While most people know what an electric and bass guitar is, many are confused with the difference between an Acoustic Guitar v/s Classical Guitar. So if you are also wondering which instrument suits what you are interested to learn, the first thing to ask yourself would be:
Do you prefer to play classical music (plucking the tune of the songs) or prefer pop music (strumming and singing along)?
If it is the former, then we would suggest learning the Classical Guitar and if you prefer the latter, then that would be the Acoustic Guitar.
Type of strings
The first difference is that classical guitar uses nylon strings while acoustic guitar (folk guitars) uses steel strings. Thus, when it comes to tone, the classical guitar gives off a mellow tone while the acoustic guitar produces a brighter tone.
Fretboard
Another difference is the neck of the guitar - the fretboard. Classical guitars have a wider neck as compared to acoustic guitars. Reason is because as classical guitars are used to play classical songs, chords/arpeggios, strings have to be wider apart so that single notes can be played and heard more efficiently.
For acoustic guitars, necks are narrower and acoustic guitars are usually used for music like folk, country, jazz, pop and blues.
So Which Guitar Should I Learn?
Beginners with small hands may have difficulty playing some chords on the classical guitar, as the neck of the guitar is wider. However, nylon strings on the Classical guitar is easier on fingers, thus it is easier for beginners to play and practice.
On the other hand, the neck of acoustic guitar is narrower, thus it is easier for small hands to play. However, steel strings on the guitar are harder on fingers, and it will cause the fingers to sore from practice. This might be one of the reasons that some students give up, as they have to go through the painful period when practicing. The pain will eventually go away when callouses are formed on their fingers.
Guitars are the same as any other kind of musical instruments. Practice is always necessary for one to learn and excel in playing. Through practice, even guitarists with small hands can also excel in playing the Classical guitar. Most importantly, the kind of music you are interested plays a major role in the choice of the guitar learnt as your interest will motivate you to continue learning. For instance, a classical music lover will be motivated to learn the Classical guitar as you will be able to learn a wide range of classical music on your guitar.
If you have more time, we would suggest for you to view the video that our co-founder has recorded below. Within the video, he has done a more detailed description of the differences and also demonstrated how each instrument sounds like.