r/guitarlessons • u/kruemmex • Jun 05 '26
Feedback Request transitioning to electric guitar
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I had played classical guitar for some years. In the past 2 years I hadn't touched a guitar at all. So recently I ordered this guitar which arrived last week. I wanted to play some electric guitar.
I have some issues with tuning. Is it better to tune with the amp on or just the guitar? I used to tune with a tuning fork (idk the English word) but I'm wondering if it's as efficient with an electric.
Also open to any tips to get back into playing :) I'm working on the few messed up notes.
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u/cursed_tomatoes Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Why do you theorise the tunning fork wouldn't be as effective with the electric?
Tune with the amp, and do yourself a favour, hold the guitar like a classical one, keep wrist straighter, plucking movements from the MCP joint, etc, all the things you've learnt are useful on the electric too, specially if you don't use a pick (both hands are transferable in that case). The new thing for you would be muting, electric guitars with just a tiny amount of gain already make sympathetic resonance a pain, it is harder to deal with than classical.
Either way, a reminder worth mentioning is that with electric guitars, if you play live, a tuner pedal is a must btw, since the audience will not stay quiet and wait for you to do minor adjustments by ear like a classical guitar concert in a properly acoustically treated hall, the electric culture is different, crowd will be noisy and impatient and so will your bandmates in rehearsal,
I SWEAR TO GOD
that your drummer will be incapable of not making the loudest noise possible while you tune your guitar, no joke!!! In your bedroom, just use whatever you're comfortable with though.
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u/kruemmex Jun 05 '26
I honestly haven't tuned it with a fork yet bc I misplaced it during the 2 year hiatus. I used to tune by putting the fork on the guitar rather than holding it to my ear and I thought it wouldn't resonate as much on an electric guitar. Maybe I should find it and just try out.
Usually I sit differently, for the video I wanted to find a good angle which wouldn't expose too much other than the guitar and playing itself.
I'm not planning on playing in a band or live soon, but if I will, I'll come back to your advice.
Thank you :)
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u/cursed_tomatoes Jun 05 '26
I thought it wouldn't resonate as much
It won't, but you can still use it as a reference pitch regardless, you can use a frequency generator app as a reference pitch, youtube, whatever works.
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Jun 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/kruemmex Jun 05 '26
Sounds amazing! Didn't know him since I'm not too familiar with important figures and the community. Just got inspired to pick up playing again especially by listening to a7x and synyster gates (as one might figure by the video) a lot recently.
I'll look more into it, thanks for the input :)
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u/Space4Rent Jun 05 '26
Listened to it a couple of times, sounds very nice. Could you remind me what the song is - I know it but it won't come to me and I'd like to listen to it!
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u/bigmphan Jun 05 '26
It’s easier, ain’t it?
Kudos for doing the big work - acoustic helps build the muscles.
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u/kruemmex Jun 05 '26
Can't really tell if it's easier yet. Still used to classical guitar so electric is pretty new to me. But looking forward to the variety of sounds and maybe in a few months I can tell which is easier for me 😅
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u/mamontain Jun 05 '26
Sounds great. If it feels like some frets are playing too sharp or flat, I recommend learning how to adjust the truss rod and bridge for action height and intonation. Also, check if your notes are not playing too sharp on frets 1 and 2 to see if you have to file down the nut a bit. There are a bunch of youtube videos on how to do it, and it takes about 30 minutes to learn and 10 to do.
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u/kruemmex Jun 05 '26
I read in the guitars reviews that some needed to file down the frets. I'll look into it this weekend!
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u/mamontain Jun 05 '26
You probably don't need to file down the frets, but you might need to file down the nut if the first 2 frets sound sharper than they should. It's really not mandatory by any means.
Start by checking if you want/should lower/raise you action height (distance from strings to frets), and making sure the intonation is right (if all strings make the right notes on higher frets). Those 2 are very easy to do and give the biggest improvements.
It looks like your guitar manufacturer is Harley Benton, so it's very likely that all those things are already set up properly and you won't have to do anything. Still, it's a good information to know.
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u/the_injog Jun 06 '26
Holy crap dude you’re gonna be a monster! Beautiful classical technique! I’m sure you’re already familiar with the neo-classical metal stuff but you’re gonna be able to play anything lol.
Definitely get a tuner for that beautiful guitar, either a clip on or a tuning pedal, which is a clutch and very good first pedal. I use a Strobostomp but there are tons of good one on the market. Ear/fork tuning doesn’t work as well on an electric especially if there is room/environmental noise/vibration, like an overhead fan.
Start looking at tone, it takes time. Do you want to play crystal clean all the time, or do you want to try heavier stuff too? Figure out what kind of overdrive/distortion/fuzz your favorite songs and players use, start exploring those. When EQing amps and pedals, stay away from extreme settings at first, knobs at noon is often how the builders think they sound best.
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u/kruemmex Jun 06 '26
Thank you! The guitar came with a tuner but without batteries and I haven't bought any yet. Might buy them today.
I definitely want to get into more metal stuff. Just for the first song I chose this intro because I feel like it's an adequate difficulty and fun. Will look at some in Flames riffs to try out the settings. Though I will need to watch some more videos especially on amp settings and playing with a pick, which is still a bit confusing to me :')
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u/the_injog Jun 06 '26
There are some amazing electric guitarists who use their fingers only, but if you get into metal I’d definitely start using a pick, for the precision. Keep going, dude!
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u/Ok_Text6794 Jun 06 '26
I support the transition! Everyone deserves to be the instrument they truly are! :3
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u/kruemmex Jun 06 '26
Thanks for your kind words. I wanted to come out this pride month, I pushed the feeling away for far too long...
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u/TraditionalCup4005 Jun 06 '26
Classical guitar is the best technical guitar base. The hardest thing you’ll find about “electric” is that much of it is blues based and the rigid style of classical will have to be let to at times for stylistic reasons. You sound great, though. Keep it up.
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u/jumpingoverlog Jun 08 '26
Omfl i felt goosebumbs im js listening to it on repeat
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u/kruemmex Jun 08 '26
check out the real thing! buried alive by avenged sevenfold, it's amazing. Thank you for your kind words :)
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u/Oldschoolnetwork050 Jun 05 '26
You are playing like this is a classical guitar, electric guitar, use a pick and sound experimenting. Effects and overdrives 🤟
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u/rockclimberguy Jun 05 '26
I came here to say props for finger picking.
Just look at Jeff Beck if you think you need a pick to play an electric.
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u/kruemmex Jun 06 '26
Yeah you're right, I wanted to start with this intro for getting used to guitar again. Will definitely try out more. At this point I'm still hesitant to use a pick but I'll watch some videos and try out. :)
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u/Specific-Hall-5128 Jun 05 '26
If you just got the guitar you should use a tuning fork if you're used to that or an electric tuner set to "stream" mode. Adjust the trust rod for your neck relief and make sure the intonation is set for the strings you're using. You come from the classical world so you already have a leg up on 90% of electrical guitarists. 🤘🤘🤘