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Question for guitar players...

Ive always wanted to play guitar as a second instrument, and piano being my first, I would like to start messing around with a guitar..

Im not looking to take any private lessons or anything as I have heard it's pretty simple to get the hang of by knowing the basics, and even easier if one has played an instrument before.

So I was wondering what kinda of guitar would you guy's recommend for a beginner..

Electric, Acoustic? Which would be the best to learn with, not looking for anything fancy.. any recommendations?

i play acoustic guitar myself and i find that it really helps with my producing. I like acoustics mroe than electric mainly due to the hassle of amplifiers and etc... and if you really must use an amplifier, you can get an acoustic guitar with a pickup.

I recommend you first learn the basic chords.. like C, D, E, F, G, A, Am, Em, Dm, and etc... and then start learning the 7th chords (like A7 for ex) and then start with the more complex chords

Usually.. the complex chords are made up of a basic chord with several other notes added on to it...

I find guitar has been very helpful as i am now experimenting with a lot of the more complex chords in my tracks...

that's my advice

Depends on what kind of music you want to play on it. I wouldn't buy an accordian if I was into trance, because I'd never be inspired by its sound.

So if you like acoustic guitar tunes, perhaps pop songs or old folk tunes, ballads, fingerpicking etc. then I'd definitely recommend getting one.

If you're way into metal and hard rock then I think it would be counterproductive. Also, it is much easier to play lead lines on an electric. Most of the time you can't really bend the strings of an acoustic.

Having said that, some pros and cons of each:

Acoustic
--------
Easy to pick up and play around the house.
Slightly harder to learn on; but better in the long run. (the neck is usually wider and the action a little higher and thus harder to play.)
Harder to record, if you want to make tunes on ( unless you get one with a pickup )
If you want to learn on an acoustic, I'd recommend getting a nylon string over a steel string acoustic - they are much easier to play.

Electric
--------
Easier to learn on.
Can learn how to improvise lead lines.
Needs an amplifier, can annoy neighbours.
Harder to learn fingerpicking / classical on.
Can strap it way down low and pretend you are Kirk Hammet or Slash.
Amplifiers are cool, can crank the distortion etc., buy effects pedals.

Anyway, i hope that helps! And good luck! Guitars are great second instruments, and are heaps of fun!

Like previously stated, it depends on what you like. I have both, but if you were interested in incoprorating it into productions I'd go with an electric, you can do more with it. I have a Fender american Strat. it's a great guitar

I have both a acoustic and Electric Here at J and C really helps in production cause i can just sit here and strum out chords and come up with great pad chords etc for a track.

Awsome, thanks alot for the responses you guy's.. definitely helped.
I think I am going to go with an electric guitar.

One other question, I have an E-MU 1820M with an audio dock, I would be able to connect it into my soundcard's docking station and listen threw my monitors is that correct? Instead of buying an amp, or would it be better to buy an amp?

Thanks in advance..

I would say start out wit han acoustic guitar, as people have said it's a bit harder to learn but that's the point with it. If you learn to play good on an acoustic you won't have any problems at all to step over to electric later on if you want

I myself started out with acoustic when I was 9 years old and stepped over to electric when I was 12-13 and I've been playing ever since (turning 19 this year)

quote:

Originally posted by midaV Awsome, thanks alot for the responses you guy's.. definitely helped. I think I am going to go with an electric guitar. One other question, I have an E-MU 1820M with an audio dock, I would be able to connect it into my soundcard's docking station and listen threw my monitors is that correct? Instead of buying an amp, or would it be better to buy an amp? Thanks in advance..

Connecting a guitar straight in the line in isn't the thing to do. You'd better use a DI box. A DI box's main purpose is to adapt impedances (and its second purpose is to balance the line). The output of the DI gets connected to a mic input normally. You can connect the guitar into the input without anything else, but the impedance won't match. In practice, you'll lose sound quality, mostly high frequency. The guitar will sound both thin and muffled. Some DI boxes can be found for a very little price (the Behringer ones are pretty decent for 45 euros). Be aware you have passive ones, that function on their own, and active ones that need battery or phantom power.

Now some soundcards have what is called an instrument or Hi-Z (Z=impedance) input, which is specially made for pluging in guitars and stuff. The 1820M has two such inputs, but some people including me, find the impedance is not quite right. For most people this will be fine, I tend to find there's still a little bit of loss. Still, for practicing, you won't really notice it I guess. You could still get a cheap DI and plug it into the mic in afterwards.

But, and the main but, is that usually the sound of an electric guitar is given by the amp/speaker combination. If you plug it to your soundcard, you'll get the "pure" electric sound, which isn't generally the one you want. Luckily for you, you can use speaker and amp simulators, and I think such a simulator is included with the EMU.
You'll never have the same result as a real combo, and there are better software sims out there (Guitar Rig and Amplitube come to mind). But again, for practice this won't matter too much, you can always add things when you get better.

So, in your case, you can go ahead and plug a guitar straight in the EMU.

Nicely said Thy, I guess ill try to find a cheap DI box and put it into my mic line and practice with my monitors.

Another cool thing is the fx processing which I can apply to the guitar with the E-MU DSP chip, which would be kinda cool.

Ahh (didn't see this thread when I made mine) -- I just started on an acoustic - love it so far!

I've been playing for about 15 years, and I'll tell you exactly what was told to me. Start with an acoustic. The string tension is going to be higher, and it WILL be a bit more difficult to play. But that's the reason for my reccomendation. Once you're developed the finger strength and callouses, picking up and electric will be a treat.

Hmmm well, I guess if I start with an acoustic I can still use it in my tracks by applying fx n such, I guess I might as well get an acoustic if it will do me better in the long run..

Theres 2 different kinds of strings for acoustic
Nylon and Steel
Nylon is more for classical style playing
I would get an acous/electric

Yeah, I wouldn't bother with a nylon string acoustic, try either a steel/bronze string acoustic or an electric. I enjoy playing electric more because it's more versatile - you can play open chords like on acoustic (although they don't sound as rich as they would on a good acoustic), and electric stuff.

It's your choice though... try both

Well if you are serious about recording electric guitar, you would mic the amp and not record direct to the line-in!

Back on topic, it's very important to buy the guitar that fits the style you like most otherwise you may wind up dissapointed.

I own a steel string acoustic, a nylon (classical) guitar and an electric.

I started on the nylon and I do recommend doing so as they are extremely easy to play. The first guitar I bought was the electric (I was into rock)
then a while later I got the acoustic because my taste had changed, then a year or so after that I found myself getting into the sound of the classical guitar (the nylon sound!) so i picked me up one of those.

So basically all i'm really trying to say is think what style you like most then pick up the guitar that fits it, hey why not just go down to your local store and try them out

again NYLON for learning the very basics (they are also cheap) I should mention that they arn't terribly good for strumming but they are great for fingerpicking, so don't go thinking you've wasted your money when you come to buy your next guitar.

Thanks midaV for starting this thread. I myself have been thinking about playing the guitar and had similar questions about whether to get acoustic or electric when I can purchase one. Very helpful advice from everyone.

I think an acoustic guitar is for me.

Sure singer. Same with me... I think acoustic it is for me as well, but i'll have to go down to the guitar center and check out the different kinds and see what suits my style.

Sure singer. Same with me... I think acoustic it is for me as well, but i'll have to go down to the guitar center and check out the different kinds and see what suits my style.

From experience, I recommend either an acoustic guitar (steal strings), or a classical guitar (nylon strings). You might choose one of these depending on ur style; if u like Rock and Blues, etc, I'd get an acoustic, u might get sick of the classical pretty fast.
I wouldn't start with an electric, it's far easier, but u learn much more when starting with an acoustic or a classical

quote:

again NYLON for learning the very basics (they are also cheap) I should mention that they arn't terribly good for strumming but they are great for fingerpicking, so don't go thinking you've wasted your money when you come to buy your next guitar.

nylon stringed guitars are for playing flamenco. they typically have wider frets and it is a little awkward to play certain songs that are written specifically for steel string guitars. playing flamenco however on a steel string is very difficult owing to the fret widths and to the fact that it is very difficult to do quick flamenco fingerpicking on steel strings. as for what to get. neither is easier for any particular purpose. not significantly so anyway. i do however find flamenco extremely difficult to play but it is very unique, very beautiful style of play.

at the end of the day it comes down to what kind of sound you want and what style of guitar playing you want to persue.

typically, acoustic guitars have higher string gauges (thicknesses) and so you may find them harder to play at first than electric guitars. they also have flatter fret boards making barring frets harder. however, if you can barre and hold complex chords on an acoustic guitar you can more often than not do it on an electric and it'll be easier.

i am very much in love with acoustic sounds but electroacoustic is the way to go if you have a little extra cash. if you buy a pre amp you can plug your guitar straight into your soundcard (provided it takes 1/4 inch TRS or RCA connections) and record directly. electroacoustics can also be souped up with effects processors and stomp boxes. good electroacoustic guitar + valve amp + digital delay + reverb = lush sound. if you dont like your sound processed you can unplug and record straight into a microphone.

Acoustic and Classic guitar's both come with either steel or nylon strings?

quote:

Originally posted by Derivative nylon stringed guitars are for playing flamenco. they typically have wider frets and it is a little awkward to play certain songs that are written specifically for steel string guitars. playing flamenco however on a steel string is very difficult owing to the fret widths and to the fact that it is very difficult to do quick flamenco fingerpicking on steel strings. as for what to get. neither is easier for any particular purpose. not significantly so anyway. i do however find flamenco extremely difficult to play but it is very unique, very beautiful style of play.

There actually is a difference between Flamenco and Classical guitars. Classical guitars are not meant for Flamenco and vise versa. They can be used for either style though. The sound of these two types of guitars are very different (at least to my ears). Also, it's kind of hard to find good Flamenco guitars outside of Spain, when looking at nylon stringed ones, u'll mostly find classical guitars.
Yeah, playing Flamenco on an acoustic is very hard but can be done.
I personally love Flamenco, it's very hard to play if you started with Rock and I think it's harder to play too...

quote:

at the end of the day it comes down to what kind of sound you want and what style of guitar playing you want to persue. typically, acoustic guitars have higher string gauges (thicknesses) and so you may find them harder to play at first than electric guitars. they also have flatter fret boards making barring frets harder. however, if you can barre and hold complex chords on an acoustic guitar you can more often than not do it on an electric and it'll be easier.

Yeap, well said

quote:

Originally posted by midaV Acoustic and Classic guitar's both come with either steel or nylon strings?

Acoustic = Steel (most of the times)
Classical + Flamenco = Nylon



Also, midaV, what type of music are u thinking of playing and how much money are u willing to spend on this guitar?

Awsome thanks Dark,

I plan on learning how to play for my own enjoyment, and then hook it up to my soundcard to put into my productions.

As for the sound, I'm looking for something like the guitar in
a few of 'Stings's' Song's

Two of those songs:
Sting- Spanish Guitar Solo
Sting & Eric Clapton - Shape of my herat


^^ those are pretty nice sounding to me, not sure what kind it is though, so if somebody could help that would be nice..

and I am looking to spend no more then $200 as I am a beginner and dont need to get anything fancy, is that to cheap?


BTW... Gypsy Kings = Flamenco?.... cause it's hella beautiful.

quote:

I personally love Flamenco, it's very hard to play if you started with Rock and I think it's harder to play too...

thats good - i love flamenco also. i find it difficult but i suspect that its because i came from a generation of kids who picked up a guitar after hearing smells like teen spirit. self taught. with all the bad habits that come to a guitarist who doesnt have any formal training.

if you are going to learn flamenco midaV you will find it extremely rewarding to get coaching if you can afford it. when you learn flamenco you really dont want to get into typical bad guitar habits like finger picking with only thumb and index finger (if you do this for a significant legnth of time you WILL find flamenco very difficult).

shape of my heart is perfectly playable on a typical steel string acoustic. its quite easy to play aswell and it sounds good. its not flamenco. you will know it when you hear it. i suspect sting uses a nylon stringer here for the softer plucking kind of sound.

spanish guitar solo is built on falsettas which sort hard to explain. they are like flamenco scales. thats also a nylon stringer (a nice sounding one too).

good examples of flamenco are the famous 'leyenda' aka 'asturias' (the Narciso Yepes performance of this will blow you away), and the intro for the doors - spanish caravan. the main body of the song is very similar to parts of leyenda. both are insanely difficult to play because you have to use every tiny bit of dexterity in all of your fingers. few rock songs give your hands a workout like these ones.

flamenco can sound a bit cheesy in dance music but i have heard it work in jam & spoon's angel (ladadi o-heyo) and in d kay & epsilon's quiet earth. the latter is insanely hard to play too :z

also, 200 dollars isnt alot to spend on a guitar. you probably wont be able to afford a good electro acoustic but if you shop around you can get a fairly decent acoustic/spanish guitar for that money. one thats playable anyway. more expensive guitars have a better build quality and a tendancy to flatter the player. a played on a �2000 k yairi for a couple of minutes and for a short while it felt like every note i played was golden. my �150 acoustic doesnt make me feel like a guitar god but it works. it does what i want it too and when i pick up a better guitar i find it easier to play. which is a good feeling. cheap acoustics are great to learn guitar on cuz you know its never gonna get any harder than this.

quote:

Originally posted by midaV As for the sound, I'm looking for something like the guitar in a few of 'Stings's' Song's Two of those songs: Sting- Spanish Guitar Solo Sting & Eric Clapton - Shape of my herat

I've only heard Spanish Guitar Solo and that's a classical guitar (not flamenco!).
Are you also looking at playing other styles? Bc like I mentioned in my other posts, you WILL get sick of the classical sound while playing Rock and Blues, almost everyone I know has.

quote:

BTW... Gypsy Kings = Flamenco?.... cause it's hella beautiful.

Yeah, they're Flamenco, main stream Flamenco though
If you like this genre, def check out Paco de Lucia, he's one of the best Spanish guitar players.

As far as prices are concerned, a an acoustic or a classical guitar for $200 isn't gonna sound good. I think if you want a real good sounding guitar, you need to spend at least $1000. You can get others for $500-$600 that sound decent, but you might want to upgrade as time goes on. For now, one of those will be enough. If you want to plug it into ur PC, make sure its acoustic/eletric or classical/electric.

If you want more help PM me or AIM me

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