Cooking tools are to a chef what guitar accessories are to every guitarist. Ted’s List believes you just can’t not have them if you want to become a successful guitar player.
So, after securing that must-have amplifier that puts life into your practice sessions, what else do you need to get? Not much, really. Since once you get this step out of the way, there is pretty much nothing stopping you from getting started.
That said, you wouldn’t want to get started in a less-than-ideal state. That means learning about the items that every beginner needs and the ones they might need somewhere along the way.
Seven Things You Should Have as a Guitarist
Here are a few tools that should get you through your guitar-learning journey relatively challenge-free.
Tuner
Tuning your guitar can be a bit tricky when you first start out. That’s because you might not have the “feel” required to tune it accurately, which could result in sounds your audience wasn’t meant to hear.
A surefire way to avoid this disaster is by using a tuner. This little device not only helps tune with precision but also guides you towards the process of manual tuning—something all guitar players must master.
Guitar Strap
Guitars are the prized possession of almost every guitarist. That means you want to exhaust all the ways to protect it as best you can. One of those ways happens to be placing a guitar strap on your instrument. In this way, you can go all out playing on stage without worrying about your guitar falling off.
Aside from providing stability, straps also keep your arms and shoulders from straining after playing for long periods. They are made up of different materials and come in different designs, but this shouldn’t be something beginners focus on. You just want to make sure you get a strap that allows you to practice long-term, period.
Guitar Picks
Picks vary in design, shape, and thickness. As a beginner, you want to secure a couple on the thinner variety, as they make strumming a lot easier. The thinner the pick is, the more it helps you get a feel for the chords and your instrument in general.
Although somewhere down the road, you might want to purchase medium-thickness picks for hitting individual notes. At the end of the day, your choice of picks depends on your specific playstyle.
Strings
Your guitar might already have strings, but for how long? The fact is, there really is no telling how long a set of strings can last when handled by a beginner. Hence, you want to keep at least two sets of extra strings on hand so that you won’t have to run to the store in case you break them.
If not because of your lack of attunement with your guitar, string breakage could be caused by wear and tear, tension, or age. So, beginner or not, it helps to have several sets of strings hanging around.
Of course, what would you even know to do with the strings if you have them? This calls for learning string installment through video tutorials and other online sources. You’ll realize it is worth going through this learning process, as it helps prevent delays in your practice sessions.
Guitar Bag or Case
We’ve previously mentioned protecting our guitars, right? Well, getting a high-quality guitar case or bag is another way to do it. Not only does this keep your guitar dirt- and smudge-free, but it also eases your instrument’s transport process.
If you aren’t looking for anything expensive, a soft bag should be good enough to protect your guitar and carry it to your gigs. Of course, the pricier bags allow you to brave through the elements with your guitar.
Capo
Your learning doesn’t end with basic chords, which is why you want to keep a capo on hand for playing more complex songs in a variety of keys. With this accessory, you can keep things from going beyond beginner-level technically when executing notes. You just place the capo on the fret and let it guide you through an advanced piece using positions you’re already familiar with.
Guitar Cable
Playing through an amp is the best, but it also calls for not prematurely beaming the tone through the speakers. For this, you need to call on a moderate-length guitar cable with reinforced ends to ensure a reliable connection.
Now, You Can Show Them What You’ve Got
Even with all these tools, it might still take time before you can show your audience what you got. However, the good thing about having these accessories is that your progress becomes a lot smoother. It also paves the way for learning different kinds of genres and coming up with a unique sound, which is really what being a guitar musician is all about.