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Beginner Acoustic Guitar

by Jay Tyler

It is important that you keep in mind the style of music you are wanting to play before you go shopping for a beginner acoustic guitar.If you are wanting to play country, rock, pop or folk music,



then a steel-stringed guitar works best. For classical, Latin and certain types of folk or pop music, then you want to get a nylon-stringed guitar. Experts recommend that a beginning guitar player play different types to see what sound you prefer, before making your final decision.

Many instructors recommend a guitar with nylon strings as a first beginner acoustic guitar. The reason is that those strings are not so hard on the guitarist’s fingertips. However, if your idea of great music is rock and more rock, a guitar with nylon strings will never produce a tone that will satisfy the rock idol in you.

If you are into rock music, then you want to learn to play music with a guitar with steel strings. Starting off with steel strings can be a bit hard on your fingers at first and they probably will hurt, but don’t give up, with regular practice and over time you will develop calluses. Remember don’t be enticed by a steel string guitar if you are wanting to play classical music.

If you are shopping for a more classical nylon-string guitar, you should remember that these guitars are called classic for a reason - they all have the same relative dimensions. Their bodies are smaller and their fingerboards wider, which produces a distinctive classical sound. It is the feel and the tone to these classical guitars that varies. As is true when buying any guitar, you need to try out several of them before choosing the beginner acoustic guitar that you are going to buy. The steel-string model of beginner acoustic guitar that people usually start out with is the six-string dreadnought guitar. There is only a slight variation between dreadnought guitars and they provide a sound that novices are often seeking.

The tone of the beginner acoustic guitar is determined by the type of wood it is crafted out of. A spruce top is the most common for a beginner acoustic guitar. A solid top is better than a two-piece top, because it is more durable so be sure to keep an eye out for that. Mahogany, rosewood, or spruce are probably the options you will find for the back and sides. A mahogany back and sides will provide a lighter tone. So, if that’s what you’re looking for, mahogany is your best option. Rosewood provides a heavier tone when it is used for the back and sides.

The space between the neck and the strings is called the action. Low action is one thing a beginning player will want to consider in a beginner acoustic guitar. Action that is too high makes for difficult playing. This will just be another hurdle to overcome in the learning process.

While you’re out purchasing a beginner acoustic guitar, you’ll want to pick up a decent electronic tuner at the same time. You haven’t had enough experience yet to develop the ear of an expert. If you can spend less time in tuning your new guitar, you’ll have that much more time for practicing on it and actually playing.

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