A new guitar is only the start — a few inexpensive accessories make practising easier, protect your instrument and keep it sounding right. Here are the essentials every beginner actually needs. 1. A tuner Non-negotiable. A clip-on tuner (or app) keeps you in tune every session — see how to tune a guitar. Playing in…
Pickups are the heart of your electric guitar’s tone — they convert string vibration into the signal your amp shapes. Understand the two main types and you’ll understand most tonal differences between guitars. Single-coil pickups Bright, clear, articulate and percussive — the classic Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster sound. They excel at sparkling cleans, funk, blues…
The best amp for home practice isn’t the loudest or most expensive — it’s the one you’ll actually use without annoying the neighbours. Here’s what matters when buying a practice amp, and which type to choose. Keep the wattage low For a flat or bedroom, 5–20 watts is plenty. High-wattage tube amps need volume to…
The under-$500 segment is the best it has ever been. Today’s budget electrics are genuinely gig-worthy — far from the unplayable toys of decades past. Here’s what to look for and which families consistently deliver. What “under $500” buys you now At this price you get solid tone woods, reliable hardware, and pickups that sound…
Fender and Gibson are the two pillars of the electric guitar — and the rivalry between them has shaped popular music for 70 years. Neither is “better”; they’re different tools for different voices. Here’s how to choose your side (or own both). The core tonal difference Fender (Stratocaster, Telecaster) uses single-coil pickups and a 25.5″…
“Should I start on acoustic or electric?” is the most common beginner question — and the old advice that you “must” start on acoustic is a myth. The right answer depends on you. Here’s how to decide. The case for electric Easier on the fingers — lighter strings and lower action make fretting and chord…
An out-of-tune guitar makes even perfect playing sound wrong. Tuning is a two-minute habit that transforms how you sound — here’s how to do it reliably, plus the alternate tunings worth knowing. Standard tuning From the thickest (6th) string to the thinnest (1st): E – A – D – G – B – E. A…
Scales are the alphabet of melody and improvisation. You don’t need to learn dozens — a couple of well-understood scales unlock soloing, riffs and a real grasp of the fretboard. Here’s the practical path. Start with the minor pentatonic The minor pentatonic (five notes) is the single most useful scale for guitarists — the basis…
Nothing builds skill (and motivation) like playing real songs. The best beginner songs use just a few open chords and simple, repeating patterns. Here’s how to pick them — and what makes a song genuinely easy. What makes a song beginner-friendly Few chords — ideally 3 or 4 open chords you already know. Slow to…
Guitar tablature (“tabs”) is the simplest way to learn songs without reading standard notation. If you can count to 22, you can read tabs. Here’s everything a beginner needs. What the lines and numbers mean A tab has six lines, one per string — the bottom line is the thickest (low E), the top line…
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