Should I start learning on an Acoustic or Electric guitar?

In this post I aim to share the more important factors in choosing to start learning on an Acoustic or Electric guitar.

The first thing to consider is the type of music you want to be able to play. Is it well suited to the Acoustic or Electric guitar? In many cases you either wont know or it'll be a combination of both. Regardless, have a think about which of these preferences you are closer to.

In most cases, for somebody who doesn't strongly suit the Acoustic guitar in terms of preferred musical styles - I would recommend beginning on Electric guitar for a few different reasons. First of all, the Electric is just straight up easier to play. Why? Because the strings are closer to the neck of the guitar than on an Acoustic. Every Electric guitar is equipped with an adjustable bridge meaning with a bit of time spent searching and following a tutorial, your guitar's strings will be in a comfortable position, minimising strain on your hands.

Another reason is the volume control an Electric guitar has. It's perfectly valid to practice on an unplugged Electric guitar and if you're afraid of disturbing anyone with the noise, it might be just a better option anyway.

Lastly what I would say stands out about the Electric guitar is the variety of accessable sounds as opposed to on an Acoustic guitar. Even with a cheap practice amplifier, you can have access to several preset guitar sounds - offering you more choice of how you play the instrument as well as inspiring new interests and ideas.

I love the Acoustic guitar enough to own 2 of them. Nothing else sounds quite like it but looking back, I was mistaken to get one as my first guitar.