Guitars are a popular choice of musical instruments to learn how to play. This is because it’s easy to carry, the sound is beautiful and it can be versatile depending on what strings you use to play with. There are so many different types of guitars in the world today, most people find themselves surprised when they first start looking into this instrument. However, as long as you know the main types of guitars, as well as what the benefits of playing each one are, you’ll be well on your way to finding just the right one for yourself.
1. Electric Ax
This is perhaps one of the most popular guitar types. An electric ax – more wildly known as an electric guitar in non-musician circles, is a guitar that is electrically amplified and the sound you get from it comes from a pickup, or magnet which creates an electrical current when it’s moved by vibrations in the strings. The output of this type of guitar is generally stronger than most acoustic guitars and because it’s easier to plug into amplifiers and speakers, many beginners tend to gravitate towards this type of guitar. While mastering it isn’t easy – it’s not exactly easy to master any string instrument really, this is one of the best choices you can make if you’re looking to start a band soon, or simply want the music you play to start sounding good pretty early on. It lends itself best for music genres such as rock, punk, and heavy metal.
2. Acoustic Guitar
This is a guitar that is similar to the electric ax, except it doesn’t have a built-in amplifier and speaker because it’s not electrically amplified so you need an external device to plug into in order for this type of instrument to work. You can think of it as being like a speaker and power source that is connected by a wire. This type of guitar has its own unique benefits – one such benefit is that it tends to be able to make subtle sounds which some people may find more pleasing than what the electric ax can do. It also seems like this type of guitar works better with instruments such as flutes and voices as opposed to drums. That said, there are plenty of great grunge musicians who use the acoustic guitar, however, they do it by plugging it into amplifiers on stage. In a way, it’s a nice middle ground between an electric and a classic guitar – but it does take a bit more skill to play it.
3. Classical Guitar
This is a very popular type of guitar that you often see people playing at parks or in bars and cafes. While it’s not easy to learn how to play this instrument impeccably, it is easier to play it in a very physical sense. Because the strings are nylon, not metal like other types of guitars and the neck is wider, many people find that it makes it much easier to press down on the strings. As a result, you can make soft and sweet sounds with this type of guitar and it lends itself well to different genres such as jazz, blues, folk, and even classical music. Of course, if you’re more into a harder sound, you can always find ways to emulate that with this instrument too, although it will take practice.
4. Bass Guitar
One of the more popular choices of guitars among musicians who are heavy into playing rock or punk because it makes a unique grooving sound that isn’t easy to achieve on other types of guitar. While you can play solo pieces on this instrument, it’s generally played in a band setting with drums and electric guitar, or even with an actual bass player who plays the traditional upright bass. It has fewer strings than a traditional guitar and you’ll need to know how to pluck and strum the strings at the same time. While the running joke is that it’s played by those that simply can’t learn how to play a proper guitar, there are plenty of wildly successful musicians like Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and Kim Deal from the Pixies who use this instrument to create their music.
Almost each of these types of guitars has a subtype of its own. From semi-acoustic guitars to Spanish guitars, there are many different choices that you can make when it comes to picking out your next instrument. It’s important that you take into consideration exactly what type of music you’re going for, how much money you want to spend, and what kinds of venues you plan on playing at.
Ghost Cult occasionally accepts paid content. For more information, please view our advertising policy.