Purchasing an electric guitar for the first time is an amazing experience. There is almost an endless amount of colors, shapes, configurations, and sizes. A person could literally stay at a music store all day just trying out guitars. There are a few things I would recommend when it comes to purchasing an electric guitar.

Many of the same thoughts that I wrote about in the acoustic guitar purchase holds true with the electric as well. I will list them but feel free to click on the link “Purchasing a Guitar Part 2-The Acoustic” for more details.

Here are three areas that will apply to all guitar purchases.

• Is the guitar attractive?
• Does the guitar size fit your body?
• Does it sound good to you?

There are a few other important considerations that will apply a bit more to the electric guitar:

• Appearance: Style, Shape, and Color
• Floating Bridge/hardtail/standard tremolo/locking nut
• Electronics

Style and Shape

Style is the first thing that comes to mind when considering an electric guitar. There are many styles to choose from which sometimes will or will not match the genre you are pursuing. A person could show up with a flying V to a jazz combo, but you would probably get a few strange looks. Fender and Gibson are the industry standards but there are a lot of competing brands.

Most people love the Gibson Les Paul look. They are beautiful guitars, but I cannot get used to the neck. It seems like Fender and Ibanez have faster necks that are built for blues and rock.

One important point in the last article that is worth repeating…make sure to get a guitar that you are attracted to. This will make paying for it and playing it much more enjoyable. There are too many guitars out there to have to settle.

Another important consideration is the Flying V. This is a guitar that looks amazing to the younger generation and has been used by countless musicians. It can have a great sound and play like a dream. But the downside is if you are sitting, it may slide off your leg. You can use a strap or play classical style, however, it is awkward for a lot of guitarists.

 

Bridge Systems

The next thing I look for is what type of bridge do I want. There are many types of bridges, but I will focus on the three main types. First is the hard-tail which is anchored onto the guitar and does not have a whammy bar. The second is a standard tremolo that uses a whammy bar, but only moves one direction. A third common option is the floating tremolo system.

Hard Tail

The hard tail does not move and does not have a place for a whammy bar. It is nice because if you break a string, most of the other strings will stay in tune. You can also save a little money since the hard tail is less complex and therefore less expensive than other bridges.

Locking Tremolo

The second type is a non-locking tremolo system. These were originally found on guitars that were made before the late 70’s. They offered musicians a lot of cool effects like dives and vibrato. Artists like Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, and Keith Richards use this style. The problem they have is that the strings can go out of tune due to the releasing and stretching of the strings.

Floating Tremolo

The third type is a floating tremolo system that locks at the head nut. One popular brand is the Floyd Rose. This is the type I have used over the years and have mixed feelings about it. The advantage are all the tricks a guitarist can do such as fluttering and diving without going out of tune. The big disadvantage is if a string breaks, the whole guitar goes out of tune. This is due to uneven tension on the bridge. Once a string breaks and the bridge moves, you have to switch out the guitar.

Electronics

The next thing to check for are the electronics. There are truly too many variables to cover all of it in this article. However, I will hit on the important one. Should you get a guitar with active or passive pick-ups?

Active pick-ups are powered by a battery and passive pick-ups are not. The advantage of an active pick-up is that it is a bit more powerful and the tone can be a little more even when adjusting the volume. You will need to unplug the guitar when you are done playing or it will drain the battery. Which brings me to the disadvantage. If the battery dies, you may have to change the guitar out or have a fresh battery ready.

Passive pick-ups are less powerful, but have more tonal options. Most songs throughout history are recorded using passive pickups. However, my favorite guitarist, David Gilmore of Pink Floyd, uses active pickups. Deciding which pickup is right for you is decision that may come down to tone and whether you want to deal with a battery. Active pickups are more expensive, but are quieter, have more sustain, and have no loss of high frequency with a long cable. Yet passive pickups are more affordable, natural sounding, and have better dynamic response.

Conclusion

These are just some areas to consider and research when looking into purchasing your first electric guitar. The bottom line is the feel, look, and sound. An amp can compensate for a lot of the weaknesses in a guitar, but it won’t be able to polish a turd.

 

If you are interested in taking lessons, please contact me, I look forward to hearing from you!

Three Main Guitar Categories

Buying your first guitar can be an exciting and daunting task at the same time. There are so many choices, options, styles, and types to choose from. It is always a lot of fun helping my students pick out their first instrument, something they will have for a long time.

The very first step in buying a new guitar is to find out what type you want. The three main guitar categories are electric, classical, and acoustic.  Some acoustic and classical guitars can be plugged into an amplifier, but I will look at the guitars without that option.  Then we will weigh out the advantages and disadvantages.

Should Your First Guitar Be an Acoustic  

Arguably, the most popular guitar people purchase for their first guitar is an acoustic. These generally have steel strings and a large body that uses the vibration of the string through the wood to create the sound.

Advantages

The advantage of the acoustic is that all you need is the guitar to play. This can save a person some money since it does not require an amp, cables, etc. An acoustic guitar can be ready to play in a classroom or at a campfire in no time. They are so nice to sing with since the warm tones work very well with vocals. Acoustic guitars also tend to sound better as they age. Personally, I prefer the acoustic sound to an electric clean sound, but there are limitations as well.

Disadvantages

The disadvantage of an acoustic guitar is that it is probably the hardest guitar to learn on. Generally, the strings are much tougher to push down than the electric or classical guitar since they are thicker. This can stop young players from continuing to play because it can hurt their fingertips. Acoustic guitars are also much larger in size than both classical and electrics. If you get a cheaper one, it can make playing the guitar miserable because they are harder to play.  This can lead to a beginner feeling like they do not have the skills to play.

Finally, an acoustic guitar is built for the sound produced by the types of woods and finishes they use. If you try to use overdrive with an acoustic/electric guitar, chances are it will squeal very loudly.

Thinking on Buying a Classical Guitar for Your First Guitar?

The first guitar I ever played was a classical. Classical guitars have nylon strings which produce a much warmer sound than the acoustic. The guitar has a very distinct shape and used a lot in flamenco and classical music.

Advantages

The advantage of the classical guitar is that the strings are easier to play on. The nylon strings are softer than the steel strings which will not hurt as much. The bottom strings are nylon wrapped in steel which are a bit more comfortable since they have less tension.

Classical guitars are generally a little smaller than the typical acoustic. This can help tremendously with an early teen who is too big for a ¾ size but too small for a full-size acoustic guitar. One more advantage is that the tuners are all facing toward the back which means they turn the same direction when increasing or decreasing pitch. Acoustic guitar tuners reverse directions depending on the string.

 

Disadvantages

The disadvantage of a classical guitar is that the wide neck makes them difficult to play. The distance the fingers must travel is much further and can make it hard to reach if you have small hands. If you are playing rock or country, the positions used on a classical guitar can make that harder as well. For instance, using the thumb over the top of the neck to create a chord is much more difficult and not intended to be done on a classical guitar.

 

Buying Your First Electric Guitar

Probable the best way to go, in my opinion, is to start out with an electric guitar. They are incredibly versatile and easy to learn on. My first time plugging into an amp was amazing. I see the same excitement in a lot of my students that I had when they first try the studio amp. The electric guitar really comes to life when we engage the overdrive channel. There is something hypnotizing about the sound the strings make when the gain is turned up.

Advantages

The advantage of an electric guitar is that the strings are a lot lighter and easier to push down than both the acoustic and classical guitars. One of the biggest reasons young people stop playing is because the strings hurt their fingers. If the student cannot produce a note that does not thump or buzz, they tend to get discouraged. When that happens they stop practicing, and before you know it, they stop altogether. Another advantage to an electric guitar is that there are endless sounds it can produce. With today’s technology, electric guitars can create the sound of similar to almost any instrument. Plus, with a small battery powered amplifier, it can even go with you camping.

Disadvantages

The disadvantage of starting with an electric guitar is that it can be more expensive. You will need an amplifier and cables to be able to hear it properly. The amplifiers can run anywhere from $15 for a used starter to as much as you would like to spend. For a decent amp, you would not want to go under $100 though. It is well worth the investment to get something with at least a clean channel and a dirty channel. Effects can be optional, but these days it is very affordable to get an amp with effects.

What type of guitar is best really depends on your personal taste, but for younger students, my vote would be to get them an electric.

If you would like to take lessons and need some more information, please shoot me a message.

The First 10 Minutes

A lot of people have no idea of what to expect when going into their first guitar lesson. Most people are very nervous and usually have never touched a guitar before. For many students, they have never played an instrument before either.

The very first thing I like to do is find out what the student is interested in musically. This includes asking about their goals and what inspired them to pick up the guitar. It is also very important to know what style of music they enjoy. Almost everyone would rather play their favorite song than mine-although I have great taste in music 😊!

After finding out about their goals, the next step is to see what type of experience they have in music and on the guitar. For this post, I will focus on what the new students will learn on the first day.

Hands On

If you are brand new, then I like to take a couple of minutes to go through the guitar and explain how it works. This includes what all of the knobs are for, what the frets are, how to use the tuning pegs, the names of the strings, etc. Then I demonstrate how to hold the guitar and why the hand position is a certain way for different styles.

Once the student is comfortable with the hand position on the guitar, the next step is tuning. This is sometimes tough for the younger kids, so I have them try a single string and I tune the rest for them. It is really fun to watch how each week they improve on their tuning skills. In just a few lessons, they are experts!

Finally, we learn how tablature works and they play a simple melody on the first day. This is where each student realizes how incredibly easy guitar is to learn. It is fun to see them light up after that part of the lesson, and they are ready to pursue music.

Why I Teach

The part I like the most is when a new student wants to try a lesson to see if they even like it and end up becoming totally inspired. The parents immediately pick up on it…that is so rewarding! My goal is to keep learning along with the student. There are always new songs and new ideas to try.

If you have any questions or would like to try a lesson, feel free to contact me. I teach at Boomer Music in Fort Collins, as well as out of my studio here in Greeley.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle

 

Here is a summary of Justin Colletti’s Building the Practice Habit

which has some great ideas to help inspire guitar practice. 

 

1. Make a commitment in writing of what your goal is during guitar practice.
   • Studies have shown that by writing down your goals and plans, you will have a greater chance of following through on them.
2. Be realistic about guitar practice.  
   • By putting an unsustainable routine together, practice becomes a punishment rather than something to look forward to. Mr. Colletti uses a perfect analogy of how workout facilities in January are full of new people trying to get into shape, but after a few weeks, people give it up. This is usually due to taking on too much in the beginning.
3. Make a list of things that might stop you from practicing the guitar.
   • What things will prevent you from sticking to a routine? Does checking email or Facebook prior to starting your practice prevent you from following through? Try to reschedule those events to a time where they will not interrupt your practice schedule. By limiting certain triggers, more focus can be placed on the practicing itself.
4. Treat Yourself.
   • One way to break a bad habit is to keep the reward but use it as a motivator for practicing.  One example may be to have a cup of coffee while practicing instead of reading a newspaper or watching a video.
5. Social Accountability.
   • Studies have shown that by committing publicly what you plan to do can be a huge motivator. This can increase follow-through dramatically, even more than writing down a goal. You may want to let your friends on Facebook know that you have picked up the guitar and are learning how to play.
6. Keep track of your success.
   • Watching your progress and keeping track of your success in a journal or Excel can really reinforce your commitment.

 If you would like to try a guitar lessons, please contact me. 

Should I have an Online Guitar Instructor or YouTube It?

With so many videos on YouTube, why should a person pay for an online guitar instructor instead of using YouTube? After taking and teaching lessons my entire adult career, I believe it is important to have someone who can watch and assist you while playing. This can be both in person or online.

I have had the privilege of working with many self taught guitarists who have had to unlearn habits making certain songs hard to play. So I want to pass along several reasons to have a live instructor assist in learning any instrument. Here is a list of 5 reasons it helps to have a guitar instructor.

Increase Your Musical Understanding

It is such a good feeling to learn a song and be able to play it for friends and family. But having a background on how things work together really gives a person a whole new musical perspective. Learning how things fit together and why is important when taking the next step on any instrument. If you ever want to write a song or make your solo a little tastier, having a few tools can make all the difference in the world. An instructor can tell you why a song used a certain set of notes, or show you how a small tweak can make a solo come to life. One example is to move a rock scale (pentatonic minor) up a four frets and all of a sudden you have an amazing jazz scale.

Adding Helpful Playing Hints

Something so small such as a certain fingering can preventing you from playing a song smoothly or even at all. This can be reason enough to sign up for online lessons. Relearning chords and solos is much harder the second time around because it is so easy to fall back to what we are used to.

Playing without correct form can also put a lot of strain on your wrist leading to tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. An instructor can recommend a simple adjustment of the guitar neck or your hand position which may be all you need to remedy this.

Stylistic differences can be important as well. If you are learning blues, your hand position is often much different than a classical guitarist’s hand position. The reasons are clear from a guitar instructor’s point of view, but maybe not to a beginner. Knowing what to look for can save a lot of anguish in the long run.

Advice For Your Band Situation

If this is a direction you want to go, then having a guitar instructor who has been there is extremely important. This is one area that can save you considerable time hunting through videos. Sometimes articles play up one area or another in order to keep their audience entertained, but having someone to ask the questions to is invaluable.

If you are with someone who has toured, they will volunteer ideas and information you may have never thought to ask. Even simple things like how to run your guitar cable can make a big difference on a crazy night on stage.

Staying on Schedule

Probably the biggest reason people stop learning anything is because they do not stay with it. YouTube could be a great resource if you are very motivated and dedicated, but knowing you are accountable to a preset time with an instructor can keep you on a regular schedule. There are many adult students who only have time to play their instrument during that half hour or hour lesson and that can be enough to keep propelling them forward. Otherwise, other life events may take over.

Online Instructors Will Keeping You Motivated

The biggest reason to have an instructor is to help you stay motivated. An instructor can pass along songs that they know students really enjoy playing. Sometimes this is all it takes to get back into the excitement of music. Having a song or solo etc. can really make a person want to sit down and take the time to practice. Practicing is tedious without a goal or inspiration to help us along.

All and all, a live instructor is a great way to save countless hours hunting for the right video and hoping the teacher really knows what they are talking about. If you ever have any questions, let me know. I will be happy to help you start, or continue on, your musical path.

 

I am excited to announce that I am now offering online lessons!  If you or the kids would like to pick up a new skill, I would be very interested in the opportunity to help!