A beginner's guitar choices
If you’re learning guitar for the first time, one of the biggest decisions is choosing between a classical guitar with nylon strings and an acoustic guitar with steel strings.
Parents may also wonder, “Is a nylon-string guitar better for my child?” Meanwhile, adult beginners may be more interested in playing pop, folk, country, or rock songs on a steel-string acoustic guitar.
The good news is that neither guitar is universally better for beginners. The right choice depends mainly on the player’s age, musical goals, preferred genre, and the type of guitar playing they want to learn.
This guide compares classical guitar vs acoustic guitar, including string type, playing style, genres, learning methods, and whether you can switch between them later.
Classical Guitar vs Acoustic Guitar: What's the Difference?
The biggest difference is the type of strings they use.
Classical Guitar: Nylon Strings
A classical guitar normally uses nylon strings, which have a softer feel and generally produce a warm, mellow tone. Traditional Classical guitars also have a a wider neck, wider spacing between strings and a body designed for classical guitar technique. The wider neck provides more room for finger placement, which is useful for playing melodies, chords, and fingerstyle arrangements.
Having said that, in recent years many manufacturers have made Classical guitars with narrower neck to cater to Acoustic and/or Electric guitarists who also want to (occasionally) play on nylon strings. More about that later.
Acoustic Guitar: Steel Strings
A steel-string acoustic guitar uses metal strings that produce a brighter, louder and more projecting sound. Steel-string acoustic guitars are commonly used for Pop, Folk, Country, Blues and Church worships. They typically have a narrower neck than classical guitars, making certain chord shapes and strumming techniques more accessible.
Are Nylon Strings Better for Beginners?
Nylon strings can be more comfortable for some beginners, particularly young children.
Because nylon strings generally have less tension and feel softer under the fingers, beginners may experience less discomfort when developing their finger strength and calluses. This can be particularly helpful for younger learners who are still developing hand strength.
However, this does not mean that every beginner should start with a classical guitar. If a beginner’s goal is to play pop songs using strumming patterns, learning on a steel-string acoustic guitar may make more sense despite the initial finger discomfort.
By and large, we’ll usually recommend a nylon strings guitar for kids under 10 as most acoustic guitars have high tensions and executing a Barre chord with these guitars are a lot tougher. Many kids will also find executing techniques such as Hammer-on, pull-off and sliding much harder and sometimes painful with the steel strings.
Hence, if the child really wants to go with the acoustic guitar, a viable option is to change out the strings to a low tension type, such as those used on Electric guitars.
The size of the guitar is also extremely important. An appropriately sized children’s guitar would enhance the overall learning journey and experience.
Does Playing Style Matter?
Yes. Consider how you want to play, not just what music you listen to.
If you mostly want to strum (and sing), a steel-string acoustic guitar is usually the more natural choice. It works particularly well for songs where the guitar provides rhythmic chord accompaniment. Most acoustic guitarists would also use a guitar pick on their right hand to enhance the overall strumming style and an increased in volume. They usually also perform strings plucking techniques with the guitar picks too.
If you mostly want to play melodies and fingerstyle, a classical guitar can be an excellent starting point. The wider string spacing allows the fingers of the picking hand to work independently, making it particularly suitable for traditional classical and fingerstyle techniques. Classical guitarists are usually taught to use a combination of Rest Strokes (mostly for melody playing) and Free Strokes (for other fingerstyle). Hence, there exists different playing styles and techniques for both of these unique guitars.
If you want to play both, you can start with either guitar, but your choice should reflect which style you expect to play most often.
Can You Switch from Nylon to Steel Strings Later?
Yes. Absolutely.
The fundamental musical skills you develop, such as Rhythm, Chord knowledge, Ear training, Reading music and Musical expression can transfer to other types of guitar.
However, switching guitars does require an adjustment. Steel-string guitars have different string tension, neck dimensions, action and playing techniques. Your fingers may need some time to adapt. The same applies when moving from steel strings to nylon.
Therefore, switching later is possible, but the sooner you know your intended playing style, the more efficient it is to start with the appropriate instrument. The good news is, as I’ve mentioned earlier, Classical guitars with narrower necks are now fairly widely available. This is good news for existing acoustic or electric guitarists who wants to play on nylon strings too. Likewise, this is also good news for Classical guitarists who intend to switch to acoustic or electric guitars later on. Another group who benefits from this are kids or petite adults who really like the Classical guitar but find the traditional neck width too wide to manage.
Some of these models are listed below (valid at the date of this article):
-Ibanez GA5TCE-AM
-Ibanez GA35TCE-NT
-Ibanez AEG50N-NT
-Yamaha NTX series
-Taylor 12N, 12e-N
Should Guitar Beginners Learn Sheet Music or Tabs?
This depends partly on the type of guitar playing you want to pursue.
Guitar tablature (TAB) is often the easiest way for beginners to learn songs. Instead of showing traditional musical notes, TAB indicates which string and fret to play.
TAB allows beginners to start playing recognizable music relatively quickly and it’s particularly popular for:
- Pop songs
- Rock
- Guitar riffs
- Simple fingerstyles
- Contemporary guitar tutorials
Learning to read standard musical notation takes more time, but it provides important long-term benefits.
Reading notation helps you understand:
- Pitch
- Rhythm
- Dynamics
- Key signatures
- Musical expression
For students learning classical guitar, reading standard notation is particularly important because classical guitar education traditionally relies heavily on written music.
Should beginners learn both?
Ideally, yes. A beginner can use TAB to get started while gradually learning standard notation. This provides the immediate enjoyment of playing songs while developing stronger long-term musicianship.
Final Thoughts
Choosing between a classical guitar with nylon strings and a steel-string acoustic guitar is less about which instrument is “better” and more about choosing the right tool for your musical goals. And remember: your first guitar does not have to be your only guitar. As your musical interests develop, you can learn to play both.
Most importantly, choose an instrument that is comfortable, properly sized, and suited to the music you actually want to play. A guitar that inspires you to practise is ultimately more valuable than choosing an instrument simply because it is considered the “best” guitar for beginners.
If you’re still undecided, think about what you want to play six months from now, rather than simply choosing the guitar that seems easiest today. A comfortable instrument that matches your musical goals is more likely to keep you motivated to practise.