6 Must-Have Guitar Tools for a Beginner

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      The guitar is a great instrument as you all know. It is fun and enjoyable to play especially when after learning notes and chords, you manage to play some of your favourite tracks. As a beginner, there are a few must-have equipments to aid you in your lessons. I call them the ‘six must-have guitar tools’ for every beginner. You would find most of them in your local music store or even better still, on an online store like EBay where there are some great bargains. There are a lot more tools that you would need later on as you master but before you begin, you need these six tools.

1.      ELECTRIC TUNER                                                                                             

 Unless you have mastered guitar playing or you are an expert and can tune the strings ‘perfectly’ with your ears, you would need one of these. It is the Electric Guitar Tuner. It’s a small electrical equipment that helps you tune the strings EBGDAE to sound correctly so that you can get the perfect sound out of the chords. It comes in different shapes and forms. There are some pretty expensive ones but a good one for a beginner should not cost beyond $20. Some come with an attached internal microphone that can pick the sound of your acoustic guitar and direct you to tune it properly. In the case of an electric guitar it can be directly plugged in to help you tune the strings perfectly.                                                                                                                           

2.      STRING WINDER

A guitar string winder is also an essential equipment for a beginner. At some point you might have to change strings and that is where the String winder comes in handy. See the string winder as the ‘screw driver’ for removing and fixing strings on your guitar. You can’t use your fingers to continuously wind the pegs when changing strings or you would get your fingers sore. Some actually come with a string cutter which makes changing strings a lot easier. They are my personal favourites. For less than $10,you should get a good one.                                                                            

                                                                  

3.      GUITAR CASES(HARD CASES VS PADDED CASES) 

PADDED WATERPROOF CASE

HARD SHELL CASE

The name says it all. Depending on where you bought your guitar, it may have come with a case or not. If it came with one, then great you have no problem but if it didn’t you may want to get one. Of course, it serves the basic purpose of helping you carry your guitar with you wherever you wish to go with it but also most importantly, it preserves the guitar from changing temperatures, rain or snow. There are the hard shell cases made of either wood or chip board and also padded cases. The hard shell cases because of their wooden component tend to protect the guitar from any external pressure and would keep your guitar very safe but personally, I prefer the padded cases because I find it more stylish hanging my guitar over my shoulders. Whichever you choose is fine based on your preferences. If your preference is the hard shell cases then you’re looking at something around $90 for a good one but if like me, you prefer the padded cases then you are looking at something around $40 for a waterproof padded case.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

4.      A METRONOME

The Metronome is a small equipment you would need as well. It’s an equipment that helps you practice your play at a required tempo. There is a regulator with which you can use to alternate the tempo as required during a practice. There are different types, some mechanical with a ‘tick tock’ sound like ‘grandpa’s’ antique clock, others electrical with a beeping or clicking sound. My personal choice is the electronic metronome with the clicking sound. I tend to associate its sound with the tapping of the foot when music is playing and so it makes it really convenient for practicing, that is why I would recommend that type. I find the beeping Metronome a lot more distractive because to me, it sounds like a clock alarm but who knows, you might associate that sound with something positive and find it more convenient. Just try them all and find which one would work for you. For the beginner a basic electronic Metronome should cost a paltry $ 8.

5.      A CAPO

The Capo is another equipment that you would need but not necessarily in your first month of learning. In a layman’s explanation, it is usually a small equipment that is hooked to a guitar to press down the strings on a particular fret in order to increase the tension and change the sound of the notes. You may need it later when you actually start learning chords and practicing songs that require one.  There are different types and brands out there but for a beginner a simple Capo would do. Most of them are standard but there are some specifically made for acoustic guitar and others for electric guitars so you need to be specific or you would buy the wrong Capo. A Capo in the range of about $5 should do for now. The good thing about this equipment is that, it is the one guitar equipment that you can improvise at home if you can’t afford the original (more on this later).

6.      FINGER EXERCISER

In my previous blogs on guitar for beginners, I have talked about how as a beginner, you would need to do some finger exercising. As a beginner, your fingers may not be strong enough to endure long practicing therefore, you would need one of these. Your ‘pinky’ is usually your weakest finger and may need a lot of exercising. Also your fore finger would require some special exercising when you start playing Barre Chords because that’s the finger you would mostly be using. Generally however your entire fingers would need regular exercising and so the Finger exerciser is an important tool for a beginner. You can find a video in my previous blog on how to exercise your fingers as a beginner. This equipment comes in different forms but they are all effective. With $6 dollars you should get a good one.

          These in my opinion, are the basic equipments, apart from the guitar that a beginner needs to start off right. You can if you wish add a stand where you can place all these equipments so that they are easily accessible when needed. Feel free to share, comment or ask any question.