Customized guitar lessons

The acoustic guitar is a better teacher anyway for the simple reason that it is a more difficult instrument to play. Anyone who has switched from an acoustic folk guitar or classical guitar to an electric guitar or vice versa will confirm this irrefutably. Due to the slightly wider neck and strings that feel harder, your fingers will tire more quickly. This does not prevent your choice of guitar type from also depending on your personal musical spheres of influence. If you really can't wait to conjure up the coolest riffs of your favorite rock or metal bands or steal the show with simple blues licks, then nothing stands in your way to suddenly opt for the somewhat more expensive alternative.

When buying a steel string acoustic guitar (so not a classical or Spanish guitar) with normal dimensions, as a beginner you should not go below the recommended price of € 140. The simple reason is that this price will normally guarantee a guitar that goes out of tune very quickly and will produce a sound that is rather disappointing compared to other guitars that may have cost a little more. Always try out the guitar yourself first, for example with a few chords, or have it tested by an experienced guitarist. Hold the guitar neck in front of your eye and see if it is nice and straight from the bridge to the headstock. Guitars that have been exposed to extreme temperatures for a long time or have been poorly maintained, for example, can be slightly deformed and horrible to play. Try out the guitar for a few minutes and then check if it is still tuned correctly. Never buy a second hand guitar without playing it. The same applies to an electric guitar, but the recommended price for this is more difficult to determine. There are starter sets available from €250, which include a small amplifier, guitar cable, guitar bag, pick and strap.

Again, this is a matter of personal choice. When you are just starting to play the guitar, I would advise you not to use picks that are too hard. Because they are less flexible, they are also less easy to hold and you have to pay attention to so many things at the same time as far as left hand technique is concerned. I myself use a soft and flexible 0.60 mm pick for playing the folk guitar, for example to arpeggiate or strum chords and a smaller harder pick (Jazz III) for melody and solo work.

Of course, everything depends on the time you invest in the musical passages where you still need to improve the most. The key to success is first of all to practice in a smart and varied way. Don't play the songs or riffs you know for a long time over and over again, but push your own boundaries, write your own music and record yourself, play together with other musicians and keep enjoying what you do. Never play with reluctance. Make a daily or weekly schedule of your intentions to practice in advance and the fruits will pay off very quickly. In my opinion, guitarists with good planning have an advantage.

Yes, but keep going and that pain will definitely go away. Guitar is, together with violin, one of the most difficult instruments to learn to play. Your fingers have to adapt to unnatural grips and as your fingertips get used to the hard strings that they have to grip on to produce the right sounds, hardening or calluses will appear. Once you have this hardening, it will only become easier to apply the correct techniques and bring your playing to a satisfactory level.

Not only technical execution on your instrument is an important issue, but also the effects used in a song can make a big difference. In addition, most songs are recorded multiple times in a studio under professional guidance with very expensive equipment to create a final product that is difficult to criticize. It is a general knowledge that the quality of songs played live rarely comes close to a studio version. So don't be too critical of yourself but try to work on details and in no time you will be amazed by the possibilities you have with your own equipment.