I am a Prospective Learner of the Guitar

I think the general consensus is pick the one you'll play. If you want to sit by the campfire, play acoustic songs, pick an acoustic. If you want to be the next EVH, get an electric.

old geezer trying to learn guitar,

this site is way better than anything else you'll find on the net. And NO i am not affiliated to it in any way, its just a fact.

Start with some basic chords, there is plenty of stuff on here in the beginners section. Once you have say 4 or 5 chords under your belt you will find the confidence to move to some of the lessons hopefully.

As far as what guitar, yes it does depend what you want to play to a great extent. Give us a clue what you're trying to achieve, do you want to be able to just strum a few tunes sat on your own? impress freinds and family? play pub gigs? If you can give us an idea of your goals it will help people on here give you quality advice!

Most of all, it is true, its never too late. I didn't start until i was 36, pretty old by all accounts, but I am 2 years in and loving it.

Bookmark this site, come back reguarly, never be afraid to ask what might appear to be stupid questions, you will always get a positive answer here.

All the best

Matt

Hello all, I am new and have wanted for many many years to learn to play the guitar.

. . .

From what I have seen it is recommended to obtain an acoustic guitar rather than an electric one to learn on. Is this the correct information?

My advice to friends with the same question is that it doesn't really matter, just look at the dominant type of guitar in the genre of music you eventually want to play and choose accordingly.

What I do emphasize is that they invest in an instrument of reasonable quality. An inexpensive but well made guitar will make the learning require less effort and less pain (you'll still have to deal with sore fingers 'til you build some fingertip pads).
Are there any reputable places where I can obtain this information, as, a teacher will be very difficult to get to.

This is the best web based resource I've seen for guitarists of *any* experience level. Use the lessons and forums here, and you'll get the best self-directed learning experience on the internet.

I've been playing guitar for 34 years now, and I find invaluable tips, lessons, and exercises here. You will too.

My main intention is to play , or attempt to play for myself. No, no intention of playing pub gigs - by the time I was profecient enough, they would have to wheel me in.
The music that I would like to learn to play is the stuff of the 60's and 70's - which is a mixture of folkish and rock - ie. mamas and pappas and the like and Beatles and the like - so there are both styles of music involved.
Thanks for the responses so far
Take care

Then my guess is eventually you'll have at least one of each flavor. And you might surprise yourself with that playing in a pub stuff. Much to my surprise I'm rehearsing with a band that plans to play a benefit concert in January. I even do the lead on "Because". I'm having a grand time -- never thought I'd do anything more than strum in the living room. Who knows what your future holds?
From One Geezer to Another.

From my personal experience, and as an 'older' person myself, acoustic is definitely the way to learn. It's a little more difficult than an electric (I play both), by that I mean, you have to press the strings with more pressure on an acoustic than on an electric, barre chords are much more difficult to 'sound' properly on an acoustic compared to an electric, but I believe that by learning on an acoustic, your hands are going to strengthen at a faster rate because of the extra exertion, which, in the long run, is a good thing, IMHO. I learned on an acoustic and when I finally went electric, WOW! Things that I found difficult on the acoustic were a piece of cake on the electric, which was simply amazing to me. But, that started me thinking about becoming lazy and sloppy. Now, I'm not saying that everyone who learns on an electric is automatically lazy and sloppy, absolutely not! What I am saying, though, is that, because I find the electric so much easier, so much more effortless than an acoustic, I could see myself coming to the point where I might just put the acoustic away and go for the easier way (my own personal laziness). But, then I realized that if I practiced on my acoustic, concentrating on getting things as 'perfect' as I possibly could on it, then, when I play my electrics (which are (for me) my 'toys' and a source of immense pleasure), I can let things rip without really having to concentrate on what I'm doing because I mastered it on the acoustic, if that makes any sense to anybody other than me!

And, you've already found your best source for guitar lessons. David Hodge is a wonderful teacher. His lessons are laid out very methodically and clearly. And, this forum contains an immense knowledge base among its contributors. Sometimes you have to cull the information to get what you need out of it, but that's true in any forum.

Hope that helps a little. I can only speak for what works for me.

Normally I would suggest you pick the one you are more interested in. If you want both: go for accoustic. Why? Because you will not find a better site then GN to get you starting in a proper, clear and organised way, and most, if not all, GN lessons assume you play accoustic.

So get a guitar, and jump to the first lesson (Horse with no name). Just keep on doing lesson after lesson, and you'll be amazed what you can learn on the net, for free. :)

Elecktra covered most of the advantages of starting accoustic. Basically, if you can master a skill on accousitc it becomes all that much easier on an electric.

Another advantage is that you're less likley to have technical problems with a beginning, entry level accoustic. You won't have to worry about faulty electronics and more complex mechanical systems that can break. You also won't have to budget for an amp. And with your musical intrests which I'm guessing doesn't include any 70's metal bands, pretty much anything by The Beatles (or similar) would translate well on an accoustic.

But ultimately, as with any purchase you're just going to have to go into that guitar shop and try stuff out. Look at both, go home and sleep on it then maybe make a decision.

Thank you all for your honest opinions - Naturally, being a teen in the 60's - having Joined the Navy in 63 my old mind relates back to then.
Being in Canada, the "on-line" way has very few choices, and I would imagine that the tuning would be out when it got here.
There is a further thing to consider- the wife's and the cat's ears - which, I imagine , with an electric and an amp would be much louder than an accoustic.
I have never played a musical instrument in my life - and have no idea what would suffice my needs.
Can you give me some suggestions, as here, in Canada, the choices are not as full as in the US.
Thanks and regards
Bob

Hi Bob

Just like yourself, I had never played a musical intrument till 6 months ago.
My supplies were my roomate's acoustic guitar, a few of his picks, and internet. From my experience I would advise you to get yourself a decent acoustic guitar, get acquainted with it (learn the names of the parts, names of the strings, names of the notes etc) and start off with a few chords.

This site is a huge asset.
I also learned a fair bit from the site below.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~pgt/contents.html

Good luck and get started, you will see your apprehension vanish quicker than you would think.

Cheers,
Vic

I started with both. The acoustic was a gift so I invested in an electric. From the beginning, I've practiced everything on both guitars. I agree, you will learn better on the acoustic that the electric. That said, I do feel practicing everything on both has really helped.

Not really an old geezer yet but still at 38 and only been at it for a year and a half I"m still having a blast. I would only suggest that you somehow plan a trip to your music store somewhere and purchase your guitar there. Mail order may work out fine but you can't play it at all over the internet and customer service should be alot better from a regular store as well as they can show you how to tune up before your leave with a couple sets of strings. Then read Guitar Noise, listen to your music (you will start to hear it differently) and make noise on your new guitar. I play electric sometimes without the amp to not wake up the house but there are alot of times I like it loud. Also put the word out around your area, you might be surprised to find someone near by that also plays and would be willing to coach you a bit. I am now taking lessons and find it well worth it. I live in a rural area and we meet every other week in our local church for lessons. Above all, get a guitar and start to make some sounds.

Denis

Well, I was at a shop today and was really , really confused. The first time that I looked at guitars , ever.A fellow, whom I talked to was making a guitar right there.( the website is coolguitars.ca if anyone is interested)

Next week I will go again, having thought and checked my purse strings

When you're in the shops looking for a new guitar, I would highly recommend asking the clerk to play several different guitars for you so that you can stand in front of him/her while they play and hear how the guitar sounds from in front. You get a completely different tone from in front of the soundhole than you get from above and behind it when you're the one playing it. You might also want to check out the differences in a nylon string classical as opposed to a steel string acoustic. And don't be afraid/embarrassed to tell the people in the guitar stores that it's for you and that you've never played before. They all had to start at some time in their lives and you'll be surprised at how much information they'll be willing to share with you and how much time they'll be willing to spend showing you the differences between guitars (and showing off their own skills!). Most importantly, have fun while you're shopping and come home with the guitar that puts the biggest smile on your face! If you love your guitar, you're more likely to pick it up and play often!