People almost always ask how hard is it to learn guitar? The guitar is the chosen instrument of many great musicians, from rock gods like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to classical greats like Andres Segovia. If you love music, but never learned how to play, it is never to late to start. Use the following advice to start mastering the guitar.
Be patient. You may not feel like you’re advancing at all with your guitar playing, but the truth is, you are starting out where everyone started out. If you stop being so hard on your playing, you’ll discover that you aren’t the only beginner you know. Take it easy and you’ll get better.
Learn to play in time. This is essential to playing the guitar like a pro. You may have your fingering down, but you may have slight, almost inaudible pauses when you switch chords. This will greatly affect the sound of your music. Try using a metronome, a person, or a music CD. Start playing slowly and learning how to play fast as you get more comfortable with it.
The best way to learn how to play the guitar is to practice often. Don’t practice once a week for three hours. You will build better finger memory by practicing every day. Try to practice at least a half an hour a day. If possible, push that time to a full hour every day.
Playing the guitar is notoriously hard on the fingers. You may experience cramping or blisters, particularly if you play for long periods of time in the beginning. While it may sound silly, it is important to “work out” your fingers to strengthen them. You will notice a world of difference!
Play along with a CD, another guitarist or use a metronome. This will help you learn to play in time. When players first start learning to play the guitar, they often pause slightly to arrange their fingers properly. This will throw off your rhythm. You should practice playing slowly and quickly.
Find your own guitar style. Once you have gotten down the basic, you need to develop your own playing style. Think about the kind of music you enjoy. When you become comfortable playing the guitar, you should be able to experiment with all kinds of styles and play whatever you want.
Find a good balance between learning music theory and physically playing the guitar. Music theory is important to learn. If you’re serious about playing the guitar, it’s crucial to study the technical side of it. Just don’t forget to apply all you’ve learned. Try to strike a nice balance between the two.
Start with learning the basics. many music teachers may try to get you to learn chords and scales endlessly which can lead to sore fingers and boredom. learning simple songs can help make your practice sessions more enjoyable and give you the variety that your brain craves. You should also give yourself for freestyle time so that your creative talents can have a chance to express themselves. All of these together will make you a better player.
Listen to different styles of music. Do not be afraid to branch out from your favorite genre of music. You can learn a lot from listening to all sorts of songs. Listen to as many different styles of music as you can. Learn what it has to offer and get inspired by it.
As you begin to learn the basics of playing guitar, keep yourself surrounded by music, and great guitarists. The more you learn, the easier it will be to pick up techniques and ideas you hear in music you listen to. Watch other people play, and you will be surprised at what you can learn from others.
You can find a wealth of information online to help you with the basics of guitar playing. However, if you want good, comprehensive instruction, you can invest in guitar-teaching software, or professionally made textbooks and DVD’s. Many of these offer interactive lessons and exercises, where you can watch a real person teach you to play.
If you are learning on your own, start with the basic chords. Simple songs only use three to four chords. When you master those, you can get in the the more complex chords. The important thing is to get a good foundation before progressing to the next step. That is the best way to improve.
If you are really interested in learning to play guitar, you must be committed to practicing most every day. Part of learning to play well is memorizing chords and scales, being able to move from one to the other without thinking. This ability can only come by lots of practice. Aim for at least a half-hour per day, moving up to an hour as you progress.
Many great musical pieces have been written for the guitar in many different musical genres. You may not be the next Jimi Hendrix, but you can still enjoy playing the guitar. The sooner you get started, the sooner you will be able to have fun playing your favorite songs on the guitar.
