Necessary Guitar Accessories when You’re Starting Out

When you’re looking around the market for your first ever guitar, you’ll likely have no idea what types of accessories you need to get. Buying a guitar is an important part of the whole process of learning to play it properly – you’ll need a few other important items in order to complete the learning process entirely.

Guitar tuner

Electronic guitar tuner
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This is important – your guitar will go out of tune from time to time and the only way to avoid that is to have a tuner handy. The best kind you can get is called a “chromatic tuner” – they can tune any note, and not just a specific range or set of notes. If you want to be able to tune your guitar to any key, a chromatic tuner is the best way to go about that. You’ll definitely want to be able to tune your guitar to a specific pitch, or to match a certain other instrument, especially if you intend to play it with other instruments.

Additional strings

Guitar strings
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Guitar strings are among the elements you’ll be changing a lot of time as they wear out and need replacements. It’s also possible to break your guitar strings – so what can you do if you break a string while you’re learning to play the instrument, or even worse, while playing a gig live or during rehearsal? Having a few extra strings handy can definitely come in handy by helping you avoid some future trips to your local music store.

Capo

Guitar capo
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A capo is a device resembling a clamp, used on stringed instruments to raise the pitch of the strings automatically. Capos are used to shorten the length of the guitar strings and quickly change the pitch of all the strings on the guitar at once. Instead of tuning each separate string, you can “capo” the strings at different frets for quick retuning. There are many different types of capo, so look around a bit before deciding on which one to buy.

Stand

Acoustic guitar on a guitar stand
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The guitar you’re buying is a serious investment – laying it down on the floor or on the bed is a fast way to damage it permanently. A proper guitar stand is a very important part of keeping your instrument safe and protected, and guitar stands typically come in all shapes and sizes, from complex and intricately designed “professional” guitar stands, to more basic and less expensive models.

Strap

Guitar strap
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Playing a guitar while standing up can be quite painful on the arms– sitting and playing the instrument is a bit easier, which is what you’ll likely be doing while you’re learning. You can simply rest the guitar on your knees while playing, and when the time comes to stand up and play – like in a concert – you’ll need a guitar strap.

Picks

Picks can be made from various materials, from tortoiseshell, glass and stone to things like rubber and plastic. The style of your playing and the type of guitar you’re using will make the difference in the type of pick you’re going to need.