How To Start Playing Guitar- And Stick With It!

As a musical instrument, the guitar is one of the most popular and easy to play in the US. What other instrument will you almost always find around the campfire when people are singing, at concerts, and in a kid’s bedroom? Because of it’s popularity many people try to play it and fail. What they don’t realize is that it is very simple and easy to learn. In reality most people start with the impression that they will immediately be able to play their favourite songs. They give themselves a disadvantage from the start with their high and unrealistic expectations.

The people that fail buy a guitar, play it for a week, find they’re not progressing as fast as they expected and quit. I’ve seen several of my friends and family members do this, they didn’t give themselves a chance to succeed. Even an experienced musician doesn’t pick up and instrument and play it within several days. To play anything a person needs to understand the instrument, understand the music, and get their fingers used to the motions.

When you start playing guitar all you need to know is a few chords. It really is that simple. Pick several easy well known chords and practice them several times a day. You’ll be surprised how many popular songs can be played with a few easy chords. If you’ll only pick some chords, practice them for a week or two, you’ll be able to play many of your favorite songs faster than you thought possible. But one thing you must not do is stress about the strumming pattern and any little riffs or extras you hear in the song. Just pick an easy strumming pattern and use it on all your songs. A good guitar player can play guitar well, a beginner plays beginner songs, you can’t jump over the first step to get to the third.

Don’t forget singing along with your guitar. For some people this takes a lot of practice, for others it’s no sweat. When I was first learning to play guitar my boss at the time was also taking guitar lessons. Our teacher (we took lessons from the same place) started telling us to sing along at the same time. I got the hang of it a lot faster than my boss did. Although I do remember the first time I tried to sing along I went around in circles. And my teacher sat there and watched.   But I stuck with it, every time I played I sang along. My boss was a better player than me, but when it came to singing he attempted it half heartedly and I practiced and practiced it.

For anyone playing guitar whether they are talented or seem to have to practice a lot, simplifying and sticking with it is the most important part of playing. And don’t try to learn by yourself, other people, books and taking lessons will help you a lot and give you the push you need.

Beginning lessons

Learning to play chords can be very discouraging and hard on the fingers. Start with something simple like playing G, C, and D with a 1 2 3 4 strumming pattern. If you didn’t know, when you’re strumming it’s counted out 1 and 2 and three and four and, with the numbers being the downstroke and “and” being the upstroke. Give the tips of your fingers time to develop callous’s, the first week or two your fingers will hurt.

After you’ve learned the basic chords you can start adding a few new chords, if you do G, C, D add G7, F and D7. Mixing things up relieves boring repetition and gives you a new challenge every week.

When I’m playing tabs or some riff or whatever for my guitar lesson, I’ll often just go and play songs that I can play the chords on. Usually when I’m first trying something new I’ll play it several times, take a break, play it again, and on like that. When I’ve gotten over the initial learning phase and I’ve got it memorized I practice my lesson for a longer amount of time and then quit for the day. I’m not one of those people that sit down and play guitar for hours, if that works for you, great, whatever you like to do find your groove and stick with it.

Tips For The Beginner

If you’re just bought your guitar or just started playing you need to be able to focus on playing. Weed out extra distractions and frustration by following a few helpful hints below.

If you’re using a pick you’ve experienced the frustration of having the slippery thing pop right out of your fingers. I used to take a file and cut grooves in my Fender picks, few weeks later, same thing. It was annoying but what can you say, have guitar, must have picks. Of course I’d still be filing away at my picks if I hadn’t picked up a Dunlop when I forgot my pick. The simple magic behind these is they have Jim Dunlop USA etc. in raised letters on them. Makes them incredibly easy to hold. Zoom on over to zzounds and buy some, you’ll be glad you did.

Everybody wants to learn by playing easy, simple songs. Sure you need to focus on your lessons, but relieve some of the boredom by playing what you want to play. You will probably not be able to play your favourite songs yet, so look for songs that you know, but are also easy. Songs with only three different chords – preferably G, C, D or A, are usually simple to play. The same with tabs, don’t go way out and try to learn a song just because it’s your favorite. Eventually you will be able to play, and that moment will be oh so sweet, but not now. Realize where you’re at now and wait. Some of the best places to look for songs are ultimate-guitar.com and guitaretab.com.

Learn to change your strings. It’s not hard, it’s not technical and as my guitar teacher would say- “You can do it if you try”. If you don’t already have a string winder go buy one. It’s something every serious guitar player should have. Changing your strings is really, seriously easy. Go on over to Campbells Music and get step by step instructions. Another thing I learned the hard way is keep the package your strings came in when you change them. Some packs are heavier than others and if you break one, not every B string is the same size.

Instructors

You’ve got your guitar, (way to go! One of the best hobbies in the world, but that’s just my opinion.) Next step, learning to play like Eric Clapton. There are three options you can take- one, learn to play yourself. Not very successful for a lot of people, but it can be done. My uncle taught himself and he is very good. Most people just lack the ambition to practice every day if they don’t have to learn something. Two, buy a course. Usually these courses offer workbooks, videos, sometimes software and other programs. For someone who wants to practice but cannot on a regular schedule, these offer all the visual aids, guitar methods, and more. They’re also a lot cheaper, somewhere in the range of $50.00.

And for some people, like me, well they just don’t practice if they don’t have to. Oh the desire to learn is there, but the ambition needs to be helped along. I knew that knowing that I will have to play the lesson for someone, and having the keen desire to not embarrass myself would push me to practice. That is why I took lessons when I first got my guitar,and it’s why I’m taking lessons now.

I got my first guitar somewhere in the span of three years ago and bought my second two years ago. Fast forward to now and they’re sitting in my room collecting dust. I started taking lessons right away when I got my first guitar (an acoustic, I also bought an electric. Hey everybody needs two!) After half a year of taking lessons I got discouraged because I wasn’t getting anywhere so I stopped taking lessons. I wanted to play guitar, but after getting nowhere with my first teacher I was wary of taking lessons. The desire to play won out and I went and signed up for lessons at another place. Now I love playing my guitar and practice because I want to, not because I have to.  The difference is my first instructor could play guitar, but he wasn’t a teacher. My teacher now is that, and it makes a huge difference. Following are some things you should expect from your teacher.

He/She should be able to show you. This is kind of a given that anybody teaching guitar will of course know how. The reason I mention this is because it is very helpful to learn something when you can watch someone do it, and do it well. If they can’t show you tell them you’re gonna charge them for the lesson.

They ask you what you want to learn. This is kind of a fine line here, because the problem with my first teacher was he didn’t prepare any lesson for me. I was supposed to come with what I wanted to learn. Most of it was too difficult anyway or he didn’t know it because it wasn’t songs he was familiar with. Your instructor should ask you what you want to learn, and tailor your lessons accordingly. Don’t teach Van Halen to someone who listens to Praise and Worship. But he also needs to prepare a lesson. I’m assuming my first teacher was a bad apple, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that. Also do you want to focus on chords or tablature? Assuming you want to be a complete player you will want to learn both, but I wanted to learn tabs first. I did and loved it. Now I’m moving on to chords. You should be able to learn what you want to. Which doesn’t mean you can ignore stuff that’s difficult to practice.

They need to be patient. No you’re not going to learn it the first time. Probably not the second. Actually you’re looking at a few weeks. And learning chords, well I can only imagine the pain of listening to someone play C G D poorly five times in a row. But some people take awhile. It took me a few weeks to get my fingers to go on the right strings and don’t even mention strumming patterns! Now you know why he runs out to get coffee every five minutes. Wait! You forgot your mug!

One cool way to hone your skills is playing along with jam tracks. Ask your teacher if he has tracks for the songs you’re learning, and if he’ll put them on a tape or CD for you.

Bottom line: if you aren’t learning something new every lesson, you’re wasting your time. You may have learned everything from your teacher that you can learn. Or maybe you need to go somewhere else.

More improvement, and New Year’s resolutions

I think this must have been the second lesson in a row that my instructor told me I am improving and that I played a song well. Either he gets tired of criticizing or I am getting better. I can play God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen without a mistake now so maybe I am.

He did remind me that my New Year’s resolution is going to be chords. I don’t like chords. G, D, Em, C and A are fine, but bar chords? You must be joking. I’ve tried playing them and I sound terrible. But of course to be a guitar player one must use chords. Sigh…

My acoustic guitar is sounding very tingy. I always thought it didn’t sound as nice as other, more expensive models, but it’s really starting to bug me now. It is one of Samick’s cheap, smaller models so it might be the guitar? I just put new strings on it so I don’t think that’s it. I’m wondering if I would put another brand of strings on it if that would make a difference.

Movin on

Yay! Progress. Timing is improving with practice. I must convince myself to practice before 9:30 at night or I’ll play for 10 minutes and say, “well I’m so tired I can’t play anyway so I’ll quit for tonight.” Not good. I need a Nike poster, Just DO It!

 I am going to try to get my teacher a blank tape so he can put the songs I’m practicing on there. They will all be instrumental, no guitar (that’s me). I hope it helps my timing alot. It’s along the lines of what Jamorama offers in their course, so I think it will help.

Lesson 3

Lesson 3 and post 1, I know this doesn’t exactly match, but hey I’m a little slow.  In my attempt to learn to play the guitar I started this blog to get feed back from anyone who does play guitar.  Ok so now you don’t need to read the about page. I bought my first guitar- accoustic- about 2 years ago. Of course I was instantly on the path to being a pro. I started lessons right away. Long story short, just because someone can take a $50 guitar and get any song out of it doesn’t mean the can teach what they do. Yes I could have practiced more, but our music style were very different so that ended quickly. But the next best thing to having an accoustic guitar? Having an electric too. So I bought an electric, cheap (it’s all in the sound) amp and whatever else goes with that. So instead of one guitar sitting in the closet gathering dust I now have two.

In the proper script of a movie inspired life, I had an epiphany the other week. One life to live! If I don’t learn to play guitar now (when I’m young) when will I? And yadda, yadda, yadda. I did not. I want to play the guitar well, and the only thing stopping me is my own procrastination and laziness. I have no motivation to practice if I don’t have to. Knowing that I have to play the previous lesson for a (rather) unforgiving teacher is a great motivation. That is why I am taking lessons, I am want to play guitar, I am willing to pay for lessons, and I will practice (unfortunately only if pushed.)

So lesson three, ok back up to first lesson. Discussed music preference, chords or tabulature, and do we understand timing? We do, but at the time we weren’t sure, in fact we weren’t sure of anything. Lesson two. Decided on tabulature, we like most styles of music- but not country, bluegrass or jazz. Oh yeah and hardly practiced the songs we got. Felt a renewed vigour after sitting through lesson and wishing to be someplace else. Now lesson three. Did practice, every day. Songs like- Angels We Have Heard On High; Let It Snow, Let It Snow; Amazing Grace and others. Noticable improvement over previous week. But timing stinks. Felt like a Ferrari in the Roman chariot race. So lesson 4- will practice new songs, doing all tabulature by the way, and try to slow down. And keep picking away at the old songs. I’ll let you know what happens.