Acoustic and Electic guitar

dazzer22 · December 2022

is the Acoustic guitar harder to play than the electric guitar? I think a lot of people skip playing acoustic because it is, I find it is harder on the fingertips and to string bend, the other things i have noticed and i don't know if it is just me but playing the acoustic can often feel like a workout, it feels like i have to put a lot more work into the playing to get the sound from the guitar.

bertie · December 2022

dazzer22 said:

it feels like i have to put a lot more work into the playing to get the sound from the guitar.

part of the satisfaction, but it should never be too hard, all comes with time and practice

stickyfiddle · December 2022

Acoustic is definitely harder on the fretting hand.

But I wouldn’t recommend bending on acoustic. It usually sounds horrible anyway

GoFish · December 2022

Agreed. Also how much string bending are you planning to get through on an acoustic? They are different instruments, really. Different approaches and results. Presume you mean steel string?

CaseOfAce · December 2022

I always remember a quote from of all people, Mick Thomson of Slipknot who said something along the lines of "any guitar player worth his salt has an acoustic guitar at home".

bertie · December 2022

stickyfiddle said:

Acoustic is definitely harder on the fretting hand.

But I wouldn’t recommend bending on acoustic. It usually sounds horrible anyway

oh ye of little strength faith

Kilgore · December 2022

I play very little electric, when I do it feels like the guitar is strung with rubber bands.

There's nothing wrong with short 1/4 or 1/2 bends with a quick release on an acoustic, acoustic blues is full of them.

You certainly don't hang on a bend on an acoustic though. It sounds s**t.

Grampa · December 2022

I've recently started taking lessons on acoustic, it's actually improved my electric playing by a noticable margin.

Lestratcaster · December 2022

yes, when I get young kids starting out I show them both electric and acoustic and they always find the electric easier to play. Thinner strings, lower action, smaller body etc. But you got the complications of using an amp with it and then the cables and such.

Acoustic you can whip out the case or off the stand and start strumming. Also essential to build good chord and rhythm knowledge with the pure sound of the guitar. But usually I match the type of guitar to their music tastes. The pop folk Ed Sheeran type fans are obviously going to want to play on acoustic. The rock band AC/DC or Arctic Monkeys fans are going to want to play electric.

BillDL · December 2022

With an acoustic guitar it is just the player and the guitar. There's nothing to hide behind, and even a smattering of chorus and reverb on an acoustic amp isn't much of a veil to disguise poor playing technique. With an electric guitar it is obviously expected that it will be played through an amp. If you were to play an electric guitar clean through an amp there's obviously nothing to embellish your playing and you are almost in acoustic guitar territory as far as stark exposure is concerned, but even a mild amount of overdrive and the natural sustain of an amplified electric guitar can help to mask some minor inadequacies and make the player sound a bit better than he or she might be playing an acoustic or an electric "dry". No amount of effects can make a poor player sound good, but some effects used judiciously can make a fairly competent guitar player sound good.

I am still of the opinion that learning the basics on an acoustic guitar is a far better grounding for a student than launching straight into electric territory. I think it's easier to weed out poor fretting technique in chords on an acoustic that allows the student and tutor to hear the buzzes and dead notes more clearly, and I believe that if you can play chords and a few melodies cleanly on an acoustic, you are off to a head start when it comes to electric. It all depends on the style of playing, but in general people playing an electric guitar tend to fret in a more relaxed style by gripping the neck differently (eg. thumb moved from behind the neck to up and over and fingers less arched). I think it is easier to adapt to this more relaxed fretting method from the stiffer acoustic style than it would be starting on electric and then having adapt to fretting in the way an acoustic guitar usually requires to sound good.

thomasross20 · December 2022

I played both all my life with focus mainly on electric, now shifted to acoustic.
Play as many types of guitar & styles as you can. I wish I'd done more country & fingerstyle years ago.
Can't hide when playing acoustic. Just one man and his guitar - I prefer it TBH.
Get singing lessons then you're a one man band and can write SONGS.
I don't regret learning electric. The theory all ties in, anyway.
You learn a lot about construction and care with acoustics - they are more difficult / delicate.
Try using a thumb pick with acoustic as it forces correct thumb movements.
It is immensely more satisfying to play full songs & sing on an acoustic than it is to widdle on your own with no band (bands take time, money, energy etc)

DavidR · December 2022

I always see Classical, Acoustic and Electric as completely different traditions so is the comparison justified? If you get a Rower to run a 1500m race, he won't be very good. And vice versa.

You probably need a greater intrinsic strength in the muscles of the hand and forearm for an acoustic because the action is higher, but you soon get used to it really. It's just practice and physiological adjustment.

Soupman · December 2022

@thomasross20 at my age, the aim is to get though a song WITHOUT widdling.....

Pjon · December 2022

DavidR said:

I always see Classical, Acoustic and Electric as completely different traditions so is the comparison justified? If you get a Rower to run a 1500m race, he won't be very good. And vice versa.

You probably need a greater intrinsic strength in the muscles of the hand and forearm for an acoustic because the action is higher, but you soon get used to it really. It's just practice and physiological adjustment.

I picked up a friend's BC Rich electric at a party in his place over the summer. I've been playing acoustic guitars for decades but suddenly felt as if I had a very different instrument in my hands. Yes, I could play stuff on it, but not electric guitar stuff, and certainly not the heavy gain, distorted stuff that he can play. I need an electric guitar...

BillDL · December 2022

I remember watching footage of the Expo '92 in Seville where they had about 4 concerts dedicated to guitar playing. While the stage was empty during the day Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music fame) took the well known Flamenco player Vicente Amigo onto the stage to have a go with an electric guitar. He tried to play it with his hard long nails and tried to do some fast Flamenco runs, but there was so much delay and other effects being applied to it that the puzzled look on Vicente's face was quite amusing.

goldtop · December 2022

Yes, acoustic is far harder physically. But that's the deal.

If you believe Martin, the answer is the SC-13e/etc range. Haven't tried one yet.

Cranky · December 2022

Acoustic is what got me into guitar in the first place and it was all I played for the first 5+ years. I eventually got an electric, and now my electric repertoire is sizable, but I still play my acoustics more often and never think about the difference.

thomasross20 · December 2022

Vicente is awesooooome!

thomasross20 · December 2022

I just no longer see the point of playing electric if not gigging or writing electric songs.

ICBM · December 2022

dazzer22 said:

is the Acoustic guitar harder to play than the electric guitar? I think a lot of people skip playing acoustic because it is, I find it is harder on the fingertips and to string bend, the other things i have noticed and i don't know if it is just me but playing the acoustic can often feel like a workout, it feels like i have to put a lot more work into the playing to get the sound from the guitar.

Yes. The strings are almost always heavier gauge - acoustics need the extra tension to produce enough resonance to move the guitar top properly; have a higher action - the bigger strings need more room to resonate and the guitar top actually moves *down* towards the frets at some points of the vibration, which means the strings need to be higher or they will hit the frets and rattle; and the strings are usually 'rougher' feeling as well - the outer windings of the wound strings are normally bronze rather than the nickel on electric strings. So they will be noticeably harder on your fingertips.

However, don't be afraid to use lighter strings - although there's a lot of snobbery about it (possibly even worse than for electric guitars!) anything lighter than suspension bridge cables will not ruin the tone of your guitar

. The lightest gauge for acoustics is usually 10s, and if you want to try those it's worth having the set-up checked since acoustics usually come from the factory strung with 12s, and going to 10s can allow the neck to straighten and the bridge to sink a bit, which can make the action too low and *that* can kill the tone. But it's not the light strings or the 'lack of tension' themselves.

Especially if you're only just starting to play acoustic, it's worth helping yourself by using lighter strings - not necessarily 10s, 11s are a good compromise that will most likely need less set-up adjustment. I still use 11s on my guitars and they sound perfectly good to me. I don't have the action that low. Also make sure the nut is cut correctly, that makes a big difference with heavier strings, because it affects the force needed to bend them down to the frets more than with lighter strings - that makes a *big* difference to the feel in the open chord positions.

Soupman · December 2022

I have a nice Japanese Fender Strat which I've had for 20 yrs or so. It sits in a case undisturbed these days.
Don't know about others, but there's stuff you do on acoustic that doesn't sound as good on electric, & vice-versa. (Actually, for me, nothing I do sounds good on electric. Plus there's the farting around with plugs & leads instead of picking up an acoustic where you're ready to go).

Sporky · December 2022

CaseOfAce said:

I always remember a quote from of all people, Mick Thomson of Slipknot who said something along the lines of "any guitar player worth his salt has an acoustic guitar at home".

Gatekeeping is pathetic.

BillDL · December 2022

Sporky said:

CaseOfAce said:

I always remember a quote from of all people, Mick Thomson of Slipknot who said something along the lines of "any guitar player worth his salt has a cello at home".

Gatekeeping is pathetic.

I fixed it for you.

Dave_Mc · December 2022

Sporky said:

CaseOfAce said:

I always remember a quote from of all people, Mick Thomson of Slipknot who said something along the lines of "any guitar player worth his salt has an acoustic guitar at home".

Gatekeeping is pathetic.

And also does a ton of harm.

Yes acoustic- depending on how you look at it- can be harder. But there's a lot of electric playing which is difficult in a different way.

Hand someone who's only ever played an electric strung with 9s (like me for the first ages after I started playing!) an acoustic strung with 12s and they'll look a bit silly.

Hand someone an electric strung with 9s plugged into a 5150 lead channel who's only ever played an acoustic strung with 12s and I'm not sure they're going to look any less silly.

GoFish · December 2022

I'm a big advocate of being familiar with acoustic playing, but obviously not playing exactly the same stuff as electric. That said, I do play electric in a far more "acoustic" style than most.

I have a 70's japanese parlour that is much more electric-like in neck dimensions and strung with 10's. It's a good halfway house between an electric and a dread.

Playing acoustic is more physical, but not "harder" than some electric techniques and theory. There is also the greater control and lighter touch electric needs, let alone the gain, effects and wind machine! It's also a struggle to fit into those tight trousers and tasteful whammy bar usage is an art unto itself.

CaseOfAce · December 2022

Dave_Mc said:

Sporky said:

CaseOfAce said:

I always remember a quote from of all people, Mick Thomson of Slipknot who said something along the lines of "any guitar player worth his salt has an acoustic guitar at home".

Gatekeeping is pathetic.

And also does a ton of harm.

Yes acoustic- depending on how you look at it- can be harder. But there's a lot of electric playing which is difficult in a different way.

Hand someone who's only ever played an electric strung with 9s (like me for the first ages after I started playing!) an acoustic strung with 12s and they'll look a bit silly.

Hand someone an electric strung with 9s plugged into a 5150 lead channel who's only ever played an acoustic strung with 12s and I'm not sure they're going to look any less silly.

Does a tonne of harm?
In what way ?
I find it fantastic for building hand strength - when I go on to electric this aids me in nailing intonation on bends...not to mention clean fretting / picking technique for fast runs... It certainly hasn't done Al Di Meola or John McLaughlin any harm. Check out Friday Night In San Francisco.

I would never use the same strumming / rhythm technique on electric and acoustic - if you do that it's gonna sound off. You obviously adjust according to the circumstances.

GoFish · December 2022

And what's wrong with keeping goats anyway?

goldtop · December 2022

The difference: getting a beginner student to nail the F barre chord on an acoustic. It's harder to keep their motivation up through the muscle memory process.

On an electric, not so much. It's waaay faster and you can move on sooner.

Tannin · December 2022

They are different instruments, far more different than most people realise.

Yes, we have the physical differences, already well outlined in posts above. Electric requires a very delicate touch, a heap of control, and several extra techniques not used much or at all on acoustic. Acoustic requires more muscle and more skill to get good tone. But these physical differences are the least of it.

The main difference is that, for the most part, electric guitar is played in a band with, at very least, bass and drums but more typically keys, horns, and/or a second, sometimes even a third guitar. Acoustic guitar is far more often a solo instrument. You do see a lot of acoustics played as (e.g.) second or third guitar in a band to fill out the sound, but nobody much aspires to that role, pays it a lot of attention, or takes it very seriously. It's just a job handed to the least-skilled guitarist in the band, sometimes to fill the sound out, sometimes because at least it looks better on stage than dancing and playing maracas. "Serious" acoustic guitar tends to be solo, solo with vocals and/or harmonica, or in a small ensemble where all of your notes are prominent in the mix. (Compare with "fill-in" acoustic where you are mostly strumming some chords for the singer and the electric lead player to solo over.)

This is where acoustic players really have to work their arses off: you've got no bass player to hold down the bottom end, no drummer to keep things moving, no other instruments to hide behind, and no chance of a bit of a break during the song while some other player takes the spotlight and you do something easy. It's just you and your guitar.

Serious electric players don't have any of those difficulties to hurdle (though in a 3-piece where they are the only melodic instrument the situation is a bit similar). On the other hand, as an acoustic player I don't have to learn how to do three-semitone bends getting the pitch right every time, or how to use a whammy bar, or how to set an amp and pedal chain up. And I don't have to learn how to put up with drummers!

Different instruments. I'd argue that classical/nylon is a different instrument again, though the case for that is less clear cut.

Tannin · December 2022

Why do I like acoustic, not electric? There are many reasons.

* First, I don't dislike electric guitar when some other person plays it. It's a truly wonderful instrument and it didn't get to dominate popular music for more than half a century by accident. I only dislike it when I play it.

* Hand me an acoustic and I can play a bit. We all like what we are good at.

* I suck at electric. I have a heavy right hand and no clue how to damp strings the way an electric mostly needs. I could overcome those things with a bit of practice, of course, but never have (for the reasons below).

* I suck at amps and pedals. With an acoustic, the sound it makes is the sound it makes. It's up to me to use my brain and my fingers to get it to sound the way I want. There is a limited sound palette and I can explore it at will. With electric sounds, even with just one amp (never mind pedals) there is a huge range of sounds to chose from, many of them rather bad, some of them very good. There are hundreds of choices to make just using pickup selection, gain, and volume - and that's without touching the tone and volume controls on the actual guitar. And then you add pedals as well. And reverb. I get lost. Seriously! I fiddle about a bit and before very long I have no idea whether I'm getting a good sound or a bad sound and I give up. (Compare with bass: back in the day when I played for a few years, I knew what sound I liked and simply adjusted things until I had what I wanted.)

* I hate the way that the number of stings you use changes the electric sound. With an acoustic, if you hit one string a certain way, it sounds just so. Hit two strings that same way and they both sound just so, Or six strings. To control the sound, you control the force with which you strike the strings. On electric, in contrast, you set the amp to get exactly the sound you want playing one string a certain way, but then you do that with two or three strings for a different part of the song and all of a sudden the amp is distorting all over the place. Electric guitar is so inconsistent! It does my head in. Anyone who says it is "easier to play" is dreaming. There is a whole different set of skills to learn.

* Electric guitar is a band instrument. I like playing by myself.

* Acoustic guitar can be played anywhere and anytime. All you need is the guitar. (If you play fingerstyle you don't even need to find a pick. You just pick it up and start playing.) You don't need to faff about with chords and cables and batteries and power points and pedals and amplifiers, you just play. If I want to go and sit in the garden because it is a nice day, that's what I do. If Mrs Tannin is watching something or listening to something, I simply go to another room, or step outside. Doing that with electric is impractical. (Sure, I could use headphones but I don't like them much. I like being in the room.)

* I can play an acoustic guitar when Mrs Tannin is in the room. Electric, I'd have to go to a different room. (a) We don't really have a room to spare. (b) We like being together in the same room.

* Electric guitar mostly falls into two categories, rhythm and lead. Far and away the majority of the repertoire has a repetitive rhythm part which is boring to play, and a "creative" lead part which is challenging and interesting in its way, but tied to the same-old, same-old changes. Yes, there are bands who craft their songs such that nothing repeats and all the players have real parts which grow and develop as the songs progresses, but this is very rare. It also takes a major commitment from each player and a hell of a lot of time in the practice room. Playing solo acoustic, you are your own bass player and your own rhythm player. There is nothing at all to stop you making the the different parts of the song (bass, rhythm, lead) as interesting as your imagination and your technique allow. There is no straightjacket.

* I love wood. Acoustic guitars are (mostly) made of wood, and the exact choice of wood makes a huge difference to the sound. Electric guitars are often made of wood too, but seldom if ever does the wood make any real contribution to the sound. It is merely decorative (if even that). In acoustics, there is a vast range of timbers and combinations and body shapes and styles, all showcasing the particular woods in different ways. If you love wood, acoustic is for you.

LastMantra · December 2022

I don't really find one harder to play, just different. For me electric has more bending and stuff so my fingers are more likely to actually get sore. Acoustic I'm more open chords. Probably just depends what kind of stuff you play on either.

Strings I've mainly used 11s on electric and 12s on acoustic so not much difference.

Most of the acoustic playing I have been exposed to is traditional Scottish/Irish stuff where they bash away at chords along with fiddle, singer, or whatever.

And I play on my own and definitely prefer electric.

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Acoustic and Electic guitar

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