In order to play guitar you need a guitar. Simple enough, eh?

While learning to play guitar is as easy as that most guitarists learn the instrument more effectively by incorporating many of the wonderful guitar tools and accessories available. Some of the guitar accessories (below) are simple little tools like picks and guitar straps while others are more advanced like capos & slides and electronic tuners. Regardless, they’re all essential guitar accessories for learning guitar.

Guitar Case/Bag

If you just purchased a guitar you probably do not plan on playing any live shows for awhile, right? Consequently, why do you need a guitar case/gig bag?

Guitar cases and gig bags help protect the instrument and maintain peak performance. Even if you’re not ready to play live, you may take your guitar over to a friends or on the road while you travel. If you’re really focused on keeping your guitar in mint condition you can even store your guitar in the gig bag when not in use. Regardless, owning a guitar case/bag not only makes you look like a legitimate guitarist but helps increase the longevity of the instrument.

Guitar Picks

Most beginner guitarists will learn to play the instrument with a guitar pick. As a result, you can never have enough picks. Unfortunately, guitar picks are easy to misplace or lose so make sure you have a large assortment available.

The cool thing about guitar picks is that they are sold with all kinds of decorative art and make your guitar just that more personable.

Extra Guitar String

Always carry extra guitar string because you never know when a string might snap. It’s especially important once you begin playing shows. Until then, get in the habit of carrying extra guitar string. Its simple advice but important.

Guitar Strap

When you first learn the guitar playing while sitting down will probably feel more comfortable. Nothing is wrong with this approach but at some point you will probably want to play guitar standing up (think about it, when was the last time you saw a guitarist playing live while sitting down). Consequently, it’s not a bad idea to mix up your practice routine by playing both sitting down and standing up.

In order to play guitar standing up you’ll need a guitar strap. The good news is that guitar straps are very affordable and some really sweet guitar straps exist with unique graphic art or color design.

Guitar Wood Polish (and other cleaning tools)

It’s important to regard your instrument as something you love (like a family member, friend). Therefore, never neglect your guitar! Your guitar needs some extra attention just like anything else. As a result, a lot of guitar cleaning products are available including guitar polish that you’ll need every once and awhile to shine up the body.

Invest in a few guitar cleaning products and maintain a regular schedule in order to increase the longevity of your guitar.

Metronome

It’s all about the beat.

You may not always have access to a good drummer, but you do have access to a metronome. In fact, you can grab a fantastic metronome for free online. Metronomes maintain a steady beat and assist you while you play the guitar. Do not forget to use a metronome.

Electronic Guitar Tuner

While several different ways exist to tune the guitar by far the easiest (and one of the most popular) is to tune via an electronic guitar tuner. Electronic guitar tuners are easy to use and produce an accurate result. They’ll cost a little money but be sure to invest in one. Also, once you start playing shows always bring a couple extra batteries because you never know when the tuner might lose battery power.