Guitar Accessories Everyone Should Have

Finding the right guitar can be hard. Knowing what accessories to buy with it can be even harder.

First off, I am not a salesman. I am not here to promote any particular product. I am however, a teacher, and I see new guitar students every day. I watch them struggle through their first chords and strumming patterns.

Over the years, I have begun to recommend certain accessories for every new student.

Some help you to care for your instrument, and some help you to learn faster.

Having the right accessories will make your musical experience much more enjoyable!

Get the most out of your guitar with these 6 must-have accessories…

1) A Tuner

This one should be fairly obvious. A guitar has strings. Those strings go out of tune.

Keeping your guitar in tune is absolutely crucial.

I would recommend a small clip-on tuner; you can take it anywhere, and you don’t need a patch cable for it to detect sound.

The material you are learning will never sound right if your guitar isn’t in tune. Remember the names of the open strings, and get yourself a tuner.

Some beginner guitar packages include tuners. If yours doesn’t, make sure you grab one before you leave the music store.

2) A Capo

A good capo can cost up to $30.00, so a lot of my students (or their parents) are reluctant to buy one right away.

If you are looking to learn your favorite songs on the guitar, capos come in very handy. They take your open chords and raise them to a higher pitch, often making songs easier to sing.

Sometimes easy songs are written in difficult keys.

If you play a C chord with your capo on the first fret, you are now playing a C# chord. C# is a difficult key to play in, but with a capo it is as easy as playing in C.

Artists like Taylor Swift write songs with capos so they are always singing comfortably, and easily playing open chords no matter what key they’re in.

Get yourself a capo, and learn way more songs than you ever thought you could!

3) Chord Book

Don’t wait for your teacher to write down new chords every week.

Chords take time to learn. Control the speed at which you learn by having all of your basic chords at your fingertips.

I always tell my students that your growth depends on how much work you put in at home.

Look up the chords to your favorite songs, and learn them on your own! Your teacher is there to guide you, teach you rhythms and timing, and to give you feedback.

4) Humidifier

This is an important part of guitar care.

Weather is not a friend to guitars. Changes in the weather cause the wood to expand and contract, causing cracks and warps. These cracks and warps will affect the sound and playability of the guitar.

If your neck warps, your guitars intonation will be off, and it will always sound out of tune. Only an expensive setup can fix this (sometimes!).

Prevent cracks and warps by placing a humidifier inside your guitar case. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.

They’re usually not expensive, and all you have to do is leave it in your case.

5) Cleaning Kit

This too has to do with guitar care.

Cleaning kits usually include rags, guitar polish, string cleaner, fret board cleaner, and sometimes more. They are great for keeping your guitar looking shiny and new.

This is mostly for the aesthetic, but one aspect of guitar cleaning can save you money.

Cleaning your strings regularly can make them last longer.

Strings gather a lot of skin particles, grease, and anything else that can be found on human hands. This wears down the strings, making them dull and more likely to break.

No beginner guitar player enjoys replacing strings. It’s tedious, and it can be a little scary winding the strings so tight.

If you keep your strings nice and clean, you will have to replace them less often!

If you don’t want a whole guitar cleaning set, wipe your strings down with a cloth each time you play it for a long period of time.

6) Extra Strings

Just in case.

Strings can break at any time. Be prepared!

Music stores are not always open, and you may not always be close to one, so it’s good to have a backup set of strings in your case. That way you’re not stranded with an incomplete guitar to learn on.

Strings can break from over-tightening, bending too far, or picking too hard.

Learning to change your own strings can save you money; music stores usually charge for the service. Change your own strings as soon as you break one, and keep working on those bluesy minor 3rd bends!

Don’t shortchange yourself when you’re learning guitar. Engage in the whole experience, and invest in the right accessories.

The costs may add up, but the savings will too!

Maximize your learning with a tuner, a capo, and a chord book. Get the most life out of your instruments with a humidifier, cleaning kit, and extra strings.