Learn Guitar Today, No Excuses!

Most people think learning guitar is difficult. Well not true, learning guitar is always easier than most people think. Learning guitar is often like yoga for the fingers, as they learn to stretch and even grow a little differently. The key to learning guitar is practice. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of first learning guitar is that it is seemingly impossible to play anything that actually sounds good and most people get frustrated and leave it at that. Once you get that first "good" tune from the playing the guitar it acts as a trigger for more enthusiasm and encouragement that you are seeing success from your endeavors. When you have that first guitar success it is a great feeling to have. One thing to remember is that learning guitar is a passion for each and every one of us and is something that takes a long time to master.

A guitar is primarily a rhythm instrument, meaning you can make good music with just a handful of chords and a couple of scales. Above all, the most important thing is to make sure that playing the instrument is something you actually enjoy, or no matter how much you put into it, you won't ever get anywhere. It is undeniably the most popular instrument in our country at this time. For only a small amount more you can get a quality instrument.

Learning Guitar: Getting Started

I have found that learning to play guitar is like many other activities it takes practice and perseverance. A person can get along fine these days by learning a few chords and knowing how to read tab, right. That should be the first guitar goal and that alone will unlock many doors to guitar progression. The best and easiest path to becoming a competent guitar player is by learning some chords and then applying them to learning the rhythm parts of songs that you hear and enjoy. Guitar players often spend hours learning new chords and practicing them over and over again. Almost anyone can learn to play the guitar if they put their heart into learning, in addition to putting in a substantial amount of effort and passion. Although many prefer to take lessons, which can be very expensive, learning to playing guitar by purchasing guitar courses online is also a very realistic option.

Choosing an Acoustic Guitar

If you are looking to choose an acoustic guitar as your learning guitar then I would recommend the following:

- Taylor, moderately priced
- Dean, some good deals available
- Gibson, expensive, but you get your money's worth in terms of quality

Acoustic guitars may be more expensive up front but then again you won't need an amplifier. I often recommend learning acoustic first, and then moving to electric, but it doesn't really matter what you start on and is often a matter of taste. An acoustic guitar is generally used by learners because it produces a cleaner sound and the chords crisper as a result. Some people consider it harder to play on an acoustic because you have to “push” harder, and when you take an electric guitar in your hands after that, you’ll see how it is easier.

Choosing an Electric Guitar

If you are looking to learn guitar by starting with an electric guitar I would recommend the following makes:

- Ibanez, great starters and very attractive prices
- Gibson, same as acoustic, expensive but worth it
- Fender, moderately priced, but if you don't want to pay full price you can go with Squire

If you decide to start with an electric guitar, then you'll want to purchase a practice amp too. You can usually pick up a reasonably high quality practice amp for around $50-$100. If you buy an electric guitar first, it will be great fun learning to do power chords and noisy solos, but when you reach certain level where you want to start using more complex chords and arrangements, it's time to knuckle down to practice chords and progressions as if it was an acoustic. One advantage of learning guitar with an electric guitar as opposed to acoustic guitars is that you can practice silently by using headphones.

Conclusion

Learning guitar is about repetition, repetition, repetition and if you have time, repetition. Once you have those chords and scales burned into your muscle memory playing guitar is very relaxing. One major aspect of learning guitar is that of confidence and getting to that first goal and persevering is a must. Also some people find it difficult initially teaching the left hand the chords and fingering but again, this comes down to practice. The first thing to understand is that learning guitar is something that takes a long time. The most important thing to keep in mind while learning guitar is never give up and you will succeed.