Q&A for How to Learn to Play Electric Guitar

Yes, especially if you'd like more creative freedom. Electric guitars have much larger ranges than typical acoustic guitars. Electric guitars can have up to 22 or 24 frets, which allows you to hit higher notes and explore different octaves. Use this to your advantage and experiment with playing chords and scales in higher registers to get the most out of this awesome instrument!

The early stages of learning the instrument are pretty much the same. Most people start out with an acoustic guitar because it's the most basic guitar. But if the electric guitar is what you really want to play, and you don't want to waste money on a guitar you don't really intend to use, then just buy an electric guitar.

If you have trouble remembering the notes, a useful tip is the old EADGBE: Ed Ate Dynamite, Good-Bye Ed. If you have trouble tuning or remembering the sound of the notes, strum each string for one verse over and over. Slowly progress to a faster pace until you have the right speed and rhythm for the song you are playing. If you have trouble reading, you can either teach yourself to learn by ear, or get a good and experienced teacher to teach you the basics of guitar notes and how to read them.

Yes, but some of the techniques may not be as effective.

Practice a lot. If you are still finding it difficult after around a month or two, then get a teacher (if you can afford to. Try using different techniques (e.g. the hover technique, where you hover over the next fret you are going to fret).

You could try going to your local library and looking for a book on learning how to play an electric guitar.