For any beginner starting to play guitar the question is often raised whether you should start on acoustic guitar or electric guitar. For some, this will be a simple choice as they will be drawn to one or the other based on the type of music they like.

But the question still stands about which provides a foundation in technique that will form a basis for improving guitar skills? If you are going to teach yourself guitar then which guitar type does not hide your faults?

There are advantages and disadvantages to both at different stages of a guitarist learning so any assessment needs to take into account the short and long term benefits of each. Over the years I have taught other guitarists using whatever guitar they had to hand. I noticed that you can nearly tell from a guitarist's technique whether they started on electric or acoustic just by watching them play.

So here are the pros and cons we saw of each approach.

Beginning On Electric Guitar

Pros

* Easier to play using the narrower gauge strings and narrower guitar neck.

* Develop a subtlety of playing. Amplification of what you play highlights various effects and nuances in your play (for hammer ons, vibrato, etc.).

* It is possible to practice using earphones (neighbors will appreciate this).

Cons

* Muscle strength in the fingers does not build up as strongly as when playing acoustic.

* Using effects/distortion hides a multitude of sins.

* Strong tendency for incorrect placement of the left thumb on the guitar neck.

Beginning On Acoustic Guitar

Pros

* Lower startup costs.

* An amp is not required, which allows you to play and practice anywhere.

* Finger muscle strength builds up from day one.

Cons

* Temptation is there to strum through all songs. Beginners should take the time to learn finger picking styles.

* Guitar solos can get 'lost in the mix' if playing in a group which may put off some beginners.

* Using earphones with an acoustic guitar is not an option.

From my perspective, guitarists who start out on electric build up a speed of playing (solos, chord changes, etc.) which is admirable, but it is often at the cost of good playing technique. Playing the electric guitar hides a number of faults such as incorrect placement of the thumb and not holding down strings solidly that results in strings buzzing or being muted during play (this is highly noticeable when recording an electric).

In comparison, the acoustic guitarist builds up the finger strength, learns better hand placement on the frets and fosters clear sounding play.

That said, if you can handle the bill for buying both electric and acoustic guitars then you could split out the beginners training on both instruments and they will benefit from both approaches.

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Learning to play the guitar can be such a thrill. There are a lot of different things you need to learn including how to tune the guitar, how to play lead guitar and how to read music. Learning the guitar scales is a very important electric guitar lesson, one that must be mastered before you can play properly. It can certainly be confusing at first but as you continue along and progress you'll find it a lot easier.

There are also other scales important to learn about including the blues scale, whole tone scale and pentatonic scale. The minor, major, blues and pentatonic scales are the most common. To make it easier when you're first learning, make sure to break it down into smaller chunks. This helps to make things simpler and keep your mind from getting overloaded.

Most beginners find it very difficult to find their way around the fret board, and it is surprising that even most experienced guitarists hesitate when asked to find the notes on any strings, hence take your time to understand the fret board well. For any guitarist, the guitar pick is one of the most important tools, and these picks are usually made of bone, metal, plastic and wood.

Scales on a guitar move progressively in order of sharps or flats. For this electric guitar lesson an effective drill is to play through all the sharp scales first starting with C major and then memorize the fingering for each one. Again, with practice you're going to start noticing the differences in sounds as you go along from one scale to the next and recognize which scales need to be used during a song. Drills are necessary to help you gain skills.

It can certainly be confusing at first to learn about the different scales on a guitar and how to use them for playing. With the different scales, notes, tuning and strokes it's not hard to see why playing the guitar is so difficult for some people. No matter what age you are, you can learn to play the guitar. For some people it takes longer than others but if you have patience you can become skilled.

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An electric guitar is a type of guitar that is played with an amplifier. There are several reasons why people prefer electric guitars over acoustic ones. But most of the time, people who play the electric guitar are into rock music or alike. The electric guitar is capable of producing a wide variation of sounds; thus, being more fit for contemporary music.

Comparatively speaking, electric guitar lessons can be pretty convenient and easy. Several learning materials are provided in the internet. This would account for easier learning. In terms of the components of the guitar, many people find the electric guitar to be beginner friendly because of its softer strings as compared to the thick strings of acoustic guitars.

You can settle for electric guitar lessons online because playing the electric guitar is more on improvisation. You simply need to learn certain chords, and you can already create your own music. Most people improvise with the electric guitar when performing pop, rock, and other contemporary genres.

The good thing about guitar tutorials is that you can easily find them on the internet. Some of these tutorials are offered for free. When studying an electric guitar it is not really a must to study with a teacher. Improvisation has a lot to do with playing the electric guitar. Therefore, it would already be sufficient to learn it on your own with the aid of electric guitar lessons online.

The good thing about online electric guitar lessons nowadays is that they already provide music theory aside from hands on lectures. In playing the electric guitar, you do not need an advanced music theory; studying the basics is already enough. But it is very important not to overlook music theory. The knowledge of the different principles of music adds the human factor t the music you create. Without, your playing will become no better than a midi file.

Many people say that it is easier to learn the electric guitar than other instruments. When playing the guitar, one makes use of Tabs. The advantage of using tabs is that you can immediately know where the chord is found in the guitar. Unlike in note reading, you are only given a series of notes for you to play.

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Not too many people know that guitar manufacturer Ibanez was once in serious legal trouble with Gibson. At the time (the 1970's), Gibson was hardly making their best instruments, and Ibanez decided to ship a copy of a Gibson Les Paul. By most accounts, the Ibanez copy was a superior instrument, showing that this company had learned a thing or two about guitar making.

Ibanez obviously hasn't forgotten how to make a first-class single cutaway guitar, either. The new Ibanez ART100 is proof positive of that.

The ART100 has a mahogany body and neck with a bound rosewood fingerboard. Unlike most Ibanez guitars, the ART100 has a set neck with medium frets. The bridge is a tune-o-matic style Gilbraltar III with set tailpiece. The pickups are Ibanez's own Artcore 1-S in the neck and Artcore 2-S in the bridge.

Since it only costs $300 brand new, you really can't complain about the ART100 a whole lot. It's very playable, even though it doesn't have the celebrated "Wizard" neck. This isn't really a criticism, though. It just has its own feel.

We chose the Heritage Cherry finish and were very pleased with it. We found no discernible flaws in the finish. The guitar has no inlays with the exception of a custom inlay on the 12th fret. A classy look, in our opinion, especially for a $300 guitar.

The Artcore pickups specialize in high gain tones, though we weren't as impressed with the clean sounds. Still, at this price, there's not much to complain about it.

You could easily swap in replacement pickups if you so choose, though the stock pickups perform admirably in most situations.

We wish the guitar had come with a case, but what do you want for $300? Overall, it's a fine budget guitar that doesn't sound or play like a budget guitar. We highly recommend it.

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While not as popular as the Fender Stratocaster or the Gibson Les Paul, the Gibson SG is nevertheless an iconic guitar that has been used by everyone from Tony Iommi to Frank Zappa.

Indeed, the SG is one of those instruments that can be discovered in jazz, blues, rock, and even country recordings throughout its long history. The most current model, the Gibson SG Standard, is itself a fusion of the old and new. To be sure, it's a fine instrument, but why is that the case? What are the details?

The double-cutaway mahogany body is graced with a mahogany neck and bound rosewood fingerboard with trademark trapezoid inlays. The SG Standard features a 490R humbucker in the neck position and a 498T in the bridge for a wide variety of useful tones.

Outfitted with chrome hardware, the SG also sports a 3-way selector switch and dual volume and tone controls.

You'll likely notice immediately how light he SG is, especially if you've ever strapped on a Les Paul for any extended period of time. You'll understand why this is Angus Young's guitar of choice!

The fit and finish (we opted for the Heritage Cherry) were absolutely perfect, and we were able to get very low action on the neck, which made the guitar a breeze to play. No discernible string buzz or dead spots were to be found.

We tested the SG Standard through a variety of amps, including a Marshall JCM800, Rivera Chubster 55 Combo, and a Dr. Z MAZ-18. We definitely liked the sound through all three amps, though the Marshall/Gibson combination was perhaps our favorite.

If you think the guitar world revolves around only Strat and Les Paul sounds, the SG is a reminder that there are other worthwhile tones to be found. While it doesn't have the low-end chuck of a Les Paul, it has a bite that will cut through a mix that would otherwise bury its big brother. It has a sound all its own, and for only $1,200 new, there's not much reason to not give one a try today.

If you are looking for the absolute lowest price on a used or new Gibson SG Standard, then you must visit Ray's Guitar Shop, which offers the lowest prices on all new and used guitars (electric and acoustic). It doesn't matter if you're looking for a PRS McCarty, an Ibanez JS1000, or a Fender Stratocaster, Ray's Guitar Shop has what you're looking for!