One thing may always be true of guitar lessons in Atlanta: they’ll never go out of style, no matter how music changes. Atlanta might be a mecca of sorts for rap and R&B music, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of guitar players or guitar lessons. The instrument has remained a constant when it comes to guitar lessons in Atlanta because of its versatility in being able to complement every genre. It’s also affordable and travels easily, which only adds to the guitar’s iconic image.

So, when it comes to your child wanting to start guitar lessons, they may have their sights set on being a rockstar that shreds an electric guitar. This is a great goal for kids to have, but are electric guitars or acoustic guitars better for kids just starting with guitar lessons in Atlanta?
There can be a lot of tasks for parents when it comes to getting their child set up for music lessons. Finding the right guitar teacher in Atlanta (made easy through Lessons in Your Home), motivating your child to actually practice, and of course, finding the right equipment. Trust us, though, that the journey is worth it to watch your child develop their love and skill for this beautiful instrument.

Why We Recommend Acoustic Guitars for Beginners

We think that it is good practice to allow your child to choose the instrument they want to play. The key to your child staying engaged with learning an instrument for the long haul is for them to enjoy playing their instrument. However, as musicians and teachers, we highly recommend acoustic guitars for students, especially younger children looking to purchase their first guitar for lessons.
We recommend acoustic guitars because they help us introduce the intricacies of the instrument to students. When you pick up an acoustic guitar, you get immediate results. When you pick up and play an electric guitar, what you hear is not necessarily what you want the end result to be. Electric guitars require more knowledge of amplifiers, pedals, distortion effects, etc. So, to focus on the essential and foundational techniques of learning guitar, we recommend acoustic guitars.
Acoustic guitars are generally considered more difficult to play for a few reasons. The neck of an acoustic guitar is thicker and wider than an electric guitar. The strings on acoustic guitars are also of thicker gauges, making wear and tear on fingers more likely when playing. But, strengthening your hand to fit around the guitar neck and building up callouses on your fingers from playing thicker strings are all a part of learning how to play and get comfortable with a guitar. Once students have mastered the acoustic guitar, switching to an electric guitar from a purely technical perspective should be easier. The thinner neck makes it easier for smaller hands to handle, and the strings being thinner gauges will feel like a vacation compared to the strings on the acoustic guitar your child has learned on through their guitar lessons in Atlanta.
In addition to being more suitable for beginners to learn on, acoustic guitars come in a variety of sizes for young fingers and hands. These smaller guitars, called short-neck guitars, scale the distance between the nut and the bridge, taking a few inches off the guitar. These make great starter guitars for kids.
Lastly, acoustic guitars are great for beginners because you need to purchase very little equipment to get started. In addition to the appropriately sized guitar for your child, you will likely need a guitar capo, a few picks, and a guitar strap. These are the essentials for learning the guitar, and you’re not likely to need much else.
We hope this has been helpful in understanding how to start learning the guitar and why, even though your child wants to learn to play an electric guitar, they should learn the basics on an acoustic guitar first. Electric guitars are great, and even slightly easier to play than acoustic guitars, but they require more gear and more understanding of everything that all of the gear does. We think parents and children will be delighted to start on an acoustic guitar and graduate to an electric guitar later on.
If you and your family are interested in learning to play the acoustic guitar, contact us today! Our teachers come right to your home for every lesson, plus we offer virtual music lessons, too. Our online music lessons are taught by local music teachers with live lessons tailored to your family!