Guitar vs Piano - Which Instrument Should You Learn?

The classic beginner's dilemma compared here - cost, difficulty, physical comfort, and which one fits your goals. Plus a clear recommendation for each type of player.

It's the oldest question in music lessons: guitar or piano? Both are wonderful, both will change your life, and both have fierce loyalists. The honest answer is that there's no universal winner - there's a right answer for you.

This guide compares them fairly across everything that matters to a beginner, so you can choose with confidence.

The Guitar

Pros:

Portable. Pick it up, take it anywhere - the garden, a friend's house, the living room. It's the social instrument.
Fast wins. You can strum simple chords and play real songs within weeks. This early reward keeps beginners motivated.
Cheaper to start. A decent beginner acoustic costs less than a decent beginner keyboard (or piano!), and you need nothing else - no stand, no amplifier (for acoustic), no bench.
Chord-based music. If you want to play songs you know and sing along, the guitar is made for you.

Cons:

Fingertips hurt for the first few weeks - everyone's do, and they toughen up, but it's a hurdle.
Barre chords (one finger across all strings) are genuinely difficult and frustrate many beginners months in.
More demanding physically - wider stretches, heavier strings. A nylon-string (classical) guitar solves much of this, and is a wonderful choice for older or sensitive hands.

The piano (or keyboard)

Pros:

Visually logical. The notes are laid out in front of you - no hidden shapes to memorise. You can see the music theory.
Both hands from day one. You train coordination and independence that transfers to every other instrument.
Sound great immediately. Press a key and it's in tune, you're making pleasant sounds from the very first session.
Quiet practice. Digital keyboards with headphones mean you can practise at midnight without disturbing anyone.
The complete instrument. If you want to understand music in depth - chords, melody, harmony - the keyboard is the best classroom.

Cons:

Bigger upfront cost. A decent keyboard, plus stand, and bench add up, and so it's less portable. A piano is a serious investment, unless you already own one.
Slower "song" reward. Playing a recognisable song takes a bit longer than strumming just three chords.
Coordination hump. Getting two hands doing different things takes patience - although the payoff is huge.

The cost comparison

Guitar - a solid beginner acoustic runs roughly $100-200; a nylon-string classical slightly more. Total start-up: about $150-250.
Keyboard - a decent 61-key digital keyboard with stand and bench runs roughly $150-300. Total start-up: about $200-350.

Both are one-time costs, and both have excellent free and low-cost learning resources (the music courses on our site cover guitar, piano, and more). Don't let the cost deter you as the rewards are immeasurable.

A quick decision guide

Choose the guitar if... you want to play around campfires and at parties, you love the idea of strumming songs, or portability matters more than theory.
Choose the piano/keyboard if... you want to understand music more deeply, you have stiff or painful fingers (the keyboard is the gentlest option), or you'll practise at home with headphones.
Choose the ukulele if... you keep going back and forth - it's the gentlest, cheapest, most portable way to start making music today, and it's a perfect stepping stone.
Choose both... in a year, if the first one sticks. Many musicians play more than one instrument; the first one teaches you how to learn.

The physical consideration (worth being honest about)

If you have arthritis, stiffness, or weaker hands, this matters more than any other factor.

Keyboard - light touch, no string pressure, hands sit naturally. The most comfortable option by far.
Nylon-string guitar - softer than steel strings, easier on the fingers, still portable.
Steel-string guitar - the toughest on the hands; best chosen when finger strength isn't a concern.

There's no wrong answer - but if comfort is a question, the keyboard or nylon-string guitar will keep you playing longer, and "keeps you playing" is the whole game.

The learning resources, compared

Both instruments have excellent online courses these days - and the music resources on our site cover the best of each:

For guitar - step-by-step video courses (like Fender Play) that take you from holding the instrument to full songs. The visual, chord-first style suits self-teaching well.
For piano - interactive apps (like Simply Piano and Easy Piano) that listen to you play and give instant feedback - genuinely like having a patient tutor in the room.
Either way free YouTube lessons can get you started today while you decide whether to invest in a structured course.

The tool that gives you feedback and keeps you accountable is worth more than the instrument itself in the first month.

A few questions beginners always ask

Do I need to read music? Not to start. Both guitar chords and keyboard basics can be learned without it, and reading can come later if you want it.
Am I too old to learn? No - see our guide to learning after 50. Adults learn slower to sight-read but faster at understanding music.
Can I learn both? Yes - and many do, once the first one clicks. The first instrument teaches you how to learn, the second comes faster.
Electric or acoustic guitar? For a first instrument, acoustic is simpler (nothing to plug in); electric is easier on the fingers but needs an amplifier.
Keyboard or digital piano? A keyboard with weighted keys and 61+ keys is the sweet spot for beginners - more portable and cheaper than a full piano, but still feels and sounds right.

The takeaway

Guitar and piano are both fantastic first instruments, and you genuinely can't go wrong. Pick the one that matches how you want to play: social and portable (guitar), or thorough and comfortable (piano/keyboard) - and remember that the best instrument is the one you'll actually practise.

Start, be patient for a month, and you'll be playing music before you know it.

New to all this? Read how to learn an instrument after 50 first - and when you're ready to start, the music resources on our site have you covered.