Tips For Playing The Guitar
The little things no one tells you about learning to play guitar
There are many little things, intangible things, that many guitarists won’t tell you about. Maybe they don’t know about them or aren’t sure they are even things to tell you when you start taking guitar lessons in Philadelphia. Some things may be obvious but what is obvious to you may not be to someone else.
Structure
The first thing as a learning guitarist, you want structure. A structured regimen and beginning plan is really the fastest and most efficient way to learn guitar. Your guitar instructor will break down practice schedules, what you should be practicing and uses all of that to progress on to the next step. You may not like structure but if you want to learn how to play the guitar and be good at it, you want a plan of attack.
On the other hand, you shouldn’t try to restrict your practicing time. You definitely want to make sure you are practicing at the beginning but if you have an extra ten minutes here and there, make sure you do it. It helps to leave your guitar out in the open. Don’t put it in a closet, leave it out.
Pace yourself
Even though you may want to jam right away, you have to put in your practice time. Even the best guitarists put in their practice time to refine their skill. You will have the rest of your life to play, you want the time spent playing to be well and not re-learning what you should have in the first week.
It may not be the pace that makes those first few lessons, weeks and sessions so hard. They can get pretty repetitive. Scales, chords, and practice can be boring but it is truly the way to get there. It’s the foundation of your playing. The repetitive practice builds muscle memory. The more you get it the less difficult it will be to play that same part in the future.
Fingers
Your fingers are your real weapons when it comes to guitar playing. You might get bored, but they get tired. More than tired, your fingers are going to hurt a bit. A little pain, soreness, and a lot of calluses are going to happen. You will get over it and it will get easier. However, if you are in a lot of pain then you are doing it wrong. Talk to your instructor. If your wrist starts to cramp up, you’re bending it too much. You should always be comfortable.
Getting it right the first time
Play the right things. When you learn something, learn it the right way. It may take you an extra ten minutes or an hour, but it is worth it. Once you learn it the right way, you’ll never go back.
This is just a few things that people aren’t telling you. There are more things but these are the key things that you should know before picking up a guitar and getting yourself settled into guitar lessons in Philadelphia.