Learn To Play The Guitar

So you want to learn to play the guitar?

As a beginner taking your first steps in learning how to play the guitar and you walk into a typical music store looking to buy your first guitar, you might find the wide range of guitar paraphernalia a little daunting.

What do you chose? Classical guitar, Steel String Guitar, solid body Electric, semi-acoustic or electro-acoustic guitar? And that’s just buying the guitar, never mind how to play the guitar, well… Don’t PANIC…

If you have always wanted to learn how to play guitar, then you’ve come to the right place!

But first… Let me ask you this – why do you want to play guitar? Do you want to play guitar in a band? Are you looking to create your own music or do you just want to learn to play the guitar for your personal amusement?

For me, one of the most beautiful instruments ever invented is the guitar. There is no doubt that it is attractive to many and the sound of the guitar can be awesome (in the right hands, that is). It doesn’t matter what type of music may be playing, usually the guitar is one of the crucial instruments in the band or orchestra.

If you are interested in learning to play guitar, you’re not the only one. There are countless budding guitarists out there who have decided to learn how to play the guitar and many, many more who want to learn how to play the guitar but don’t know where to look…

I put this down to the guitars versatility, portability, and the fact that it can be used to play almost any type of music, the guitar is one of the most popular instruments to learn how to play and although learning to play can be challenging the rewards are endless. Whether you’re interested in folk, country, rock, jazz, or any number of other musical styles, learning how to play the guitar can give you the chance to play and perform your favourite songs in a band, or just solo for your own amusement.

But just like any other musical instrument, learning to play the guitar can take a good deal of patience, perseverance, and good old-fashioned practice (a lot of practice) and a little pain along the way. If you’ve ever suffered from blisters and calluses from repeatedly performing the same actions over a long period of time, well you’ll experience similar effects while learning to play your guitar!

There are a few things that will be required from you if you really are interested in learning to play guitar. If you are not able to deal with what I write next… Then don’t even try to learn to play. It will be a waste of your money as well as your time.

Learning to play guitar is not as easy as you think. There is no magic way that you can quickly learn. You won’t suddenly be able to play like Slash from Guns ‘n’ Roses in a month.

A newbie guitar player can have his or her hands cramp up because they’re not used to the strenuous activity… Even your shoulders will get sore along the way. But for those who stick with it, though, learning how to play the guitar can be an extremely rewarding experience and can provide endless hours of personal enjoyment and a talent that won’t go ‘un-noticed’ at family get-togethers or parties…

It doesn’t matter who you wish you could play the guitar like… They started at the beginning. They had to deal with everything you’re going to have to deal with each time you play and yes, it does get easier with time and of course… PRACTICE!

So what is the first thing to know when you learn to play the guitar?

When you first learn how to play the guitar, it’s important to understand the tuning process. Your guitar has to sound like all other guitars; otherwise we’ll all be playing in different keys and at different pitches! So first things first – Learn to tune your guitar!

You've decided to take the plunge and learn how to play the guitar… What should your first steps be? So first things first – Learn to tune your guitar!

You have the lower E string, the A string, the D string, the G string, and the B string. These are arranged from the bottom of the guitar to the top. Then of course you have the high E string, which should be tuned last. Now, you can manually tune your guitar, or you can pay a music store to do it for you. Obviously this will depend on your preference so we’ll leave the decision in your hands.

After you’ve tuned your guitar (or had it done for you – my recommendation when you are just learning to play), you need to learn to read the guitar tabs (tablatures). You can find tutorials for this all around the Internet, and to be honest, most of them are accurate. YouTube is a great resource to learn how to read guitar tabs… It’s going to take a little practice (just like all things in life), so don’t think you’ll be a master after just one attempt. Just make sure you start out playing easier chords because it will help in the long run. The simplest ones are A, C, and G (all major chords).

Once you’ve learned about guitar tuning and mastered tabs and the basic chords for playing, then you should learn some easy songs, and then you’ll have a solid foundation on which to build. Expect to make mistakes along the way. Expect frustration too, lots of it. If you quit when things get tough and don’t go right, you don’t want to try to learn to play the guitar.

Okay you’re ready! That’s all it takes to know how to play the guitar. Add in as much practice as possible and you have yourself a new hobby. Although when you watch guitarists on television or at shows, they make it look so easy. Of course they never show you how much practice they have put into playing or all the time they spent learning to play guitar.

Have realistic expectations when you learn to play the guitar.

If you are willing to work hard, take time to practice, have patience to deal with the problems, and stick with it, then learning to play guitar may be a pleasant and relaxing pursuit.A great option these days when you want to learn to play the guitar is to go online and use sites and courses on the web. Usually one site will be able to provide you the lessons and everything else needed so you can learn to play the guitar well with a solid, technical capability.

You’ll probably have to pay to have access to the best sites for learning guitar. Of course this cost is not that much when you think about how much you would end up paying for guitar lessons. Online learning also lets you learn to play the guitar from home and you can do your lessons when you have spare time. As you are developing your musical skills, look for guitar lesson resources that are suited to your particular musical styles, interests and level of playing. They may be songbooks, books about music scales and chord theory, or videos and CDs that introduce you to a specific style of guitar playing.

Don’t let another day go by without making progress towards your guitar playing goals.

There are some great “real” guitar lesson teachers out there, and there are some really amazing guitar lessons, guitar tabs, guitar scales, and guitar music websites online today too! Hopefully this insight into why I learned to play the guitar after the all time greats will help you find that balance and discover the resources that really work for your own personal guitar music style.

What you need to learn to play the guitar

• A six-string Guitar
• A Guitar pick (plectrum): Light gauge (thinner) picks are better for beginners
• A love of music and a desire to learn hoe to play
• Lots of patience: Learning to play guitar takes time

Things you should keep in mind when learning and playing your guitar

Your fingers will start to hurt as you begin to play. This is very normal. Eventually, with time and a lot of practice, your fingertips will develop calluses and the pain will go away. This may take a couple of weeks to happen. Always keep your fingernails short by trimming them regularly. This will allow your fingers to hold down the notes easier and allow the notes to ring out clearly. And, take some time out in between practice sessions or your lessons to make sure that you’ve understood and mastered each part.

The right posture for learning to play the guitar

1. Start by finding an armless chair to sit in. Make sure that you’re sitting comfortably and that your back is well supported. Also make sure that you have plenty of room on either side in which to move your arms and hold your guitar in the correct position.
2. Place the guitar in your lap with the back of the instrument facing your chest. Let the body of the guitar rest on the leg farthest away from the top of the guitar. If you are right-handed, the headstock (the part with the tuning pegs in it) should be to your left, which means that you will rest the guitar on your right leg.
3. Take a look at the strings on the guitar. If you are holding it correctly, the thickest string (or 6th) should be closest to your chest and at the top while the thinnest (or 1st) string should be the bottom string on your guitar.
4. Take the hand you are going to use to press on the strings to make chord shapes (left for right-handers and right for left-handers) and grip the neck of your guitar gently, this is known as your ‘fretting’ hand. Your thumb should be resting behind the neck of the guitar, supporting your hand while your other fingers float above the strings, ready to form a chord shape.
5. Take your picking hand (the one closest to the bridge of the guitar) and grab yourself a pick (often called a plectrum), place it between your thumb and index fingers and hold it so that it is secure or loosely pinch your thumb and index finger together if you do not have a pick or prefer to play without one.
6. Now you are ready to start playing the guitar. Start by practicing holding down various notes with the fingers on your ‘fretting’ hand to form basic chord shapes, and also by strumming or playing individual strings with your picking hand.