Are you wanting to learn how to play the guitar or get your child started in learning how to play? Here is guitar gear and accessories list that I have my new students get before starting guitar lessons along with other items that are nice to have later on.
Items Needed For Guitar Lessons
1. Guitar Tuner
If you don’t already have a guitar tuner, I recommend that you purchase the Snark SN1X Clip-On Chromatic Tuner (Current Model). This digital tuner is inexpensive, sensitive to frequency and easy to use.
2. Method Book
Unless a student is under the age of 8, the method book I prefer them to get is Mastering the Guitar 1A. This book was co-written by my guitar professor from Utah State University and I like the way that he teaches. It is also the first book in a comprehensive guitar series that will give a guitar player foundational and comprehensive knowledge on how to play the guitar. I also provide a lot of music and material outside of this book, but everything is connected and works together.
3. Guitar Capo
Before you buy a capo, be sure to find out the TYPE of guitar the capo will be used on as there are three main types of guitars:
- Electric Guitars
- Acoustic Steel String Guitars
- Nylon String Classical Guitars
Guitar Capo for Electric & Acoustic Steel String Guitars
The Dunlop Acoustic Trigger, Curved, Black Guitar Capo (83CB) is affordable and works great for the price. I have a tendency to misplace capos and find myself using the same one for my own gigs without a problem.
Guitar Capo for Nylon String Classical Guitars:
Nylon string, or classical guitars have a flat fingerboard, so they need a special capo. The one that I use it the Shubb C2 Nickel Capo for Nylon String Guitar. It is relatively inexpensive and mine has lasted me for years. There are more expensive options out there, but I have been happy with this one and haven’t felt like I’ve needed to spend more.
4. Guitar Strap
A guitar strap can help make it easier for a guitar player to use the correct holding position. It also helps the guitar feel more secure. When choosing a guitar strap, you really can’t go wrong. However, below is the most economical choice and a second choice which is a favorite amongst my current students.
Most Economical – Ernie Ball Black Polypro Guitar Strap
I have had one of these guitar straps for years and it’s never worn out.
Student Favorite – a guitar strap with a pick holder
My younger guitar students LOVE guitar straps with pick holders. It is fun to watch how happy it makes them to grab a pick part way through a song. The NEUMA Guitar Strap is a good option.
OPTIONAL ITEMS
These are items that I recommend. I also recognize that starting up a new instrument and taking lessons is expensive. Some of this stuff can wait until you or your child is more certain that they want to continue playing.
1. Create a Practice Space
Having a designated practice space can make a huge difference in how often you pick up your instrument. You don’t need a large space or an entire room to make this work. You can fit the essential items for a practice space into a small corner or nook. If you’re looking for other gear ideas to put in your practice space, check out my last post Gifts For Guitar Players.
Here is a list of the gear I keep in my own practice space.
- A chair without arms – I use a drum chair as a practice chair. The height can be adjusted and you can take it with you to gigs. Any drum The one I use is the PDP By DW 700 Series Drum Throne.
- A footstool – Footstools aren’t just for classical guitarists. They help keep the guitar close to your body which helps you hold your guitar correctly. A footstool that I’ve switched to recently is the Guitar Foot Rest, Height Adjustable Guitar Footstools/Folding Footstool,Pedal (Black). I like it because it seems more sturdy than other footstools I’ve used and broken in the past.
- A music stand – You need a stand that is sturdy enough to hold your music and keep it there. The stands that fold up tiny are terrible and your music will often end up on the floor. I just recently switched my music stand to one that is lighter and more portable, yet still strong. I love it, it’s the RockJam G905 Height & Angle Adjustable Orchestral Conductor Sheet Stand, Matte Black.
- A guitar stand – It’s a good idea to keep your guitar in it’s case at night with a humidifier. However, if your guitar is out and accessible during the day, you’ll be more likely to pick it up. I prefer to use stands that are light weight and portable. I have several guitar stands, but my favorite one is the Top Stage Folding Guitar Stand .
- A table or stand nearby to hold some guitar picks, a guitar tuner, a pencil and capo.
- A guitar amp & cables (if you play the electric guitar)
2. A Guitar Humidifier
The humidifier that I recommend is the Music Nomad MN300 Humitar Acoustic Guitar Humidifier. The Humitar is a sponged based humidifier, which means once you’ve purchased it, you can keep the humidity going by adding water to the sponge every couple of weeks rather than having to buy replacement moisture packs. This sponge holds humidity for up to two weeks, which is longer than other sponge based humidifiers.
Guitar Gear You’ll NEED Later On
1. More Guitar Picks
I always give my beginning guitar students 5 guitar picks to get started. These usually get lost quickly. It is really nice to have a good amount of guitar picks on hand. Beginner guitar players probably don’t know what type of pick they like. This is why I recommend that you start out with a variety of thin, medium and heavy gauges. The Fender Premium Picks Sampler – 24 Pack Includes Thin, Medium & Heavy Gauges (Austin Bazaar Exclusive) is a good choice for for getting a good variety of picks.
My Favorite Pick
The Dunlop 482P1.14 Tortex Pitch Black Jazz III is my go-to pick. I like that it’s inexpensive, small and thick. At my last guitar recital, I gave them out as guitar gifts and most of my students have found that they also prefer this pick over others.
2. Guitar Strings
Since you do need to change strings so often, it is a good idea to eventually learn how to change them yourself. I often take a lesson to teach my students how to change their strings and clean their guitar. Then they can do it on their own going forward. The strings you need to get will depend on whether you are playing an electric, steel string or nylon string guitar. It’s much easier to play on a light weight (or light gauge) string. Because of this, I recommend that beginner and even intermediate players go with a light gauge when possible. I happen to love the sound of a D’Addario string. Below are some light gauge string recommendations for each type of guitar.
Electric Guitar Strings – D’Addario EXP125 Coated Electric Guitar Strings, Super Light Top/Regular Bottom, 9-46
Acoustic Steel String – D’Addario EJ15 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings, Extra Light (1 Set) – Corrosion-Resistant
Nylon String – D’Addario Pro-Arte Nylon Classical Guitar Strings, Normal Tension EJ45
NEW GUITAR
When a student is starting out, they often also need a new guitar. I’ll be putting a separate post for this together soon, but until then, here are a couple of guitars from my FAVORITE brand, Teton Guitars. They are a relatively local company in Idaho, but keep their cost down by having their guitars built outside of the US. Even still, you are getting a solid wood guitar that sounds and plays great for an incredible price. Definitely a much lower price than you can from a more popular name brand guitar of the same quality. I have played these guitars and have had students buy them in the past. So far, I have found them to be a durable, solid choice. You can check out their website if you’d like to find a local distributor as well.
Teton Acoustic Electric Cutaway Grand Concert Solid Cedar Top Mahogany Back and Sides STG105CENT
Teton Dreadnaught Acoustic Guitar Solid Cedar Top, Mahogany Back & Sides STS105NT
So, what’s next?
If you’re just getting started with the guitar, try checking out my first two guitar lessons!
- The First Seven Songs I Teach All of My Beginner Guitar Students
- Easy Guitar Songs Using Chords G, C & D7
IMAGES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
This is a great list!! So happy you included the Amazon links 💜
Thank you London!