So you want to learn to play guitar? Good choice! This article discusses some things that you’ll want to consider and be aware of before you begin learning to play.
1. Why Learn The Guitar? – Motivations For Playing
2. Where To Start
3. Types of Guitar
4. Which Guitar Is Best For Learning On?
5. Types Of Guitar Lessons
6. What To Expect – Making Progress
7. Are You Really Committed To Learning Guitar?
1. Why Learn The Guitar? – Motivations For Playing
People decide to learn how to play guitar for many reasons. Here are some of the most common:
- The best reasons are based around a genuine passion for the instrument – and the guitar has many attractions. For example, this is a very versatile instrument that is capable of playing in many musical styles, such as rock, metal, blues, classical, folk, flamenco and many more. The guitar’s versatility makes it especially attractive to people with varied musical tastes, who don’t want to be limited to playing just one musical genre or style. In addition, the guitar can be used equally well as a solo instrument and for accompanying a band, a singer or other instrumentalists.
- The guitar family can also produce a wide variety of sounds, from the classical guitar’s mellow tones to the electric guitar’s almost infinite variety of effects when paired with a set of pedals. The guitar’s huge sonic palette will mean you never get bored!
- People who learn guitar also find that it’s relatively easy to start sounding good early on. Of course becoming truly proficient takes time and effort, but unlike some instruments (such as the violin or oboe), even a beginner guitarist can get a decent sound out of the instrument. After learning just a handful of chords and a basic strumming pattern, you can be playing along with your favourite songs, or starting to write your own tunes. Similarly, you can start picking out simple melodies with your fingers or a plectrum very quickly, and learning to play guitar fast, even very simple songs, and sounding reasonably good in a short space of time, is very encouraging to beginner guitarists.
- Many people learn how to play guitar because they want to play in a band. This is a great experience, and can be very enjoyable for players at all levels. Playing along with others is an effective way to improve your guitar skills quickly, and can be very motivating. Plus it gives you a break from playing alone in your room, which is especially welcome for those of a more sociable disposition!
- There are also those people who want to learn how to play guitar because they believe it’s a ‘cool’ thing to do, or they want to get girls/guys, or impress their friends etc. This isn’t really the best kind of motivation, because unless it’s accompanied by a true interest in the guitar, and in music generally, these people are likely to give up pretty quickly when they realise the amount of dedication that is required to learn to play guitar really well. Still, there are some guitarists in well known rock bands who don’t seem to have a huge amount of technical expertise or musical talent, so maybe there is some hope for the poseurs too!
2. Where To Start
So, you’ve decided you want to learn to play the guitar, and want to know where to begin. There are many ways to get started, and the sheer number of options can feel overwhelming at first, so you might find it helpful to ask yourself a few key questions, like:
- Which types of music are you most interested in learning to play? This choice will have a major influence on the type of guitar you choose – wannabe rock musicians will need an electric guitar, whereas if you want to learn folk guitar, you’ll probably opt for a steel string acoustic, and so forth.
- What is your level of experience with playing the guitar and with music generally? Perhaps you own a guitar already, in which case you might be best starting with that, assuming that it’s of ok quality. If you can already read notation and/or TAB, or know a few chords, you might not want to start with material that’s aimed at absolute beginners (although it never hurts to revisit the basics!).
- What’s your budget like? Obviously, this will a significant impact on the type of guitar you buy, and also on how you learn to play – for example, regular private lessons are a lot pricier than teaching yourself to play guitar at home with a book or a course of online lessons like Jamorama.
- What is your motivation for playing? As mentioned before, people have lots of reasons for deciding to learn how to play guitar. It’s important to be honest with yourself – if you’re just vaguely curious about the instrument, or you want to learn to impress others, then go ahead by all means, but it might be best not to spend a lot of money on a guitar and gear if you’re not confident that you’ll be in it for the long run. Opt for a cheaper model instead, and then you won’t be too badly out of pocket if you do lose interest.
3. Types Of Guitar
You’ll also need to think about the type of guitar you want to learn to play on. Many guitarists own several guitars, often of various types, and this is necessary if you want to play in a variety of styles (rock, classical and country music all require different types of guitar, for example). But when you’re just starting to learn, it’s best to choose one type of guitar and stick with that until you’ve mastered the basics. The major guitar types are:
- Electric Guitar – guitars of this type make very little sound on their own; instead the sound is the result of electrical amplification. When buying an electric guitar, you’ll also need an amplifier – many beginner model electric guitars come with a small practice amp, or you can buy one separately. Electric guitarists also use accessories such as various effects pedals, but as a complete beginner, you won’t need to worry about these to start with.
- Steel String Acoustic Guitar – acoustic guitars don’t need an amplifier; instead they have a resonant body cavity that amplifies the sound of the strings without any external help. Steel stringed acoustic guitars are louder than their nylon-stringed counterparts, and are often used to provide accompaniment styles such as country and folk (although they can be used for soloing too). Steel string guitars are usually played with a pick (plectrum), although some players do use fingerstyle techniques.
- Classical Guitar – the classical guitar is normally a bit smaller than a steel string acoustic, and has nylon strings, which give it an attractive warm, mellow tone with a long sustain (steel strings should never be used on a classical guitar, as they can damage the neck). The classical guitar is played by using the fingernails to pluck the strings, and very complex and expressive melodies are characteristic of this style. You’ll need to be able to read musical notation to play music written for the classical guitar.
- Flamenco Guitar – the flamenco guitar looks similar to the classical guitar, but is usually slightly smaller. It’s also made from different types of wood, which gives it a somewhat brighter tone and louder volume. Another feature of the flamenco guitar is the plastic tap plate (or golpeador), which provides protection to the guitar body when the player is tapping on the wood to produce percussive effects (an important element of flamenco style). Traditionally, the flamenco guitar was used to accompany flamenco dancers and singers, but nowadays it’s commonly used as a solo instrument also.
- Bass Guitar – unlike the guitars discussed above, the bass guitar has four strings rather than six, and is pitched an octave below the four lower strings of the regular guitar. Electric basses are the most common type, and are used by bands to provide rhythm and harmony. However, the bass guitar can be used as a solo instrument, and acoustic basses are available also.
There are also more specialised types of guitar, such as electro-acoustics, 12-string guitars and dobro guitars – but in general, you’re best off staying away from these until you’ve learned the basics and know how you want to proceed with your music.
4. Which Guitar Is Best For Learning On?
Beginners commonly want to know which type or model of guitar is best for learning on. To be honest, there’s no one right answer to this – it the things mentioned already, such as your budget and the music you want to play. If you know you want to play rock music, get an electric guitar, and so on. A steel string acoustic can be a versatile choice, and would-be rock guitarists can learn the basics on one of these, as well as playing folk, country etc too.
When it comes to choosing which brand and/or model of guitar to buy, the answer’s even less clear cut. Even if you have the money, it’s best not to get a very expensive guitar to start with – if you don’t have much (or any) guitar playing experience, you won’t yet know what you want out an instrument. As your skill and experience increase, you’ll get a clearer idea of what your needs are. For now though, it’s best to opt for a good general ‘all rounder’ that is aimed at the novice guitarist.
However – this doesn’t mean you should automatically go for the cheapest option. Many ‘beginner’ guitars are just horrible, and are so badly made or poorly set up that they make the whole learning process much more difficult and uncomfortable than it needs to be. For example, a lot of cheapo guitars have a very high action (the distance between the string and the fretboard), making it difficult to properly press down the strings when playing, and increasing your risk of injury (and decreasing your motivation too!). Others simply sound nasty, even with decent strings, and one thing’s certain – if you’re playing on a nasty sounding instrument, your motivation to continue will take a beating. So before you’re tempted by what looks like a great bargain, do your research, and read reviews to see what others are saying the about the guitar first.
5. Types Of Guitar Lessons
Right, so you’ve got your guitar. Now how exactly are you going to learn to play it? There are a few options for those who want to learn how to play the guitar. Many people learn to play by ear – by listening to music they like and playing along with it. This is an important technique, as it’s vital to develop your aural skills if you want to be a good guitarist. However, when used alone, it’s not the best way to learn, as you run the risk of developing bad habits, as well as missing out on a lot of crucial information and skills, such as learning to read tab and/or notation, technical exercises, and exposure to different playing styles. Instead, it’s best to combine this type of ear practice with a more formal method – such as a tutor book/DVD, in person guitar lessons with a teacher or a course of online guitar lessons. Let’s have a brief look at some of the pros and cons of each of these.
- The cheapest option is to buy a good tutor book and work through the pieces and exercises at home. Most books these days include a CD, so you can hear how the tunes should be played, which can really help a lot. They also usually cover such topics as reading music and tab, scales, arpeggios and other technical exercises, chords, strumming and other playing techniques, as well as various tunes. You can learn to play successfully with this method, but you must be very aware of what you should be doing – it’s very easy to pick up bad habits such as poor posture or hand position when there’s no-one there to correct you, or you don’t have an example (such as in a DVD) to follow (the books will include photographs, but they’re not as easy to follow as a live person). Learning from a combination of a book and an associated DVD (or just the DVD alone) can help to overcome some of these problems.
- Another popular option is learning to play the guitar with the help of a teacher, either with private lessons, or with a group of other learners. The obvious advantage here is the one-to-one attention, and the teacher can show you exactly what and what not to do. There are a few downsides though – regular lessons can be expensive, and you need to find a competent teacher who’s also a good match for you personality-wise, which isn’t always easy, especially in more rural areas. Some people might feel uncomfortable playing in front of others, and do better when they can learn alone at home. Some teachers will also try to impose their own individual playing style on you, and aren’t open to experimentation. Others may be highly specialised, and not be able to teach you a wide variety of playing styles. Having guitar lessons with a teacher can be very helpful for some people, but you must choose your teacher with care, and have a decent budget for guitar lessons.
- The final option is an online guitar course. Learning how to play guitar can be a rewarding experience if you choose this route, as it has many of the advantages of both book learning and in person instruction without the disadvantages. For example, good online guitar lessons will include both written instruction (generally delivered in the form of PDFs), and both videos and audio recordings too. The videos will show you exactly what you should be doing, the text will explain it thoroughly, and the audio will enable you to jam along and get experience of playing with others. Some guitar lesson courses also include software to help with such skills as learning to read music, training your ear, and tuning your guitar. With an online course you can progress at your own pace, and once you’ve paid for the course, you don’t have any more expenses (assuming there aren’t any monthly membership fees), so it can be much cheaper than having regular lessons.
However, online guitar lessons do have a few downsides. There are many sites offering them, and the quality varies enormously, so be wary and find out what others are saying about any course that you’re considering before you buy. Some sites offer free lessons – again, some of these are great and others aren’t, and in many cases you do get what you pay for, so be careful. Your success as a guitarist is very dependent on learning the fundamentals in the right way, so don’t entrust your training to anyone with poor quality materials or who doesn’t really know what they’re doing. If you decide to opt for online lessons, I recommend Jamorama, which offers a logically structured plan with high quality materials (see my full Jamorama review for more details).
6. What To Expect – Making Progress
Once you’ve settled on a good source of guitar instruction, you’re on your way. Assuming that is, that you’ve committed to a regular practice routine! If you practice your guitar each day and always do the best you can (remember – sloppy practice leads to sloppy results), you’ll soon start to make progress. But how much, and how quickly?
So many people want to learn to play guitar fast. This is understandable, but if you’re so concerned with ‘getting there’ that you don’t taking the time to master each step along the way, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Why? Well, if you skip over the fundamentals, you’ll not only run into problems ahead, but it will take you even longer to reach your goal, because you’ll eventually need to start over and unlearn all of the bad habits you’ve picked up. Or – more likely – you’ll get so frustrated you end up giving up, and will never learn how to play guitar well at all, which would be a huge shame. So if you genuinely want to learn to play guitar well, decide from the outset that you’ll progress at a steady pace, and learn to walk before you run. This slower pace can be a bit frustrating, but the satisfaction of really mastering each skill along the way will make up for that.
Look at it this way – you have a lot to learn. You’ll be learning about notes, chords, arpeggios, scales and other technical exercises, picking and strumming, left hand techniques such as vibrato and hammer on and off, reading notation and tab, improvisation, transcribing music, playing by ear, playing with others, performance skills, getting to grips with various pieces of guitar gear (particularly if you play electric guitar), guitar maintenance, developing strength in your hands and flexibility in your fingers and so on… it’s a lot to master! And people will progress at difference paces, depending on factors such as natural aptitude, practice habits, previous experience etc. So go easy on yourself, and don’t expect to figure it all out at once.
7. Are You Really Committed To Learning The Guitar?
This leads to perhaps the most important point – you know how to start learning guitar now – but are you actually committed to following through? Sadly, many people who start to learn an instrument give up within a few months. This is often because that first burst of enthusiasm will inevitably wear off – and then it can get a bit dull and frustrating, particularly when you hit a rough patch (and you will – everyone does!). So you need to make an intentional effort to keep that passion alive when the going gets tough, and make yourself keep going, day in, day out. If you can keep your larger goal in mind, and don’t let yourself be discouraged when things don’t go as smoothly as planned, you can avoid becoming yet another statistic.
One thing’s certain – if you begin learning the guitar now, and stick with it, a year from now you’ll be making some cool sounds, and in five years you’ll probably have developed some seriously impressive skills – and it’ll be well worth all the effort and sore fingers!
Related articles:
- Why Learn To Play Guitar With Video Lessons? If you want to learn to play guitar, video lessons...
- Play Guitar Better – 5 Tips For Improving Your Guitar Playing Many people who are learning guitar and have already got...
- Should You Learn To Read Music To Play The Guitar? Can you play the guitar without reading music? Of course!...
- How To Learn Acoustic Guitar If you’re a beginner who isn’t sure to start when...
- Beginner Guitar Lessons – Where To Start Anyone who is beginning guitar lessons will first need to...
