar always accessible and outside its case.

GUITAR SUPPORT

A support is a device used to position an acoustic guitar for playing in the classical posture, but avoiding the use of a stool. 

ARMREST

Armrests are devices placed on the top of the guitar to avoid damage from perspiration, as well as direct contact with the top of the guitar (thus letting it project sound better).

The images used in this article are Copyright Free / under Creative Commons Licenses.

 Capo: photo by Andrzej Barabasz CC BY-SA 3.0, source & license details: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capo_(close-up).jpg | Tuner: photo by Cristoph Lange CC BY 2.0, source & license details: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chromatic-tuner.jpg | Metronome: photo by Paco Vila CC BY 2.0, source & license details: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wittner_metronome.jpg  | Strap: photo by movethetiger CC BY-SA 3.0, source & license details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Couch_Red_80s_Mercedes_Guitar_Strap.jpg | Music stand: photo by  Mezzofortist CC BY-SA 3.0, source & license details: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Music_stand_metal.jpg  | Guitar stand: CC BY-SA 2.0, source & license details: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guitar_Epiphone_01.jpg