3 Reasons Why Learning To Play The Guitar On An Electric Is Better
by Maurice Richard
Most people that want to learn to play the guitar typically want to play the acoustic.
I started on an acoustic guitar myself. They sound better, you do not need an amp and you can take an acoustic to the beach, cottage or any party to play.
However, learning to play the guitar on an acoustic presents many challenges that can be eliminated or reduced by starting on an electric guitar instead.
Here are 3 reasons you should consider starting to learn the guitar on an electric instead of an acoustic.
1. It Reduces The Physical Requirements
An electric guitar is physically easier to handle and use. There is no possible argument here. Just compare any acoustic with an electric.
What does that mean for you when you are learning how to play the guitar? It means that you do not have to work harder to learn. You do not have to reach around the big body of an acoustic and can learn to relax while you play much sooner. This is very important.
You can focus on the other more important physical requirements of learning to play the guitar like forming chords and changing between them as well as strumming and coordinating the two.
What I find with most students is when they have an acoustic guitar they are often trying to get comfortable and changing positions instead of actually playing. This slows down your progress.
2. It Reduces The Amount Of Pressure Required To Play
This may not seem like an important factor but as a trained guitar teacher I assure you it is a very important aspect of learning to play the guitar.
Electric guitars have thinner strings and they are also setup to be much closer to the frets. That allows you to push them down with a lot less effort and make good contact and produce the right sound easier than you would on an acoustic guitar.
This is very important because using too much pressure leads to many problems.
Using too much pressure is the main cause of pain when you start to learn to play the guitar for example which is a common problem with most beginners.
But it can cause other problems like poor technique and bad habits that can cripple your ability to properly play things or to play them at higher levels.
Too much pressure will cause you to make much slower chord changes and to be very inconsistent and take you a long time to improve.
It may seem silly but starting to play on an electric guitar almost eliminates this for most people. It is definitely worth it if you can start this way.
3. You Will Progress Faster And Learn The Right Way
This is the main reason you want to start learning on an electric guitar instead of an acoustic.
Based on my experience teaching many people to play the guitar over the past several years I have seen with my own eyes the progress that people who start on an electric guitar make.
And if you think about it this makes sense. When you remove unneeded physical limitations from the equation you can focus on the actual skill development instead of trying to reach around the guitar or pressing the strings down.
The more focus you can give to proper finger placement, strumming and coordination of these two the faster you can master it and move forward.
This also means you are less likely to form bad habits and learn to play the right way.
The Best Part Is You Can Transfer Everything To The Acoustic Guitar
Once you learn a skill on the electric guitar it is then easy to transfer it to the acoustic guitar. It’s the same skill!!!!!
In my experience, most people are able to play their acoustic guitar properly much sooner if they start on electric. They tend to be more relaxed, have better habits and technique.
Because you will make faster progress on the electric guitar you will be more motivated and you will take less time, effort and frustration to learn to play.
The only drawback is that you need to have two guitars. Although for most of us guitar players this is not really a drawback 🙂 If you are not ready to buy an acoustic and an electric guitar many guitar stores will rent you an electric for a nominal fee so you can still do it.
It is definitely worth the extra investment!
About The Author:
Maurice Richard is a professional guitar teacher that operates out of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has been a member of an elite guitar teaching mentorship program since 2007 and has taught many people how to learn to play the guitar. Go to his website to see more reasons why the electric guitar makes a better starting point.
