Learning Guitar: Playing More Than One?

[Dr356]

As a total newbie, I'm wondering if I can make more progress by sticking to just one guitar or alternating between two or more. What about moving between an acoustic and an electric?

[Vognell]

No reason you can't play more than one. I switch off instruments and music styles just to keep it interesting. If you get bored playing acoustic, switch to electric for a while, then switch back. Do what you want. Ain't no right or wrong.

[Scootch]

There are small (or large) differences from guitar to guitar. If you feel comfortable and do not find it to be messing with your learning, gopher it.

[email4eric]

Heck yeah! Play as many as you can!

[rickwaugh]

Very different dynamics between electric and acoustic. Electric is much more "alive," in that you have to watch your damping of strings, control things a bit better that way. Acoustic, you let things ring. it's all good if it makes you aware of playing dynamics.

You'll find you tend to gravitate to one guitar at a time. I play my acoustic most, my electric next, then my bass. I have a tenor guitar, also, that I have been playing a lot, just because it's so different.

[Fruitloop]

Originally Posted by rickwaugh

Very different dynamics between electric and acoustic. Electric is much more "alive," in that you have to watch your damping of strings, control things a bit better that way. Acoustic, you let things ring. it's all good if it makes you aware of playing dynamics.

I assume you're talking about steel string? Classical guitar requires a lot more control than electric. Right hand dynamics alone is a whole science in itself, left hand has to be immaculate. If the OP has a classical I wholeheartedly recommend trying that too. In my opinion playing as many different guitars and styles as you can strengthens the learning process.

[JonPR]

Agree with all the above.
If you had to choose just one guitar to learn on, I'd go for acoustic - because (a) it's a better workout for your hands, and (b) it teaches you more about tone, dynamics, etc - how vibrating strings work, and how to control them with no amp assistance.
But if you have (or can get) an electric too, fantastic. Get bored with one - pick up the other one! (It can persuade you to put more hours in overall, which is what counts.)
What you learn on acoustic will transfer well to electric - but you can't say the same for vice versa, IMO. A lot of stuff you learn on electric is exclusively for electric, or simply doesn't work as well on acoustic.
Learn to use each for what each one does best.

[HHP]

As long as both guitars play the same notes, you should be OK.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Dr356

As a total newbie, I'm wondering if I can make more progress by sticking to just one guitar or alternating between two or more. What about moving between an acoustic and an electric?

Hi Dr356…

First of all, Hello and Welcome to the Forum! Glad you joined and started a thread.

As a player who plays multiple guitars and electric/acoustic, and who teaches guitar…

• Styles played on electric and acoustic are different (I would not be finger styling on my electric, nor playing backing fills on my acoustic for an entire gig). The notes, and string names are the same (the strings are actually different), but acoustic and electric guitars are different instruments. One has to have an amp to be heard and the other one people wish they never had to use amps to be heard with. And we have not even discussed tube vs. solid-state amps, or pedals yet.
• It's good to know more about anything we experience, so unless you are being overloaded with too much info to the point nothing is sounding right, or techniques you are learning are not sticking…switching guitars only makes you more experienced and flexible.
• Having multiple guitars can open up options - like tuning one to DADGAD and leaving it in that tuning while another is in standard, so you can learn two tuning systems without having to retune your guitar.
• If they are different nut widths and/or neck profiles (Shallow C, C, Chunky C, D or Chunky D, V etc) then you learn to adapt your technique to different types of guitars.

As a teacher, if students ask, then it's on a case by case basis, because players are vastly different from each other. Some people learn best (and are inspired) when exposed to a lot of challenges, whereas others learn better when the techniques and instruments/techniques are isolated and their choices narrowed.

Some people learn best with deadlines, and others grow best if allowed to develop at their own speed.

You probably know yourself (or somebody who loves you does), and if you know your tendencies you can make up your mind on whether it's best to isolate or expand your exposure or focus in on one guitar.

[jseth]

Dr356;

First off... WELCOME! Glad to have you here...

Although I don't feel that there's anything negative about playing more than one guitar, your question seemed specifically directed to the "Will I learn more/better/faster?" by playing more than one guitar...

The answer to that question is YES, YOU WILL LEARN FASTER by playing the SAME guitar, at least through the "formative stage"; getting familiar with the feel and measurements of ANY guitar you play is a big part of being able to play it well. When you are first starting out, EVERYTHING about playing the guitar will feel foreign to you, to your hands and fingers; sticking with the same instrument while you become accustomed to all the idiosyncratic movements involved in playing will give you a bit of a "leg up".

Very quickly (depending upon the amount of practice you put into playing), you could add another guitar, if you want. As many have said, there are quite a few differences between electric and acoustic guitar, even though they are the same basic instrument. Some styles are much easier on an electric, as are forming some chords; at the same time, there are techniques that come into play with an electric that really have nothing to do with playing an acoustic guitar... and this stems primarily (in my opinion) form the fact that, while an acoustic guitar responds with sound at the slightest touch and the sound comes from YOUR LAP, an electric guitar makes almost no sound by itself, more that it is designed to play through an amplifier, which is usually OVER THERE somewhere... makes or many interesting distinctions betwixt the two instruments!

Stick with one for a while, then expand as your desire (and pocketbook!) leads you...

Again, glad to have you on the Forum; I'll look forward to hearing your contributions and questions...

[Dr356]

Thanks to all of you who replied to my post. I am certain that this forum will be a really great resource for me. For example, I've just learned about GAS!

I suspect I will fall victim to this affliction fairly soon.

[Paully]

Originally Posted by Dr356

As a total newbie, I'm wondering if I can make more progress by sticking to just one guitar or alternating between two or more. What about moving between an acoustic and an electric?

I've been playing for about a year and alternate between acoustic and electric every practice.
I know some people say electric is "easier" than acoustic.
I find the opposite to be the case for me.
The wider nut on the acoustic makes grabbing chords buzz free easier.

[Dr356]

At this early stage, getting clean chord fingering is the biggest challenge. I wish the fingers of my right hand were the diameter of a chopstick!

[Cedar.]

Simple, more progress sticking to one instrument.

[SprintBob]

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. I certainly own more guitars than I need at this point but my playing has reached a level where I can take a song and play it on my 814, 522, and 812 and appreciate the nuances of each guitar's sound and dynamics. I play along to three different versions of Angel From Montgomery. One is a live version with kind of a country rock feel to it, another is the version Bonnie Raitt recorded on her album Streetlights, and the third is a live version that Bonnie did on her Road Tested album. The 812 is not as good as the 814 and 522 to my ears for the country rock or Streetlights versions but perfect for the Road Tested version. There's a good reason to have multiple guitars as your ability, ears, or taste in different genres expands.