Recommended Accessories

There are several accessories that are required to play, some highly recommended, and others that are just nice to have.  Included are price ranges to expect for beginner accessories.

Required Accessories:

Guitar Picks (or “plectrum” if you want to sound fancy) ~ $4 a dozen.  Picks come in different thicknesses for different types of use.  For beginners -- which will mostly entail strumming -- the thin to medium sizes (0.5mm to 0.73mm) are recommended.  The thicker picks (0.73mm to 1.5mm) are usually used for single note and lead playing.  The thinner sizes allow flexibility and smoother sounds and is a great place to start.  Picks are inexpensive, so grab a couple of varying thickness … and have fun with colors and designs!

Guitar Stand  ~ $15 - $35.  Yes, this is a required accessory.  It allows the guitar to be easily accessible which is essential during the learning process.  A stand protects your investment by supporting the base and neck so the wood doesn’t bow and by having a designated storage place other than leaning against a wall or a desk … which is just an accident waiting to happen.  If there are toddlers running around the home, you may consider a wall mount to keep it out of the reach of kids but still easily accessible by you.

Case ~ $30 - $100.  Some guitars are sold with a case, some come in a cardboard box.  You should always use a case when traveling around with the guitar, or if you have to store it other than on a guitar stand.  Gig Bags (soft case) are light and flexible, and usually a good choice for electric guitars.  Just make sure the Gig Bag comes with adequate padding to absorb the little knocks it’ll get going in/out of doors and cars.  For acoustic guitars it’s recommended you start with a hard case unless you are in a very controlled and caring environment and will not need to transport the guitar very much.  While hard cases are a little bulkier, acoustic guitars are much more delicate than electric guitars and need the extra protection.

Recommended Accessories:

Guitar Strap ~ $7 - $20.  Many guitars come with a strap.  A strap is recommended for electric guitars because they are heavier and allow you to stretch your arms.  Straps tend to slip off the guitar peg, so you may also consider adding strap locks if you’re going to use a strap.  Just make sure you don’t lose your proper sitting posture by relying on the strap.  Like picks, straps are a great way to personalize your guitar.

Tuner ~ $15 - $25.  A tuner is a useful tool if you don’t have very good ear pitch.  The electronic version is easiest to use, as red and green lights will tell you if you’re pitch is flat, sharp, or right-on. Some amps have this feature built into them. If you do have a good ear for pitch, there are many tools that produce the note’s sound that you can tune to. We include an online tuner provided by HowToTuneAGuitar.org.

Capo (pronounced: “cape-oh”, short for capotasto) ~ $15 - $25.  A capo is like a clamp, and allows you to change the pitch of the open strings by clipping onto the fret board.  This is very useful if the song you are playing is in too low of a key for your voice, or if you want to play along with a recorded song in the pitch they are playing in.  Avoid the “strap” version capo, as they are not convenient to put on/off.

Nice-to-Have Accessories:

Music Stand ~ $15 - $30.  You do need to have a place for your music sheets to be placed directly in front of you (maybe slightly to your left), about chest high.  If you don’t have a table or desk to prop your music up on (leaning against a computer monitor or laptop works well), then a portable music stand is recommended.

Metronome ~ $10 - $20.  Metronomes keep a steady tempo in beats per minute and can be a useful aid while learning a song. Metronomes come in physical as well as online versions and download apps.  It’s difficult to play to a metronome when first learning guitar, but playing to a steady beat (no matter how fast or slow) is an important habit to form.

Buying Your First Guitar:  check out our article on Guitar Buying Recommendations

If you’d like to join us in the 90-Day Guitar Guide, please start by taking the quick Guitar Quiz.  The Guitar Quiz allows us to customize recommendations to meet your specific goals.

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