Posts Tagged ‘Learning Guitar’
Want to learn how to play the guitar? The first step is clear: You need a guitar to play! But while the question is clear, the answer may not as simple as you think.
Step 1: Acoustic or Electric?
Make this decision based on your needs. What kind of music do you like? What style of guitar do you want to play? These may or may not be the same. Learning guitar and listening to music can be completely different things.
So to decide, take a quick look at these lists:
Electric guitar: Rock, Pop, Alternative, Jazz, Blues
Acoustic guitar: Country, Folk, Bluegrass, Campfire songs, Christmas carols, Classical, inspirational
It might also help to decide in what setting you want to play. If you’re hoping to play in a band, and the band plays one of the electric types of music, then an electric guitar may be best. If you’re like me, however, and you’re playing guitar for the social aspect, then an acoustic guitar is easier to pull out of a closet or throw over your shoulder on the way to a party, and an amp isn’t necessary.
So you thought it would be cool to play a guitar? You spent some money and bought some gear and you have been working for a while but it is getting kind of hard to stay motivated. You feel like you aren’t improving and your hands are sore. What now? How do you keep playing and enjoying the experience when the going gets tough? We all feel like giving up at times but the difference between a musician and a wannabe is someone who keeps going when the going gets tough. How do they do it? How do people keep going when it all just seems too hard?
One of the key things to remember when you feel like giving up is that everyone has gone through the same thing. Even your guitar heroes, the guys that are the reason you wanted to play in the first place have felt like quitting at some point. Understanding that you aren’t alone can be an important start in getting your motivation back.
Everyone knows about the importance of setting goals these days. This is equally important in learning to play the guitar. Regardless of who you are or what kind of music you are trying to play setting and achieving goals will help you in a number of ways.