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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

What guitar????

34 replies

JustAShopGirl · 17/07/2014 10:18

DD(13) plays piano - just got her grade 4 and wants to take up guitar, just wondering if there is any knowledge out there -

I know ideally she would like to play electric guitar as she is into Rock music.. but didn't know what sort of thing to get really, is there anything in particular I should be looking at?

Should we get an acoustic to start? Is it very different? I am clueless..

Apparently she plays acoustic (well, she informs me they have 5 with a variety of missing strings!?! hence wanting her own) at school and has learned to play Tab notation.

Help...

OP posts:
Original poster
JustAShopGirl · 20/07/2014 09:36

thanks all -

Nocturne123 - that is exactly the sort of thing she wants to do... Avril Lavigne, Blink182, Black Veil Brides...

she won't be wanting exams - is having enough of that stress in piano (as we all are!!!)

so it looks like electric here we come..

OP posts:
taxi4ballet · 19/07/2014 22:34

Just asked guitar teacher DH -

He says "If she's keen on rock then go electric. Yamaha Pacifica, Fender Squier, or similar but you can pick up bargains of other makes privately".

Nocturne123 · 19/07/2014 15:42

I wish I had learnt on the acoustic first . Although it may cut her fingers to ribbons , after learning acoustic she'll find electric so easy !

The problem with electric first is that it's so tempting to just learn bar chords with an amp and miss out on finger picking ! I spent my time channelling avril lavigne with about 4 chords Blush

Good luck to her :)

taxi4ballet · 19/07/2014 15:37

If she has small hands she might do better with electric, as they have a narrower neck.

Will she be wanting to do exams? Could be worth checking with local teachers and find out what is available. Some will only teach classical acoustic at first, and 'follow the book', and won't teach guitar tab at all. Others (like my DH) will teach whatever style they want to learn, especially for teenagers and adults.

TheFantasticMrsFox · 18/07/2014 09:55

DS is the same kittie but is only 10 Hmm
We are decorating his bedroom over the summer and his main request is moustache wallpaper and "at least 4 guitar wall hooks" Confused :o

Original poster
JustAShopGirl · 18/07/2014 08:49

ooooooo - there's an idea - could get her a cheap acoustic to get started and get her to "earn" the electric

too many choices...

OP posts:
KittiesInsane · 18/07/2014 08:33

Oh god.

In DS's case, the answer appears to be 'all the guitars he can lay his hands on'. What is it with teenagers and guitars?

He has:
decent acoustic inherited from a relative who bought it in Spain
cheap pawn-shop acoustic for trugging to school
cheap electric Honda Jazzcat, bought from his paper round money
apparently rather good semi-acoustic Aria (i.e. you can hear it without the amp because it's a bit hollow, but it's much louder with the amp)
and a rather fine collection of ukuleles

Original poster
JustAShopGirl · 18/07/2014 08:28

Grin - that is exactly the sort of thing I could see happening here so we are umming and ahhhing over electric straight away - because she is not interested in taking it up as "a second instrument" just as a fun thing to do with friends.

OP posts:
TheFantasticMrsFox · 17/07/2014 17:21

DS (much to his grave dismay) was advised to start with an acoustic as it's better for technique- akin to drivers who learn in a manual being able to drive an automatic but not vice versa IYSWIM. He dreamed and schemed of an electric from the very first day he started lessons but we managed to hold out for a year.
The accoustic was unceremoniously abandoned when he got an electric guitar and is now destined only to be wheeled out for holidays and visits to GP's who will not tolerate an amplifier in the house.