top of page

Electric Guitar Tips

Click on the various listed topics below to be directed to the relevant page section. 

Which Electric Guitar to Choose?

First of all, you should think about the type of music you want to play. Certain types of electric guitars have been famously known to be used in respective genres. 

​

These are some basic examples:

Rock and Blues: Telecasters, Stratocasters, Les Pauls, PRS

Pop: Telecasters, Stratocasters, PRS

Jazz: Semi-hollows, Archtops  

Metal: Superstrats from companies like ESP, Jackson, Schecter 

​

If you like to play metal, perhaps you will also want to consider guitars that have 24 frets and have higher output pickups. 

​

Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that you HAVE to choose a certain type of guitar to play a certain type of music. The options for customisations for electric guitars are limitless and you can always modify parts of your electric guitar. 

 

Ultimately, you can also use pedals/effects to further shape your tone and sound. 

​

The more important aspect of choosing your electric guitar would be comfort. When buying a guitar, always try it out in person if possible. Even if you do not know how to play, sit down with the guitar and see how it feels when you hold the neck and as the guitar rests against your body. The neck should not be too thick for you and if you have a smaller frame, you might want to choose a guitar that is on the lighter side. Anything heavier than 3.7kg would be considered heavy in my opinion. This is because if you ever wish to stand up and use a strap with the guitar, you will feel the weight for sure. 

​

My personal recommendations for pop/rock beginners:

1. Yamaha Pacifica PAC112J 

My first electric guitar was a Yamaha Pacifica as well and till this day, they are still the best beginner guitars out there. The Pacificas are easy to play and are very versatile sound-wise. As they have a Stratocaster shape, they are comfortable when playing sitting down and standing up. Not to mention, the build quality is very good for it's price. You can enquire with Yamaha Singapore if you want to try one. Their flagship branch is at Plaza Singapura. 

​

2. Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster 50s/60s

If you like playing blues or funk, the Stratocaster is the style of guitar I would recommend you go for. The Classic Vibe is a series from Squier [sub-brand of Fender] that offers a decent recreation of the classic Stratocaster sound. The body is a little heavier than the Pacifica but is still quite comfortable to hold and play. Do take not of the fretwork when buying a Squier as the quality control is not the best. It's a compromise we make when buying a convincing Stratocaster at this price point. Refer to my next tip if you are not sure of what I mean when I say fretwork. For Squiers, you can enquire with Swee Lee Music Company. 

​

My personal recommendations for rock/metal beginners:

​

1. Ibanez RG421

The Ibanez RG has been the go-to model for shredding for decades now. The RG421 is just one of the many models from the RG line-up but I chose it for this list due to its price point. The Ibanez RGs have very thin necks that make playing fast easier than other electric guitar body shapes. The pickups will work decently for distorted sounds but are usually not that great for clean sounds.

​

Personally, I feel that Ibanez's quality control is not as good as other brands like LTD. However, no other guitar model is as comfortable as the RG in terms of how it feels in your hands when you play it. For Ibanez RGs, you can enquire with Swee Lee Music Company. 

​

2. LTD EC-256

LTD is the subsidiary brand of ESP and they make phenomenal guitars. You can say that their guitars are made for metal for sure. The EC series is a Les Paul-like guitar that is much lighter than an actual Les Paul. The humbuckers present in this guitar will give you some pretty decent rock and metal tones. For LTD guitars, you can enquire with Davis Guitar, located in Peninsula Shopping Complex. 

​

Lastly, make sure you feel excited about the guitar! It should make you feel like rocking out :) Gone are the days of rocking out with air guitar, you are on your way to rocking out for real!

Things to look out for when buying your Electric Guitar

​

1. Fretwork

​

Play every fret on the guitar, or ask the shop staff to play it for you. As ridiculous as it sounds, this is very important. Beginner guitars tend to have fret problems, where the frets [those metal strips in the fretboard] are not uneven. It is unfortunate but this is a very common problem. 

 

If you play a fret and the sound sounds 'choked out', it is likely to be a fret problem. 

​

Most shops in Singapore will be willing to fix it for you, but you have point it out on the spot when buying the guitar. 

​

2. Balance and weight

​

The guitar should not be too heavy for you. If needed, ask the shop staff if you could strap the guitar on to see how it feels when you stand up and play. A heavy guitar is one that you will find tiring to pick up and hence one that you will practice less. So, very important as well.

​

3. Action of the strings

​

The strings should not be too high from the fretboard. If they are, you will find it very hard to practice. This is actually one of the main culprits for beginner guitarists who give up playing the guitar. 

​

If you are not sure what a high action is, just tell the shop staff that you would like to play with a lower action. It is not a very hard adjustment to do and most shops should be willing to do it for you. 

​

4. Thickness of the neck

​

If you have small hands, this would be important for you. If you find it difficult to wrap your left hand around the guitar's neck, there is a chance the neck is too thick for you. Ask the shop staff for their opinion if you are not sure. 

​

As you can see, most of these factors can be easily checked with the help of the shop staff. But you have to ask them. If not, most of them will not bring it up when you are trying out the guitar. 

What are the main differences between a single coil and humbucker? 

 

A single coil tends to be brighter and chimey while a humbucker is usually more mellow and full sounding. 

 

If you like to play songs like Treasure by Bruno Mars or Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer, I suggest you get a guitar with single coils. 

 

A single coil also tends to produce a hum and can get noisy when high gain is used. A humbucker will usually produce less noise and can handle high gain better than a single coil. If you want to play heavy metal, I suggest you get a guitar with humbuckers. Think of songs like Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne, Master of Puppets by Metallica etc.

​

Electric Guitar Types with Humbuckers:

Les Paul

Semi-hollow (eg. ES types, Sheraton) 

Superstrat (eg. Schecter, ESP, Ibanez, Jackson) 

 

Electric Guitar Types with Single Coils:

Stratocaster

Telecaster

Jaguar


Electric Guitar Types with both Single Coils and Humbuckers (HSS, HSH, HS layout) 

Stratocaster

Yamaha Pacifica

Telecaster 

Superstrat (eg. Schecter, ESP, Ibanez, Jackson) 

 

There are other types of pickups besides single coils and humbuckers but I shall not go into too much detail as this section is meant for beginners. 

What are some Good Amplifiers for Beginners? 

​

Without any hesitation, my choice would be the Katana 50W MkII. Many of my students have this amp and it is simply incredible. As of 2023, it costs $299 in Singapore and offers incredible value for the price. 

 

Why? It sounds really good and can cover quite a range of sounds. It's a little bigger than some other beginner amps but that's precisely why I think it is so good. When your amp is too small, you will find it difficult to hear bass frequencies and you will not hear satisfying clean tones. 

 

If the Katana 50W is simply too big for your room or practice space, you can go for the Yamaha THR5. As of 2023, it is around $345 in Singapore, with the price varying between the respective distributors. While it is more expensive than the Katana, and you might be wary due to this, I will say that the THR series offers incredible value as well. It is hard to find another amp that produces such good sound, while being of that size. There is also the Positive Grid Spark Mini, but I am not a fan of the sound and hence it is not my first recommendation. 

 

Bear in mind that the amplifiers play a much bigger role in sound than the electric guitar itself, so don’t scrimp if possible. However, if you simply can’t afford anything above $150, you can go for the Boss Katana Mini. It goes for $129 as of 2023 and offers satisfactory sounds. However, these amps are prone to a humming sound when the adaptor is connected. They work fine if you just run it on batteries. 

What are some Good Effects/Pedals for Beginners?

​

Right off the bat, I will just say that I do not use analog pedals as I find them too much of a hassle to bring around and they tend to be expensive. I know there are some guitarists who swear by their analog pedals but technology has gotten so good in recent years that I do not feel the need for them anymore. 

​

For a beginner electric guitarist, I will recommend that you invest in a multi-effects unit. These are devices that use digital technology to recreate the sounds of many different pedals and put them all in one device. Most of them can also recreate the sound of different amplifiers and can be used to record directly into a computer. Phenomenal value if you ask me. There is a range of products and the prices can vary from over $200 to $5000. 

​

My first recommendation for a multi-effects unit would be the Boss GT-1. [By the way, I am not affiliated with Boss, yet. But obviously they make fantastic products with great value.]

 

Anyway, the Boss GT-1 goes for $299 in Singapore as of 2023. It has all the basic features you need to learn with regards to effects and amplifier types. It also comes with an inbuilt expression pedal, which will be very useful if you want to play like Slash. 

​

My second recommendation would be the NUX MG300 and it's bigger brother the MG30. [Yes the bigger model having a smaller number is confusing but it is just like that]. I am not a fan of the functions within the NUX devices but some people have used them and achieved pretty good results. The MG300 goes for around $165 while the MG30 goes for around $360. 

​

There is another brand called MOOER which has been gaining popularity on the internet and some people love their products. However, I've had bad experiences with their product before and so I will not offer any personal recommendations. You will see this brand pop up if you search stuff like 'best beginner guitar multi-effects'.

​

Of course, I will have to mention Line 6. Their products are slightly pricier but most of them are good enough for professional guitarists. If you are willing to spend around $700, you can check out the Line 6 POD GO. Higher up on their multi-effects list would be the Helix Series [HX Stomp, Helix LT, Helix Floor etc.] Anything from that series is amazing so do check it out if you are willing to invest more. 

 

What are the Basic Chords for Guitar playing?

​

You can start off by learning 5 chords first. There are plenty of resources online to check with for these chords but here are some diagrams for you :) They are: G major, C major, D major, E minor and A minor.

The X means that particular string is not played while the O means the open string is played without any fingers fretting on it. 

G.png
Em.png
C.png
D.png
Am.png

Easy Alternatives for Barre Chords

​

While practicing barre chords, many of my students tell me that their hands hurt till the point they can't make the barring shape. This is usually due to the fact that they have not developed the muscle and strength to be able to hold down the barre chords. This is of course the only obstacle left for them as we would have worked through all the techniques for playing barre chords. Such is the trouble with playing barre chords for many people. It is also at this point that many people quit playing the guitar as they find it very discouraging to play barre chords. 

 

In such situations, I offer alternative chords to the barre chords. These chords act as a substitute to allow my students to play through the song, letting them hear how it is somewhat supposed to sound like while their hands recover.

 

For example,

the B minor barre chord is one chord most beginners will see in chord sheets and often the very first barre chord that they will try. The alternative I offer to my students would be Bm7, as seen in the diagram below. This alternative would work well for most songs in the key of G or D.  

​

Another example would be the F major barre chord, commonly found in songs in the key of C or F. The alternative I suggest for my students is actually still a F major chord, but in a simpler form as seen in the diagram below. The proper term for it would be a triad. Don't worry if you don't know what a triad is. Focus on the sound first. 

 

Take note that these chords are just to help you tide over. Barre chords are an essential part of guitar playing and you should definitely persevere with practicing them! 

Bm7.png
F.png

Simple Strumming Patterns

​​

Most beginner guitarists will find themselves a little lost when they are asked to come up with a strumming pattern for a song. Fret not, I will give you some simple strumming patterns to use on 3 different song tempos. They may not work on all songs but they will work on most pop songs. If you don't understand this section, please contact me at zhengyongk@gmail.com and I will be happy to answer your questions. 

 

Ok, on to the strumming patterns as shown in the diagram below. The numbers represent the 4 beats in a bar while the '+' represents the space between the beats. 

 

The arrows pointing down represent a downstrum while the arrows pointing up represent a upstrum.

You will see that the bigger the gap between the first 2 strums, the more dragged out the rhythm pattern feel. If you are the extra hardworking kind of person, you can use a metronome to practice these patterns. The metronome will come in on each number, meaning some strums that you play on the '+' will be in between the metronome beats. 

strumming patterns.jpg

How to make your strumming sound better

Tuning your guitar: It might sound obvious to some, but my years of teaching have shown me its something that we teachers should emphasize. Every time you pick up the guitar, make it a good habit to tune. Temperature changes, especially in places like Singapore, can cause instruments to go out of tune. Even if you 'just tuned it yesterday'. 

 

Choosing a Pick:

Picks actually make a difference in sound. Putting aside the different materials, the biggest factor would be the thickness of the pick. 

 

If your pick can be bent with your fingers easily, it's probably 0.60mm or less in thickness. These picks are great for guitarists who just want to strum and they tend to create a balanced and soothing sound. Picks of these thickness usually create a 'plastic sound' as you play through the strings. 

 

If your pick cant be bent easily, your pick is probably thicker than 0.88m. Thicker picks are usually popular with guitarists who like to play lead but also strummers who want to play with more dynamics. The sound is usually more full but can sound harsh if used by the inexperienced. You will feel that there is more resistance as the pick does not bend like thinner picks. If you are changing from a thinner pick to a thicker pick, there will definitely be an adjustment period. 

​

Another aspect of picks that you should know about is the sharpness of the tip. Some picks are more rounded while some are sharper. The sharper picks face less resistance when striking the strings. 

 

With all the above in consideration, the best choice of action for you would be to try a bunch of different picks. There's no need to settle on one yet, keep trying and find what works best for you!

​

​

How to make faster chord transitions

​

After learning how to strum simple chords, the next common obstacle that guitarists face would be trying to move between different chords quickly. This problem becomes more apparent when attempting to play along with a track or metronome. 

​

While this is best explained in person with visual demonstrations, I will try to explain it in simple terms here. 

​

To make fast chord transitions, you need to train the fingers on your left hand to move independently. I have 2 exercises for you to practice. 

​

Exercise 1:

Focus on 2 chord shapes [For example, C major and G major].

Just move the left hand, from C major to G major repeatedly. When you are doing this, aim to make your fingers move at the same time. This means that you should not see your middle finger pressing down first then the middle finger for G major. Both the index and middle finger should press down at the same time. If you are unable to do it, do not worry and move on to Exercise 2.

​

Exercise 2:

Form the 2 chord shapes in mid-air, and transition between them, without relying on the fretboard for support. It will be uncomfortable but this will train your fingers to be more independent. 

If you are unable to form the shapes at all in mid-air, place your hand on the fretboard to form the chord shape. Then remove your hand from the fretboard and try to keep the shape. Do these 2 exercises daily, for about 50 repetitions each as a rough guide. 

​

Remember the goal is to train your finger independence so that your fingers can move at the same time. This is crucial for making fast chord transitions. 

​

I highly recommend using a metronome or a drum track to practice chord transitions with. For example, after hearing 4 beats, change from C major to G major chord. And you have to make sure you land on G major on the new beat. Start slow, around 50bpm. 

​

I will probably make a video on this topic soon, to help with visualising. If you feel that you really need help with chord transitions, I highly recommend that you sign up for classes with me or find a teacher in your area. This topic is really best shown in person. 

What String Gauge/Size to use?

​

The string gauges I will be recommending below are for Standard E tuning (EADGBE). Don't worry beginners, your guitars will be in this tuning. 

 

String gauges refer to how thick the guitar strings are. Generally, thicker gauges have more tension and beginners will find them difficult to play. 

​

Electric Guitar: 

0.009 to 0.042 (recommended for beginners and aspiring shredders) 

0.010 to 0.046 (recommended for Les Paul style guitars, blues players using Stratocasters and Telecasters)

 

Some guitarists use 0.008 sets or 0.011 sets but as I don't use those, I won't be listing them as my recommendations here. 

 

Acoustic Guitar 

0.011 to 0.052 (recommended for beginners) 

0.012 to 0.053 (recommended for more experienced players)

​

What Brand of Guitar Strings to use?

 

I use Elixir strings almost exclusively as they are the only strings that last in Singapore's weather. They are coated strings, meaning the strings are covered with a material to increase its longevity. Unless I am prepared to change strings every 2 weeks, I will not use uncoated strings. Click here to learn about Elixir strings

https://www.elixirstrings.com/guitar-strings 

 

I also coat the strings with Dunlop's Ultraglide, once every week for the guitars that I leave out in the open. For guitars that I do not use much, I will coat the strings with the Ultraglide and store the guitar in a padded soft case. I will throw a few silica gel packs into the case as well, to keep the humidity down. Click here for information on the Ultraglide. 

https://www.jimdunlop.com/formula-65-ultra-glide-string-conditioner/ 

 

For those with many guitars that are left in the open, you can try my method where I squeeze the Ultraglide's solution onto a wide paint brush and use that to brush my guitar strings. It saves a lot of time.

 

Some might want to use electronic dehumidifiers but if you don't have that many guitars, just placing a Thirsty Hippo Dehumidifier near your guitars will help.

​

Swee Lee sells Elixir strings and provide free delivery. If you want to pick strings up from a physical store and you live in the west, you can pop by my studio at Beauty World Centre. Cheers!

How to Prevent your Strings from Rusting?

​

Always dry your hands before touching your guitar.

 

If you sweat a lot, like how those living in Singapore will, make sure you wipe down your guitar after playing. This is super important as leftover sweat will corrode the metal parts on your guitar and your 6 month old guitar can actually look like a 60 year old guitar if you don't take good care of it. I'm not exaggerating at all, Singapore's weather is brutal. 

 

If your environment is very high in humidity, like places near water bodies, you might want to invest in an electronic dehumidifier. 

Things to note when buying a tuner and capo

 

Choosing a capo:

It is important to make sure your capo has just the right amount of tension for your guitar. If it is too tight, your strings will get pulled out of tune. If it is too loose, your strings will sound muted. 

 

Choosing a tuner:

If you do not have a pedal tuner or an inbuilt tuner, I highly recommend investing in a good clip on tuner. Tuners are one of those tools which you should pay a little bit more for. You don't have to buy a super expensive one, a tuner from D'addario or Boss will do. 

 

If not, you can simply use the GuitarTuna app. It is the best free tuning app and no other app comes close to it. 

Where to find song chordsheets? 

I will be creating a database for chord sheets and providing a chord sheet service in the near future so do stay tuned on my website. 

 

In the meantime, here are online resources where you can find chordsheets:

For English songs: 

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com

https://www.songsterr.com

​

For Mandarin songs:

https://yoopu.me

​

For songs in other languages:

If the song is from a famous movie, there is a chance you find it on Ultimate Guitar. If you are unable to find it anywhere on the internet, you can send me an email [zhengyongk@gmail.com] and I'll see if I can help you out. 

The chords in the song you want to learn look very difficult and foreign. You see chords like G# and Bb and have no idea what to do. Here's some advice. 

​

While there might be exceptions, most likely the song you are looking at is in a key that is considered difficult to play on the guitar. An example would be the key of G#, where the chords would be G# major, C# major, D# major. When some guitarists see these chords, they go: 'Yuck'. Mostly because they have no idea what to do when they see such chords. 

​

The following method only works if you are able to transpose on Ultimate Guitar or you have some basic music theory knowledge. If it's neither of the above for you, I suggest you reach out to me via email or drop by my studio at Beauty World Centre to chat with me, and I will explain it all to you. 

​

The method

If the song's key is in G#, you can transpose the song's chords one semitone lower to the key of G. Meaning the chords G# major, C# major and D# major will become G major, C major and D major respectively. Then, if you want to play along with the actual song, insert a capo on the first fret of your guitar, and then play the G, C and D major chords.

 

What happens now is that while you are seeing yourself play the G, C and D major chords, the sound that you are producing is actually of the G#, C# and D# chords. 

 

Transposing is really a tricky subject for beginners and I do plan to do a video on this soon so stay tuned for that. 

 

What is transposition? 

 

Transposing is the process of changing the key(setting) of a song. 

 

It is usually done because of 2 reasons:

  1. The key is too high or low for the singer/you to sing, making it hard to sing some notes

  2. The chords for the original key are too difficult for the guitarist to play

​

[Click here to read up more on music theory.]

[If you do not know what a key is, click here to find out.]

​

You are thinking of replacing your guitar's pickups. What are some common brands?

 

Tesla - a cheaper alternative to Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan

Dimarzio - A popular brand for pop and rock music, a bit of metal as well

Seymour Duncan -A popular brand for rock and metal music, they have some really popular older models but are constantly innovating as a company as well. 

EMG - A popular brand for metal music in the past, they have new innovations but are now mostly seen as the mid tier pickups for metal

Bare Knuckle - One of the brands that gained more popularity over EMG for metal and just generally heavy music. I love their pickups. 

Fishman - The brand with the latest innovations, they have replaced EMGs in some superstrat models 

  • Spotify
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

©2022 by The Concept Composer

bottom of page