Beginner's Guide to choosing the correct Musical Instrument

Beginner's Nylon String Guitars

An eight year old will probably find it difficult to play a full size guitar, the body and neck of the instrument will be bigger than they can comfortably handle.

An adult on the other hand is unlikely to want a half size guitar. They are also popular with beginners as the strings are softer on the fingers of a first time player. They are typically played 'fingerstyle' and not strummed with a plectrum.

For a beginner's nylon strung guitar or classical guitar we recommend the Jose Ferrer
For an intermediate nylon strung guitar or classical guitar we recommend the Farida C-6
For a progressing guitarist using a nylon strung guitar or classical guitar we recommend the Admira Seville Model or above

Beginner's Steel String Guitars

Steel string guitars are often referred to as FOLK or ACOUSTIC guitars.

Most adult beginner's will start on a STEEL STRING ACOUSTIC because for many it is the easiest instrument to learn on.

Due to the larger body size of many of these instruments, they are sometimes unsuitable for younger or smaller students. Although they can be played fingerstyle they are very often played with a plectrum.

There are many different manufacturers of steel string guitars. For beginners we can recommend the Oldfield D1. Farida guitars are a fantastic value-for-money brand and we can recommend any of their guitars which come in all sizes and shapes to suit most pockets. The most popular Farida acoustic guitar for beginners is the Farida D-8 which also includes a Free case. The Yamaha F310 is also a very popular beginners guitar.

STEEL string guitars come in a range of shapes and colours, the most common design known as a DREADNOUGHT. Some models have a facility that allows them to be amplified, these are known as ELECTRO ACOUSTICS such as the Farida D-21-CN.

If you wish to plug your ELECTRO ACOUSTIC into an amplifier it is best to go for a dedicated ACOUSTIC GUITAR amplifier. These are designed to sound as natural as possible and not to alter the basic tone of your guitar. A great choice for beginners is the Stagg Acoustic Guitar range of amps. Just don't forget to buy the guitar lead to connect the two together!

Beginner's Electric Guitars

ELECTRIC guitars come in a huge range of shapes, styles and colours, and are typically made of solid wood. The majority of solid body ELECTRIC GUITARS are influenced by three iconic designs: The FENDER STRATOCASTER, FENDER TELECASTER and GIBSON LES PAUL.
There is an electric guitar built to suit the taste of every beginner, the most popular in our stores being Oldfield, Farida and Squier electric guitars.

To hear these guitars properly you will need an AMPLIFIER. If this is just for home use, these are often referred to as PRACTICE AMPS and need be no more powerful than 30 watts. Some of these even have a range of sound effects and as standard most are fitted with a headphone socket for silent rehearsal. Popular beginners amplifier brands are Oldfield, Marshall and Line 6.

To save time and make purchasing a present for a beginner that much easier, many manufacturers produce a complete GUITAR PACK that will include the instrument, amplifier, strap, leads, strings and in some cases a gig-bag and tuner as well. We offer some great value guitar packs for the beginner from Oldfield, Farida and Squier.

Beginner's Bass Guitars

BASS guitars make a sound that is considerably lower than normal electric guitars. They typically only have four strings, unlike the normal six on the guitar. The instrument is also bigger than an electric guitar and has a much longer neck. The strings are thicker as well, and so for young beginners there are specially made short scale instruments. Popular brands of beginner's bass guitars are Oldfield, Farida and Squier Bass guitars.

To hear these basses properly you will need an AMPLIFIER. If this is just for home use, these are often referred to as PRACTICE AMPS and need be no more powerful than 30 watts. You will also need to ensure that you have bought a BASS AMPLIFIER as the sound produced by these instruments could damage a normal electric guitar amplifier. We find that Oldfield, Marshall and Fender bass amplifiers are well built and popular.

To save time and make purchasing a present for a beginner that much easier, many manufacturers produce a complete BASS PACK that will include the instrument, amplifier, strap, leads, strings and in some cases a gig-bag and tuner as well. Dawsons stock Bass guitar packs for beginners from Oldfield and Hartke.

Beginner's Drum Kits

DRUM KITS come in two basic formats, ACOUSTIC or ELECTRONIC.

Acoustic Drum Kits

ACOUSTIC DRUM KITS come in a range of brands, sizes and colours, but normally consist of a BASS DRUM, a SNARE DRUM, up to three TOM TOMS plus cymbals and hi-hats. This is often referred to as a 'FIVE-PIECE' kit.

Younger beginner's may find it difficult to play a full size drum kit, so especially for the smaller musician it is possible to buy JUNIOR sets. A good starter kit will normally include all the drums, a set of sticks and a stool. It is worth considering at this point that drums are naturally loud, and depending on where you live it might be worth investing in a set of SILENCERS. These are pads that sit over the drum skins, and while they don't take away all of the sound they will make it much more pleasant for your neighbours. Popular brands of beginners drum kits are Oldfield who make a Junior or 3/4 sized drum kit, a full sized drum kit and a lacquer kit plus our Gretsch drum kit

Electronic Drum Kits

ELECTRIC drum kits normally consist of a set of pads rather than drum shells. As a result they don't make the same noise when you hit them. All the drum sounds are generated by a BRAIN that is linked to all the various pads, and because all the sounds are created electronically you will be able to hear far more than the sound of just one drum kit.

They are ideal for practice using a set of headphones, they are virtually silent compared to an acoustic kit, and are much smaller, lighter, and easier to move around a small room. However, if you plug them into a dedicated drum amplifier they sound enormous!

We stock Electronic drum kits such as the Alesis DM5 and Alesis DM Pro plus the Yamaha DTXplorer. Roland are one of the pioneers of digital drum manufacturers and produce several kits ranging from their Roland HD1 starter drum kit, TD3, TD6, TD12 and their flagship Roland TD20.

Beginner's Keyboards

Although to look at, some people might think that ELECTRONIC KEYBOARDS and PIANOS are quite similar, they do in fact differ in quite a few ways. The first thing you notice is that they are normally much smaller, most of them only having 61 keys as opposed to a full set of 88. These keys also feel much lighter when you press them, whereas a piano feels much heavier. This is often referred to as the 'action', and is the reason why piano students are advised not to learn on an ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD.

A KEYBOARD will produce a range of different sounds, from pianos to organs, guitars to flutes and strings to drums etc. Most will have in excess of 100 different sounds, or VOICES as they are often called. They also feature collections of RHYTHMS or DRUM PATTERNS to play along with, and these are sometimes called STYLES.
Many keyboards come loaded with other features, for example the facility to record what you play, the ability to play more than one VOICE at the same time, and special connections that allow you to plug your instrument into a computer.
If you are beginning to take lessons on the keyboard we would recommend that you buy one that features TOUCH SENSITIVE KEYS. This simply means that the sound responds to how hard you press they keys, and as a result your playing will become far more expressive. Popular choices for beginners keyboards are the Yamaha PSR-213, Yamaha PSR-313 and the Yamaha PSR-403

Please be aware that most manufacturers do not supply their keyboards with a power adaptor or stand.
These will need to be purchased separately.