So you have decided to buy an acoustic guitar, but don’t know where to start looking or what to look for. There are many choices to be made when selecting the right acoustic guitar for your needs. Basically, the important things to look for are comfort, tone, body style and playability.

Comfort is the key

You are going to spend a lot of time with the guitar, so comfort is the key. Consider the neck width first. Acoustics tend to have wide necks; some wider than others. If you have small hands, you will want a narrower neck. This will NOT affect the tone or sound, only your ability to reach the strings properly and play comfortably.

Acoustic guitars are available in several body sizes and styles. The most common is the standard dreadnought. Other sizes are the jumbo, baby jumbo, concert and classical. Each produces a different tone, yet all will sound equally as good. Some will allow the sound to ring out a little more than others and some will not. Select a size that is comfortable for you, as a player, and is conducive to your music style.

As far as strings go, acoustics can have either steel strings or nylon "gut" strings. Most guitar work done these days is done on steel string acoustics as nylon strung instruments are more suited for classical applications. Pick the type that you are more at ease with.

Tone

This is going to be dependent on the maker of the guitar, the body style, the strings and the materials used to make the instrument. As a beginner, tone is not going to be as important as it will be a little later. You want to sound good, but stay within a specific budget as well. So for now, select a guitar that sounds as good as you do and go with it.
You can always upgrade later when you are playing for other people.

Body style

Most acoustic guitars look just about alike, I know, but there are differences. The size of the body will affect the "ring" of the tone emitted from the guitar. Some acoustics have rounded backs like the ones Ovation makes and others have a flat rear side. Still another consideration is the dreadnought (standard) or the single cut-a-way (has a cut out where the neck meets the body) style. This is simply a matter of preference for you, the player.

Playability

Playability is the culmination of all these factors as you sit and play the instrument. You should be able to access all six strings easily without an uncomfortable stretch. You should also be able to hold the guitar in a stable position as you play. This is where the size of the body comes into play. Playing the instrument should be effortless.

Conclusion

In order to get all these considerations taken into account, you should go to a music store and play a few of each different size, style and type of acoustic guitar. Trial and error is the order of the day and any good store will allow you to play as many guitars as you want until you find the perfect fit. Ask for help, too. Those guys are experts ands are there to help you out.

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Learning to play the guitar can be one of, if not THE, most satisfying experiences you could achieve. Basically, every new player asks themselves five questions. Let's take a look at each one now.

Once you decide to learn the acoustic guitar, where do you start? This is the hardest thing about starting to learn acoustic guitar, folks, and your friends, family and whoever else is around will ALL have advice for you. Don’t be staggered by the inundation of ideas and advice. Rather, file it all away for later use.

Develop your own plan with learning the acoustic guitar. If you are a complete beginner and have absolutely no earthly idea about anything to do with a guitar, get a book on the basics. There are many good sources of this information on the market, both online and offline that are very affordable.

Now, do you teach yourself or go to a teacher? If your plan is to be a casual type of player, the online thing will probably suffice nicely. Many of the courses available on the Internet are very comprehensive. On the other hand, if you are more serious about playing the acoustic guitar, find a good instructor and learn all you can from him/her.

Should you learn to read music or just learn tablature /chord charts? Again, it depends on your plan with the guitar. Say you just want to play a few songs right away to impress friends, family and GIRLS at parties, then tabs will be the way to go. This will work for the immediate situation, but you will never become proficient at the instrument.

For more serious students, I would suggest that they learn to read music from the sheet. In reality, most guitar music books have the notation in staff music, tablature and most have chord diagrams above the staff for guidance. There are also song books of strictly tab or strum patterns mapped out. Learn as much theory as you can, too. It helps greatly!

Of all the obstacles facing the beginning guitar player, the roughest to get by is the initial soreness of the fingers. This is where regular practice comes into place. As you are learning the guitar and all of it's wonders, you are also building up your finger calluses. At the start, your fingers will hurt, possibly even bleed a little, until those calluses toughen up. This usually takes about a month of regular playing time.

So, to conclude and summarize:

1. Take in all the advice and store it away for future reference.
2. Decide what type of player you will be. Casual or serious.
3. Find a good method of instruction that fits you, ie.. human teacher or Internet.
4. Learn to read music, tab and chord charts as you go. This ability rounds out the knowledge base and makes you a more knowledgeable, capable player.
5. Play through the soreness of the fingers at first. It is a rite of passage.
6. Practice, practice, practice. Then practice some more to really nail those parts that keep sticking you. The more you play them, the easier they will become and the more fluid you become as an instrumentalist.

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