# Starting to play acoustic



## Coustfan'01 (Sep 27, 2006)

I don't know if this belongs here or in the theory and technique section, so here it goes.

I'll be attending the rcmp school for the next 6 months, and they told us we could have a musical instrument there, so I guess I'll have some time to play guitar. Problem is, I always played electric guitar in a band with friends, so I don't know how to play acoustic(well, I'm still able to pick and fret, but I don't know songs/chords much).

Any advice on songs to learn /book to get/ etc? Any advice on what guitar to buy? I was thinking about a smaller one, like a fender telecoustic or something like that, since volume may be an issue with a full-size body.


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## Coustfan'01 (Sep 27, 2006)

Anyone?

Or is this on the wrong forum?


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## sneakypete (Feb 2, 2006)

well officer...sometimes it takes longer than 15 minutes to get a response.
I play nylon string guitars, I love the tone, the volume is easy to control because of the smaller body...making them more comfy to play...and no pick to worry about. I can pay them for much longer periods of time than steel strings... and the guys in your outfit may not short sheet your bed for making so much noise.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

Well you're in Quebec and the good folk here are HUGE Fans of the Godin/A&L/Seagull/Norman line. They have some nice stuff for reasonable prices. It depends on how much you'd like to spend. Since you obviously have the basics as you already play it may be a no brainer for you. There are TONS of great books DVD's ect to get you started. I'd recommend starting with some Neil Young, he has some great stuff that's sounds wonderful on the acoustic. What kind of music do you like?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Songs? Anything you want and like. Plus try the book "Ultimate White Pages Acoustic Guitar", unless popular music isn't your thing, in which case there are lots of jazz, blues, folk, and classical books available...Google is your friend.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Tycho (Jan 3, 2007)

Starbuck said:


> Well you're in Quebec and the good folk here are HUGE Fans of the Godin/A&L/Seagull/Norman line. They have some nice stuff for reasonable prices. It depends on how much you'd like to spend.


Another advantage of the guitars in that line, for a beginner on acoustic, is that all their guitars are shorter scale, so they are very comfortable to play. 

Every brand in the Godin line has various smaller-body offerings as well, if you think a dreadnought would be too loud. 

(Note: confusingly, there are no actual acoustics called Godin, but the Godin company is responsible for Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman, Art & Lutherie and La Patrie, so people usually just refer to all those guitars as the Godin lines.)

Congrats on the acceptance to RCMP school, BTW. Good luck.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Gee there has to be a few get out of jail songs you could learn :sport-smiley-002: Cell block #9 maybe...


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## Coustfan'01 (Sep 27, 2006)

Hey, thanks a lot for all the answers, that's very helpful 

I used to listen to mostly punk/ska/metal/guitar heroes, but I'm starting to get into mellower stuff, so anything you guys reccomend I'll give it a good try(I'm finding that most of the artists that "made history" are realy good if you take the time to listen) I like blues , jazz, etc. but don't know much about these genre.

And about the " well officer...sometimes it takes longer than 15 minutes to get a response.", sorry, I didn't mean to be rude(english is not my first language so I sometimes have problems with tone, and I it's worse on the internet). I was really just wondering if the acoustic forum was not visited a lot/if I should have posted it on theory and technique section.

A classical guitar would be nice, I do love the sound, and I guess the finger playing would help with playing bass too, right? What are the pros and cons of steel strings vs nylon strings?


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## Mike MacLeod (Nov 27, 2006)

I would vote for any of the Godin/Lasido guitars as well. top value. Make sure that you negotiate a "set-up" with the purchase of the guitar. It can "make or break" a guitar.

I would opt for steel string as it is often a more versatile instrument. - Yeah, I know I'll take some heat here! 

Find a teacher! You won't be disappointed. If the first teacher doesn't work, find another. You may even be able to find some players among the instructors at the school. Who knows? 

You'll likely have a 'puter so you can get some instructional DVDs. It depends upon your "learning style" some folks are better with visual aids, others from books, etc. If you don't know how you learn best, and it can take years to find out, you may want to try a few different ways.

Best thing is to find some other guys to play / jam with. You'll learn more playing with other folks than you can almost any other way. - 'course you'll also learn some bad habits, too.  

Good luck. Just be gentle when you pull over a red 'Vette with a Dr Jazz license


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## sneakypete (Feb 2, 2006)

pas d`probleme mon vieux.

oh, the acoustic part gets traffic it`s just that we`re shy...or maybe more reserved than the electric crowd :rockon2:
but to me the nylons are softer sounding, you can get volume when you paly hard but I really like how gentle the tone is on my guy guitars...plus I don`t use picks so thats another reason, but I like my steels too, have 2 Larrivee Lits guitars that sound fabulous. Best thing to do is get out there and play as many as you can to see what you prefer...we can go one for days...I mean once we get started ...about guitars but eventually, you have to decide what you like. Yamaha make some very jnice inexpensive guitars to get started on, just look around the web...plenty of very happy Yamaha owners...me too. :wave:


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