Tips for learning guitar

The guitar is a great instrument.  It’s portable, relatively inexpensive, easy enough to learn the basics, and it allows you to take your playing as far as you want.  Lots of people, from kids to grandparents, learn the guitar every day.  If you are one of them, here are some things you need to know.

Practice!

This might seem obvious, but it’s good advice, nonetheless.  The best and fastest way to learn is to practice.  A big part of learning to play the guitar is finger memory/motor skills.  Your fingers need to know what to do without your brain needing to tell them and that comes just one way: practice.

Stay motivated

Learning to play the guitar won’t be easy.  And after countless hours of practice you may feel like you are not getting anywhere.  You may feel good about learning the guitar right now but what can you do to keep that motivation when after a month or two you feeling like giving up?  You might want to set small short-term goals that won’t take so long to accomplish.

Learn basic skills the right way

Playing guitar involves a combination of basic skills.  Take the time to learn them and learn them properly.  These basic skills are musical education, notes, chords, strumming, picking, etc.  Work at it all until you sound better.

Learn to listen

Listening is a highly under-rate skill.  More than anything, it will help you become a great player.  Carefully listen to yourself as you practice.

Learn music theory

Some love it and some hate it, but it always helps to know music theory.  Especially when you can see how it improves your playing.  Every guitarist should be able to read a chord chart.  You should know the note names of each string.  It is worth learning the notes for each fret along each string.  You should also learn scales and how chords work.

Buy a guitar

Aside from this being obvious, it’s hard to practice regularly unless you own a guitar.  Buy the best guitar you can afford, keeping in mind that you can always buy a better one down the line as you improve.

Add variety to your routine

Regular practice can become boring without variety.  Your fingers learn better with consistent routine but keep your mind happy too by adding something interesting and enjoyable.

Stay healthy

When learning anything new, it’s always good to become aware of the risks.  Playing at excessive volume can damage your hearing, for example.  Or holding your guitar the wrong way can cause pain in your fingers and wrist.

Have fun!

Finally, remember why you are learning the guitar.  You are learning for your own enjoyment, so remember to have fun!

With all of these things in mind, the guitar is a rewarding and enjoyable instrument to play and with the right guitar teacher, there is no limit to how well you can become.  If you are looking for guitar lessons in Philadelphia, visit the David Joel Guitar Studio today!

Phone: (215) 831-8640

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