How to choose a guitar?

The guitar has been and remains the most popular musical instrument for many years. Many people like to play it and know how, but all of them were once beginners and could not immediately use it correctly and skillfully. Each guitarist, now masterly playing the guitar, at one time studied this business from scratch, tried to take the first chords, played his first melody. Naturally, everyone faced a difficult question, how to choose a guitar. In this article we will try to answer this question, guided by the most important criteria and parameters.

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Varieties of guitars

It’s quite difficult to decide how to choose a guitar for a beginner, so for a start you need to decide which model you need - classical, acoustic or electric. To make this difficult choice, you need to figure out how they differ from each other. Quite often, the adoption of this difficult decision delays the purchase of the instrument for several weeks, because you need to carefully analyze everything in order to make an unmistakable choice. It’s not difficult to understand the difference between an acoustic guitar and an electric one, but not everyone understands the difference between acoustic and classical models.

Let's understand:

1. Outwardly, they are completely different. Their case is completely different. In the classic version, it is smaller, rounder.
2. Classic models are equipped with nylon strings, more convenient for the delicate fingers of people who are just learning to play. In addition, their neck is shorter and wider, so it is easier for beginners to learn from them.

If we combine all these factors, then as a result we get a completely different purpose of devices and sound timbre.

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Determined for the purpose of purchase

Now you know what guitars exist, but this information is naturally not enough to understand how to choose a guitar for beginners. The next step on the road to buying your first tool should be the answer to the question: why do you need a tool? This is very important, since a lot will depend on the truthfulness of the answer, since as we have already found out, all models sound differently, and different techniques and techniques are used to play them.

Acoustic guitars

These instruments have metal strings, due to which they sound loud, loud, have a rich timbre. Therefore, if you want to learn to accompany yourself to the songs, then the perfect option would be acoustics. You can play metal strings with the help of a pick, and due to the narrow neck it is very simple to play chords with barre.

Naturally, this is not the only purpose of such guitars. Thanks to their rich and sonorous sound, they are ideal for playing blues, pop music, jazz, rock and even chanson. That is, you can play on this instrument almost everything, of course, except for flamenco and classical music.

Important! If you want to perform pop genres in the future, then stop at the acoustics. But just keep in mind that with unprepared fingers it will be difficult to master the finger technique, without the use of a mediator.

Classic models

Soft nylon strings and a wide neck make classical guitars the best option for beginners, since it is convenient to hold the strings on them and fingers are much easier to get used to nylon. Traditionally they perform classical music, romances, flamenco and other lyrics on such guitars.

But, like other models, classic ones are also subject to temporary changes, so today they are as versatile as acoustic ones. It is quite possible to play jazz, rock and blues. The fundamental differences are only the number of frets and timbre.

Important! The classic has a deep and soft sound, in fact, for this it is chosen by many beginners. The only thing that is inferior to acoustics is the sound volume and the number of frets.

Electric guitars

You can play them only with the use of an amplifier, otherwise, you simply won’t hear yourself. Mostly rock lovers buy such models. Today you can often hear them in jazz, blues, ethnic and folk music. The presence of a large number of special effects allows you to realize any musical idea with the help of such a guitar.

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How does the age of a guitarist influence instrument choices?

Of course, it is necessary to decide who will specifically or more often play this instrument before choosing a guitar for a beginner. The advice and recommendations of experienced musicians will undoubtedly help to decide how to make a choice, guided by the age criterion.

Things to consider:

1. In addition to age, it is necessary to take into account the physical characteristics of the beginner. If a child learns to play, then only a classic with soft nylon strings will definitely suit him. In addition, children under 12 years old are generally forbidden to play instruments with coarse metal strings.
2. It is very important to choose the right guitar for the height of the child so that it is convenient for him to hold it in his hands. Moreover, modern stores offer a large selection of miscellaneous tools.

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What material is better to buy a guitar from?

So, now you know exactly how to choose an acoustic guitar with a good sound or a classical one with softer strings suitable for beginners, so we proceed to the choice of material. It happens that the same models in all respects differ greatly in price. Why? - The thing is what they are made of. Modern musical instruments are made from plywood, wood and MDF.

So how do they differ:

• Acoustic guitars made of wood are definitely lighter than the same electric ones.
• The more wood there is in an instrument, the better it sounds.

Electric guitars today are made from such varieties of wood as linden, ash, maple and alder:

• Thanks to the use of alder, the instrument sounds more loud and high.
• Ash is able to strengthen the upper case, but it sounds more harsh.
• The linden and maple give the guitar a rich and powerful sound.

Acoustic and classic models are made from spruce, walnut, rosewood, mahogany and cedar.

Important! It is important to note that instruments made entirely of wood are not cheap, so beginners should prefer a half-wooden guitar with inserts made of MDF and plywood. In the initial stages of training, you will not notice any difference.

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Useful tips from professionals

Here are a few more tips to make it easier to understand how to choose a guitar:

1. Going to the store for this musical instrument, it is better to bring along a person who understands this at least a little. In this case, your chances of making the wrong choice will be greatly reduced.
2. Ask your friends, maybe someone is fond of playing the guitar and will be able to advise a trusted manufacturer of quality models.
3. It is advisable to check the instrument in practice, listen to the sound, play several chords, that is, make sure that it suits you 100%.
4. Do not forget to inspect it externally, so as not to accidentally buy a guitar with damage.

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Stock footage

Now you are ready to choose an instrument and develop creatively. We wish you good luck in this direction!