Learning How to Play the Guitar: The Plan
So you spent all last night staring in awe at the guitarist in last night's show? Waking up this morning you knew what you had to do.
It is time to learn to play the guitar.
In fact you want to play just like that guitarist you saw or perhaps even better than they did.
You need to realize that learning how to play the guitar is a skill and you will have to master that skill.
The only way to do this is to dedicate as much time as possible to this task.
There are no shortcuts.
If you put in the hours you will get the results.
You will be able to play the songs you want and will get a chance to be the center of attention.
But you will need some proper guidance through the process.
Here are a few tips that you can use to maximize your learning potential.
1.
Get clear on your Goals.
Actually write them down on paper.
What do you want? Do you just want to learn a few of your favorite songs? Are you hoping to start or join a band and make a career of it? are you going to try and be a solo player? What styles of music are you willing to learn? Be as clear as possible, the techniques you will need to learn for each style are going to be different as well as the practice strategies you will need to implement.
If you keep your goals in mind and close to you, you will have a lesser chance of losing motivation.
2.
What's your Budget? Unfortunately you will not be able to buy every guitar, accessory or lesson book that you want.
You are going to need to sit down and figure out a budget.
Are you going to want to take online lessons? What about one on one private lesson's with an instructor who can guide you through by the hand and get you started learning how to play the guitar? Generally you will not have to break the bank in order to get high quality instruction, but sometimes it can be costly.
There are many online resources out there that can help jump start your playing that are very affordable and are a very good alternative to private instruction.
Which every way you go you want to make sure the people you are learning from are experts.
Do your due diligence and ask their current and past students how well they taught.
Also look at various reviews for online products.
3.
Start with the basics.
This means things like your five basic cowboy chords and very simple melodies.
Take your time with this stuff and do not be too hard on yourself, we all started in the same place.
It is a step by step process and you will get better with time.
Find a good source of inspiration that will keep you playing no matter what.
Ask questions of your teachers and on forums and be sure you learn from your mistakes.
That part is critical.
Also if you have your goals in mind, then do waste time working on things you don't need to in order to reach your goal.
For example, if you are trying to get really good at rhythm guitar don't spend 2 hours a day on scales, just work on the rhythm.
Get yourself firmly grounded before you decide to start working on new techniques.
You might want to learn how to tap like Eddie Van Halen, but if you cannot play a few basic chord changes you are not going to go very far with that idea.
So make sure you learn to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run.
All your dedication and commitment is not going to mean a thing if you are learning the wrong things.
It is time to learn to play the guitar.
In fact you want to play just like that guitarist you saw or perhaps even better than they did.
You need to realize that learning how to play the guitar is a skill and you will have to master that skill.
The only way to do this is to dedicate as much time as possible to this task.
There are no shortcuts.
If you put in the hours you will get the results.
You will be able to play the songs you want and will get a chance to be the center of attention.
But you will need some proper guidance through the process.
Here are a few tips that you can use to maximize your learning potential.
1.
Get clear on your Goals.
Actually write them down on paper.
What do you want? Do you just want to learn a few of your favorite songs? Are you hoping to start or join a band and make a career of it? are you going to try and be a solo player? What styles of music are you willing to learn? Be as clear as possible, the techniques you will need to learn for each style are going to be different as well as the practice strategies you will need to implement.
If you keep your goals in mind and close to you, you will have a lesser chance of losing motivation.
2.
What's your Budget? Unfortunately you will not be able to buy every guitar, accessory or lesson book that you want.
You are going to need to sit down and figure out a budget.
Are you going to want to take online lessons? What about one on one private lesson's with an instructor who can guide you through by the hand and get you started learning how to play the guitar? Generally you will not have to break the bank in order to get high quality instruction, but sometimes it can be costly.
There are many online resources out there that can help jump start your playing that are very affordable and are a very good alternative to private instruction.
Which every way you go you want to make sure the people you are learning from are experts.
Do your due diligence and ask their current and past students how well they taught.
Also look at various reviews for online products.
3.
Start with the basics.
This means things like your five basic cowboy chords and very simple melodies.
Take your time with this stuff and do not be too hard on yourself, we all started in the same place.
It is a step by step process and you will get better with time.
Find a good source of inspiration that will keep you playing no matter what.
Ask questions of your teachers and on forums and be sure you learn from your mistakes.
That part is critical.
Also if you have your goals in mind, then do waste time working on things you don't need to in order to reach your goal.
For example, if you are trying to get really good at rhythm guitar don't spend 2 hours a day on scales, just work on the rhythm.
Get yourself firmly grounded before you decide to start working on new techniques.
You might want to learn how to tap like Eddie Van Halen, but if you cannot play a few basic chord changes you are not going to go very far with that idea.
So make sure you learn to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run.
All your dedication and commitment is not going to mean a thing if you are learning the wrong things.
