There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question because the answer partly depends on your personal taste and preferences.
However, here are some general tips that may help you decide which instrument to start with.
Is It Better To Learn Guitar Or Ukulele First?
If this is going to be the first instrument you learn and you want an easy start, then you should go with the ukulele. This is because the ukulele is a relatively easy instrument to learn and usually this will keep you extra motivated to keep learning.
The guitar may be a better choice for more experienced musicians, as it can be more challenging to play than the ukulele.
There are some other things you should take into account when choosing whether to play ukulele or guitar. In this article, we’ll discuss all these things!
You Should Learn The Instrument You Like Most
This sounds quite obvious. But how do you figure out which instrument you like most? Especially if you’ve played neither ukulele nor guitar? Well, you can find out by asking yourself a few simple questions:
What kind of music do you like?
Do you like ukulele or guitar music more? Or rather what kind of music would you like to be playing? Would you love to play songs like “Riptide” or “Over The Rainbow” for ukulele, or do you see yourself playing your favorite guitar music?
Where Do You Imagine Yourself Playing It?
Do you see yourself playing an epic solo on stage? If so, then an electric guitar might be the perfect fit for you.
But If you see yourself chilling on the beach or by a campfire, the ukulele will be better suited.
How Much Effort Do You Want To Put In?
Ukulele will take a bit less effort to learn than a guitar. This is because the ukulele only has four strings instead of six.
Also, the strings are made of nylon instead of steel on most guitars. which makes it a bit easier to press in especially when you’re just starting out and you don’t have a lot of strength in your fingers yet.
With a ukulele, you can play a simple song within a day if you got some talent in you, but with a guitar, this will take much longer.
How Much Do You Want To Spend On Your First Instrument?
If you are on a tight budget, then the ukulele would be the better choice. You can get good-quality ukuleles for very affordable prices (Around $50-$150).
If you’re planning to buy your first guitar, then you’ll be spending at least double that amount. Also, if you’re planning to go on the electric route, you’ll be spending even more than that.
Learn Both Ukulele And Guitar
You could also just go for both at the same time. However, this will be much harder than learning one at a time and you’ll also need to buy two instruments instead of one.
But I can imagine that swapping these two instruments around every once in a while will keep things interesting. When you get bored of one instrument you can just get to practicing the other.
There is a lot of overlays in techniques when learning these two instruments, so when practicing guitar for instance you’re also improving the skills you need for the ukulele.
But you have to practice more to learn as fast as if you had chosen only one.
So if you’re not able to commit yourself fully in your practice schedule, I would recommend starting with either the ukulele or the guitar (Depending on which instrument you like more) and then learning the other when you get more experienced.
You Can Play a Variety of Genres With The Guitar
Even though the same applies to a ukulele, there are a lot more songs out there with the guitar in it than with the ukulele.
So the chance that you find a good song that you would want to learn is higher when playing guitar. With the ukulele, there might only be a few dozen songs you like.
In my opinion, you can learn to play any genre with both instruments. But it’s a lot harder to learn a song on the ukulele than wasn’t originally composed for the ukulele.
This is definitely possible, but you’ll need to be very skilled to be able to learn a song that was originally meant to be played on a normal guitar for instance.
There Are Great Online Lessons For Both Ukulele And Guitar
There are a lot of online tutorials and lessons out there for both instruments and most are offering step-by-step tutorials.
A lot of websites that offer guitar lessons and tabs also offer ukulele lessons and tabs. So it will be easy peasy lemon squeezy to find the right info for both of these topics under one roof.
An example of a site like this is Fender Play, which is my favorite by far. Or Masterclass.com is another great one that has lessons on both guitar and ukulele.
I think ukuleles and guitars are a good place to start when you’re new at playing any kind of instrument. They’re very popular and there is a lot of material out there that you can study from.
Conclusion
If you want to learn how to play a guitar or ukulele, there are plenty of resources out there for both.
If you’re on a tight budget and plan to buy your first instrument (or if you already have one), then the ukulele would be the better choice because it’s easier and cheaper than learning how to play the guitar.
However, if money isn’t an issue and you’re looking for more options in terms of what type of music genre is available, then starting with either the ukulele or guitar could work best depending on which one appeals more to your sensibilities.
You can also start by learning these two instruments at once without too much trouble, this will take longer as opposed to just focusing on one!
Thanks for reading!