Many people who first learn guitar, learn on an acoustic guitar. Once the new guitarist plays an electric guitar for the first time, they question why they did not learn on electric in the first place because of the easier playing. So why is acoustic guitar harder than electric guitar?
Acoustic guitar is harder than electric guitar because of the heavier strings used, increased dynamics, higher action, increased exposure, and less versatility. These aspects combine, making acoustic guitar harder to play than an electric guitar.
Continue reading to find out more on why acoustic guitar is harder than electric and which is best for you to learn on.
Why Is Acoustic Guitar So Hard to Play?
Acoustic guitars are so hard to play because the action is higher, and the strings are heavier. This makes the strings harder to press down because of the increased tension, leading to more fret buzzing and missed notes.
The only amplification of the guitar is coming from the guitar itself. No amp or electronics to help. This is excluding electric acoustics. The acoustic guitar is its own amp.
If coming from an electric guitar background, playing style adaptation is necessary. Single notes on an acoustic do not sound as pleasant to the ear as multi-notes. This adds another variable of complexity to the acoustic guitar.
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Why is Acoustic Guitar Harder Than Electric Guitar?
Acoustic guitars are harder than electric guitars because of:
- Heavier Strings
- Increased Dynamics
- Higher Action
- Increased Exposure
- Less Versatility
Let’s dive into each of these reasons.
1. Heavier Strings
Strings on an acoustic guitar are on average going to be thicker and heavier than an electric guitar. The majority of acoustic guitars are set up with 12-gauge strings. This means the high E string is .012″ where electric guitars typically have .010″s.
Because the strings are thinner on an electric guitar, there is less tension when you are pressing down. Simply put, you are pressing something down that is going to resist you less on each fretted note. This will make your life a lot easier with an electric and harder on an acoustic.
2. Increased Dynamics
The second reason acoustic guitar is harder than electric guitar is because of dynamics. Once all the effects of an electric guitar are on like gain, distortion, reverb, and maybe even a compressor, your dynamic range is going to be fairly narrow. With an acoustic guitar, you are much more out in the open.
An electric guitars dynamics are typically consistent due to its limited range. With an acoustic guitar, the range expands causing the dynamics to be less consistent. Solo pieces on an acoustic guitar are much more dynamic than an electric guitar. This means that the same solo you play on electric will not sound nearly as good on an acoustic. This adds another layer of complexity for the acoustic guitar because the guitarist needs to adapt their solos specifically for it.
Acoustic guitar solos do not sound as great hitting one note at a time. Instead, it sounds better with multiple notes hit at the same time. A guitarist will need to adapt to this change if their acoustic guitar solos are going to be truly ear-catching.
3. Higher Action
The third reason why acoustic is harder than electric is because of its higher action.
For new guitarists, this can be especially difficult. A high action is difficult for a new guitarist because their fingers are fresh and soft. They have not developed calluses yet on their fingers, causing the strings to dig into their fingers more. A higher action means you need to press down harder on the strings. Pressing down harder on the strings means more pain for your fingers.
The increased tension that comes with a high action on an acoustic guitar leads to more string buzzing when strings are not pressed down fully. With an electric guitar, the action is typically far lower. This makes it much easier to fret the strings, making it easier to play. Hammer ons and pull offs, slides, chords, everything is easier on an electric guitar with a low action. Please note, there can be tonal differences to high action vs. low action on an electric guitar but we are not discussing that currently.
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So why not just lower the action on your acoustic guitar? Because strings are heavier for acoustic guitars, they need to be higher to avoid unintentional vibration against further frets. This unintentional vibration is known as string buzzing or fret buzz. With a low-action and heavy strings, sound quality will greatly suffer as notes will not be able to ring out fully. This means less sustain on notes. To compensate for these heavier strings, acoustic guitars have higher actions allowing the notes to ring out fully.
4. Increased Exposure
The fourth reason acoustic guitar is harder than electric guitar is because of increased exposure. Electric guitars have a bevy of effects contributing to its sound. There is gain, distortion, reverb, etc. The occasional note miss can be lost in the sound and forgotten with an electric guitar.
With an acoustic guitar, you are going to be more exposed. Mistakes are much more noticeable, leading the guitarist to have to work harder. This creates a whole new set of challenges for an acoustic guitarist to work through that an electric guitar can simply muffle with effects.
5. Less Versatile
The fifth and final reason why acoustic guitar is harder than electric ties together the previous four. And that reason is versatility. Acoustic guitars are less versatile than electric guitars. Songs that can be played on electric guitar cannot always be played well on an acoustic guitar. Contrary, acoustic guitar songs can typically be played on an electric guitar. The scale is not even in that respect.
This lack of versatility on the acoustic guitar limits the guitarist on what songs they can play. Of course, this is slightly objective. It is possible to play most electric guitar songs on acoustic, although, how pleasing it is to listen to is up to the listener.
I am a big fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was mostly an electric guitar player, and his songs would be incredibly difficult to play on acoustic. Additionally, if an acoustic guitarist were to play one of his songs note for note, it still would not sound good to me since I am a big fan of his style of play which an acoustic guitar could not capture.
On the flip side. If an acoustic song I liked were played on an electric, I more than likely would like it just as much, maybe even more.
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