Why Play Guitar Instead of Piano?

When I was 12, my parents wanted me to take piano lessons.

They took me down to the local music school.

But the piano teacher’s schedule was full.

The guitar teacher, however, had openings immediately.

My parents asked if I was interested in guitar lessons.

To me, guitar sounded way cooler than piano.

I started taking guitar lessons and fell in love with the instrument.

When I majored in music in college, I also learned piano.

There are benefits of playing piano.

The notes are more clearly linear on piano than on guitar.

An unamplified piano is louder than an unamplified guitar.

A piano can play more notes at a time than a single guitar.

But does the guitar have advantages of its own?

1. Variety of Sound

The piano has a relatively narrow variety of timbres.

The guitar, however, offers a diverse palette of tone colors. Guitars can produce metallic sounds, sweet sounds, harmonics, strummed chords, palm mute, vibrato, and slides.

For me, piano is like hearing pitches in black-and-white while guitar is like hearing pitches in color.

2. Intimacy

On piano, the finger pushes a lever, making a hammer strike a string. On guitar, the fingers directly shape the sound.

While the piano speaks with detachment, the guitar speaks with intimacy.

3. Portability

You can’t strap a 9-foot-long concert grand piano on your back for a hiking trip.

The guitar, however, can go wherever you go. It can become a constant companion.

I don’t think guitar is right for everyone. But neither is piano.

Find the instrument that fits you.

Sooner or later, you could play both!

Keep making music!