Guitar Lessons – Beginners Tips and Tricks
The guitar is one of the most fascinating musical instruments ever created by man.
Every genre of music, be it classic or modern, involves guitar. No wonder, people the world over are hooked to it, and you’re probably one of them. But being captivated by the guitar is different from knowing how to play it. And so taking guitar lessons is one of the best decisions you’ll make.
But are you wondering…is it hard to learn to play the guitar? Or is it just a “piece of cake”? What does it take to learn this charming instrument? Here are some things that you might want to know…
It’s all about attitude.
Well, the process of learning guitar may be easy or difficult, depending on the individual. It does not take super high IQ to learn to play it, but it does take enthusiasm, patience, hard work, and of course, time.
Now that you’ve decided to have guitar lessons, it is advisable for you to have your own guitar, instead of borrowing from someone. In that way, you can practice anytime when your schedule allows. When choosing a guitar, consider its weight and size, as these are factors that will determine your comfort. Yes, it is imperative that you feel relaxed and comfortable when you’re learning to play the guitar.
As a novice, you might be unsure as to what is the better way to learn how to play the guitar. There are options, and it’s up to you to choose what will suit you best. If you prefer supervised coaching, you can hire a guitar teacher and you must be ready for the cost. The fee that you will shell out is greatly determined by your location and the professional standing of your mentor. It’s best to get referrals or reviews from people who have hired guitar tutors, so you can get real value for your money.
Another way to learn is through the internet.
Thanks to this technology, you can learn wherever your itch to learn hits you. The internet offers a myriad of guitar lessons, free guides and videos. You can have your lessons at your own home, or when you’re left alone at hotel during a weekend getaway, or at a local hangout with friends, literally everywhere these days. Instructional DVD’s and different brands of guitar lessons software can also be bought online.
If you deem that you are really on a tight budget, and the free lessons on videos are just too overwhelming, you can always rely on guitar books. There are guitar books designed for the total beginner, each instruction clearly stated, and you can learn at your own pace. Everything that you have to know about the guitar, from guitar parts to chords, is incorporated.
Guitar Pros are not born, they’re made.
You can become one if you start learning now. Know your instrument and nurture the passion…Rock on!
Beginners Tips and Tricks
A new guitarist should think about both a commitment to a long learning process, but also to repeating a number of daily tips and tricks that can help them to become a better player at a faster speed. The main focus of a player should be on refining the basics, from getting used to rhythm to tuning and scales, while also working on more elaborate tricks and songs that can gradually be incorporated into a personal repertoire and tried out for live audiences. Some of the best tricks and tips though are ones that rely on simple persistence:
1 – Rhythm, Timing and Metronomes
It may not seem like the most exciting trick, but getting the foundations right through basic practice is crucial to your playing. Use a metronome to set up a beat, and spend at least 20 minutes a day working on playing along through simple chord progressions and scales. Metronomes make it easier to build up a familiarity with timing, and provide a good way to maintain a consistent schedule.
2 – Be Careful with your Practicing
One of the worst things you can do as an early guitarist is to throw yourself into practicing too much. You might learn a lot, but you also run the risk of becoming burnt out from your playing, and more likely to drop the instrument altogether. Intensive practices every day are better than hours and hours of work. Focus on what works best for you, and build up around certain areas.
3 – Use Music Theory to Understand How the Guitar Works
Music theory is daunting for the new player, especially if they haven’t had any formal musical training in the past. However, by appreciating notes, scales, and how different effects are achieved, and by being able to read music, it will be easier to start to layer certain tricks on top of normal playing.
4 – Simple Tricks
When you get a bit bored with rehearsing chords and scales, think about developing a few flashier tricks. Easier tricks to learn include hammer-ons and pull offs, which involves hammering a fret hand finger onto the fingerboard and pulling off to create two notes from one action. Hammers ons and pull offs can be combined to create a flowing piece of music.
5 – Adjusting Tones and Pedals
You can also experiment with the tone of the guitar by practicing with a few pedals and effects switches, and the settings on an amplifier. While the noise created might not be exactly pleasing the first time you try, fiddling with bass, treble and equalisation means that you create substantial differences in the tone of your playing. Investing in a distortion or drive pedal will also create heavier sounds, as well as pushing reverb to create the effect of playing within a specific space.
The most important thing to remember is not to rely too much on effects pedals to disguise a lack of technique, but to see if there are any particular effects that you like and what to incorporate into your general playing. It is also necessary to think about how expensive the pedals will be, and whether you can borrow one before investing in your own.
