The guitar is a firm favourite when it comes to learning how to play a new instrument. Most people choose this instrument due to its versatility and the choices available. Unlike many of the other instruments available, the guitar enables you to start learning the music you want to play from classic to rock and blues to pop.

Choosing the Type of Guitar to Buy:

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The first step in the process of learning how to play a guitar is finding the right guitar for you. Your first major choice will be deciding between an electric or acoustic guitar; many say you should choose an acoustic as your first guitar, but this is not necessarily the case and if you dream of ‘turning it up to eleven’ then go for it! Rather choose the guitar that interests you, this way you will not get bored and lose interest.

Buying a Guitar for Children:

When buying a guitar for children it’s important to choose the right size. Full size guitars are easy to find but are not always practical for little arms and fingers which will need to stretch to reach the strings. A guitar should fit comfortably with your arm being able to reach over the guitar with ease. Your arm should not be lifted above your shoulder in order to strum as this can leave you feeling uncomfortable and will make it difficult to play or practice for extended periods.

How Much to Pay For a Guitar:

Many people fall into the trap of purchasing the cheapest option; the cheaper options can have difficulties with tuning and comfort which may impact your ability to play. It’s understandable that parents want to choose the cheapest instrument when buying for their child, just in case they lose interest, but in the long run these cheaper guitars will make it harder for the child to learn.

Take a look on auction and free sites to see if anyone is selling a good quality second hand guitar. This is a great way to save money when compared to buying new, especially if you are unsure that this is something you will continue with.

Nylon or Steel:

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If you’ve decided to buy an acoustic guitar then you will have to choose between nylon or steel strings. Steel is ideal if you want to play rock or country, while nylon is more suited to the classical or folk genre of music. Nylon will also require more tuning than the steel, so this is an important factor to consider. However some people do find that Nylon strings are more comfortable for beginners.

Finding a Tutor

There are two ways of learning to play the guitar, the first is to find a tutor and pay for lessons and the second if to use free lessons available on the internet. If you choose to use the free lessons, remember this will require more dedication from yourself as you won’t have anyone encouraging you to learn and improve.

Have a look for a couple of tutors in your area and ask them about the learning process and how they teach. This will give you an opportunity to get a feel for them. You are going to be spending time with this person, so it’s important that you are comfortable with their teaching methods. It’s also important to ensure you choose a teacher and not a guitarist with no teaching abilities.

Free Online Lessons

There are a number of free lessons available on the internet which will teach you how to play the guitar. You will need to be dedicated as this is something you learn in your own home and at your own pace.

• Find chords and scales with ease online at all-guitar-chords.com • If you are unsure during the learning process, you can look up chords and hear how they sound at chordbook.com • There are a choice of free lessons and examples at guitarlessonsworld.com • Enjoy twenty five free video tutorials at guitartricks.com • Tuning your guitar is very important in order to get the right sound. Learn how to tune and pick your guitar at howtotuneaguitar.com