Learning to Play Guitar
Which genre is right for you to learn on guitar – Part One
Learning to play the guitar is a rewarding experience. Experienced guitarists know that to play with friends and show off diversity, you will need to expand your musical horizons. We all know the guitar is capable of handling numerous musical styles so how do you select the best genre to learn? A lot depends on what’s natural for you to bring true skill, authenticity, and emotion to your guitar playing.
If you are just getting started, deciding upon which style and genre you are going to dive into first can be difficult. There are many different options and it can be overwhelming to explore each. The style of guitar that is most suited to learning first is rock. It is popular among beginners and there are many easy rock songs to learn whether you are focusing on chords or riffs.
Rock
Playing rock on the guitar is sometimes more challenging than it appears but there are other rock methods that are easier to learn first and so many beginners will choose this genre first. If you are taking guitar lessons, your instructor may start with rock as well. Everything from power chords to string skipping are some of the rock guitar techniques you will want to master.
Bluegrass Acoustic (Flatpick)
Being able to play Bluegrass style will improve your musical diversity especially on an acoustic guitar. Flatpick style means playing with a pick, creating a brighter, crisper, and more metallic sound.
Blues
There isn’t anything more satisfying than playing the blues on a guitar. Like Bluegrass, this takes you back to the roots of early American musical history to learn famous blues chords and riffs. With the blues, you can play on acoustic or electric guitar.
Electric Country
Even if country music originally started with acoustic guitar, Electric Country is going to take you to where country music is today. Some might call this country-rock but the sound is incredible and gives you a great sound to play with friends, or even in a band.
Jazz
The sky is the limit when it comes to playing jazz guitar. Your freedom of expression here is huge and allows a wide palette of sounds and improvising. A good jazz guitar teacher will teach you how to approach playing jazz by learning proper harmony and understanding most essential jazz chords. The electric guitar is the most common guitar used in jazz however, it is certainly possible with acoustic guitars as well.
Classical
Playing classical guitar is going to become the most demanding musical genre to learn, though it is well worth it. One thing you will discover about learning classical is how timeless it is. You can play any classical guitar piece and it fits in any setting, whether performing privately or publicly.
At the David Joel Guitar Studio, we have become the leader in providing guitar lessons in Philadelphia to take your skills further. Check us out and enjoy a complimentary lesson to get you started. We invite you to learn to play from an expert.