When you're starting on guitar, or delving deeper into your guitar habit, these five accessories are a must have for anyone attacking the fretboard. All this gear is a part of my personal collection.
1) Chromatic Tuner-I really like the Fender Model since it offers the ability to clip onto your headstock. A tuner is a must have for any guitar player, but especially for new guitar players in regard to ear training. If your strings are even a little out of tune, nothing you do will sound quite right. The Fender FC-2 Model is available here. I also really like the Snark but I have this Fender version since the Snark is a bit newer.
2) Capo-Never underestimate the power of a capo, especially before you really get to the bar chord phase. There are also a great many classic songs that require a capo clamped onto a certain fret, including "Hotel California" by the Eagles, "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles, and "Wonderwall" by Oasis. The Kyser Rosewood Style Capo is available here. Ain't it pretty?
3) Glass Slide-This opens up a whole new world of the guitar for you, and it's less than $10. I also have a steel slide but I prefer the glass because of the smoother sound. Just make sure to get the one that fits your finger (snug but not too tight), I put mine on my ring finger but if the pinky is more comfortable I've seen that done too. The Dunlop 202 Glass Slide is available here.
4) Guitar Picks-This one may seem obvious, but many of my newest students often forget to bring their guitar pick to class. We want to practice "finger style" too, but my shredding ability involves being a surgeon with the pick. It makes playing arpeggios and chords so much easier and more precise. The other thing to consider is the thickness. I like medium picks best for steel strings, but it's mostly about preference here. To me, thin picks are made for classical guitars with nylon strings, because I play hard and I often break them when using them on steel strings. Also, I think heavy picks are made more for a bass guitar (or down-tuned metal guitar). I like this Fender Premium Picks Pack because it offers a variety of gauges and colors so you can test them all out and choose the pick that's best for you.
5) Leather Strap-Even if you're just playing at home, I highly recommend getting a guitar strap so you can practice playing standing up. A because it's fun to rehearse the power stance, and B because playing the guitar standing is a whole different animal, so for any serious player it's something you'll really need. Many guitars don't come with a strap, but even if it does it may be the REALLY cheap fabric variety that honestly look really horrible to me. This Perri's Leathers variety is still only around 20$, and has so much more style. I use one that looks almost exactly like this.
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