Does it matter if I learn on an acoustic or electric?

[CrosSkull]

Hi there,
I am new to playing guitars but was advised that i should start out by learning on an acoustic, however i can't seem to pick up the darn thing and play. You see i like the heavy stuff and would like to know if it makes a difference if i learn on an acoustic or electric guitar.
Thanks in advance....

[slaughteredsoul]

I was advised to start learning on an acoustic too,supposedly it was easier to play,which is fine with me,i just wanted a guitar back then :rolleyes: ...then after i bought it,someone said i should have started on an electric..soooo...i'm not sure but it probably doesn't matter. if you've got the will and determination,you can play whatever.
And also, if your heart is set on an electric,get one!

[jaytee]

well....ive heard it both ways really....

i heard people say to learn on an acoustic because they are more difficult to fret.....and when you switch to an electric it will be much easier to play....if you try to go from electric to acoustic you will find you may not be strong enough....

then again....if you really want to play rock on an electric....you should do what interests you...because learning is no instant or easy thing....it takes work.....and if you are easily discouraged....acoustic may not be for you....

i think its a personal choice....depends on where you are headed with your guitar...

--jt

[F-art]

The most important difference between them is that you (can) cover up any faults you make in playing when you use an electric, by altering your effects while playing. So when you pick up an acoustic, you will find it hard to play because you have to use some other techniques on an acoustic.

The most important thing however is that you have to play the stuff you like so if you wanna play rock, screw the acoustic and buy an Electric. BTW, for rock you should get a Ibanez RG series, pretty darn good and easy to handle ( but that's just my opinion).

Good luck anyhow:D ;) :) :cool:

[gck]

to my mind, starting on an acoustic nylon string is a good idea: they have a wider neck than steel strings or electrics but it's not hard to push down the strings -> so you are less likely to injure your hands. Due to wide neck and the fact that every every mistake you make will be heard more clearly on a nylon string than on any other type of guitar, you will develop a good technique and build up strength rather quickly.
Also, playing some classical (oh, I said the "bad" word :)) pieces will be a very good practice for you, more than just playing some power chords.

After having played on the nylon string for a longer period, switching to a steel string or electric will seem sooo easy to you, because the wider neck of the nylon string will have added to your technique.

Still, you decide: it makes no sense to play without having fun!!

[smfulla]

go for the electric dude!!!! =]
hehe, nah honestly, do what you wanna do. Coz in the end both styles will lead back to each other =]
you play rock right? well if you're gunna be a lead guitarist, you're gunna wanna learn some scales, and licks, and some of the best scales and licks come from... (not this website, hehe) classical music. The really fast agitated stuff is killer! And classical music can lead into classical guitar becoz of all the ppl who have transposed it into guitar and chucked it on the net, its all easily accessable.

If you choose the accoustic (nylon or steel string) you're gunna prolly be dealing with mellow stuff. But you know who writes mellow stuff? Led Zeppelin. They also write sum hard stuff. Metallica loved Led Zeppelin, and metallica has wrote some mellow stuff as well. And then theres the classical side as well, learn sum classical stuff, find out yngwie malmsteen loves classical music, see how he plays, wanna play like him with electric. ANNNNNNYYYYYWAYYYY
sorry for my big blabber.

I say get both. Get an electric and accoustic, that way you can have the freedom to choose which style you want to learn. Just make sure you don't give up the instrument, or else its gunna cost you =]

[slaughteredsoul]

and here are words from Shawn about this....
http://www.cyberfret.com/q-and-a/5/index.htm

[Fret420]

I started on an acoustic about 3 yrs ago ....its true if you start on an acoustic you will build strength and quikness on fretting when you switch to a electric...i noticed when i got my fender a few months ago it was so much easier to play because of the strength i gained from the acoustic....so i would start with the acoustic...after so many months try an electric..you'll be amazed

:rolleyes:

[Pezcore]

i learnt to play on an electric

then i bought myself a 6 string acoustic, wasnt too much hassle changing, bit more effort needed to press down the strings.

now im playing a 12 string acoustic. and that really does give your fingers a workout (has anyone ever tried bar chords on a 12 string??? ouch!)

[naikvin]

acoustic vs electric

well some people start out with an acoustic one the main reason being it is less costly.whereas some people prefer electric because they want to play really hard ,mostly heavy metal fans
but according to me even if you like metal ,acoustic is better to start with.
you have to fret a little hard on an acoustic guitar.so if you have the practice of fretting hard right from the begining it would help later while switching to electric.
having this idea in my mind i have started with an acoustic guitar.
but the final choice is yours

thanks

[i like strats]

My advise is... buy whatever you want it dosen't matter!

I think the more important decision is what kind of music you want to play.

[slaughteredsoul]

i think the dude already got his guitar(an electric too if my memory doesnt betray me)