Acoustic VS Electric Guitar
If you are learning how to play acoustic guitar, you are probably aware of acoustic guitar VS electric guitar differences:
Electric guitar has metal strings, and needs to be plugged into amplifier to hear what you're exactly playing. You could play it without an amp, but you would be surprised how different it sounds when plugged in an amp. Acoustic guitar however can have metal or nylon strings, and has a resonating body. That means that you don't need an amp to hear yourself playing, although some acoustic guitars have a built in microphone that adds the convenience of plugging in to an amp.
When it comes to playing style, the biggest difference is probably the fact that songs played on acoustic guitar are played on guitar chords across all strings,
and with distorted electric guitar you will most likely play riffs across first 3 strings. So when learning how to play acoustic guitar, you actually want to learn how to play guitar chords. I did an article on that subject already: How to Play Guitar Chords that you may want to read.
Since I've covered that section already, I want to point out some other important things when it comes to playing acoustic guitar:
How to Hold Acoustic Guitar
Acoustic guitar has a larger body then electric guitars, so you want to make sure you are holding it correctly, to avoid straining or muscle tension during playing. The oval part of guitar, or the dent part if you like, is designed in a such way that you can rest the guitar on your thigh. There are many methods of holding the guitar, but the main goal is to keep your back naturaly straight and avoid drooping your head forward. The shoulders should be relaxed as much as possible. One method I find the most convenient if you plan on practicing for a long preiods of time daily is this method by Pascual Roch (1860–1921):
"The student should be seated in an ordinary chair, neither too high nor too low, the left foot resting on a footstool from twelve to twenty centimeters high (according to his height and physical formation); the height at which the foot should be placed being such, that the left thigh forms a slightly acute angle with the body, and the right knee so far away that the body of the instrument can be comfortably adjusted.Roch recommends that the guitar presses against the left side of the chest, the right foot remains firmly on the floor, the lower bout of the guitar rests snugly on the left thigh, and the player should not lean to the left or stoop. The neck of the guitar should reach the height of the shoulder and the twelfth fret be in line with the player’ s head. The position of the guitar itself should be vertical with no backward tilt."
(Source: http://www.egtaguitarforum.org/ExtraArticles/posture.html )
Finger Picking or Pick Picking
As a beginner you should start with a pick, and once you get your basic knowledge you can move on to finger picking. Finger picking in general is a technique where each finger picks a different string, with the exception of a thumb which may be picking E or A bass strings. Each other finger picks D, G, B or E string. This technique is covered in more detail in this article: http://www.projectsandhobbies.com/fingerpicking.htm
How to Hold a Pick
You should hold the pick as shown in the picture.
Make sure that the grip is not too tight. When you pick guitar strings use your wrist motion; don't try to play from your elbow or your shoulder, and remember, be as relaxed as possible.
How to Keep Yourself Motivated
Motivation is very important when you're learning to play guitar. It's a very tedious and sometimes boring task, to do numerous repetitions of an exercise. To overcome this, try practicing by playing some songs that you like. You goal will be to play that songs or solo flawlessly, and thus you will be motivated until you accomplish that goal. Don't try hard songs first, start with some easy to play guitar songs. There are some great resources on the internet that will help you learn to play some easy songs and in that process you will learn how to play acoustic guitar as well.
