3 Guitar Styles And The Pros And Cons Of Learning Them

With so many guitars and guitar styles to learn, you, as a beginner, might be scratching your head trying to figure out what to learn first. Well, there is no one right answer for you. Each guitar style is different from the other, and apart from the basics, there are nuances that you may want to learn depending on the style you want to get good at.

What we can help you do, however, is understand the pros and cons of learning the various types of guitar styles. So, let's talk about the pros and cons of the various guitar styles to help you choose the right style:

1. The Rock Guitar

The Pros

You'll be able to play with a band immediately. Just put on a rock band or Nirvana album, and you'll be able to pick up all the tunes. Also, you'll be able to play songs by your favourite bands, which can be a lot of fun.

The guitar is a versatile instrument, so once you've mastered the basics, you'll be able to experiment with different styles, sounds and techniques to create your own interesting music, and you won't have to spend hours learning new skills every time you want to try something new.

The Cons

Rock guitar isn't exactly respected in many music organisations or even cultures. As such, if you want to become a rock guitarist, your job opportunities and the like may be limited.

Rock guitar is also incredibly challenging to master, so you'll need to put a lot of time and effort into honing your craft to rock out properly.

You may be able to skip the theory and the like with rock guitar, but that also means you'll be weak in those aspects. Of course, you can fix the problem by studying theory, but just remember that you may not have much exposure to guitar theory and the like by learning rock guitar on the get-go.

2. The Classical Guitar

The Pros

Classical guitar may seem like an odd choice to start with if you're passionate about rock music. However, classical guitar is one of the most popular styles of guitar in the world. If you're looking to become a guitarist, you have to learn classical guitar.

Also, classical guitar is what most professionals and elite guitarists play, so learning classical guitar will help you open doors for yourself in the professional world.

The Cons

As the guitar is the only instrument used in classical music, you need to be a complete classical musician. This means you need to be proficient in music theory and the like, which can be a lot of work for a beginner.

The classical guitar also has many different styles and techniques, so it can get a bit overwhelming for beginners.

3. The Jazz Guitar

The Pros

Jazz is a highly-respected form of music, so learning jazz is one of the best ways to get there if you're looking to become a respected musician.

Jazz is also versatile, so once you've mastered the basics and learned the fundamentals, you can easily experiment with different styles, sounds and techniques to create your own interesting music.

The Cons

Like rock guitar, jazz guitar is extremely challenging to master. While you may be able to skip the theory and the like with rock guitar, that won't be true with jazz.

Jazz guitar is also a popular style, so if you want to become a professional jazz guitarist, you'll need to compete against many other aspiring jazz guitarists.

Like the other styles mentioned, jazz guitar also has many different styles and techniques, which means it can take a lot of time to learn everything.

Conclusion

Apart from the styles we've mentioned today, there are many other styles out there. Just be sure to weigh the pros and cons of learning each style, and be sure that what you pick aligns with your goals! That way, you can practice the right style without wasting your time, ensuring your end goal is met, whether you want to be a rock guitarist, classical guitarist, or anything else!

Musicstreet is a family-run guitar store offering hundreds of guitars of all styles and other accessories to meet any guitar needs. If you are looking for a guitar shop in East Anglia to buy your guitar and more, check out our store!