Current Events > I want to learn to play the guitar. What are good beginner guitars

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I play a couple of instruments already so I know the time commitment involved in learning to play music, and Ive been wanting to do this for a while so Im committed to not giving up. Im also not looking to become a shredding solo rockstar, but Id like to eventually play some classical guitar pieces.

suggestions?

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Looking for acoustic. Electric seems like a lot more work

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A Bob Dylan signed Martin Guitar is a good one to start with

Electrics are easier to play imo

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MrMelodramatic posted...

Looking for acoustic. Electric seems like a lot more work

What do you like to play?

I think acoustics for a beginner is overrated

By the guitar that you'll want to play the most, dont listen to much to others
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you'll want a classical guitar if you want to play classical guitar music

and you'll want to get a teacher unless you want to unlearn the bad habits you make

if you just want to play, I'd recommend checking out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_goHl-GuNk&list=PL9YcpEC7d88iCfJrG8AgaRs9Y3Y8bxCsa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEfFbuT3I6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIGm5-hdl7o
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR39sLAZ5wS_vrMo4tRylHw (good channel for a bunch of tunes)

I'd recommend getting into Flamenco rhythms if you really wanna go down this rabbit hole

Source: Been playing guitar for about 17 years now

If youre learning classical your going to wanna get good at stretching that left hand

A big difference is a wider neck, you wont be able to wrap your thumb around and play chords like hendrix
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Romes187 posted...

you'll want a classical guitar if you want to play classical guitar music

and you'll want to get a teacher unless you want to unlearn the bad habits you make

if you just want to play, I'd recommend checking out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_goHl-GuNk&list=PL9YcpEC7d88iCfJrG8AgaRs9Y3Y8bxCsa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEfFbuT3I6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIGm5-hdl7o
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR39sLAZ5wS_vrMo4tRylHw (good channel for a bunch of tunes)

I'd recommend getting into Flamenco rhythms if you really wanna go down this rabbit hole

Source: Been playing guitar for about 17 years now

I'm self taught and can confirm I have some weird habits

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwvN15GeLW0

Here's one of my favorites to play. Once you get the groove down its very satisfying to do. I mainly finger pick it so I can't do some of the dynamics he's doing with his pick...I'm a bit sloppier when it comes to hybrid picking like the song needs.

Anything Tommy Emmanuel is worth studying and trying to play. You'll probably need about 5 or so years of practice behind you to attempt some of his easier songs and a lifetime to play some of the harder ones.

But it keeps you pushing forward

Smackems posted...

I'm self taught and can confirm I have some weird habits

Yeah but its not always bad

I tend to hold my thumb up high like a blues player but I also use it to hit my low E string when playing some bass notes (especially in Tommy Emmanuel songs..he requires that a LOT)

Just go to guitar center.

I suggest a classical guitar because the action generally takes very little effort.


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Smackems posted...

Electrics are easier to play imo

Much easier to play, the strings are much thinner so you can get better sound from holding the frets down (esp. as a beginner).

and IMO a cheap elec guitar and amp can go farther than a cheap acoustic.

I didnt realize that Classic was its own kind of guitar. Thanks for bringing that up. Are there any good classical songs that are normally part of the repertoire for beginners? Preferable public domain or cheap lol

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Or songbooks, skills books, etc.

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I'm of the mind that it doesnt matter if you start with an acoustic or an electric as long as you start with whichever one interests you more.

That being said, what do you want to learn? What are you guitar goals outside of just "I want to learn guitar"?
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MrMelodramatic posted...

I didnt realize that Classic was its own kind of guitar. Thanks for bringing that up. Are there any good classical songs that are normally part of the repertoire for beginners? Preferable public domain or cheap lol

Nylon strings that are meant for chording and finger picking. Generally wider necks.

I honestly learned through tabs and have no idea how to read music. But it's pretty easy to procure free tabs or sheet music.

Ultimate-guitar.com has virtually everything you can need for tabs and chords.

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Smashingpmkns posted...

I'm of the mind that it doesnt matter if you start with an acoustic or an electric as long as you start with whichever one interests you more.

That being said, what do you want to learn? What are you guitar goals outside of just "I want to learn guitar"?

Eventually Id love to play something like this
https://youtu.be/e30sfenIXJw

Or this
https://youtu.be/TX6-4gc8HB0

i know thatll probably take years, but I love classical guitar sounds. Jazz guitar is also amazing, but Ive done some jazz drumming before, and its not my strong suit

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Honestly I had a cheap epiphone electric guitar brand new and the action was god awful and made it really hard to learn. But if you actually go to the store and tell the salesman you're a beginner who wants something that'll be easier to learn on I'm sure they'll find you an electric that's easier to play on and isn't extremely expensive.

My 100 dollar classical turd was comparatively easier to play, but wasn't meant for the rockin' I was trying to do as a lad. Though nowadays all I play is my nylon string.

A standard acoustic may also have action problems if it's low end.

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Btw guitar action is how far the strings sit off the neck.

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Oh then yeah buy a nylon string classical guitar. Yamaha makes some pretty decent and affordable beginner classical guitars that will last you a while before you'd want to upgrade. Don't be afraid to start with a pick in order to learn your left hand before moving onto fingerpicking once you're more comfortable.

There are many right hand techniques to learn. That's gonna be your biggest obstacle probably. Surprisingly, fingerpicking YouTube teachers are without a doubt the best guitar content creators so you're gonna have a lot of learning material.
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It sucks that you cant just try or go into guitar stores like that right now because that would be your best bet..

What other kinds of music do you like? What other songs would you like to learn regardless of genre?

MrMelodramatic posted...

Looking for acoustic. Electric seems like a lot more work

Electric guitars are easier to play.

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BettyWhite posted...

Btw guitar action is how far the strings sit off the neck.

so do you want the spacing big or small) large action seems like it would be more difficult and make timing harder, but small action could cause muffled sounds and accidental fingerings.

Smashingpmkns posted...

Oh then yeah buy a nylon string classical guitar. Yamaha makes some pretty decent and affordable beginner classical guitars that will last you a while before you'd want to upgrade. Don't be afraid to start with a pick in order to learn your left hand before moving onto fingerpicking once you're more comfortable.

There are many right hand techniques to learn. That's gonna be your biggest obstacle probably. Surprisingly, fingerpicking YouTube teachers are without a doubt the best guitar content creators so you're gonna have a lot of learning material.

Alright. Ill definitely look into some classical Yamahas then. Thanks!

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As a beginner I can honestly say, dont go cheap unless you intend to get it worked on. I have a cheap Spectrum I bought from Hastings a few years ago that was almost unplayable out the box. The action was too high, the strings sucked, and there was fret buzz from the third string. Literally made me quit. Fast forward to quarantine...I put better strings, changed out the plastic bridge saddle for a bone one, and adjusted the truss rod. Its still hard to play, but its much better than it was.

I also have a 30 year old Ovation round back acoustic I got as a kid. Original price was somewhere in the $3-400 range. The difference in playability is ridiculous. The Ovation is like butter compared to the Spectrum, especially with Adamas strings.

In summary, get a mid range guitar if you can afford one. Anything less than $200 is likely going to require extra work before its really playable.

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looking now. I have short arms and smallish hands. Would getting a 3/4 size guitar be a huge detriment? Details say the instrument has a full fret range

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MrMelodramatic posted...

looking now. I have short arms and smallish hands. Would getting a 3/4 size guitar be a huge detriment? Details say the instrument has a full fret range

Shorter sized guitars are usually used for kids, but that's really just because they're smaller and cheaper. There's no real reason not to use a 3/4 size guitar (that's what I started on too), but it does have a bit of a different sound that a standard one - its a bit more "punchy" if that makes sense? It can also help if you want to make big stretches or are just new to the weird hand flexes.

If you want a 3/4 guitar you'll probably be fine, although if you want to like play along with a song you'll sound a little off (but you probably would anyway unless it was like, an acoustic recording or something).

EDIT: if you're just worried about having "small hands" you almost definitely don't need to worry about it.

You might think you have short arms or small hands but I've never met anyone over the age of maybe 13 that couldn't physically deal with a full size guitar tbh. Not a knock on you or anything. There are reasons to buy 3/4 guitars outside of accessibility type stuff, but I think overall a full size guitar would be a better purchase.
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MrMelodramatic posted...

Eventually Id love to play something like this
https://youtu.be/e30sfenIXJw

Or this
https://youtu.be/TX6-4gc8HB0

i know thatll probably take years, but I love classical guitar sounds. Jazz guitar is also amazing, but Ive done some jazz drumming before, and its not my strong suit

youll be able to do it but those songs will take quite a few years of study to play it smoothly

jazz can be tricky to get into off the bat because the fingerings are a bit trickier in some cases but if you know your theory you can knock out quite a bit real quick because whatever shape your in, you can easily modulate by siding up or down on the fretboard

so each shape basically gives you all 12 chords depending on where your root is...The beginner version of that idea is the caged system which isnt a bad way to get the idea down

because once you learn your barre chords its just a tonal shift. The intervals all stay the same.