I remember a few years ago when my son wanted to learn how to play a guitar. He would pick my guitar and tried to imitate me by strumming a chord. He really wanted to learn but could not produce any good sound no matter how he tried. I could tell that he really wanted to learn how to play a guitar but everything seemed to be hard but was looking for a better way to start learning.
I took some time to give him some tips to consider if wanted to be successful learning how to playing the guitar. He followed my tips and he started learning how to play the guitar the right way. I could not believe how much progressed he made in a short time following the tips I gave him. He developed much confidence and was able to take the guitar to a summer camp.
Here are some tips for you to learn how to play the guitar.
Choice of Style to Play
The choice of style you want to play will determine the type of guitar to use. Whether it is classical, blues, or rock, choosing the right guitar will give you the sound you are looking for. Also, knowing what types of guitars will remove the guess work on which type of guitar to use. For example, a classical guitar has nylon strings while a blues, or rock guitar has metal strings.
Have Your Own Guitar
If you don’t own a guitar, it will be almost impossible to learn or progress fast because you will be at the mercy of the guitar owner. I talk this from experience. When I was learning to play the guitar, I had a friend who lend me his guitar to practice some chords. I was progressing so well until a week later when asked for his guitar back. This got me so frustrated that I had to do something about it. I needed to have my own guitar. That experience was a wake up call. Within a few months I purchased my own guitar. This time I could play any time without worrying that the guitar might be gone.
Take Lessons
You will need to take lessons so that you have some fundamentals in place. One of the lesson you will learn is tuning the guitar. There is nothing more annoying than having a guitar which is out of tune. At some point, you will learn how to hold a chord. If the guitar is out of tune and don’t know how to put it back in tune, you will not have the desired sound no matter how hard you tried.
Practice…Practice…Practice
Learning how to play a few chords is easy, but to master the guitar can take quite a long time. Let’s say, you wanted to play the style of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, or Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, or Jimi Hendrix, it will not happen in a few months. It can take years of practice. I have seen beginners practicing five or six hours in one day and never touch the guitar again for another week or two. That way you can’t see much progress. Consistency is the key. Practicing even for a few minutes everyday will give you faster results.
In my opinion, the tips I have shared with you will show you the best way to learn how to play the guitar. All you need is persistence. Within a short time, you will be surprised how much progress and enjoyment you will get from the guitar if you can at least play the songs you love.
If you have any ideas or comments, please feel free to submit and I will be glad to read them.
