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If you have not selected a guitar for yourself yet, the following information can virtually save you from a “disaster.”

The quality of the instrument you choose for your practice and performance if often underestimated by most beginners. It is crucial to understand that half of the success of any musician lies in the quality of his/her instrument (this claim is not valid 100%, but in general we can assume this is the case).

So, what is that incredibly important about the guitar that I choose for my playing?

First of all, there are many different types of guitars. Some guitars are better for rock or heavy metal music and some others work better for blues or folk, for instance. Yes, it is true that a good musician can play almost any style using any instrument, but we are talking about beginners or intermediate players here.

Hence, your very first step is to decide whether you want an acoustic or electric guitar. Both could be used for playing blues music, but I would advice on choosing an acoustic guitar for this particular style. It is a little bit harder to learn to play acoustic guitar, because it is more difficult to press and hold down the strings than it is on electric guitar. However, once you learn to play acoustic guitar it is virtually a piece of cake to switch to electric guitar later on. If you try to do the opposite you will be unpleasantly surprised how difficult it is to play acoustic after learning electric guitar first.

O.K., we know that we want an acoustic guitar. What is next? Your next consideration is the type of acoustic guitar. There are classical, Spanish, and regular acoustic guitars available. For the purpose of learning blues guitar, I would recommend picking a regular acoustic guitar, which will usually have six metal strings and slightly narrower neck than classical guitar. Acoustic guitars could be made of wood, plywood, or laminate. I would strongly encourage you to spend few more bucks and go for all wood guitar as those instruments usually have much better sound (the quality of resonance) and in my personal opinion, wooden instruments have souls of their own.

The next characteristic you should examine is the size of the instrument. There are generally three sizes, two for kids depending on their age and size, and one for adults. Do not buy a small guitar unless you are a really petite individual.

Now, one of the most overlooked aspects that should determine your selection is how the guitar feels in your hands. You should hold it in all possible positions (sitting, standing) and feel absolutely comfortable with it. As a matter of fact, you should fall in love with it. I am not kidding. I treat all my instruments as the most cherished lovers.

Finally, we are getting to the most important characteristic, which is the sound of the instrument. You should love the sound of the guitar you want to play. Moreover, if you plan to sing while playing, the sound of your guitar should be complementing your voice. Most importantly, there should be no strange sounds, such as clinking or buzzing, coming from the instrument when you play it. The best advice is to go to the store with someone who knows how to check the quality of the guitar.

If you select the right guitar for your practice, you are more likely to succeed with your effort to progress in learning blues music. You will enjoy your blues guitar lesson more, play more often, and in case you decide to buy a more expensive instrument, you will be able to resell your guitar easily, as the quality instruments hold their value better.