Learn To Play The Guitar

Learning to play the guitar can be fun although it can seem quite a daunting task to begin with. I first picked up a guitar when I was about 13. That was many, many years ago now and it was a wonderful feeling.

I couldn’t get much out of it but it was still fun.

Since then I have taught many people to play and I have enjoyed every minute of it. The last person I taught was my son. He was an outstanding student and his band eventually played the Arena, at the NEC in Birmingham, Uk in the National Youth Rock Band Festival.

So, if you are just starting or thinking of starting, maybe I could give you just a few very simple pointers to help you make a successful start to your new hobby.

Firstly we should consider the type of guitar and particularly the neck width and the strings.

The most challenging part of learning to play is being able to get enough pressure with your fingers on the fretboard to hold the strings down enough to get a clear note, rather than a buzzing, twanging sound.

Apart from practise, one of the keys is having a guitar with a narrow neck, plus lightweight strings.

So often I see a person trying to learn on a guitar with quite a broad neck and with heavy gauge strings. In that case you need very strong fingers and a broad grip with long fingers. Get yourself a guitar that you can comfortanly get your hand around.

It is worth spending some time trying a few out and getting a ‘feel’ for them. A guitar is rather like a good pair of shoes – it should feel comfortable. Never mind what it looks like. Comfort is crucial. It should feel ok and not awkward.

Don’t worry about trying out several in a guitar shop. It is expected and in fact, it is part of the culture of buying a guitar. Also, don’t worry about price. An expensive guitar is no guarantee that it will be the right one for you.

I have found Yamaha to be a good accoustic manufacturer. They have a lovely, strong, mellow sound and a good action (the way in which the strings press against the fretboard). Also, the strings should be as close to the fretboard as possible, which is usually the case with Yamaha.

The lightweight, soft feel of nylon strings on a classical guitar are often good for a beginner, especially girls or people with short fingers.

Next, you have to learn to get a few notes out of your guitar. At this stage, don’t worry about musical competence. Just keep trying until you get clear notes from your guitar.

And then there is practise. You have to play as often as possible. When I learned, I probably practised about 3-4 hours daily and at first, the tips of my fingers hurt like mad but after a while, the skin hardened and the discomfort went away.

Chords should be simple. Start with G, E, C and D. Then go on to Em and Am and then you will have the chords that you need for most things you want to play.

There are many online help systems and I have included a link to one that offers a range of good, online guitar lesson systems that will help you to learn how to play guitar online with an online guitar tutor system:

Learn to Play Guitar Online

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