If you can play Acoustic guitar does that mean you can play eletric?
Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at
4:12 am
My dad says he’ll buy me an acoutic guitar for chritmas and when it’s my bitrhday he said he’ll get me an eletric one if i can play an acoustic. i didn’t reckon you could play really excellent on a acuostic then be a really excellent eletric guitar player. Is it the same?
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Tagged with: Acoustic • eletric • Guitar • mean • Play
Filed under: Acoustic Guitar
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When I start with a new student I always suggest that they start with acoustic and learn to play clean. You can go to electric and you may even find it simpler on your fingers. Being excellent on acoustic is the point you want to get to.
Acoustic or electric—-the strings are the same, the notes are the same, the chord positions are the same, you still have to learn to strum properly with a pick. So, one answer is that it is the same instrument. A decent player, can go either way. A really, really excellent player–Eric Clapton, as an obvious example—can play either as a virtuoso. Most people, but, will find that they are better suited to one or the other.
Acoustic players tend more towards chords and strumming with a pick. Better acoustic players center on finger picking (that would be me). Believe me when I tell you, that takes a lot of work.
Normal, young electric players are what I call “bangers”—heavy metal, wall of sound types. Power Chords! Really excellent electric players are into leads—reckon Carlos Santana, for example.
As I have said before, truly fine musicians do both. But those cats are rare.
So, I reckon Dad has it right—-learn the instrument on an acoustic, and then choose what you want to be. You may find, like I did, that there is nothing more gorgeous than a well picked acoustic guitar or two (playing in harmony).
Or, you might choose you want to “Bang”, or do leads. In that case, if you’ve studied and practiced, you jump right over to an electric, and go nuts!
Either way, be prepared for lot of hard work—-but if you like the instrument, it’ll be worth it!
learning to play the guitar, the methods are the same, what you can do on an acoustic guitar is the same as what can be done on an electric guitar. The huge difference is the string tension (an acoustic guitar’s strings are at a much higher tension). The increased tension of the strings on an acoustic guitar can lead to increased discomfort until calluses are developed and hand strength increases. Whichever one you start with, keep at it and find the style that fits you best!
You may note that many of the very finest guitarists are known for both electric and acoustic: Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Steve Howe, Martin Barre… So does that tell you something?
The techniques on electric and acoustic are subtly different. Electric, as another responder noted, is suited for guitar leads; the low-tension strings are simple to bend to get those bluesy wailing noises. Acoustic is somewhat more suited to huge, profound chords. But get to master either, and you can make it sound like the other–listen to McLaughlin’s acoustic lead work on “My Goal’s Beyond” or to any of the harmonies that Jimi Hendrix place into his softer numbers like “Wind Cries Mary”.
Consider that the guitarists who have the most intensely unique personal styles–Ani di Franco, Dave Matthews, Joni Mitchell–most often are working primarily with an acoustic.
I agree that starting on acoustic is a excellent plot. Question your Dad for an electric-acoustic–it will have a pickup built in so you can play it with or without an amp–if you want to perform on it, it’s simpler to plug in than it is to place a microphone in front of the thing. Acoustic-electrics are not that much more expensive.
When buying an acoustic, try out several models in your price range, pick out several that are comfortable, then question a sales clerk to play each one for you while your back it turned. That enables you to judge the sound without getting hung up on the looks
I tell all my new students to start with acoustic….why spend all that money for electric, amp, etc….when your not even sure that you’re going to have the talent to play it….or even like it….guitar is not an simple instrument to play….maybe if you just play a few chords it’s not to terrible…but it takes a lot of time and pain before you even get to the point of being able to play a couple of songs….a couple of my students didn’t listen and got their electric and were later sorry because they chose that they liked finger style acoustic better, especially at the beginning, after our regular lesson I would teach them songs like the Beatles Yesterday, or Clapton’s Tears in heaven……and they found those types of songs much simpler and rewarding to play when learning…..there are finger style books that give you the simpler version of these songs and they sound well, played finger style, even from a beginner….electric doesn’t sound well until you learn how to play well . If you can play acoustic you can play electric, the only difference is the sound, acoustic is a lot simpler on the ears of those around you when your learning…..excellent luck to you….guitar is the like of my life….and has given me years of pleasure…your never bored, and there’s always something new to learn !!!!!!!!
Technically, yes. But they are really different instruments with different approaches. Tuning & fingering is the same but right hand technique is usually different. Also each instrument has its own special differences but if you can play one, you can play the other – maybe just not as well.