You probably heard it before from your music teacher or a guitarist’s friend: It’s better to learn classical guitar first when you start.

But why?

It will make sense if you want to play classical guitar music, or even learn the finger style. But what if you want to play songs or rock music? Is it still better to learn classical guitar first? The answer is No.

There is another element to the equation which is the method or curriculum that you will be spending the next few months – or years – learning.

Choosing a guitar curriculum is a big factor in whether you will continue learning guitar or stop after a short period of learning.

I do not want to exaggerate and say that the first two months from your purchase of the guitar and the beginning of learning are one of the most important stages in your journey.

In this article, we will learn how to choose a guitar curriculum that is right for you from the beginning in order to gain time, make use of the first period and keep your enthusiasm high.

How do I choose a guitar curriculum?

Select your favorite type of music

Surely you bought the guitar to play a certain type of music, whether rock, jazz, blues, country, reggae, metal…etc.

What if you don’t know the name of your favorite type of music? Simple. You can do a Google search for the name of your favorite band or musician and find out who plays any type of music.

Eric Clapton, for example, I did a Google search and wrote: “Eric Clapton music genre.” The search result came out as follows:

So, Eric Clapton is into Rock and Blues.

But I’m still a beginner and I don’t know what I want exactly? In this case, you can start with any method, but I advise you to continue reading the article it might help.

Buy a guitar that fits your music genre

If you choose to play blues or rock, you can start with an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar. It’s not better to learn classical guitar first if you want to learn to play these styles! The acoustic and electric guitars are better if you decided to go with blues or rock.

Of course, I always recommend that you start with the classic guitar because the strings are soft and the price is inexpensive at first. But not necessarily, you can start with the right type of guitar that will fit for the genre of music you want to play.

Besides, when you practice you will notice that the sound that comes out of your guitar is very close to the sound of the original song, and this in itself will encourage you to continue.

Choose a curriculum appropriate for your genre of music

You have decided the type of music and bought the right guitar, the next step is very important which is how to choose the right guitar curriculum?

You have two options:

Option 1: Start with a Guitar Tutor

If you starting with a guitar teacher, whether in a center or in private, you must say it first: I want to play this (rock – blues – metal – oriental). If he is a teacher who understands, he will choose the appropriate curriculum for you.

If he says It is better to learn classical guitar at first, I advise you to NOT take lessons with him.

An important note: most teachers, unfortunately, are not interested in this point, and they will teach you what they know. If after the third or fourth session you feel that this is not what you want, I advise you to change the teacher or the center.

Option 2: Start an online course

Most people do this now to save time and money, and this is not a bad thing. Now there are many ways you can learn online if you have the commetment.

This method is not difficult, but you need strong determination and commitment, because no one will tell you to practice. You are the decision maker and you can practice every day or once a week.

But let us assume that you will practice reasonably, that is, 3 times a week, each time for 30 minutes – this is the least you need to see results after two months. Which guitar curriculum to choose?

Best way to learn classical guitar

If you want to learn classical guitar online, you can start here on the site because I designed a series of courses that will help you in the beginning. It’s like having a classical guitar teacher at your desposal!

All my courses are based on a method and you will progress step-by-step even if you starting from scratch.

Which is harder to learn classical or acoustic guitar?

If you decide to play acoustic guitar because you want to play songs by well-known bands and artists such as: Ed Sharen – Bob Marley – The Beatles – Sting – Metallica – Eric Clapton and others, I advise you to get the Rockschool books because they designed an integrated acoustic curriculum from the beginning until professionalism.

Each level has a separate book, and each book contains 6 pieces with notes and tabs. You can download audio files for free through the site after purchasing the book.

In each book, you will find technical exercises to help you play all the songs required at this level, and all the chords you are supposed to learn.

Here is a short video about Rockschool:

In Summary

If you want to play guitar, unless you don’t know what you want to play, don’t follow the advise it’s always better to learn classical guitar at first.
Yes the strings are softer on the hands than the acoustic guitar, and they might be cheaper, but It’s your choice to start with the right guitar that fits the music you want to play eventually.