This is a short list of essential and classical guitar books (from Amazon) that I grew up on and teach from:
Eric Clapton – Unplugged
There’s also a deluxe version with more songs that just came out a few years ago:
Joe Satriani – Surfing with the Alien
The Library of Guitar Classics
I searched Amazon for quality guitar accessories at a good price and came up with this essential pack which will be enough for beginners. Click on the images to purchase it directly from amazon:
The following Capo will do its job. Some cost around £20 but they’re not very different. It can work easily with any type of guitar.
This simple guitar stand is very useful and can easily be folded.
A guitar footstool is essential for classical guitarists, but not only.
A music stand is another essential accessory for classical guitarists, but useful to all guitarists.
Undoubtedly Jazz III picks are my personal favourite. Their small, thick and last forever. A pack of 12 at this good price is just enough.
6) Guitar strap After buying your picks, this strap holds them for you. Great idea!
7) Slide Jim Dunlop’s Steel Slides are great. For beginners there’s no need to buy slides made of glass – they’ll break and your heart will break too…
Korg’s tuners are known to be a bit more precise. There are pricier Korg tuners but this one can do what it’s supposed to do
Super Slinky are my favourite electric guitar strings. A more competitive option is to buy [eafl id=430 name=”amazon” text=”3 sets of strings”].
Elixir (11 gauge) are my favourite acoustic guitar strings (steel).
D’Addario Pro-Arté (normal tension) are my favourite classical guitar strings (nylon).
A winder saves a lot of time when you need to quickly change your guitar strings with less fuss and a cutter will get rid of those annoying (and sometimes dangerous) loose ends.
You look at your guitar and see its rusty strings and you don’t really remember when was the last time you changed them. That means it’s probably the right time to get a new set of guitar strings… In this short guide I’ll recommend my personal favourites for each type of guitar and explain a bit about the different options.
For Classical Guitar – I really like the warm sound and feel of D’Addario EJ45-3D Pro Arte Classical Normal Tension. I also find them reliable and sustainable. There are 3 main types of tensions for classical guitars – Low, Normal and High. I would advise trying all 3 in order to experience the difference yourselves, since it is a matter of trial and error and personal taste. But to get the general idea; Low tension means a more mellow tone and less force you’d need to use in order to get a clear sound when you play. High Tension needs more force and the tone is usually brighter.
*Tip – Never change a single string, always a whole set. Unless it’s in the middle of a concert…
For Acoustic Guitar – When playing acoustic guitar we usually look for that rich and expressive tone and I found Elixir Nanoweb E16052 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings 12-53 Light to answer that need. 12 Gauge should be enough, while 13 can be too difficult to play, especially for solos, and it’s also tiring after playing for a while. 13 has a great tone but 12 (or even 11) don’t fall short.
*Tip – Don’t change your strings just before a gig – allow at least a week in order to decrease the high-pitched sliding sound and to let the strings settle nicely in your guitar.
For Electric Guitar – From my experience, Ernie Ball 2223 Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings 09-42 Super Slinky have less tendency to break and no one likes playing something like the famous David Gilmour’s 2.5 tones bend and then to get stuck with a broken string (and heart) when you can’t complete the rest of Another Brick in the Wall’s solo (unless you’re lucky enough to have a quick guitar technician near you…). Thicker sets of strings change the tone a bit and they are harder to bend (that’s why many guitarists prefer to tune their guitars half-step down), but with an electric guitar the tone is more influenced by the pickups, effects and amp. So you basically want to get reliable strings that are easy to bend.
*Tip – Your electric guitar is set-up (assuming you did a set-up) to a specific Gauge, so changing the strings to a different type of Gauge (like 10 instead of 09) would require a new set-up for your guitar.
*Final tip – Like most things, guitar strings are cheaper online and out of the different online stores I would recommend Strings Direct – Click here. They also have free delivery on orders over £30 and you can use the code STRINGS50 to get 10% off when spending £50 or more. I have bought guitar strings and other accessories myself from them and now I am also part of their affiliate programme.
