Learn to Play Guitar

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Learn to Play Guitar
 
If you think you are ready to learn to play guitar, look into different options for guitar lessons. There are many choices available for guitar lessons–from individual guitar lessons with a private instructor and group guitar lessons or classes to online guitar lessons, video-based guitar lessons, or even guitar lessons from a DVD. Which format will work best for you will depend on your learning style and how quickly you want to learn. Whichever format you choose weekly lessons with practice sessions every day are recommended for beginners. 

As you learn to play guitar, you will be taught how to hold your guitar and pick, the names of the different parts of your guitar, how to tune your guitar, finger-picking, scales, chords, modes, strumming patterns, theory, song composition, how to play a couple simple guitar songs, and even how to repair a broken guitar.
 
To start guitar lessons, you will need a guitar with six strings, guitar picks, and a chair without arms. Choose your favorite type of guitar: acoustic, electric, bass, classical and more. Start with at least ten guitar picks so you can try different brands and sizes, and so you will have extras if you lose picks. Most beginners prefer to learn how to play guitar with medium gauge picks. 
 
Be sure to get your guitar tuned before your first lesson. Ask anyone who plays guitar to show you how to tune your guitar for the first time. Or, purchase an inexpensive guitar tuner, which has blinking lights that indicate how to tune each guitar string.
 
Within a few guitar classes or sessions, you will learn three major chords: G major, C major, and D major. After you have mastered the three major chords and how to switch between chords, you will be able to start learning songs written in these chords. Plan to practice what you learn in your lessons for at least 15 minutes every day. Practice tuning your guitar, playing scales, playing chords, and switching chords. It is normal for fingertips to become slightly sore at first from the guitar strings. Your fingertips will gradually develop calluses that will make them less sensitive. If the soreness or sensitivity continues, you might want to get lighter strings until your fingers develop calluses.
 
As you advance to higher levels of guitar lessons, you will learn strumming patterns, minor chords, and more songs. Before you know it, you will learn power chords, sharps and flats, string bending, sliding, bar chords, hammer-ons, pull-offs, major chord inversions, palm muting, and more. You’ll soon be strumming like a pro!
 

Crash Course Guitar

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Crash Course Guitar

Okay, so you have decided to learn how to play the guitar. Taking that first step is the most important because you have to have the desire in order to achieve the outcome. Whatever kind of guitar player you want to become and wherever you want to take it – just for enjoyment or for a professional purpose – you have to begin somewhere, and so finding a good teacher is vital.

There will come a time when you will need to go your own direction, when you take what you have learned and apply it in your own unique way, but before you get that point it’s a good idea to acquire a firm grasp on the fundamentals. Having a knowledgeable teacher to show you technique and give you various tips on music theory and approach is a good way to start.

There are many methods for learning the guitar, from online instruction to individual coaching. The way that works best for you depends upon your learning style – how you best learn. One way to go is crash course. Crash course guitar, as the name suggests, means you go fast, faster than you would at a normal driving school with a conservative instructor. Your first lesson won’t then just be learning how to hold the pick, tune the guitar, name each string, and play three chords. No, it’s going to be all that at lightning fast speed and so much more. A crash course is going to give you a lot of information all at once, and your mind will have to catch up with it. It’s going to require that you take what you learn and apply it time and again through practice on your own time.

Much of the introductory information can and should be written down, things like learning the strings, finger positions for chords – lots of chords, basic scales in several keys, and of course, knowing how to tune the guitar and change strings when you break one (because you will break strings!) You will learn about guitar tabs and alternate tunings. You will see the finger charts for an E chord in several different locations on the guitar neck. After this, when you catch your breath, the task will be yours to practice, practice, practice. The outcome will be determined by the effort you put into it.

Playing the guitar, like many things, is easy to learn but takes a long time to master. With a crash course, you will get what you need at once, and then it’s up to you.
 

Beginner Guitar Lessons

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Beginner Guitar Lessons

Whether you are learning to swim, speak a foreign language, or play a musical instrument, lessons are instrumental to success. The structure they provide is an invaluable tool in getting a hang of the basics. You would not just jump into the deep end of a swimming pool without knowing how to swim. Likewise, when you first pick up the guitar you are not going to be performing at Carnegie Hall. Everything takes practice, and the guitar is no exception. When you set for yourself a diligent practice schedule, eventually the instrument will begin to sing in your hands, pleasing you and those whom you play for.

It is no secret that playing a musical instrument is a rich asset in life. Aside from all of the other reasons, it is a skill that will make you happy. There is nothing like playing the guitar to calm your nerves, make your children smile, or woo your sweetheart. The guitar also happens to be one of the easiest instruments to learn. Like anything worth doing well, it may take a lifetime to master, but don’t think about that. Think about each moment as it comes to you and the pleasure you take in making music right now.

Beginner guitar lessons are affordable and especially rewarding because after your first one you will be able to play a song. Chances are, the first two chords you learn will be D and A, and they just happen to go together magically. As you progress, you will build on that, learning more and more chords, new ways to make those chords, and the relationship the individual notes have with one another. Perhaps you would like to be a lead guitarist one day. Have patience and learn the basics, and you will get to that point. With practice you can be certain of it.

You can expect to pay between $15 and $30 for a half hour lesson or more if your desired teacher is in great demand. But don’t think you need a virtuoso to show you the ropes. There are many experienced and patient teachers with whom to learn – wherever you are – and you should take a little time to find the one who best fits your needs. When you are just starting out, you may not know exactly what you want to learn, and that’s okay. It will come to you, just stick with it.
 

Free Guitar Lessons

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Free Guitar Lessons

For the aspiring guitar player, you can find free guitar lessons online. There are literally thousands of videos on the web that offer free lessons, everything from the most fundamental things like holding a pick and standard chords to music theory, transcribed solos, licks, and songs. Guitar lessons are a great way to build up your chops on the instrument. Best of all, you can do it from the comfort of your own home on your own time. Hundreds, if not thousands of guitarists have posted videos and blogs online, so if you are not satisfied with the first one you find, don’t worry, there are many, many more to choose from.

Want to learn how to tap like Eddie Van Halen? Want to increase your finger dexterity or pick speed? Want to learn how to make inverted chords? Whatever you would like to learn, there is something online for you. Guitar lessons online will take you step by step through a process, laying out the technique in a simple and straightforward manner. Didn’t catch it the first time? Then play the video again. It’s like having your own personal online guitar coach to show you the way.

For you acoustic guitarists, you can get a video tutorial on how to play the guitar with the Travis picking method. That’s an alternating bass, finger-style method in case you didn’t know. Or get a quick lesson on arpeggio playing. If you are an electric guitar player, maybe you would like to learn how to sweep pick or learn how to produce false harmonics with your ax. Whatever your desire, whatever your skill level, you will find thousands of free guitar lessons online.

Have you never picked up a guitar until now? For true beginners there are many opportunities online to learn for free. Start with the basics and go from there. If you are an experienced guitarist and want to add some flavor to your sound, with free guitar lessons online you will undoubtedly come across something that suits your fancy.

It’s never too late to begin playing the guitar, and there is always something new to learn, no matter what your experience level. Chords, licks, solos, tablature, theory, tone, effects pedals, tuning, you name it, you will find it online. 
 

How To Play Guitar

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

How To Play Guitar

There is no special secret how to play guitar. It can be broken down with one question: Do you have the desire to play? The answer to this will go a long way in determining what you ultimately learn. The reason it’s this simple is because learning to play the guitar is not a complicated affair. True, there is a lot to learn, it takes a lot of practice, and even when you have achieved expert status there is still more to know. You simply have to have the will – and a guitar, of course.

Picking up your instrument is the first step. Begin to get a feel for it. The more you practice, the more it will feel like it belongs in your hands. You won’t want to put it down. As you begin to learn how to play guitar, you will discover more and more things you once thought you could never do, but you can!

Since you’re here, you have the desire. Now it’s time to work. Lessons are a great way to learn. They give you structure and don’t overwhelm you with information. You can choose to learn with a personal guitar instructor or take group lessons. You can also learn online – often for free – using guitar videos and blogs posted by experienced players. There are guitar instructional videos and DVDs available for purchase as well. You can also simply listen to recordings and practice playing along. Entirely self-taught guitarists are out there, but it’s always a good idea to have a guide, whatever manner you choose.

Take it slow. Don’t try to learn everything in the first week or month or even year. You have to give it time. It’s too easy to get discouraged by a perceived lack of progress, but guaranteed, if you are practicing regularly, you are making progress. Learning the guitar has exponential returns. In other words, it takes a while to get from point A to point B, a little less to get to point C and D, but once you get to point E, the rest of the alphabet starts to come faster and faster. That’s because once you get the hang of the fundamentals – chords, scales, rhythms, basic music theory, etc. – you begin to apply them to everything else you learn and learning comes that much easier. So by all means, don’t get discouraged, and don’t quit! The old saying applies: good things come to those who wait – and practice. 
 

Free Online Guitar Lessons

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Free Online Guitar Lessons

Free online guitar lessons are a great way to learn how to play the guitar or to pick up tips and techniques to help improve your playing and build your musical skill set. Online you will find thousands of videos and blogs posted by experienced guitarists that will assist you in your learning. From the very basics to advanced techniques, online is the place to go for free guitar lessons.

For beginners there is a seemingly endless supply of online teachers to show you the ropes, things like tuning the guitar, holding and using the pick, strumming and rhythmic patterns, chord building, and elementary music theory just to name a few. You will be set on the right path towards playing the guitar, and if you don’t care for one online teacher’s approach, you can always find another one – or ten!

Intermediate guitarists will find online a whole array of techniques to add to your foundational knowledge of the guitar. Finger-style picking, arpeggiating chords, running scales, chord inversions, and more advanced music theory are some of your options. Advanced guitar players will also benefit from free online guitar lessons. Learn techniques on how to increase pick speed, play more interesting solos, develop new tones for your electric guitar, and continue your music theory education to enable you to know the finer and more intricate points of music. Wherever you are at with the guitar, online you will find a video or blog or both to teach you something new.

Nobody becomes a master guitar player overnight or even in a month. Number one, you have to practice, practice, and practice. Constantly try out new things with the guitar to challenge yourself. Online is a great place to search for tips and ideas, and there is more than likely somebody out there in web land who can show you something to put a new trick up your sleeve. You never really stop learning. If you think you know everything, you should think twice because there is always something new to learn. Free online guitar lessons offer a great incentive to learn – no cost! Plenty of musicians are eager to share their knowledge with you, whatever you wish to know. Beginners, intermediate players, and experts alike all benefit from online guitar lessons. They are a great way to start and a great way to hone your chops.