Anyone Else Confused When It Comes To Learning To Play Guitar?
Rock and roll is here to stay, and anyone who loves rock'n'roll music loves the guitar. Most good musicians make playing a tune on the guitar look effortless, so when you pick up your first guitar and expect to be proficient in a matter of minutes, do not be disappointed if you are not. It may take you a little longer to get really good, but if you give yourself a chance you too can learn guitar.
But what is the best way to go about learning to play guitar?
There is more than one way that you can learn guitar, and depending on how you learn one method will undoubtedly work better for you than others will. So take a minute to figure out which method works for you and you will be surprised at how quickly you actually can learn to play your guitar.
Books on Theory
There are literally thousands of books written on guitar theory that take a little more cerebral approach to teaching you to play your guitar. These books are written in simple and more complex styles, and it is a good idea to check out the book before investing in it. Sometimes, the lesson is lost before it ever gets off of the page, so while the idea of learning from a book may sound great, sometimes it falls short in the execution.
Lessons on Video
Videotapes and DVDs are a wonderful way to learn any musical instrument, and they are available in music stores. With the advantage of being able to see and hear the lesson sometimes this medium translates more easily for learning how to play the guitar. By making the process easier to understand, using a video may help you be successful enough to make practicing fun. However, if you are having a problem understanding something, you cannot ask the video a question, so that is where a teacher might prove to be a better choice.
Individual Lessons
If you are really serious about learning to play the guitar, you may want to invest in some private lessons. You will learn more quickly because the teacher can tailor the lesson directly to your style of learning. By having lessons and music that can offer almost instant success you are more likely to stay enthusiastic and engaged in your instrument. A private instructor can also help you keep from developing bad habits that will only need to be corrected at a later date. However, they'll be expensive.
Listen and Learn
If you have a good enough ear to learn to play the guitar this way you can really have a lot of fun. By using technology to help you hear and feel the vibration of the notes, you may actually be able to learn guitar just by listening.
Always remember that you are playing the guitar because you enjoy it. If it gets too stressful or difficult, you may need to rethink your method of learning. Sometimes mixing methods will yield the best results and will help to keep it fresh. Remember as you practice that there are any number of ways to learn guitar and have fun, so if your practice sessions are becoming more of a chore than a joy, perhaps it is time to switch learning gears.
Online Lessons
Learning guitar online has a number of benefits not available from other mediums. I would recommend online learning as the best way to go if you're starting out. Here's why:
- Online courses will generally cost you about the same as one or two real world lessons from a teacher.
- Most good online guitar teaching courses have multiple facets to their content. For example, there could be a blues section or a special module on writing songs. Usually, the content covers not just beginners lessons but also intermediate and sometimes expert skills.
- You can learn at your own pace.
- There is a community element to provide support. Often there will be a forum where you can ask questions of and help other students. Even the tutor might hang out in these forums.
- They employ multiple learning mediums. Most good online courses will include text, PDFs, videos and audio. Everyone has a different learning style and a good course will cater to all different styles.
- One of the best online learning systems is Jamorama. It's a software system so you don't have to wait for delivery of DVDs - you can start straight away. Read more about Jamorama here.
10 Secrets To Learning Guitar Like Crazy (part 2)
You can see part 1 of this article on learning to play guitar here
- Play along with the TV - If you're watching TV and you've already done your 10 minutes a day practice, then try playing along with TV theme tunes. Try to work out the them for The Simpsons on your guitar, simply by trial and error. If there's someone else in the room and you're annoying them, then tell them you'll give them a backstage pass when you play at Glastonbury in return for letting you annoy them.
- Noodle - I know some guitarists who hate this practice. indeed I do find it quite annoying myself but it's also great at building up dexterity and finger strength. Noodling is when you switch off your conscious mind - again sometimes easier when you're watching TV - and you simply play a stream of notes without worrying if it sounds good or bad. Usually it sounds bad but your subconscious will try to make it sounds good - just let it flow. It's a bit like meditating.
- Become a copycat - Copy as many riffs and songs as you can. Pick a favourite guitarist and copy their style. Once you get it down as close as possible, choose another guitarist and do the same. Do this 3 or 4 times and you will combine the styles to something that you can call your own.
- Fake it 'till you make it - Be confident in your playing even if you know you sound crap. This is a psychological trick that will get you to your goal quicker. If you act as if you're a great guitarist, you will start to take on the attributes of a great guitarist. Just remember not to become too big for your boots and deluded. Always take a reality check and be aware of your true abilities.
- NEVER give up - it's a sad fact that most people give up on things just as they are about to succeed. Sometimes it can feel like you are making no progress whatsoever but believe me, you are. If you just keep going, you'll get there. It took Edison 999 attempts at inventing a light bulb before he made one that actually worked. Making mistakes is good for you because by recognising those mistakes and rectifying them is how you get better when you're learning to play guitar.
I hope these 10 tips help you. Even if you just take 2 or 3 and make them part of your daily life, you'll see great improvements in a few weeks. And remember, try not to make it feel like a chore - that's the sure way to failure. If it's not fun, change what you're doing and adjust it. Maybe 5 minutes a day is more suited to your nature than 10. So be it. These 10 secrets aren't set in stone.
Use them as inspiration and enjoy.
10 Secrets to Learning Guitar Like Crazy
If you're looking to learn a musical instrument quickly and inexpensively you've chosen the right instrument my friend.
The guitar is easy to pick up and easy to make sound half-decent within a few days. But don't be under any illusion that learning to play guitar to a high standard is a walk in the park.
Sorry.
But do not panic! My goal is to give you a toolkit of techniques and tricks to help you speed up your efforts when learning to play guitar. I'd also like to suggest a few things that you can do to make your guitar learning as inexpensive as possible.
Whether you've decided to learn guitar online or look for the best guitar lessons in your neighborhood taught by a professional teacher, these tips should help you out either way.
Here are 10 secrets to learning guitar like crazy.
- Become immersed in all things guitar - Just as you learned how to speak your first language, immersing yourself in words, sounds and visuals of a discipline can really sky-rocket your learning. This is as true for learning to play guitar as it is for learning language. Instead of listening to the radio, try playing guitar CDs in the car - either tutorials or the albums of the greats - Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery are good ones to start with. Also make sure you buy a guitar magazine every so often. I'm not saying every month - they're expensive - at least 2 or 3 times a year.
- Get a band together - This is how I really learned to play in time and gain performance confidence. The key to getting a band together though is to make sure it's fun. Better to be in a less musically proficient band with your mates than in a very professional outfit that feels like being at school. Franz Ferdinand front man Alex Kapranos knew this when he put a bass guitar in the hands of his mate and told him how to play it.
- Record yourself - Listening back to recordings of yourself is one of the quickest ways to eliminate any sloppy playing or habits that you don't notice when you're playing. Yes, it can be a bit uncomfortable at first but stick with it and keep trying. The first time you do it, you'll sound crap. But your shortcomings will become obvious and therefore easy to correct. Better to fix them in the privacy of your bedroom than on stage in front of people.
- Practice 10 minutes a day - Every journey is just a series of small steps put together. And if you make a small ten minute conviction to practicing every day, those ten minutes will add up over the months to one big giant practice session. Make it easy on yourself and break your journey into bite size chunks of ten minutes a day. Otherwise, you'll feel overwhelmed.
- Believe in yourself - Create mental pictures of yourself achieving your guitar goal. Whether that is playing songs at the next party or playing on stage at the busiest club in town. Try and feel the emotions that you will feel when you achieve your end goal. This will condition your subconscious to believe that it is going to happen and so you will feel compelled to take the necessary steps to make it happen - i.e plenty of practice and dedication.